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. 2020 Sep 30;10(5):282-290.
doi: 10.9740/mhc.2020.09.282. eCollection 2020 Sep.

Psychotropic medication use patterns in home-based primary care: A scoping review

Nina Vadiei  1 , Carol L Howe  2 , Beth Zerr  3 , Nicholas Ladziak  3 , Mindy J Fain  4 , Jeannie K Lee  5
Affiliations

Psychotropic medication use patterns in home-based primary care: A scoping review

Nina Vadiei et al. Ment Health Clin. .

Abstract

Introduction: Up to a third of patients seen by home-based primary care (HBPC) providers suffer from mental health problems. These conditions tend to be underrecognized and undertreated for patients receiving HBPC. The purpose of this scoping review is to evaluate current psychotropic use patterns for patients receiving HBPC services.

Methods: The following databases were searched for articles reporting on studies conducted in HBPC settings that identified patterns of psychotropic medication prescription and use: Ovid/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycInfo. Studies that only reported on patients in hospice, rehabilitation, or long-term care facilities were excluded as were drug trials, opinion pieces, case studies, case series, meeting abstracts, and other reviews.

Results: Of 4542 articles initially identified, 74 were selected for full text screening. Of these, only 2 met full criteria and were included in the data extraction and analysis. In 1 study, 41.7% patients enrolled were prescribed an antidepressant, 21.5% were prescribed an antipsychotic (12.7% prescribed both), and 5% to 7% of patients were prescribed benzodiazepines/hypnotics. In the other study, 9% of patients were prescribed an antipsychotic, and 7% were prescribed a benzodiazepine.

Discussion: There are extremely limited data on psychotropic prescribing patterns in HBPC in published studies. Because a significant number of HBPC patients suffer from mental health conditions in addition to other chronic illnesses, treatment can be complex. More studies are needed on current psychotropic prescribing trends to help determine what type of interventions are needed to promote patient safety in this setting.

Keywords: home-based primary care; prescribing; psychotropic; scoping review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: The authors report no conflicts of interest. This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Figures

FIGURE
FIGURE
Study flow diagram (HBPC = home-based primary care)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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