MDS Alert
Reader Questions:
Don’t Count Medication Switch as a Dose Reduction
Published on Mon Aug 08, 2022 
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Question: One of our residents is switching from one antipsychotic medication to another. Would this count as a gradual dose reduction (GDR)? Georgia Subscriber Answer: The RAI Manual defines a gradual dose reduction as the “step-wise tapering of a dose to determine whether or not symptoms, conditions, or risks can be managed by a lower dose or whether or not the dose or medication can be discontinued,” on page N-8. However, this is a medication switch. On page N-14, the RAI Manual says: “Do not count as a GDR an antipsychotic medication reduction performed for the purpose of switching the resident from one antipsychotic medication to another.”
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