TY - JOUR
T1 - QUALYOP project 2
T2 - Monitoring the dismantling of Italian psychiatric hospitals. Psychotropic drug use in 1072 inpatients
AU - Barbui, Corrado
AU - D'Avanzo, Barbara
AU - Frattura, Lucilla
AU - Saraceno, Benedetto
PY - 1999
Y1 - 1999
N2 - Objective - This study describes the use of psychotropic drugs in a sample of eight Italian psychiatric hospitals. Methods - A cross-sectional approach was used to collect information about sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the inpatient population, and about medications prescribed. Prescribing behaviour in the hospitals was compared using three indicators: the number of patients taking psychotropic drugs, the use of high doses of neuroleptics and the use of multiple neuroleptics. Results - More than a thousand patients were resident in the eight hospitals on the census day, 56% of them males. Half the population had an ICD-X diagnosis of schizophrenia, one third of mental retardation. Sixty-nine percent of the sample was on neuroleptic therapy, nearly 47% on benzodiazepines and 4% on antidepressants. Twenty percent of the sample did not take any psychotropic drug on the census day. After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical variables, setting-related variables resulted as determinants of psychotropic drug use. Conclusions - These data call for continuing education in psychopharmacology towards a more rational use of drugs; longitudinal audits of clinical practice should be implemented to guide clinicians toward a more rational use of psychotropic drugs.
AB - Objective - This study describes the use of psychotropic drugs in a sample of eight Italian psychiatric hospitals. Methods - A cross-sectional approach was used to collect information about sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the inpatient population, and about medications prescribed. Prescribing behaviour in the hospitals was compared using three indicators: the number of patients taking psychotropic drugs, the use of high doses of neuroleptics and the use of multiple neuroleptics. Results - More than a thousand patients were resident in the eight hospitals on the census day, 56% of them males. Half the population had an ICD-X diagnosis of schizophrenia, one third of mental retardation. Sixty-nine percent of the sample was on neuroleptic therapy, nearly 47% on benzodiazepines and 4% on antidepressants. Twenty percent of the sample did not take any psychotropic drug on the census day. After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical variables, setting-related variables resulted as determinants of psychotropic drug use. Conclusions - These data call for continuing education in psychopharmacology towards a more rational use of drugs; longitudinal audits of clinical practice should be implemented to guide clinicians toward a more rational use of psychotropic drugs.
KW - Drug utilization
KW - Psychiatric hospitals
KW - Psychotropic drugs
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U2 - 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1557(199908/09)8:5<331::AID-PDS426>3.0.CO;2-H
DO - 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1557(199908/09)8:5<331::AID-PDS426>3.0.CO;2-H
M3 - Article
C2 - 15073910
AN - SCOPUS:0032882517
VL - 8
SP - 331
EP - 337
JO - Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
JF - Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
SN - 1053-8569
IS - 5
ER -