TY - JOUR
T1 - Can the PROPER intervention reduce psychotropic drug prescription in nursing home residents with dementia? Results of a cluster-randomized controlled trial
AU - Smeets, C. H.W.
AU - Smalbrugge, M.
AU - Koopmans, R. T.C.M.
AU - Nelissen-Vrancken, M. H.J.M.G.
AU - Van Der Spek, K.
AU - Teerenstra, S.
AU - Gerritsen, D. L.
AU - Zuidema, S. U.
N1 - Funding Information: The authors kindly thank Erica de Vries for acquisition of subjects and data, and all nursing home residents and personnel for participation. They also thank the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development for funding (ZonMw, grant number 113101005). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - Objectives: To evaluate the effect of the PROPER intervention in nursing home residents with dementia on the prevalence of psychotropic drug use and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Design: A cluster-randomized controlled design with two parallel groups (intervention versus usual care) and assessments at 0, 6, 12, and 18 months. Setting: Thirty-one dementia special care units within 13 long-Term care organizations in the Netherlands. Participants: Three hundred eighty nursing home residents with dementia Intervention: The PROPER intervention consisted of a structured and repeated multidisciplinary medication review, supported by education and continuous evaluation. Measurements: Prescriptions of antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, and hypnotics, and occurrence of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Results: The prescription of any type of psychotropic drugs increased in the intervention group, and decreased in the control group, with an estimated difference of 3.9 percentage points per 6 months (p = 0.01). Effects for the individual drug groups were minor (differences of 1.6 percentage points and below per 6 months) and not statistically significant. The occurrence of neuropsychiatric symptoms remained stable in both the intervention and control groups during the follow-up of 18 months. Conclusions: The PROPER intervention failed to demonstrate effectiveness in reducing the prevalence of psychotropic drugs. It may be interesting to enrich the intervention with components that address personal attitudes and communication between nursing home professionals, not only with respect to the prescription of psychotropic drugs, but also to neuropsychiatric symptoms. The study has been registered in The Netherlands Trial Register (NTR3569).
AB - Objectives: To evaluate the effect of the PROPER intervention in nursing home residents with dementia on the prevalence of psychotropic drug use and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Design: A cluster-randomized controlled design with two parallel groups (intervention versus usual care) and assessments at 0, 6, 12, and 18 months. Setting: Thirty-one dementia special care units within 13 long-Term care organizations in the Netherlands. Participants: Three hundred eighty nursing home residents with dementia Intervention: The PROPER intervention consisted of a structured and repeated multidisciplinary medication review, supported by education and continuous evaluation. Measurements: Prescriptions of antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, and hypnotics, and occurrence of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Results: The prescription of any type of psychotropic drugs increased in the intervention group, and decreased in the control group, with an estimated difference of 3.9 percentage points per 6 months (p = 0.01). Effects for the individual drug groups were minor (differences of 1.6 percentage points and below per 6 months) and not statistically significant. The occurrence of neuropsychiatric symptoms remained stable in both the intervention and control groups during the follow-up of 18 months. Conclusions: The PROPER intervention failed to demonstrate effectiveness in reducing the prevalence of psychotropic drugs. It may be interesting to enrich the intervention with components that address personal attitudes and communication between nursing home professionals, not only with respect to the prescription of psychotropic drugs, but also to neuropsychiatric symptoms. The study has been registered in The Netherlands Trial Register (NTR3569).
KW - behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia
KW - dementia
KW - neuropsychiatric symptoms
KW - nursing homes
KW - psychopharmacology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85084981886&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610220000629
DO - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610220000629
M3 - Article
C2 - 32431251
SN - 1041-6102
VL - 33
SP - 577
EP - 586
JO - International psychogeriatrics
JF - International psychogeriatrics
IS - 6
ER -