Hospital days in risperidone-treated patients.
OBJECTIVE
To compare inpatient hospital days of a group of "real world" schizophrenia-spectrum patients for 3 years prior to and 3 years after risperidone initiation.


METHODS
This is a retrospective cohort study using a mirror-image design of hospital days in 120 patients over a 6-year period. Hospital admission and discharge information was obtained from chart review and database extraction at 3 outpatient treatment sites. The sample comprised all patients attending these clinics who were prescribed risperidone during the first year of the drug's release.


RESULTS
Patients separated into 3 treatment groups: those who were prescribed risperidone for 3 uninterrupted years (N = 35), those who interrupted but resumed risperidone use and were prescribed the drug at 3 years (N = 8), and those who discontinued risperidone during the 3-year follow-up period (N = 77). The group continuing risperidone to 3 years demonstrated a significant decrease in hospital days after risperidone treatment, in contrast to the other 2 groups. The reduction in inpatient days for the total sample was not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
In this outpatient clinic sample, the 29% of patients who continued on risperidone showed a significant reduction in inpatient hospital days, from an average of 17.2 days per year in the 3 years before risperidone treatment to an average of 2.1 days per year for the 3 years of risperidone treatment.
Dickson
R A
RA
University of Calgary, Alberta. ruth.dickson@crha-health.ab.ca
Dalby
J T
JT
Addington
D
D
Williams
R
R
McDougall
G M
GM
D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018967:Risperidone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000534:rehabilitation*
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018967:Risperidone