In October 2015, VA launched a nationwide effort to help veterans ages 75 and older find alternatives to potential risky medications. This effort marked phase two of VA's Psychotropic Drug Safety Initiative (PDSI), and it aimed to reduce the use of these medications, encourage the use of safer therapies and appropriate monitoring, and enhance prescribing practices for older veterans. By June 2017, the initiative had achieved dramatic results: More than 30,000 veterans benefited from improvements in prescribing practices, and the number of veteran outpatients who received prescriptions for benzodiazepines or sedative hypnotics fell by more than 20,000. For more information, read the VA VAntage Point Blog.
For more on veteran benefits, visit the Military.com Benefits Center.
