A pilot survey of geriatric psychiatrists' views on the use of electroconvulsive therapy in fractures

✍ Scribed by Deepa Dighe-Deo; Ajit Shah

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 60 KB
• Volume: 9
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1049-8931
• DOI: 10.1002/mpr.93

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Psychiatrists are cautious in administering electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to patients with fractures and bony disease for fear of complications. Drawing on the collective experience of geriatric psychiatrists may allow a better understanding of the use of ECT in fractures. The views of all consultant geriatric psychiatrists in west London on the use of ECT in patients with fractures were acquired by a questionnaire survey based on two fictitious case vignettes. Most geriatric psychiatrists would use ECT in the two cases. Moreover, they would almost always seek specialist advice from orthopaedic surgeons and anaesthetists before and during the course of ECT. These findings were consistent with the existing anecdotal literature of case‐reports. As individual geriatric psychiatrists and general psychiatrists are likely to see only a few patients with fractures requiring ECT, randomized and controlled studies of efficacy and side effects are not possible. A questionnaire survey of a larger multi‐centre sample of geriatric psychiatrists and general psychiatrists can build on this pilot study by using a modified questionnaire to provide more detailed and clinically relevant information. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd.