A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association has found delays in the administration of time sensitive Parkinson’s disease medicine for residents in Australian aged care homes.

The timing of Parkinson’s disease medication is critical as delays can result in the return or worsening of symptoms including tremors, rigidity, poor balance, confusion, agitation, and difficulty communicating.

The research, titled 'Parkinson's disease medication administration timing deviations and contraindicated medicine use in residential aged care: A retrospective cohort study,' was led by Professor Johanna Westbrook, with Dr Rachel Urwin PhD as lead author, at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI), Macquarie University.

Findings are based on a review of electronic health records for all residents with Parkinson’s disease in 23 NSW aged care homes, aged 65 years or older.

Researchers found every resident receiving Parkinson’s medication experienced at least one instance where their dose was administered more than 30 minutes outside the scheduled time.

Dr Rachel Urwin said discrepancies such as this can compromise symptom management and quality of life for residents.

“Timely medication is critical for people with Parkinson’s disease. Our findings will assist aged care providers to focus on the systemic issues that can be addressed to safeguard resident health and wellbeing,” she said.

Other key findings during the nine month study period include:

• of 164,252 total doses administered during the nine-month study, over one quarter (42,069 doses) were given more than 30 minutes early or late
• approximately four per cent (6,540 doses) of Parkinson’s disease medicines were administered more than 60 minutes outside the scheduled time, and one point one percent (1,776 doses) were missed entirely
• contraindicated antipsychotic and antiemetic medications were given to 12.4 per cent of residents (25 individuals).

The research team is part of a specialised unit in AIHI focussing on aged care and medication safety research. They highlight the need for continued improvement in medication management systems by aged care providers to ensure residents receive their Parkinson’s disease medicines on time. This can include evaluations of current systems, staff training, better scheduling, and electronic reminders.

Access the research article in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association here.

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