Quelles sont les pratiques de prescription d’antipsychotiques des psychiatres chez les patients âgés souffrant de schizophrénie ?

Abstract

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess prescribing practices and treatment monitoring in elderly schizophrenia patients. Materials and methodsWe contacted by mail 190 psychiatrists to take part in this observational survey of their antipsychotic prescribing practices for elderly schizophrenia patients. ResultsResponse rate was 44.2%; 75% of the psychiatrists who replied were treating elderly schizophrenia patients. A second-generation antipsychotic was prescribed as first-line treatment by 87.7% of the psychiatrists; 64.9% of the psychiatrists taking part, prescribed monotherapy. Of the psychiatrists taking part, 54.4% prescribed long-acting injectable antipsychotics. The antipsychotic side-effect profile was the main criterion of choice of the AP agent for 3.5% of the psychiatrists taking part, and the most frequently chosen secondary criterion (29.8%). Monitoring of treatment was partly performed according professional recommendations: Pre-treatment and post-prescription assessments of waist circumference and ophthalmological monitoring were very infrequent; pre-treatment and early post-prescription assessments of prolactinaemia too; long-term cardiac monitoring was infrequent. ConclusionsIn conclusion, the antipsychotic prescribing practices were broadly in agreement with current recommendations except for: the tolerance profile which was not the first element taken into account in the choice of the antipsychotic; some clinical and paraclinical medical examinations which were carried out infrequently.