Nurses the main barrier to aged care deprescribing: study
Aged care staff are worried patients will be more aggressive, researchers say
Nursing staff are the biggest hurdle to deprescribing in aged care homes, according to researchers who have run a government-funded trial to curb the use of antipsychotics.
The deprescribing push at 23 Sydney aged care homes between 2014 and 2016 led to 82% of participating patients ceasing their antipsychotic medication.
The researchers, including psychiatrists and a GP, have now reviewed why some patients remained on the drugs in follow-up interviews with nursing staff, visiting GPs and family members.
They found that in most cases, deprescribing was initially successful but later antipsychotic medication was resumed.
