Skip Navigation


Age and Ageing Advance Access originally published online on July 17, 2008
Age and Ageing 2008 37(5):547-552; doi:10.1093/ageing/afn135
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
37/5/547    most recent
afn135v1
Right arrow E-Letters: Submit a response to the article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wood-Mitchell, A.
Right arrow Articles by Ballard, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wood-Mitchell, A.
Right arrow Articles by Ballard, C.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Copyright © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

Factors influencing the prescribing of medications by old age psychiatrists for behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia: a qualitative study

Amy Wood-Mitchell1, Ian Andrew James1,2, Anna Waterworth1, Alan Swann1 and Clive Ballard3

1 Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Trust, Northumberland, UK
2 Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust, Clinical Psychology Services for Older People, UK
3 Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London, UK

Address correspondence to : Ian Andew James. Fax: (+44) 0191 219 5040; Tel: (+44) 0191 256 3436. Email: ianjamesncht{at}yahoo.com

Background: despite evidence of limited efficacy, psychotropic medications are widely used as a first line treatment for those with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Clearly various factors must be influencing their continued use; these are explored here.

Aims: to examine the process by which consultant old age psychiatrists prescribe for BPSD and explore the factors that influence their decisions.

Method: a focus group generated initial questions for interviews with eight consultant old age psychiatrists, using a grounded theory methodology.

Results: differences in how assessment information was utilised resulted in inconsistencies in choice of medication between psychiatrists. Psychiatrists felt pressured to prescribe, largely due to resource issues and lack of viable alternative treatments.

Conclusion: the ways in which psychiatrists prescribe for BPSD varies amongst clinicians. Guidelines do exist, but are difficult to implement in practice. Alternative non-pharmacological strategies are required, but as yet they are difficult to access and have a questionable evidence base.

Keywords: neuroleptics, antipsychotics, challenging behaviour, care homes, qualitative

Received 8 November 2007; accepted in revised form 26 February 2008.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.