Prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms and psychotropic drug use in patients with acquired brain injury in long-term care: a systematic review

• Published in: Brain injury 2018-12, Vol.32 (13-14), p.1591-1600
• Main Authors: Kohnen, Roy F., Gerritsen, Debby L., Smals, Odile M., Lavrijsen, Jan C.M., Koopmans, Raymond T.C.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired brain injury; long-term care; neuropsychiatric symptoms; prevalence; psychotropic drug use
• ISSN: 0269-9052; 1362-301X
• DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2018.1538537

Objective: Little is known about the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) and psychotropic drug use (PDU) in patients below the age of 65 years with acquired brain injury (ABI) in long-term care. The objective of this study was to review the literature about the prevalence of NPS and PDU. Methods: A systematic literature search of English, Dutch and German articles in Pubmed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL was performed with the use of MeSH and free-text terms. Results: Six articles met the inclusion criteria. The place of residence was mainly a nursing home and most studies were conducted in a population of patients with traumatic brain injury. Sample sizes varied from 40 to 26,472 residents and NPS were assessed with different assessment instruments. Depressive symptoms were most common with a prevalence ranging from 13.9% to 39.3%. Two studies reported PDU in which tranquillizers (59%) were the most prevalent psychotropic drugs followed by anticonvulsants (35%) and antidepressants (26-34%). Conclusions: Patients with ABI experience lifelong consequences, regardless the cause of ABI, that have a high impact on them and their surroundings. More insight into the magnitude of NPS and PDU, through prevalence studies, is necessary to achieve suitable provision of care for these patients.