Interdisciplinary teams that include a nursing home resident’s physician and a pharmacist improve quality of care, a new study finds.

The result of having those two involved created “higher success rates in decreasing falls, improving behavioral issues and prescribing less antipsychotic medications,” said Arif Nazir, M.D., Indiana University Center for Aging Research center scientist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at the IU School of Medicine.

The researchers examined 27 trials that looked at the efficacy of interdisciplinary interventions in nursing homes. Clear communication and coordination also positively correlated with successful care.

“Recent efforts to transform our healthcare system focus on team-based care delivery,” said Regenstrief Institute investigator Malaz Boustani, M.D., MPH, IU Center for Aging Research associate director and associate professor of medicine at the IU School of Medicine. “This comprehensive study provides specific information to develop an effective healthcare delivery team.”

The study will be published in the July issue of the Journal of American Medical Directors Association.