Prescribing for Australians living with dementia: study protocol using the Delphi technique

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Therapeutics
• Dementia Care
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Medication management for individuals with dementia presents significant challenges.
• Careful consideration is required for both continuing existing and initiating new medications in people with dementia.
• There is a need for explicit prescribing criteria tailored to this population in Australia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elicit expert opinion on appropriate medication use for people living with dementia in Australia.
• To achieve consensus among geriatric therapeutics experts on prescribing criteria.
• To develop a consensus-based list of explicit prescribing criteria for medication use in dementia.

Main Methods:

• A Delphi technique will be employed with an interdisciplinary panel of Australian geriatric therapeutics experts (minimum 10 participants).
• An iterative, anonymous, multistaged approach with controlled feedback will be used.
• Qualitative analysis of Round 1 questionnaire results will inform a Round 2 questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale, repeating until consensus is reached.

Main Results:

• Consensus-based explicit prescribing criteria for medication use in adults aged 65 years and above with dementia will be developed.
• The study will provide a framework for optimizing pharmacotherapy in this vulnerable population.

Conclusions:

• The developed criteria will support evidence-based prescribing practices for people with dementia in Australia.
• This research aims to improve medication safety and efficacy, contributing to better patient outcomes.
• Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.