Psychotropic drug prescription patterns for severe patients living in RFs are characterized by substantial rates of polypharmacy. Specific guidelines may be helpful for long-stay patients living in RFs, who exhibit complex care needs.

Background: One third to two thirds of people with schizophrenia have persistent psychotic symptoms despite clozapine treatment. Under real-world circumstances, the need to provide effective therapeutic interventions to patients who do not have an optimal response to clozapine has been cited as the most common reason for simultaneously prescribing a second antipsychotic

Psychotropic drug prescription patterns for severe patients living in RFs are only sometimes satisfactory and offer the opportunity of improvement. Specific actions are required to improve prescription patterns for severe patients in RFs.