Poster Presentation Australian and New Zealand Society for Geriatric Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

Junior Medical Staff Psychotropic Medicine Prescribing Practices For Patients With Cognitive Impairments: a survey study   (#222)

Nadia Poci 1 , Andrew Huynh 1 2 , Cilla Haywood 1 3 , Debbie Passey 4 , Sabrina Kohler 1
  1. Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
  2. Department of Medicine, Austin Health, University of Melbourne, Heidelberg , Victoria, Australia
  3. Department of Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Melbourne , Victoria
  4. Centre for Digital Transformation of Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria

Aims: We aimed to determine barriers and enablers to safe prescribing of psychotropic medicines by junior medical staff in an acute general hospital. This aligns with the Australian Commission for Quality and Safety in Health Care (ACQSHC) Clinical Care Standard (CCS) (1) on psychotropic medicines.

 

Methods: A cross-sectional, anonymous, quantitative survey was undertaken via an online platform between December 2025 - March 2026 at Austin Health, a tertiary metropolitan hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. This survey was open to junior medical staff (Registrar to Intern). The survey was grounded in the quality statements of the ACQSHC CCS, findings of a literature review on barriers and enablers to good practice, and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Statistical analyses include Mann-Whitney-U, Kruskal-Wallis and ordinal logistical regression to compare groups by sex and training level.

 

Results: Sixty-nine responses have been collated as of 6th February 2026, comprised of Hospital Medical Officers (HMOs) (36%), registrars (51%) and interns (13%). Registrars and HMOs were more likely to manage patients with behaviours of concern than interns (p<0.001) and HMOs were the main responders after hours (p<0.001). Registrars report greater familiarity with the components of the CCS (p<0.001) when compared to their junior colleagues.

 

Conclusions: Preliminary findings suggest that with increasing seniority, there is increased comfort in psychotropic use managing behaviours of concern in patients with cognitive impairment. However, HMOs are commonly tasked with the management of these patients in a resource-poor setting, suggesting a target group for education and intervention. Data collection continues until March 2026.

  1. Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Healthcare (2024). Psychotropic Medicines in Cognitive Disability and Impairment Clinical Care Standard. Sydney, NSW.