Abstract
Objective:
Though antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) is widely utilised in many clinical settings for the treatment of people with schizophrenia, the extent of this practice varies considerably between different regions, countries and clinical settings. Studies from Australasia exploring the prevalence and factors associated with APP are sparse and have yielded inconsistent results.
Methods:
We conducted a systematic retrospective audit of the medical records of all admissions in 2010 in the adult wards of a metropolitan public mental health service in Western Australia, having a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. We analysed the rates of APP use, and its association with selected demographic and clinical variables.
Results:
The prevalence of APP among our sample of 229 patients was high, at 43.2%. APP was associated with a longer hospital stay (p = 0.033) and voluntary admission (p = 0.027); but APP was not significantly related to: age, gender, diagnosis and treatment by different psychiatrists.
Conclusions:
Substantial difference exists between everyday clinical practice and recommendations of practice guidelines of schizophrenia, regarding the use of APP. Prospective studies from different settings exploring the relevant clinical, patient, prescriber and system-related issues are warranted, to comprehend the rationale behind high utilisation of APP in clinical practice.
Keywords
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