Prescribing of psychotropic medication for nursing home residents with dementia: a general practitioner survey

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing the prescribing of psychotropic medication by general practitioners (GPs) to nursing home residents with dementia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS GPs with experience in nursing homes were recruited through professional body newsletter advertising, while 1,000 randomly selected GPs from southeastern Australia were invited to participate, along with a targeted group of GPs in Tasmania. An anonymous survey was used to collect GPs' opinions. RESULTS A lack of nursing staff and resources was cited as the major barrier to GPs recommending non-pharmacological techniques for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD; cited by 55%; 78/141), and increasing staff levels at the nursing home ranked as the most important factor to reduce the usage of psychotropic agents (cited by 60%; 76/126). CONCLUSION According to GPs, strategies to reduce the reliance on psychotropic medication by nursing home residents should be directed toward improved staffing and resources at the facilities.