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Nearly All Nursing Homes Fail Federal Rules on Anti-Psychotics
The improper use of anti-psychotic drugs in nursing homes is much worse than previously reported, according to another report in a series on the topic from the federal Office of Inspector General, which says that 99.5% of sampled records fail to meet all federal requirements.
"Overall, 373 of the 375 records reviewed for elderly nursing facility residents receiving atypical antipsychotic drugs during the first six months of 2007 lacked evidence" that they met requirements for resident assessments and care plans, the report says.
Additionally, nearly half (48%) of these patients' records did not meet two or more federal requirements.
The issue has ramifications for the entire healthcare industry because use of anti-psychotic drugs is associated with a higher rate of death in patients living in skilled nursing facilities, who are frequently readmitted to hospitals.
The report sats that increased scrutiny of the failure by state licensing inspectors on behalf of the federal government may result in findings of immediate jeopardy declarations that require immediate corrective action "because of actual or potential serious injury, harm, impairment, or death to a resident."
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Comments are moderated. Please be patient.
lynn (7/14/2012 at 12:39 AM)
I have always said that we nurses and health Care Professionals need to look at different ways to help patients with Psych difficulties-these patients have lost their homes ect..high stress time for them.I hate it when a team of psych comes in and puts an elderly patient on an antidepressant- antipsychotic-mood stabilizer...you know that patient is most likely going to become lethargic and have a decreased appetite so they will loose weight become dehydrated ect ect..then you will go to a ''care plan'' meeting and they will all sit around and say "whats up with mrs Smith-she has lost weight-and lethargic" Makes no sence to me.I am glad that the field is starting to look at new avenues to handle this problem.
Susan Ward (7/13/2012 at 10:35 AM)
Psychiatrists and psychologists won't come to the hospital to evaluate a drug overdose patient, but the federal experts think they should visit nursing homes regularly to assess patients and help develop the plan of care. You have set almost every nursing home up to be noncompliant with the regulations. These experts need to spend some time in the nursing homes and observe the care patients receive and see how easy it is to get a physician to visit and assess patients, let alone a psychiatrist. It is time the people who make the regulations get out into the real world and learn what goes on day to day in health care.