Professional considerations in choosing a treatment for neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia

Background: Dementia is often complicated by manifestations of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Dutch guidelines recommend non-pharmaceutical psychosocial interventions as first-line treatment for neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, antipsychotics are very often prescribed as treatment for these symptoms. Prescribing antipsychotics is becoming highly controversial, because antipsychotics are associated with serious adverse events and the effectiveness is modest. Objectives: The aim of this study was to understand the professional considerations in choosing a treatment for dementia patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms, by analysing the importance, according to elderly care physicians, of the factors related to choosing the treatment, by analysing the perceived performance of the treatment options, and by analysing the expected treatment choice.