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A Comparative Hospital Survey of Psychotropic Drug Prescribing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

M. Muijen  and
T. Silverstone
M. Muijen
Affiliation:
Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital, London EC1
T. Silverstone*
Affiliation:
Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital, London EC1
*
∗Correspondece
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Abstract

In a survey of psychotropic drug prescribing for in-patients in three different types of psychiatric hospitals, the prevalence of combinations of more than one psychotropic drug varied from 45% in one hospital to 94% in another, with significant consistent differences between the use of drug combinations in the various hospitals. Combinations of two antipsychotic drugs were particularly frequent; the hospital with the lowest prevalence of polypharmacy was the only one with an associated psychopharmacology unit. Access to clinical pharmacology teaching may be an important factor in determining appropriate drug-prescribing habits.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 150 , Issue 4 , April 1987 , pp. 501 - 504
Copyright
Copyright © 1987 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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