NCT05172687

The Effect of De-Prescribing Antipsychotics on Health and Quality of Life for People With Dementia

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 336,460 (actual)
• Sponsor: Columbia University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study aims to analyze how warning letters sent to physicians prescribing high levels of the antipsychotic quetiapine affected the health and quality of life of their patients with dementia. Using a randomized controlled trial conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2015, this secondary study looks at the effects of potential de-prescribing of antipsychotics by study physicians induced by the letters. The central question is whether the intervention led to better health and quality of life outcomes by encouraging more guideline-concordant care and whether changes in physicians' prescription behavior caused unintended harms.

Conditions

• Alzheimer Disease
• Dementia
• Prescribing, Off-Label

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Overprescribing letter to attributed physician	Letter telling patient's attributed physician they were under review for high prescribing
BEHAVIORAL	Placebo letter to attributed physician	Letter to patient's attributed physician about unrelated Medicare regulation

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-04-01
• Primary completion: 2018-12-31
• Completion: 2018-12-31
• First posted: 2021-12-29
• Last updated: 2024-02-13

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: United States