[Outpatient prescription of atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenic patients after discharge from hospital treatment].
OBJECTIVE
There are complaints of an undertreatment of schizophrenic patients with atypical antipsychotics in German outpatients. Together with reluctance to start treatment with second generation antipsychotics, change of medication after inpatient treatment is often held responsible for the more frequent use of typical compounds. However, global statistics of prescriptions are difficult to interpret. To get data of the current practice, 132 patients treated with atypical antipsychotics in a university clinic were followed-up one year later.


RESULTS
Of the patients that could be reached and still received medication, 82 (94%) were treated with atypical antipsychotics.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that change to conventional antipsychotics in outpatients does not considerably contribute to the low prescription of atypical antipsychotics.
Universitätsklinik Hamburg-Eppendorf, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Hamburg, Germany. i.schaefer@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Ingo
I
Schäfer
Nicola
N
Lauterwein
Anne
A
Karow
Dieter
D
Naber
D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents