COVID-19 Mortality and Medication Changes in Nursing Homes
Author Information
Author(s): Alison Rataj, Matthew Alcusky, Brian Ott, Jonggyu Baek, Shiwei Liang, Kate Lapane
Primary Institution: University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Hypothesis
What is the relationship between COVID-19 mortality rates and changes in medication use among nursing home residents?
Conclusion
Higher COVID-19 mortality rates were not linked to changes in antidementia medication use, but increased behavior problems were associated with more psychotropic medication use.
Supporting Evidence
- Nursing homes with higher COVID-19 death rates were less likely to report changes in antidementia medications.
- Increased resident behavior problems during the pandemic were associated with higher odds of psychotropic medication initiation.
Takeaway
This study looked at how COVID-19 affected the use of certain medications in nursing homes. It found that more deaths from COVID-19 didn't change how often antidementia drugs were used, but more behavior problems led to more use of psychotropic drugs.
Methodology
The study used a cross-sectional survey of nursing home directors to collect data on medication initiation and analyzed COVID-19 death rates from CMS data.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 0.15-0.94; 95% CI: 0.08-0.85; CI=3.86-32.83
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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