New Fund-Supported Study in <em>Archives of Internal Medicine</em>
<p>After a period of marked decreases, antipsychotic drug prescribing in nursing homes has been rising. New Commonwealth Fund–supported research published in the <em>Archives of Internal Medicine</em> indicates more than one of every four Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes received antipsychotic drugs in 2000–01—the highest reported rate in nearly a decade.<br><br>In <a href=" http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_… ">The Quality of Antipsychotic Drug Prescribing in Nursing Homes,</a> a researcher team led by Becky Briesacher of the University of Massachusetts Medical School reports that more than half of the nursing home residents receiving antipsychotics were given doses that exceeded recommended maximum levels, received duplicative therapy, or had conditions, like memory problems or depression, for which such drugs are considered inappropriate.<br><br>The study's authors recommend additional investigation to explore the gap between prescribing guidelines for antipsychotics and their actual use in nursing homes.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2005/jul/new-fund-supported-study-in--archives-of-internal-medicine--em