Staff and practitioner education and training regarding antipsychotic medications are key to any efforts to reduce these drugs’ use in long term care. Fortunately, there are many tools and materials already in existence. These include:
■ “Dementia Beyond Drugs: Changing the Culture of Care,” G. Allen Power, MD
■ Long Term Care Prescribing of Antipsychotic Medications: www.amda.com/governance/resolutions/E12.cfm
■ Clinical Practice Guideline: Dementia: www.amda.com/tools/guidelines.cfm#dementia
■ Clinical Practice Guideline: Delirium and Acute Problematic Behavior: www.amda.com/tools/guidelines.cfm#dapb
■ The Use of Antipsychotic Medications in Nursing Home Residents—Questions and Answers: www.ascp.com/sites/default/files/ASCP-QnA-AntipsychoticsFinal.pdf
■ A Systematic Evidence Review of Non-pharmacological Interventions for Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54971/
■ Initiative to Improve Behavioral Health and Reduce the Use of Antipsychotic Medications in Nursing Homes Residents (Handouts): http://surveyortraining.cms.hhs.gov/pubs/VideoInformation.aspx?cid=1098
■ What You Should Know to Fight the Misuse of Psychoactive Drugs in California Nursing Homes: http://www.canhr.org/reports/2010/Toxic_Medicine.pdf
■ Off-Label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics: An Update: http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/search-for-guides-reviews-and-reports/?pageaction=displayproduct&productid=786
■ Guide to the Management of Psychotic Disorders and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia in Older Adults: http://dementia.americangeriatrics.org/ASGGeriPsychConsult.pdf
■ Implementation Guide: Reducing the Use of Daily Physical Restraints: www.nhqualitycampaign.org/files/impguides/3_PhysicalRestraints_TAW_Guide.pdf
■ Talking Points: Appropriate Prescribing of Antipsychotics: www.amda.com/advocacy/AMDA_Antipsychotics_Tlkg_Pts.pdf