title: Psychotropic drug prescribing survey in a Canadian rehabilitation and complex care facility.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe rates of inpatient prescribing of psychotropic drugs in a rehabilitation and complex continuing care setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional, observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Providence Healthcare, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inpatients registered in the hospital on each of four annual audit dates.
  
  
  METHODS
  An audit of medication profiles for the presence of psychotropic prescriptions, done yearly on a single day in May 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  The percentage of inpatients prescribed at least one antidepressant, antipsychotic, benzodiazepine, or zopiclone.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of inpatients with at least one prescription for each class of psychotropic drug (ranging from the lowest to highest audit-year results) were as follows: any psychotropic (55% to 63%), benzodiazepines or zopiclone (31% to 40%), antidepressants (24% to 32%), antipsychotics (7% to 13%). Rates of polypharmacy within classes was highest with antidepressants, followed by benzodiazepines (including zopiclone), then antipsychotics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the limitations associated with cross-sectional, observational data, rates of prescribing of psychotropic medication, apart from antipsychotics, were high. Future research will be performed to assess appropriateness of prescribing and adverse events.
authors.affiliation: Providence Healthcare and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Caroline A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Warnock
authors.forename: Ian D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit; D009864:Ontario; D019338:Polypharmacy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs