Report: 20 percent of nursing home residents receive antipsychotics
By
Kristen Fischer
Mar 20, 2024
A new report highlights the high number of nursing home residents who are prescribed antipsychotic drugs. Authors of the report say that, in most cases, the drugs aren’t clinically justified.
Trial lowers high-risk drug orders for seniors on as-needed basis
By
Kristen Fischer
Mar 11, 2024
Researchers tested a simulation to train doctors on prescribing high-risk medications to hospitalized older adults despite recommendations to avoid the drugs. The intervention didn’t affect high-risk...
Doctor sounds alarm on quality, efficacy of Alzheimer’s supplement
By
Kristen Fischer
Feb 27, 2024
When it was sold as a prescription generic drug, galantamine was labeled accurately and it wasn’t contaminated. But that wasn’t the case when galantamine was sold as an over-the-counter dietary supplement,...
Report highlights ‘exemplary research’ to improve drug quality, safety among older adults
By
Kristen Fischer
Dec 06, 2023
From electronic medical records to pharmacists to geriatricians, there are various ways to help reduce the use of inappropriate medications among older adults. A new report published Dec. 1 in the Journal...
Report: Nurse practitioners, docs have similar rates of inappropriate prescribing
By
Kristen Fischer
Oct 24, 2023
Doctors and nurses are likely to inappropriately prescribe drugs to older adults at about the same rate regardless of their professional title, a new study finds.
40 percent of older adults have doubts about stopping medications, study says
By
Kristen Fischer
Oct 12, 2023
A new survey study sheds light on the attitudes of older adults who disagree with deprescribing recommendations. Nearly half of the people 65 and older who were surveyed said they had doubts about discontinuing...
Pandemic disrupted dementia care, increased antipsychotic prescriptions: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 26, 2023
Clinicians relied on these drugs to address behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia during the pandemic. Experts are calling for a new approach to assessing treatment needs.
Residents may be more open to deprescribing when suggested by physician
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 19, 2021
Among 300 geriatric inpatients, outpatients and nursing home residents, 33% said they would like to try stopping one of their medications on their own. And a greater number — 87% — said they would...
LTC hip-fracture rates rise where fracture-linked drug prescriptions abound
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 18, 2021
Substantial regional variations exist for fracture-associated drug prescriptions — and hip fracture rates — in long-term care facility residents, researchers say.
Painkiller use tied to higher mortality after outpatient surgery in seniors
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 26, 2020
Clinicians should be aware of preoperative opioid exposure levels to ensure older patients’ safe recovery, and to help determine the dosage of post-surgical painkillers, researchers say.