A Descriptive Retrospective Study of The Prevalence Of Antipsychotic Polypharmacy (APP) Among Schizophrenia Patients In Malaysia

Abstract

Background The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of APP among Malaysian patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Methods A descriptive retrospective study was conducted to gather clinical and demographic information on adult individuals diagnosed with psychiatric disorders e.g schizophrenia who had been prescribed with antipsychotic drugs (Antipsychotic combination or Monotherapy) and had been admitted to Hospital Kajang in Malaysia between March 2016 and November 2016. Prevalence of antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) is determined by determining whether the patient is given one or more antipsychotic medications or not. A descriptive analysis was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of APP among clinical and demographic variables. Results The study included 113 people suffering from schizophrenia. The prevalence of APP was 56.7% (n = 64). According to our results, the prevalence of APP among demographic and clinical variables were 48.4% (n = 31) among elderly patients, 61.8% (n = 40) among males, 70.3% (n = 19) among single, and 67.2% (n = 43) among unemployed schizophrenia patients. Conclusion According to this setting, the proportion of APP in schizophrenia patients is quite high. Being male, single and younger than 50 years of age was linked to a significant rise in APP prevalence; thus, protocols are required to recognize subgroups of psychiatric patients who are most likely benefit from novel management strategies and kidney functions.