ArticleThe European journal of general practice2022
General practitioners' perspectives on discontinuation of long-term antidepressants in nursing homes.
Article in The European journal of general practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Discontinuing antidepressant medication: a qualitative evidence synthesis and logic model based on health professionals' views.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of deprescribing antidepressants in nursing home residents with dementia-a cluster randomized controlled trial.BMC primary care · 2025Trial
- Tailoring a complex intervention to reduce antidepressants in institutionalized older persons with dementia.BMC health services research · 2022Trial
- Patients' Perspectives on Antidepressant Discontinuation and the Pharmacists' Role.Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology · 2026Article
- The missing link? Pharmacists' perspectives on discontinuation of long-term antidepressants: a qualitative study.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2025Article
- Psychotropic medications versus non-pharmacologic approaches for managing behavioural and psychological symptoms in Australian aged care residents with dementia: general practitioners' and physicians' perspectives.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLong-term use of antidepressant drugs (AD), much longer than recommended by guidelines, in nursing homes (NH) is common. NH home residents may have a relatively higher risk of adverse events. Moreover, in an NH setting nursing staff and relatives are intensively involved in the decision-making process. In many countries, General Practitioners' (GPs) provide care for residents in NHs. Little is known about GPs' perspectives on discontinuation of long-term AD in NH residents.
objectivesTo explore GPs' views of discontinuing long-term AD in NH residents.
methodsAn exploratory qualitative study, with semi-structured interviews, was conducted with a purposive sample of 20 Belgian GPs. Interviews, conducted over six months in 2019, were analysed by thematic analysis.
resultsTwenty interviews were conducted until data saturation. The first theme, 'reluctance to rock the boat: not worth taking the risk', describes that GPs perceive discontinuation as an unpredictable risk without clear benefits. GPs' main concern was the risk of destabilising the fragile balance in an older patient. Second, 'it takes at least three to tango', captures the unspoken alliance between GPs, nursing staff and relatives and suggests that agreement of at least these three partners is required. The third, 'Opening the door: triggers to discontinue', points to severe health problems and dementia as strong facilitators for discontinuation.
conclusionDiscontinuation of long-term AD in NHs is a complex process for GPs. More evidence and attention to the role nursing staff and relatives play are needed to better guide the discontinuation of AD in older NH patients.
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