Gender Differences in Chemical Restraint Use in a Nursing Home:

AbstractThe Nursing Home Reform Act (NHRA) sought to liberate residents from overuse of chemical restraints. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if the gender of residents in one nursing home was predictive of psychotropic drug prescribing over a six-year period as it corresponded to NHRA implementation. ANOVA and logistic regression analyses were utilized to identify trends in prescribing and predictor variables for psychotropic drug prescribing. While initial assessment of data from this nursing home appeared to support the conclusion that the aim of the NHRA had been achieved, closer assessment suggested that male residents were being medicated more than their female counterparts with similar physical, emotional, and cognitive concerns. Possible explanations for the results are discussed and include poorer health status of male residents, different mechanisms male residents use to cope with loss, and male residents' more problematic behavioral symptoms associated with dementia.After wide...