Psychotropic medication discussions in older adults’ primary care office visits: So much to do, so little time

Abstract

Objectives: To examine discussions of psychotropic medications during the older patient's visit to primary care physicians, identify how physician's competing demands influence these discussions, describe different scenarios physicians utilize to address mental health complaints of older adults, and recommend best practices for diagnosing and treating such patients.

Method: Convenience sample of 59 videotapes of primary care office visits involving mental health discussions in the United States complemented by patient and physician surveys. Videotaped visits were examined using logistic regression for grouped-level data to explore contributions of physician's competing demands to the likelihood of having psychotropic medication discussions. Tape transcripts were selected to provide examples of prescribing and referral behaviors.

Results: One-third of these visits contained no psychotropic medication discussions despite its important role in treating mental illnesses. When prescribing psychotropic medicines, physicians presented information about the medication's purpose and brand name more often than adverse effects or usage. More competing demands (i.e., more topics discussed or more leading causes of disability addressed during the visit) were associated with less psychotropic medication discussions. Selected case scenarios illustrate the importance of acknowledging mental illness, prescribing psychotropic medications, explaining the medications, and/or referring patients to mental health providers to address their mental health complaints.

Conclusion: Competing demands may constrain discussions of psychotropic medications. Given the seriousness of mental illness in late life, system-level changes may be needed to correctly diagnose mental illness, take more proactive actions to improve mental health, and enhance information exchange concerning psychotropic medication in a manner that meets patients’ needs.

Keywords:

• psychotropic medication discussions
• competing demands
• primary care
• patient medication education

Acknowledgments

We thank Ms Jamie Calobrisi who helped us code tape transcripts. The project described was partially supported by grant no. 90OP0001/03 from the Administration on Aging and grant no. R01HD047143 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of Texas A&M University System Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health or funding agencies.

Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.