New research led by School of Public Health and Health Systems professors George Heckman and John Hirdes reveals that many Parkinson’s (PD) patients in long-term care homes are receiving antipsychotic drugs when other interventions might be safer and more effective.
The study, published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, found that doctors prescribed antipsychotics to 34 per cent of patients in long-term care and 24 per cent of those in complex continuing care facilities. At the same time, incidents of actual behaviour warranting antipsychotic treatment was between six and eight per cent.
So what’s going on? Dr. Heckman says residents with PD may exhibit behaviour that looks psychotic – calling out, moaning, aggression – but that is often the result of underlying discomfort. “They may be in pain from pneumonia, urinary tract infections, low oxygen levels etc., but lack the ability to communicate their needs.”
A better response is to see the behaviour not as an expression of the disease, but as one of unmet needs. “The proper response is to try interpreting what’s really bothering them.”
The study also revealed lower levels of over-prescribing in Ontario, which Dr. Heckman attributes to an Ontario Ministry of Health-funded behavioural support program training doctors and front-line health-care workers in better interpretation techniques.
