National surveillance using a clinical quality indicator for prolonged antipsychotic use among older Australians with dementia who access aged care services.

Objectives: Dementia guidelines recommend antipsychotics are only used for behavioral and psychological symptoms when non-drug interventions fail, and to regularly review use. Population-level clinical quality indicators (CQIs) for dementia care in permanent residential aged care (PRAC) typically monitor prevalence of antipsychotic use but not prolonged use. This study aimed to develop a CQI for antipsychotic use >90 days and examine trends, associated factors, and variation in CQI incidence; and examine duration of the first episode of use among individuals with dementia accessing home care packages (HCPs) or PRAC.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study, including older individuals with dementia who accessed HCPs (n = 50,257) or PRAC (n = 250,196). Trends in annual CQI incidence (2011-12 to 2015-16) and associated factors were determined using Poisson regression. Funnel plots examined geographical and facility variation. Time to antipsychotic discontinuation was estimated among new antipsychotic users accessing HCP (n = 2367) and PRAC (n = 15,597) using the cumulative incidence function.

Results: Between 2011-12 and 2015-16, antipsychotic use for >90 days decreased in HCP recipients from 10.7% (95% CI 10.2-11.1) to 10.1% (95% CI 9.6-10.5, adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) 0.97 (95% CI 0.95-0.98)), and in PRAC residents from 24.5% (95% CI 24.2-24.7) to 21.8% (95% CI 21.5-22.0, aIRR 0.97 (95% CI 0.96-0.98)). Prior antipsychotic use (both cohorts) and being male and greater socioeconomic disadvantage (PRAC cohort) were associated with higher CQI incidence. Little geographical/facility variation was observed. Median treatment duration in HCP and PRAC was 334 (interquartile range [IQR] 108-958) and 555 (IQR 197-1239) days, respectively.

Conclusions: While small decreases in antipsychotic use >90 days were observed between 2011-12 and 2015-16, findings suggest antipsychotic use among aged care recipients with dementia can be further minimized.