| Time-series prescription data were used to evaluate the effect of the Nursing Home Reform Act. Ten years of antipsychotic and "other" psychotropic medication data were drawn from medical records of 99 clients in a Wisconsin intermediate care facility in mental retardation (ICF/MR). The implementation of the Reform Act in 1987 was found to be significantly related to decreased antipsychotic dosage, decreased number of persons who used antipsychotics, decreased use of as needed (p.r.n.) psychotropics, and increased use of "other" psychotropics. An increase in prescription changes was also found to occur. Aggregate differences among living units (clients grouped by relevant characteristics) were discussed. Early implementation in one unit provided a de facto control group. There was no statistical support for the prediction that increases in "other" psychotropics were causally related to decreases in antipsychotic dosage. Validity, implications, and future directions were discussed. |
