New microlearning video series to support the safer use of psychotropic medications in residential aged care

Researchers at Monash University and Flinders University have launched a series of microlearning education videos designed to support safer, more appropriate use of psychotropic medications for people living with dementia and in residential aged care. 

The video series includes 12 short, practical modules (approximately 5-7 minutes each) covering key topics including initiation, monitoring and discontinuation of antipsychotics, antidepressants and benzodiazepines. The videos are the latest in a suite of practical resources designed to support translation of key recommendations and good practice statements from the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Psychotropic Medications in People Living with Dementia and in Residential Aged Care. 

The video series, developed by researchers from The Centre for Medicine Use and Safety (CMUS) within the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) and the Caring Futures Institute at Flinders University, aims to promote best practice and care for people living with dementia and in residential aged care.  

CMUS Director, Professor Simon Bell said, “This new microlearning video series is designed to support clinicians and aged care workers to apply the Guideline consistently and confidently in day-to-day practice. The videos complement an existing broader resource suite that includes a companion guide in six languages, nine one-page medication factsheets and a curated inventory of existing QUM resources”. 

Dr Michael Lawless from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University, who has a background in psychology and health services research, said the microlearning videos represent educational psychology research that shows short, focused learning units delivered over time aligns more closely with how the human brain encodes, stores, and retrieves information. 

“There have been significant reforms in Australian Residential Aged Care in recent years, and its time that our education strategy is updated too. These videos represent a novel strategy for translating Guidelines into practice that fits within the high-demand environment,” Dr Lawless said. 

The videos were developed based on stakeholder consultation as part of the Evidence-based Medication knowledge Brokers in Residential Aged CarE (EMBRACE) trial. The EMBRACE trial explored the role of pharmacist ‘knowledge brokers’ in supporting implementation of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Psychotropic Medications in People Living with Dementia and in Residential Aged Care.

Dr Amanda Cross, senior research fellow from the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety said, “our knowledge broker pharmacists in the EMBRACE trial were able to leverage the benefits of the small group, targeted education to help empower aged care staff to be advocates for appropriate use of psychotropic medications. This video series represents an exciting new resource that aged care onsite pharmacists could use to support quality use of medicines.”

This video series was developed as part of Monash University’s EMBRACE project. The EMBRACE

project is funded by the Commonwealth of Australia’s 2020 Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Dementia and Ageing and Aged Care Mission grant (GA187306).

To access the Guideline and resources, including the microlearning video series, please visit here.

This press release has also been published on VRITIMES