A respected leader at many of Texas’ most reputable medical facilities, Dr. Bryan White, MD consistently encourages improved practices and care from his peers. Recently, Dr. White instituted a dosage reduction protocol for nursing home patients that will help ensure safer practices across the state.
In the years that Dr. Bryan White, MD has worked as an internist, he’s witnessed the negative effects certain doses of medications can have on his patients. This is especially a problem in nursing homes, he says, where physicians must be especially mindful of the fragility of health in the elderly. He believes some medications are just as effective and less of a threat to organs if their dosages were reduced, and he posed this exact idea to the Texas Medical Foundation (TMF) open forum.
He has always advocated for improved technology in medical facilities as well as reform in medicine to ensure that all patients have the best potential outcomes, no matter their individual situation. He believes a common problem many physicians fall into is a one-size-fits-all type approach to care. Instead of considering the nuanced individual needs of their patients, these medical practitioners may look to standard dosages and broad recommendations when prescribing medication.
He makes it a point in his career to voice these concerns among his peers and raise potential solutions in front of official medical bodies. Recently, Dr. Bryan White, MD presented a dosage reduction protocol for antipsychotic medications in dementia patients to the Texas Medical Foundation (TMF) open forum, which was well-received by the other medical professionals in attendance. Helping to spread this concern, Dr. White has instituted protocols for dosage reductions that are being implemented today in facilities all over Texas.
Open forums like the one presented by the Texas Medical Foundation allow doctors and other medical professionals to voice concerns and collaborate on solutions that improve care for everyone. Because nursing home administrators and directors participated in the forum, Dr. Bryan White, MD was able to grab the attention of the people who needed to heed his warnings the most. The mission of the Texas Medical Foundation is to promote quality healthcare through contracts with federal, state, local governments, and private organizations. TMF partners with medical providers to ensure patients throughout Texas receive the best care available today.
“It was paramount that we addressed the use of antipsychotic medications in dementia
patients since the length of use and patients diagnosis often do not justify the use of these medications,” says Dr. Bryan White, MD. “These medications have been found to increase mortality in patients with dementia, a large majority of whom are residents in our nursing homes. I’m proud to say we are making real progress on this subject, and the protocol has already been successful in multiple facilities that provide care for people who suffer from dementia.”
