title: Use of atypical antipsychotics in nursing homes and pharmaceutical marketing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the current extent and type of pharmaceutical marketing in nursing homes (NHs) in one state and to provide preliminary evidence for the potential influence of pharmaceutical marketing on the use of atypical antipsychotics in NHs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nested mixed-methods, cross-sectional study of NHs in a cluster randomized trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one NHs in Connecticut.
  
  
  METHODS
  NH administrators, directors of nursing, and medical directors (n = 93, response rate 75.6%).
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative data, including prescription drug dispensing data (September 2009-August 2010) linked with Nursing Home Compare data (April 2011), were used to determine facility-level prevalence of atypical antipsychotic use, facility-level characteristics, NH staffing, and NH quality. Qualitative data, including semistructured interviews and surveys of NH leaders conducted in the first quarter of 2011, were used to determine encounters with pharmaceutical marketing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Leadership at 46.3% of NHs (n = 19) reported pharmaceutical marketing encounters, consisting of educational training, written and Internet-based materials, and sponsored training. No association was detected between level of atypical antipsychotic prescribing and reports of any pharmaceutical marketing by at least one NH leader.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NH leaders frequently encounter pharmaceutical marketing through a variety of ways, although the impact on atypical antipsychotic prescribing is unclear.
authors: Clinical and Population Health Research Program, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.
authors: Camilla B
authors: CB
authors: Pimentel
authors: Jennifer L
authors: JL
authors: Donovan
authors: Terry S
authors: TS
authors: Field
authors: Jerry H
authors: JH
authors: Gurwitz
authors: Leslie R
authors: LR
authors: Harrold
authors: Abir O
authors: AO
authors: Kanaan
authors: Celeste A
authors: CA
authors: Lemay
authors: Kathleen M
authors: KM
authors: Mazor
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Tjia
authors: Becky A
authors: BA
authors: Briesacher
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003237:Connecticut; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006276:Health Facility Size; D006801:Humans; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011787:Quality of Health Care
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents
keywords: atypical antipsychotics; nursing homes; pharmaceutical marketing