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ABSTRACT
Objective: To study whether haloperidol could be withheld from elderly, nursing home residents on two non-consecutive days per week (“drug holiday”) without increasing agitation.
Design: Double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study.
Setting: The Jewish Home and Hospital for Aged, Manhattan and Bronx Divisions, New York, New York.
Patients: Forty long-term, elderly nursing home residents ages 73 to 99 years.
Measurements: Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Nurses' Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE) and Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI).
Results: The two study groups [i.e., “standard treatment-holiday” (Group I) and “holiday-standard treatment” (Group II)] were statistically similar with respect to age and baseline MMSE, NOSIE and CMAI scores. Data analysis indicated that haloperidol can be withdrawn two days per week, without increasing agitation.
Conclusion: A large subset of nursing home residents may benefit from a drug holiday.