Modest Association between Antibiotic and Antipsychotic Prescribing Rates in Nursing Homes

In nursing homes, practitioners' preferences, rather than residents’ signs and symptoms or overall medical conditions, have been identified as important drivers of antibiotic use.1–3 Similar to antibiotics, antipsychotics also pose notable risks to residents and are subject to inappropriate prescribing practices. We recently reported that, in addition to resident acuity, the number of unique practitioners in a nursing home positively correlates with the rate of antibiotic starts.4 This observation aligned with previous evidence that providers and their practice patterns drive antibiotic use in nursing home settings.