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Nursing home antipsychotics use questioned

LTC Liability Monitor, June 16, 2005

The use of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes is at its highest in more than a decade, and the drugs are being prescribed improperly in many cases, according to research presented in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers used Medicare records -- including minimum data set assessments and medication administration records -- as the basis of the study. More than one-quarter of nursing home residents studied were taking at least one antipsychotic medication. However, about 40% of those residents either did not meet the guidelines for taking the medication or did not receive the proper dose, the researchers concluded. On the other hand, the researchers detected no difference in outcome between those who appropriately received a medication and those who did not, the journal reported.

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