Manitoba Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics in Long-Term Care Collaborative
Supports Personal Care Homes across Manitoba to improve the appropriate use of antipsychotics and strengthen person-centred care using the evidence-informed AUA approach.
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- What you'll get
Practical support to improve person-centred care and reduce the potentially inappropriate use of antipsychotics
Coaching and peer learning to support implementation in real-world settings
Access to tools, resources and guidance to support quality improvement
Opportunities to learn from and connect with teams across Manitoba
- Topics
- Aging in place
- Long-term care
- Patient safety
- Audience
Community organization
Healthcare leader
Quality or safety improvement lead
About the collaborative
In Canada, one in four long-term care residents receive antipsychotics without a diagnosis of psychosis (CIHI, 2024). While these medications can be appropriate in certain situations, their use requires careful consideration and ongoing review.
As part of our work to spread and scale proven approaches that improve quality and safety, HEC is supporting Personal Care Homes to build on what works and apply it in practice.
The Manitoba Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics in Long-Term Care Collaborative (Manitoba AUA Collaborative), developed in partnership with Shared Health Manitoba, supports Personal Care Homes across the province to apply the AUA approach – a person-centred, evidence-informed path to reducing the use of potentially inappropriate antipsychotics and improving resident quality of life.
Learn more about the AUA approach: Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics | Healthcare Excellence Canada
Key dates of the collaborative
June 18 to September 11, 2026 – Recruitment and registration period
September 14, 2026 – Collaborative delivery begins
November 30, 2027 – Collaborative completion
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How teams are supported
The collaborative supports teams at every stage of their improvement journey, with practical, hands-on guidance to apply the AUA Approach. Teams are supported by:
Coaching and implementation support to help assess readiness, set goals and test changes in practice
Opportunities to learn with and from peers across Manitoba, sharing experiences and building on what works
Access to practical tools and resources, including the AUA Toolbox and quality improvement supports
Guidance on measurement and evaluation to track progress and support sustained improvement
Connections to experienced teams and champions who can share insights and lessons learned
Information Webinar
June 18, 2026
12:00 to 1:00 pm CT (1:00 to 2:00 pm ET)
Join our webinar to learn more about the collaborative including coaching supports, quality improvement tools and learning opportunities focused on person-centred care and medication management.
Hear examples of Personal Care Homes that have already implemented the AUA approach in Manitoba and gain information on how to register.
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Examples of the AUA Approach in practice
This collaborative will guide homes through the AUA Approach which was first developed in Manitoba in 2012 as part of an EXTRA project led by Cynthia Sinclair and Joe Puchniak with Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
The AUA Approach has been tested and refined across Canada through past programs including Sparking Change in the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics.
In Manitoba, teams applied the approach in different ways, focusing on person-centred care, reducing potentially inappropriate use of antipsychotics and strengthening quality improvement practices.
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discontinued antipsychotic medications for almost all targeted residents and received feedback from family members that their loved ones had become more alert, interactive and able to engage.
developed education materials with input from residents, family, and care partners, leading to improved AUA knowledge in survey results and support for deprescribing plans.
tailored care routines to individual resident needs to provide a more home-like environment. One resident who had previously lived in a farm area showed reduced exit-seeking and responsive behaviours when the team created a care plan involving daily outdoor walks and seasonal activities.
What we’ve seen
Through this work, teams across Canada in Sparking Change in the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics have shown that meaningful change is possible with the right supports.
These results demonstrate how the AUA Approach can improve care, quality of life and outcomes for residents when applied in practice.
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66%
of targeted residents were able to safely stop (38%) or reduce (28%) antipsychotics
42%
of teams met or exceeded their target reach in the final award
30%
reduction in the use of daily physical restraints
90%
of teams reported a stronger culture of quality improvement
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Working together
This collaborative is delivered in partnership with Shared Health Manitoba, bringing together provincial leadership and pan-Canadian expertise to support implementation of the AUA approach.
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