Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics in LTC Facilities

Lea Watson, MD

Dr. Watson is a board certified adult and geriatric psychiatrist with a lifelong commitment to caring for vulnerable populations, and two decades of academic and leadership experience. Her passion is creating a culture of appropriate psychotropic prescribing in long-term care settings to achieve quality outcomes for all stakeholders. She prioritizes common sense, avoiding harms and keeping the patient’s and family’s goals of care at the heart of all endeavors.  Because of the shortage of geriatric psychiatrists in the United States, she developed a model of consultation and training to extend the reach of this highly needed, but limited specialty.  Dr. Watson is a published author, a recipient of numerous local and national awards for research and teaching, and a multi-year recipient of the Denver 5280 Top Doc award.

References:

Olfson M, King M, Schoenbaum M., "Antipsychotic treatment of adults in the United States.", J. Clin. Psychiatry, 2015
Eva Tan, MD, et. al."Importance of Social Supports Within the Nursing Staff on Agitation in Residents with Dementia", JAMDA
"Reducing Antipsychotic Medication Use in Long Term Care", CFHI, 2014
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