Practitioner attitudes to clozapine initiation.

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Title: Practitioner attitudes to clozapine initiation.
Authors: Gee, S., Vergunst, F., Howes, O., Taylor, D.
Source: Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. Jul2014, Vol. 130 Issue 1, p16-24. 9p.
Subjects: Clozapine, Schizophrenia treatment, Blood testing, Drug prescribing, Drug side effects
Abstract: Objective Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. It is recommended as third-line treatment for schizophrenia in national and local guidelines. Despite this, it is underutilised. This survey aimed to clarify barriers to prescribing and elucidate factors that may improve patient access to clozapine. Method A questionnaire was made available to all staff members at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Results In total, 144 clinical staff completed the questionnaire. The majority (81%) of respondents were 'fairly' or 'very' familiar with clozapine prescribing guidelines. Barriers to prescribing most commonly stated as being 'very frequently' a problem were patient concerns about tolerability of clozapine or patient refusal to adhere to blood test monitoring. Staff members also felt medical complications frequently prevented clozapine prescription. Dedicated staff or day hospital placements devoted to clozapine initiation were identified as factors most likely to increase prescribing of clozapine. Conclusion Professionals identified the dominant barriers to prescribing as being patient focussed - refusal of blood test monitoring or concerns about tolerability. Clinician fears about compliance or medical complications were also important. The development of out-patient services specifically tasked with initiating clozapine may help to increase the frequency of prescribing of clozapine earlier in treatment than is currently seen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Practitioner attitudes to clozapine initiation.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gee%2C+S%2E%22">Gee, S.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Vergunst%2C+F%2E%22">Vergunst, F.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Howes%2C+O%2E%22">Howes, O.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Taylor%2C+D%2E%22">Taylor, D.</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Acta+Psychiatrica+Scandinavica%22">Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica</searchLink>. Jul2014, Vol. 130 Issue 1, p16-24. 9p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Clozapine%22">Clozapine</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Schizophrenia+treatment%22">Schizophrenia treatment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Blood+testing%22">Blood testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drug+prescribing%22">Drug prescribing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drug+side+effects%22">Drug side effects</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Objective Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. It is recommended as third-line treatment for schizophrenia in national and local guidelines. Despite this, it is underutilised. This survey aimed to clarify barriers to prescribing and elucidate factors that may improve patient access to clozapine. Method A questionnaire was made available to all staff members at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Results In total, 144 clinical staff completed the questionnaire. The majority (81%) of respondents were 'fairly' or 'very' familiar with clozapine prescribing guidelines. Barriers to prescribing most commonly stated as being 'very frequently' a problem were patient concerns about tolerability of clozapine or patient refusal to adhere to blood test monitoring. Staff members also felt medical complications frequently prevented clozapine prescription. Dedicated staff or day hospital placements devoted to clozapine initiation were identified as factors most likely to increase prescribing of clozapine. Conclusion Professionals identified the dominant barriers to prescribing as being patient focussed - refusal of blood test monitoring or concerns about tolerability. Clinician fears about compliance or medical complications were also important. The development of out-patient services specifically tasked with initiating clozapine may help to increase the frequency of prescribing of clozapine earlier in treatment than is currently seen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1111/acps.12193
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        Text: English
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        Type: general
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      – SubjectFull: Blood testing
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              Text: Jul2014
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