A short educational activity on tardive dyskinesia significantly improved clinicians’ confidence in managing and choosing therapies.
Separate studies recently published in the European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Molecular Psychiatry aimed to evaluate and rank available treatments for tardive dyskinesia (TD) to provide insights on safety and efficacy.
Both studies reinforced the efficacy of valbenazine and vitamin E as the primary treatment options for TD, with valbenazine demonstrating the strongest effect size. However, concerns regarding psychiatric side effects underscore a need for additional research into alternative treatment options with better safety profiles, according to both studies.
Another recent paper published in CNS Spectrums examines a related aspect of TD treatment: improving psychiatrists’ knowledge and confidence in prescribing different, often newly available, therapeutic options for the condition. Researchers examined the efficacy of continuing medical education (CME), in the form of a 30-minute video-based online lecture presented by experts, for improving psychiatrists’ knowledge, competence, and confidence in diagnosing and managing TD.
The impact of the activity was evaluated both before and after the lecture through multiple choice questions.
Improvements in Knowledge, Competence & Confidence
In total, 579 psychiatrists watched the continuing education activity.
Researchers reported “significant improvements in overall knowledge and competence (P<0.001) as well as confidence” regarding the management of TD, according to the study results.
Specifically, there was a 9% relative improvement in knowledge about the factors that differentiate TD from other motor symptoms associated with the use of antipsychotic medications. Researchers observed an 18% relative improvement in competence among participants in selecting appropriate pharmacotherapy for TD. Further, 38% of psychiatrists demonstrated measurable increases in their confidence to diagnose and treat TD.
The results illustrate “the success of online, video-based lecture CME on improving knowledge, competence, and confidence related to the diagnosis and management of TD,” investigators wrote, as well as “the benefits of education that addresses clinicians’ individual needs across the continuum of their professional development.”
