■抗精神病药,如喹硫平,经常给痴呆症患者开处方以解决行为症状,但也可能对该人群造成伤害。
■确定向高处方者发出警告信是否可以成功减少痴呆患者使用喹硫平,并调查对患者健康结果的影响。
这是对2015年4月开始的处方过量的随机临床试验的二次分析,该试验包括原始医疗保险中最大量的喹硫平初级保健医师(PCP)处方者。到2018年12月,在重复的90天横断面中分析了痴呆症患者的预后。分析时间为2021年9月至2024年2月。
■PCP被随机分配给一个安慰剂字母或3个过量处方的警告字母,说明他们的喹硫平处方含量高,并且正在接受Medicare的审查。
本分析的主要结果是患者每90天使用喹硫平的天数(原始试验的主要结果是研究PCPs的全部喹硫平处方)。预先确定的次要结果包括来自疗养院评估的认知功能和行为症状的测量,来自评估和索赔诊断中的筛选问卷的抑郁指标,来自评估和索赔的代谢诊断,医院和其他医疗保健服务的使用指标,和死亡。分别分析了居住在疗养院和社区中的患者的预后。
■在5055个研究PCP中,2528人被随机分配给安慰剂字母,2527人被随机分配到3个警告信中。共有84881名居住在疗养院的痴呆症患者和261288名居住在社区的痴呆症患者归因于这些PCP。有92874例基线患者(平均[SD]年龄,81.5[10.5]岁;64242名女性[69.2%])。干预措施减少了两名疗养院患者的喹硫平使用(调整后的差异,-0.7天;95%CI,-1.3至-0.1天;P=0.02)和社区居住患者(调整后的差异,-1.5天;95%CI,-1.8至-1.1天;P<.001)。没有检测到对认知功能的不良影响(认知功能量表调整后的差异,0.01;95%CI,-0.01至0.03;P=.19),行为症状(激动或反应行为调整后的差异,-0.2%;95%CI-1.2%至0.8%百分点;P=0.72),抑郁症,代谢诊断,或更严重的结果,包括住院和死亡。
■这项研究发现,向PCP发出过量的警告信可以安全地减少喹硫平对痴呆症患者的处方。这种干预和其他类似的干预措施可能对未来促进指南一致护理的努力有用。
■ClinicalTrials.gov标识符:NCT05172687。
UNASSIGNED: Antipsychotics, such as quetiapine, are frequently prescribed to people with dementia to address behavioral symptoms but can also cause harm in this population.
UNASSIGNED: To determine whether warning letters to high prescribers of quetiapine can successfully reduce its use among patients with dementia and to investigate the impacts on patients\' health outcomes.
UNASSIGNED: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial of overprescribing letters that began in April 2015 and included the highest-volume primary care physician (PCP) prescribers of quetiapine in original Medicare. Outcomes of patients with dementia were analyzed in repeated 90-day cross-sections through December 2018. Analyses were conducted from September 2021 to February 2024.
UNASSIGNED: PCPs were randomized to a placebo letter or 3 overprescribing warning letters stating that their prescribing of quetiapine was high and under review by Medicare.
UNASSIGNED: The primary outcome of this analysis was patients\' total quetiapine use in days per 90-day period (the original trial primary outcome was total quetiapine prescribing by study PCPs). Prespecified secondary outcomes included measures of cognitive function and behavioral symptoms from nursing home assessments, indicators of depression from screening questionnaires in assessments and diagnoses in claims, metabolic diagnoses derived from assessments and claims, indicators of use of the hospital and other health care services, and death. Outcomes were analyzed separately for patients living in nursing homes and in the community.
UNASSIGNED: Of the 5055 study PCPs, 2528 were randomized to the placebo letter, and 2527 were randomized to the 3 warning letters. A total of 84 881 patients with dementia living in nursing homes and 261 288 community-dwelling patients with dementia were attributed to these PCPs. There were 92 874 baseline patients (mean [SD] age, 81.5 [10.5] years; 64 242 female [69.2%]). The intervention reduced quetiapine use among both nursing home patients (adjusted difference, -0.7 days; 95% CI, -1.3 to -0.1 days; P = .02) and community-dwelling patients (adjusted difference, -1.5 days; 95% CI, -1.8 to -1.1 days; P < .001). There were no detected adverse effects on cognitive function (cognitive function scale adjusted difference, 0.01; 95% CI, -0.01 to 0.03; P = .19), behavioral symptoms (agitated or reactive behavior adjusted difference, -0.2%; 95% CI -1.2% to 0.8% percentage points; P = .72), depression, metabolic diagnoses, or more severe outcomes, including hospitalization and death.
UNASSIGNED: This study found that overprescribing warning letters to PCPs safely reduced quetiapine prescribing to their patients with dementia. This intervention and others like it may be useful for future efforts to promote guideline-concordant care.
UNASSIGNED: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05172687.