title: Electroconvulsive therapy practice in Catalonia: a survey study comparing data from 1993 and 2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the current use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Catalonia (Spain) as compared with ECT practice 17 years ago (1993).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire to collect data regarding the use of ECT in Catalan psychiatric units in 2010. A comparative approach was used with respect to previously published data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were obtained from 25 of the 27 units (92.6%) surveyed. The ECT was used in 20 facilities (80%, as opposed to 60% in 1993), and in all cases, a brief-pulse device was used. The most commonly used anesthetic was propofol (65%), and most facilities recorded the seizure duration (95%). The ECT was always administered in combination with pharmacologic therapy, and the primary clinical indication was depression. Only 20% of the ECT procedures were performed in the inpatient unit. Written informed consent to administer ECT was obtained in all centers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ECT practice in Catalonia has changed since the 1990s, being administered more often, in a more standardized way and across a larger number of psychiatric units. The results indicate considerable consensus with regard to its indications and conditions of application, which comply with current clinical practice guidelines and standards.
authors.affiliation: From the *Psychiatry Department, Parc Taulí Health Corporation, University Institute Parc Taulí Foundation, Autonomous University of Barcelona (IUFPT-UAB), Sabadell, Spain; †School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Therapeutic Neurostimulation Group, Black Dog Institute, Sydney, Australia; ‡Neuroscience Group [Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-] IDIBELL, Mood Disorders Clinical and Research Unit, Psychiatry Department, Bellvitge University Hospital-ICS, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; §Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain; and ∥Schizophrenia Unit, Neuroscience Institute, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martínez-Amorós
authors.forename: Verònica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gálvez
authors.forename: Narcís
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cardoner
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Palao
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bernardo
authors.forename: Mikel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urretavizcaya
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires