George et al developed the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) to evaluate the complexity of a patient's drug therapy. The complexity of therapy can impact adherence and outcomes. The authors are from Monash University and The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
The MRCI consists of 3 subscores:
(1) dosage forms
(2) dosing frequency
(3) additional dosing instructions
Dosage forms assigned 1 point:
(1) capsules and/or tablets
(2) topical sprays
Dosage forms assigned 2 points:
(1) gargles or mouthwashes
(2) oral lozenges
(3) oral liquids
(4) oral powder
(5) sublingual tabs or sprays
(6) topical creams, gels or ointments
(7) topical paints or solutions
(8) patches
(9) nasal sprays
(10) enemas
(11) patient controlled analgesia
(12) suppositories
(13) vaginal cream
Dosage forms assigned 3 points:
(1) topical dressings
(2) topical pastes
(3) ear drops, ointments or creams
(4) eye drops
(5) eye gels or intments
(6) nasal drops, creams or ointments
(7) accuhalers
(8) oxygen concentrator
(9) turbuhalers
(10) other dry-powder inhaler (DPI)
(11) prefilled injector
(12) pessary
Dosage forms assigned 4 points:
(1) metered dose inhaler
(2) injection drawn from a vial or ampoule
Dosage forms assigned 5 points:
(1) nebuliser
dosage forms subscore =
= SUM(points for all classes of dosage forms used)
The score is not adjusted for the number for each class of dosage form used or how often a form is used.
Interpretation:
• minimum subscore: 0
• maximum subscore: 72 for a male and 77 for a female
