Biomaterial Database

Psychotropic drug prescribing in a general hospital inpatient psychiatric unit. 1989

J Brayley, and E Rafalowicz, and P Yellowlees

Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, South Australia.

The drugs prescribed to 241 general hospital psychiatric unit inpatients were surveyed at the time of admission and discharge. Sixty-three per cent of patients were prescribed psychotropic drugs on admission, compared to 68% on discharge. There was a significant reduction in patients prescribed minor tranquillisers from 23% to 8%, and an increase in those prescribed tricyclic antidepressants from 26% to 42%. Compared to previous surveys of psychiatric hospital populations, fewer general hospital psychiatric patients were prescribed medications overall, less neuroleptics and less anti-parkinsonian agents were used, but more patients were treated with antidepressant medication. This reflects a different patient population. An analysis such as this allows prescriptions of psychotropic drugs to be compared with the recommended regimes suggested in the literature, as well as comparisons of drug usage between different units and hospitals.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D010351	Patient Discharge	The administrative process of discharging the patient, alive or dead, from hospitals or other health facilities.	Discharge Planning,Discharge Plannings,Discharge, Patient,Discharges, Patient,Patient Discharges,Planning, Discharge,Plannings, Discharge
D011567	Psychiatric Department, Hospital	Hospital department responsible for the organization and administration of psychiatric services.	Hospital Psychiatric Department,Psychiatric Departments, Hospital,Department, Hospital Psychiatric,Departments, Hospital Psychiatric,Hospital Psychiatric Departments
D011619	Psychotropic Drugs	A loosely defined grouping of drugs that have effects on psychological function. Here the psychotropic agents include the antidepressive agents, hallucinogens, and tranquilizing agents (including the antipsychotics and anti-anxiety agents).	Psychoactive Agent,Psychoactive Agents,Psychoactive Drug,Psychopharmaceutical,Psychopharmaceuticals,Psychotropic Drug,Psychoactive Drugs,Agent, Psychoactive,Agents, Psychoactive,Drug, Psychoactive,Drug, Psychotropic,Drugs, Psychoactive,Drugs, Psychotropic
D004359	Drug Therapy, Combination	Therapy with two or more separate preparations given for a combined effect.	Combination Chemotherapy,Polychemotherapy,Chemotherapy, Combination,Combination Drug Therapy,Drug Polytherapy,Therapy, Combination Drug,Chemotherapies, Combination,Combination Chemotherapies,Combination Drug Therapies,Drug Polytherapies,Drug Therapies, Combination,Polychemotherapies,Polytherapies, Drug,Polytherapy, Drug,Therapies, Combination Drug
D004363	Drug Utilization	The utilization of drugs as reported in individual hospital studies, FDA studies, marketing, or consumption, etc. This includes drug stockpiling, and patient drug profiles.	Utilization, Drug,Drug Utilizations,Utilizations, Drug
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths