Practical tool to offer better informed care for people living with dementia Researchers at the Kolling Institute are
and shared decision making. “Working with patients, clinicians and carers, I am keen to develop a tool which will weigh the risks and benefits of antipsychotic medications to help ensure patients are prescribed the best medication for their individual needs,” he said. “An evidenced-based tool, which would predict the likelihood of treatment response and adverse events, could greatly assist personal treatment plans and improve patient outcomes.”
working to improve the use of medications for dementia with a comprehensive analysis highlighting several concerning trends. The latest data indicates more than 420,000 people are living with dementia in Australia, with the condition the second leading cause of death in Australia. Dr Edwin Tan said people with dementia are high users of medications due to the challenging symptoms of the condition and the combination of other chronic conditions. “We found there was often limited evidence
for prescribing medications for people with dementia, and clinicians were left to weigh up the risks and benefits of these medications,” he said. “Our analysis of nationwide data found 60 per cent of people with dementia are taking a psychotropic medication like an anti- depressant, antipsychotic or opioid, and 26 per cent are taking an anti-dementia medication. “We were interested to find that when we looked at people’s backgrounds, those from a higher socio- economic group were more likely to take an anti-dementia medication, compared with people from a rural or regional area, who were more likely to take a psychotropic drug, like an antipsychotic. “Concerningly, two thirds of people with dementia are taking at least five medications and 23 per cent are taking more than ten medications.” The data pointed to an increased risk of medication poisoning, with one in five people experiencing an adverse drug event. Dementia increased a person’s risk of poisoning by an alarming 77 per cent. Edwin is now working to develop a personalised antipsychotic calculator to assist with safer prescribing
Dr Edwin Tan
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