Clinical Problem And How It Can Result In A Positive Patient Outcome

PICOT Statement
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PICOT Statement
PICO (T): In geriatric patients ages 65 and over (P) will the use of music therapy, exercise and alternative medications (I) compared to using antipsychotic medication (C) improve behaviors (O) within six months (T)?
While a growing number of atypical antipsychotic drugs, such as aripiprazole, are available and have expanded clinical options in geriatric nursing practice, the availability of these agents and other alternative nursing intervention often complicates decision-making process (Alexopoulos et al., 2004). Available literature has left a number unanswered questions about the use of antipsychotics among geriatric patients ages 65 or older such as the choice of drugs for varying conditions and those with comorbid disorders, indications for the agents, treatment duration, dosing strategies, and drug combinations. Hallucinations, delusions, depression, dementia, and a number of other psychotic conditions are often associated with other conditions in aging (Kohen, Lester, & Lam, 2010). For this reason, physicians prescribe antipsychotic agents for the treatment and management of psychosis in both chronic and acute conditions. However, geriatric patients taking antipsychotic medications are at increased risk of adverse side effects due to polypharmacy and age-associated pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics changes. Therefore, it is critical to individualize drug selection for each patient based on their previous history of the use of antipsychotics. Evidence-based solution for this population also requires an understanding of the potential drug interaction, the present medical conditions, and the possible side effects of the drugs (Kohen, Lester, & Lam, 2010). With the increased risks to adverse events among older patients administered with antipsychotic drugs, other alternative interventions such as music therapy, exercise and alternative medications have been pursued (Tible, Riese, Savaskan, & von Gunten, 2017). This paper seeks to explore whether the use of non-pharmacological approaches such as exercise, music therapy, and other medications could improve behaviors of geriatric patients ages 65 within six months.
Psychotic disorders such as dementia in old age are often accompanied with psych...