Skip to content
Medical Health Aged Care, Mental Health

How to detect adverse events in older people using psychotropic medicines; Australian researchers name top ten signs and symptoms

Monash University 2 mins read

A new study led by Monash University has revealed the top ten signs and symptoms to monitor for that may help to identify adverse drug events in older people living in long-term care facilities who are using psychotropic medications such as antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and antidepressants.

Psychotropic medications are commonly used to manage a range of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety and insomnia. Older people who use this class of medicine often experience adverse events or side-effects which can lead to significant harm.

As such, monitoring for signs and symptoms suggestive of adverse drug events should be routine in long-term aged care facilities.

Researchers from the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety (CMUS), within the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), have led a new international consensus study and found the top ten signs and symptoms to be recent falls, daytime drowsiness or sleepiness, abnormal movements, confusion or disorientation, balance problems, dizziness, postural hypotension (i.e. dizziness caused by low blood pressure when standing up), reduced self-care, restlessness, and dry mouth.

The study involved geriatricians, psychiatrists, clinical pharmacologists, general practitioners, pharmacists, nurses, and carers from 13 different Asia Pacific, European, and North American countries.

The study’s lead author, CMUS PhD candidate and Monash Health pharmacist Brigid McInerney, said the top ten signs and symptoms identified by the international expert panel were considered to reduce quality of life or cause significant resident harm and were observable or measurable by nurses and care workers.

“Medication safety is a national health priority area – and residents of aged care facilities are at high risk of experiencing medication-related harm. Our findings will empower nurses and aged care workers to identify when residents are experiencing side-effects,” she said.

CMUS has recently led the development of Australia’s new Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Psychotropic Medications in People Living with Dementia and in Residential Aged Care.

These Guidelines recommend that all residents who use an antipsychotic, benzodiazepine or antidepressant medication for changed behaviours in people living with dementia should have a structured adverse event monitoring protocol in place. This new international consensus study provides further guidance about which signs and symptoms nurses and aged care workers should proactively monitor for.

“Australia’s new Guidelines recommend all health professionals involved in prescribing, dispensing or administering a psychotropic medication for a resident should be familiar with the adverse event monitoring protocol, and this protocol should be available to residents and their carers’ as well,” Ms McInerney said.

CMUS researchers have developed an adverse event monitoring tool, based on this study, for use by residential care nurses or care workers to detect signs and symptoms of adverse events in residents who use psychotropic medications

“We anticipate that this short, easy-to-use checklist can be for routine use in different residential aged care facilities. This may facilitate proactive monitoring and early detection of adverse drug events and avoid further medication-related harm.”

Psychotropic medicine safety is a key focus area for the Australian Government and CMUS. In May, a new national standard - Psychotropic Medicines in Cognitive Disability or Impairment Clinical Care Standardwas released by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare to provide guidance to clinicians, healthcare services and consumers on the safe and appropriate use of psychotropic medicines. Reviewing benefits and harms of treatment, including presence of potential psychotropic-related adverse events, is a key component of this Clinical Care Standard.

The research report titled ‘Top 10 Signs and Symptoms of Psychotropic Adverse Drug Events to Monitor in Long-Term Care Residents’ is available at https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(24)00540-1/fulltext

ENDS


Contact details:

Kate Carthew

0447 822 659

kate.carthew@monash.edu

Media

More from this category

  • Medical Health Aged Care, Political
  • 06/02/2025
  • 13:23
Breast Cancer Network Australia

BCNA calls out government for failing to protect Australians from genetic discrimination while showcasing its new genomics framework.

6th February, 2025 Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA)calls on the Government to immediately prioritise its promise to introduce a full ban on genetic discrimination in life insurance, ensuring all Australians can access genomic testing without fear. Today,Cancer Australia launched the National Framework for Genomics in Cancer Control, which aims to integrate genomics into routine cancer care, improving outcomes through personalised medicine. BCNA welcomes the framework but condemns the Australian Government’s failure to follow through on its commitment to legislate a full ban on genetic discrimination in life insurance, a critical reform to ensure all Australians can access genetic testing without…

  • Federal Election, Medical Health Aged Care
  • 06/02/2025
  • 12:53
Palliative Care Australia

Australians are making a noise about better access to palliative care

Australians are responding to the call for ‘better access to palliative care’ with thousands of people joining Jean Kittson to “make some noise.” Well…

  • Contains:
  • Medical Health Aged Care
  • 06/02/2025
  • 09:30
Dementia Australia

On this weekend – Memory Walk & Jog Tamworth!

The 2025 Tamworth Memory Walk & Jog is upon us, with the much-anticipated event taking place this weekend on Sunday 9 February at Bicentennial Park, Tamworth. Starting at 9am, we welcome everyone in the Tamworth and surrounding community to join fellow participants as they walk, jog or run for better brain health and to help raise money in support of people living with dementia, their families and carers. Join us for a wonderful fun, family friendly day out. More than 75 people have already signed-up to take part – but there’s always room for more with online registrations still open,…

  • Contains:

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.