Challenge of changing nursing home prescribing culture

Abstract

This article described a framework for improving prescribing in nursing homes (NH) by focusing on the whole facility as a system that has created a "prescribing culture." We offered this paradigm as an alternative to focused interventions that target prescribers only. We used the example of atypical antipsychotics to illustrate the approach. We also highlighted elements of the NH culture change movement that are germane to medication prescribing, and illustrated which elements of NH culture were shown to be associated with suboptimal quality of care. We concluded by describing current models, including our study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to identify the best methods of disseminating evidence-based medication use guides in NHs.

Figure 1

State-level prevalence of any antipsychotic use in nursing homes in the United States, 2005 and 2006. Source: Authors’ calculations based on data from a nationwide sample of nursing home residents in 48 states served by one pharmacy provider. Sample size included 1,068,104 residents. Methods described in Chen et al. [16]

Figure 2

Conceptual Framework: Model of Nursing Home Prescribing Culture Adapted from Hughes, Lapane, Watson, Davies, 2007 [27]