Members

Staff:

Prof. dr. Mirko Petrovic

Prof. dr. Nele Van Den Noortgate

PhD Students:

Charlotte Verrue

dr. Ruth Piers

Apr. Annemie Somers

Research Projects

Quality of life is one of the major objectives of old age medicine. The Department of Geriatrics has developed two main research lines respectively concerned with Drug Utilisation in the Elderly and Advance Care Planning and End-of-Life Care as different aspects which influence the geriatric patient’s quality of life.
These research lines, although developed and organized separately, offer a possibility of a mutual complementary approach. Therefore, the department endeavours to develop a synergism between these research lines, whether through conjoint research projects or the close cooperation of independent entities.

Line 1: Drug utilisation in the Elderly

• Research project 1: Quality of drug utilisation in elderly inpatients

- To outline the pattern of drug utilisation in elderly in-patients
- To use prescribing indicators for identification of prescribing which is not in line with national and regional prescribing guidelines
- To contribute to the organisation and implementation of better prescribing policy in the elderly

 

• Research project 2: Quality of drug utilisation in nursing homes for the elderly

   

  - To outline the pattern of drug utilisation in the elderly residing in nursing homes
  - To assess the quality of prescribing and to estimate how much is the prescribing tailored to real medical needs
  - To assess in which way do organising characteristics of  an institution influence the relationship between drug utilisation and medical needs

   

• Research project 3: Withdrawal of chronic antipsychotic drugs in elderly patients with dementia.

- To evaluate whether withdrawal of antipsychotic agents is possible in elderly people with dementia
- To list the different strategies for withdrawal of antipsychotic agents in elderly people with dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms
- To measure the effects of the withdrawal of antipsychotic agents on patients' behaviour and to assess safety issues such as mortality, adverse effects or withdrawal symptoms.

 

• Research project 4: Assessment of prescribing quality of psychotropic drugs in nursing home residents.

- Which indications lay on tha basis of chronic prescribing of (multiple) psychotropic drugs in elderly residing in nursing homes
- What is the influence of the progression of dementia on the presribing attudute concernig psychotropic drugs
- Which adverse drug reactions related to the chronisc use of psychotropic drugs  could be identified  in elderly residing in nursing homes

Line 2: End-of-Life

• Research project 5: Advance Care Planning in the hospital
  
  - To outline the current practice of advance care planning in the hospital
  - To study interventions to optimalize those decisions
  - To get an idea about the influence of end of life decisions on the level of moral distress in professional caregivers functioning on different levels and different care settings (ICU, geriatric wards)
  - To get better insight in the wishes of elderly patients concerning advance care planning

   

• Research project 6: End of Life Care in the elderly population
  
  - To outline the needs of the elderly palliative patients (physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs)
  - To develop interventions to optimalize the care for the elderly dying on an acute geriatric ward

Publications 2009

Somers A, Robays H, Vander Stichele R, Van Maele G, Bogaert M, Petrovic M. Contribution of Drug Related Problems to hospital admission in the elderly. J Nutr Health Aging 2009.

Onder G, Petrovic M, Tangiisuran B,  Rajkumar C, Bernabei R, van der Cammen T. Development of a score to identify older adults at risk of adverse drug reactions: the GerontoNet ADR risk score. Arch Int Med 2009.

Verrue C, Petrovic M, Mehuys E, Remon JP, Vander Stichele R. Pharmacists’ interventions for the optimisation of medication use in nursing homes: a systematic review. Drugs Aging 2009, 26: 37-49.

Verrue C, Mehuys E, Somers A, Van Maele G, Remon JP, Petrovic M. Medication administration in nursing homes: Pharmacists’ contribution to error prevention. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2009.

Verrue C, Mehuys E, Boussery K, Remon JP, Petrovic M. Tablet splitting: a common yet no so innocent practice. J Adv Nurs 2009.

D'Haene I, Vander Stichele R, Pasman R, Van Den Noortgate N, Bilsen J, Mortier F, Deliens L. Policies to improve end-of-life decisions in Flemish hospitals:  communication, training of health care providers and use of quality assessments.  BMC Palliative Care 2009.

Pautex S, Pfisterer M, Curiale V, Rexach L, Ribbe M, Van Den Noortgate N. A definition of geriatric palliative care. J Am Geriatr Soc 2009.

Complete publication list Prof. Petrovic

Complete publication list Prof. Van Den Noortgate

PhD Dissertations

• Anthierens S. (2008): Benzodiazepines sleeping through the problem. (Avoiding of) Initiation of benzodiazepines in primary health care. Perceptions of general practitioners, patients and nurses. (PhD in Medical Sciences, promoter: prof. dr. T. Christiaens, copromoter: prof. dr. M. Petrovic) 

Collaborations

• Collaborators of Ghent University:  M. Azermai, T. Declercq, R. Vander Stichele, T. Christiaens, D. Benoit, M. Deveugele, M. Grypdonck, W. Schrauwen
• External collaborators: G. Onder (Catholic University Rome), R. Rajkumar, T. van der Cammen (Erasmus University Rotterdam)