This week the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety of the Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences released the supporting materials for the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Psychotropic Medications in People Living with Dementia in residential aged care.
The Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Psychotropic Medications in People Living with Dementia were released earlier this year and are intended for prescribers and senior clinical staff, including registered nurses and pharmacists working in aged care.
The supporting materials include a Companion Guide intended for anyone who is impacted by dementia and the broader public and Medication Factsheets that focus on a medication and a step of the medication process (initiation, monitoring and discontinuation). The medication factsheets are aimed at RACF registered nurses, enrolled nurses and aged care workers. Curated Inventory of existing resources is also made available, and contains a collection of online resources from Australian agencies and organisations that may be used in conjunction with the guidelines.
In addition to these, Monash University has developed a series of 9 quality use of medicine education sessions to support the implementation of the guidelines into residential aged care facilities. Each education session focuses on one psychotropic medication (antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and antidepressants) and on a step of the medication process (initiation, adverse events and monitoring and discontinuation).
