U.S. nursing homes have significantly reduced the use of powerful antipsychotic drugs among their elderly residents, responding to pressure from many directions. Yet advocacy groups insist that overmedication remains a major problem, and want the pressure to intensify.
Dale Barwick, a nurse practitioner who was considering moving to the area, stopped by the small town's pharmacy to ask where the physicians went. One lost his license. Another worked at a clinic that moved locations. The last went out of business.
Does Michigan have a shortage of nurses? That question is at the heart of a push by nurse advocates and some lawmakers for a state law that would set up mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios and prohibit hospitals from ordering nurses to work overtime.