Vol. 2, Issue 1 (2013)

Author(s):
Abimbola Farinde

Abstract:
For many individuals who reside in state supported living centers for the developmentally disabled and/or mentally impaired,  there is the potential to be placed on a myriad of  psychotropic medications to treat behavioral, psychological, and psychiatric disturbances. Most of these psychotropic medications require continuous monitoring in order to assess for both effectiveness and possible side effect development. It is imperative that routine laboratory tests are performed for specific psychotropic medications (e.g., mood stabilizers and antipsychotic medication) and failure to monitor these drug therapies is recognized as one of the most frequent causes of preventable adverse drug events. The errors that are typically associated with laboratory monitoring appear to occur due to a lack of either baseline, follow-up laboratory monitoring, delay in action being taken to address abnormal laboratory results, or lack of appropriate collaboration between different health care professionals as it relates to medication management.