Geriatrics Commons^™

Use Of Medications Of Questionable Benefit In Advanced Dementia, Jennifer Tjia, Becky Briesacher, Daniel Peterson, Qin Liu, Susan Andrade, Susan Mitchell

Jennifer Tjia

IMPORTANCE: Advanced dementia is characterized by severe cognitive impairment and complete functional dependence. Patients' goals of care should guide the prescribing of medication during such terminal illness. Medications that do not promote the primary goal of care should be minimized. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of medications with questionable benefit used by nursing home residents with advanced dementia, identify resident- and facility-level characteristics associated with such use, and estimate associated medication expenditures. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional study of medication use by nursing home residents with advanced dementia using a nationwide long-term care pharmacy database linked to the Minimum Data …

Use Of Atypical Antipsychotics In Nursing Homes And Pharmaceutical Marketing, Camilla Pimentel, Jennifer Donovan, Terry Field, Jerry Gurwitz, Leslie Harrold, Abir Kanaan, Celeste Lemay, Kathleen Mazor, Jennifer Tjia, Becky Briesacher

Jennifer Tjia

OBJECTIVES: To describe the current extent and type of pharmaceutical marketing in nursing homes (NHs) in one state and to provide preliminary evidence for the potential influence of pharmaceutical marketing on the use of atypical antipsychotics in NHs.

DESIGN: Nested mixed-methods, cross-sectional study of NHs in a cluster randomized trial.

SETTING: Forty-one NHs in Connecticut.

PARTICIPANTS: NH administrators, directors of nursing, and medical directors (n = 93, response rate 75.6%).

MEASUREMENTS: Quantitative data, including prescription drug dispensing data (September 2009-August 2010) linked with Nursing Home Compare data (April 2011), were used to determine facility-level prevalence of atypical antipsychotic use, facility-level …

Knowledge Of And Perceived Need For Evidence-Based Education About Antipsychotic Medications Among Nursing Home Leadership And Staff, Celeste Lemay, Kathleen Mazor, Terry Field, Jennifer Donovan, Abir Kanaan, Becky Briesacher, Sarah Foy, Leslie Harrold, Jerry Gurwitz, Jennifer Tjia

Jennifer Tjia

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Antipsychotic use is common in US nursing homes, despite evidence of increased risk of morbidity and mortality, and limited efficacy in older adults with dementia. Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding antipsychotic use among nursing home staff are unclear. The study aim was to describe nursing home leadership and direct care staff members' knowledge of antipsychotic risks, beliefs and attitudes about the effectiveness of antipsychotics and nonpharmacologic management of dementia-related behaviors, and perceived need for evidence-based training about antipsychotic medication safety. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, AND MEASUREMENTS: Survey of leadership and direct care staff of nursing homes in Connecticut was conducted …

Antipsychotic Use Among Nursing Home Residents, Becky Briesacher, Jennifer Tjia, Terry Field, Daniel Peterson, Jerry Gurwitz

Jennifer Tjia

The prescribing of antipsychotic medications persists at high levels in US nursing homes (NHs) despite extensive data demonstrating marginal clinical benefits and serious adverse effects, including death.1- 2 However, imprecise and outdated data have limited the understanding of the current state of antipsychotic medication prescribing in NHs.3 We analyzed recent and detailed NH prescription data to address: (1) What is the current level of antipsychotic use? (2) Does antipsychotic use in NHs display geographic variation? and (3) Which antipsychotics are most commonly prescribed?

Studies To Reduce Unnecessary Medication Use In Frail Older Adults: A Systematic Review, Jennifer Tjia, Sarah Velten, Carole Parsons, Sruthi Valluri, Becky Briesacher

Jennifer Tjia

BACKGROUND: Overuse of unnecessary medications in frail older adults with limited life expectancy remains an understudied challenge.

OBJECTIVE: To identify intervention studies that reduced use of unnecessary medications in frail older adults. A secondary goal was to identify and review studies focusing on patients approaching end of life. We examined criteria for identifying unnecessary medications, intervention processes for medication reduction, and intervention effectiveness.

METHODS: A systematic review of English articles using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts from January 1966 to September 2012. Additional studies were identified by searching bibliographies. Search terms included prescription drugs, drug utilization, hospice or palliative …

Dementia And Risk Of Adverse Warfarin-Related Events In The Nursing Home Setting, Jennifer Tjia, Terry Field, Kathleen Mazor, Jennifer Donovan, Abir Kanaan, George Reed, Peter Doherty, Leslie Harrold, Jerry Gurwitz

Jennifer Tjia

BACKGROUND: Little attention has been focused on the safety of medications administered to treat non illnesses in nursing home residents with dementia. It is unclear whether this population is at increased risk of adverse drug events. OBJECTIVES: To test the hypotheses that in nursing home residents with dementia prescribed warfarin have less time in therapeutic range and a higher incidence of nonpreventable and preventable adverse warfarin events compared to nursing home residents without dementia after controlling for facility and patient characteristics. METHODS: A prospective cohort embedded in a clinical trial of nursing home residents prescribed warfarin in 26 nursing homes …