Effects of the psychopharmacological treatment by an outpatient clinic by patients living in nursing homes

Introduction: The outpatient clinic for geropsychiatric diseases of LVR-University Hospital Essen cooperates with 22 nursing homes and is responsible for their patients with geropsychiatric diseases on-site at these nursing homes. In 2012 four new nursing homes were introduced into this treatment. Methods: The study was accomplished in a pre-post-design covering 256 patients living in nursing homes in Essen. At the beginning of the cooperation demographic data, diagnosis, the psychopharmacological medication, interactions of this medication and the quantity of inappropriate medications for elderly patients were recorded. After six months of supplying by the physicians of the outpatient clinic the data – again – was analyzed. In this survey the two data collecting time points were compared. Results: The supply by the psychiatric physicians of the outpatient clinic led overall to secure the psychiatric diagnoses or to revise non-appropriate diagnoses. The analysis of the interaction risk using the web-based program MediQ shows that the psychiatric care has contributed to an explicit reduction of risk regarding psychopharmacological interaction. Conclusion: The results of the study can demonstrate that the diagnosis is essential for the adequate treatment can thereby affect medication interaction risks and therefore may reduce adverse drug reactions.