Antipsychotic Drugs Predominate in Pharmacotherapy of Nursing Home Residents with Dementia
Pharmacopsychiatry, 07/17/2012
Clinical Article
Huber M et al. – This study demonstrates the wide–spread use of psychotropic drugs in nursing home residents (NHR). Moreover, dementia in NHR was associated with antipsychotic drug prescribing in every second patient.
Methods- Data of a German health insurance company were retrospectively analyzed for the year 2008.
- The study cohort comprised 13 042 NHR (82% women, mean age 83.6±7 years).
- Following analgetics, antipsychotic drugs were the second most frequently prescribed drug group with 13.3% of all prescriptions.
- Dementia was diagnosed in 8 017 (61.5%) NHR.
- Thereof 51.6% received an antipsychotic, 17.3% a benzodiazepine and 15.2% an antidementia pharmaceutical, respectively. 18.1% of NHR with dementia and antipsychotic drug prescriptions were in combined treatment with antidementia pharmaceuticals.
- The rate of antipsychotic drug prescribing was significantly doubled in NHR with dementia compared to those without this diagnosis (p<0.01); the most frequently prescribed antipsychotics were melperone, risperidone and pipamperone.
