Agreement of Minimum Data Set 3.0 depression and behavioral symptoms with clinical diagnosis in a nursing home

Physician Antipsychotic Overprescribing Letters and Cognitive, Behavioral, and Physical Health Outcomes Among People With Dementia: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Antipsychotics, such as quetiapine, are frequently prescribed to people with dementia to address behavioral symptoms but can also cause harm in this population.

Objective

To determine whether warning letters to high prescribers of quetiapine can successfully reduce its use among patients with dementia and to investigate the impacts on patients' health outcomes.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This is a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial of overprescribing letters that began in April 2015 and included the highest-volume primary care physician (PCP) prescribers of quetiapine in original Medicare. Outcomes of patients with dementia were analyzed in repeated 90-day cross-sections through December 2018. Analyses were conducted from September 2021 to February 2024.

Interventions

PCPs were randomized to a placebo letter or 3 overprescribing warning letters stating that their prescribing of quetiapine was high and under review by Medicare.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome of this analysis was patients' total quetiapine use in days per 90-day period (the original trial primary outcome was total quetiapine prescribing by study PCPs). Prespecified secondary outcomes included measures of cognitive function and behavioral symptoms from nursing home assessments, indicators of depression from screening questionnaires in assessments and diagnoses in claims, metabolic diagnoses derived from assessments and claims, indicators of use of the hospital and other health care services, and death. Outcomes were analyzed separately for patients living in nursing homes and in the community.

Results

Of the 5055 study PCPs, 2528 were randomized to the placebo letter, and 2527 were randomized to the 3 warning letters. A total of 84 881 patients with dementia living in nursing homes and 261 288 community-dwelling patients with dementia were attributed to these PCPs. There were 92 874 baseline patients (mean [SD] age, 81.5 [10.5] years; 64 242 female [69.2%]). The intervention reduced quetiapine use among both nursing home patients (adjusted difference, -0.7 days; 95% CI, -1.3 to -0.1 days; P = .02) and community-dwelling patients (adjusted difference, -1.5 days; 95% CI, -1.8 to -1.1 days; P < .001). There were no detected adverse effects on cognitive function (cognitive function scale adjusted difference, 0.01; 95% CI, -0.01 to 0.03; P = .19), behavioral symptoms (agitated or reactive behavior adjusted difference, -0.2%; 95% CI -1.2% to 0.8% percentage points; P = .72), depression, metabolic diagnoses, or more severe outcomes, including hospitalization and death.

Conclusions and Relevance

This study found that overprescribing warning letters to PCPs safely reduced quetiapine prescribing to their patients with dementia. This intervention and others like it may be useful for future efforts to promote guideline-concordant care.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05172687.

Pain intensity, physical function, and depressive symptoms associated with discontinuing long-term opioid therapy in older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

INTRODUCTION

Limited evidence exists on the associations of discontinuing versus continuing long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) with pain intensity, physical function, and depression among patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).

METHODS

A cohort study among 138,059 older residents with mild-to-moderate ADRD and receipt of LTOT was conducted using a 100% Medicare nursing home sample. Discontinuation of LTOT was defined as no opioid refills for ≥ 60 days. Outcomes were worsening pain, physical function, and depression from baseline to quarterly assessments during 1- and 2-year follow-ups.

RESULTS

The adjusted odds of worsening pain and depressive symptoms were 29% and 5% lower at the 1-year follow-up and 35% and 9% lower at the 2-year follow-up for residents who discontinued versus continued LTOT, with no difference in physical function.

DISCUSSION

Discontinuing LTOT was associated with lower short- and long-term worsening pain and depressive symptoms than continuing LTOT among older residents with ADRD.

HIGHLIGHTS

Discontinuing long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) was associated with lower short- and long-term worsening pain. Discontinuing LTOT was related to lower short- and long-term worsening depression. Discontinuing LTOT was not associated with short- and long-term physical function.

Adverse Events and Risk Management in Residential Aged Care Facilities: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hunan, China

Purpose

Adverse events threaten residents’ safety. Risk management is important to provide proper care and maintain quality in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). However, there is little data on adverse events, risk management, and risk early warning in RACFs in the Chinese mainland. This study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the prevalence of the aforementioned aspects and related factors in China.

Participants and Methods

Using a cross-sectional design, a field survey of 272 RACFs in Hunan Province was conducted from January 25 to June 1, 2020. Data were collected using four main tools on prevalence of nursing adverse events, risk management, risk early warning, and general information. Descriptive statistics were described by frequency (percentage) and median (interquartile range). Mann–Whitney U-test and Kruskal–Wallis H-test, and Spearman coefficient were used for statistical analysis.

Results

RACFs experienced an average of five (15) adverse events in 2019, with falls and pressure ulcers being the most common. The total average score of risk management in RACFs was 4.72 (0.98) out of 5, with the environment and personnel management dimensions scoring the highest with 4.75 (1) and the service management dimension scoring the lowest with 4.60 (1). Only 72.79% had trained their staff on ethical and legal knowledge and 84.56% had utilized pre-hospital first aid. Further, 30% to 40% were unprepared for contingency plans of suicide, electric shock, gas poisoning, and drowning. There were significant risk management differences among the following variables: facilities’ locations, accreditation with the Practice Certificate of Social Welfare Facilities, bed-size, nursing hours per resident day, requirement for nursing staff with certificates, and payment for nursing staff (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

RACFs are facing safety challenges with a high prevalence of nursing adverse events. These facilities need to improve risk early warning and management to ensure residents’ safety.

Does the Person-Centered Care Model Support the Needs of Long-Term Care Residents With Serious Mental Illness and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities?

Person-centered care approaches continue to evolve in long-term care (LTC). At the same time, these settings have faced increased challenges due to a more diverse and complex population, including persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and serious mental illness (SMI). This study examined the mental, social, and physical wellbeing of residents with different diagnoses, within a person-centered care model. It was hypothesized that individual wellbeing would be comparable among all residents, regardless of primary diagnosis. The study cohort was drawn from all admissions to long-term care facilities in the USA from 2011 to 2013. Data are based on admission, 3 and 6 month follow-up Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 assessments. The groups examined included: schizophrenia, other psychotic disorders, IDD, dementia, and all others (i.e., none of the above diagnoses). The wellbeing outcomes were depression (mental), pain (physical), and behaviors (social). All residents experienced improvements in pain and depression, though the group without the examined diagnoses experienced the greatest gains. Behaviors were most prevalent among those with psychotic disorders; though marked improvements were noted over time. Improvement also was noted among persons with dementia. Behavior worsened over time for the three other groups. In particular, those with IDD experienced the highest level of worsening at 3-month follow-up, and continued to worsen. The results suggest person-centered care in US nursing homes provides the necessary foundation to promote mental and physical wellbeing in persons with complex needs, but less so for social wellbeing.