Einer von vier älteren Amerikanern mit Demenz verschrieb trotz Sicherheitswarnungen riskante Medikamente, die das Gehirn verändern. Sedativa und Antipsychotika im Zusammenhang mit Stürzen, Verwirrtheit und Krankenhausaufenthalten werden nach wie vor häufig bei Patienten eingesetzt, die am anfälligsten für Schäden sind

Despite years of clinical guidelines warning against the practice, one in four Medicare beneficiaries with dementia is prescribed brain-altering medications linked to falls, confusion, and hospitalization, according to research published January 12 in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA.

While prescriptions for these medications fell from 20% to 16% over the nine-year study period among all Medicare beneficiaries, they continue to be prescribed to individuals with cognitive impairment who are particularly susceptible to these ill effects.

“While this decline was encouraging, over two-thirds of patients receiving these prescriptions lacked a documented clinical indication in 2021, the end of the study period, suggesting high levels of potentially inappropriate and harmful prescribing,” said senior author Dr. John N. Mafi, associate professor-in-residence of medicine, division of general internal medicine and health services research, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Compared with patients with normal cognition, we also found higher levels of prescribing among older adults with cognitive impairment, who face a higher risk of adverse effects from these drugs. These results underscore substantial opportunities to improve the quality and safety of care for millions of older Americans.”

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2843713?guestAccessKey=af578da3-4974-4e5c-8dd9-27824278476d&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=011226