Patients’ Knowledge about Prescribed Antipsychotics and Medication Adherence in Schizophrenia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Data on the knowledge about antipsychotic medications prescribed in patients with schizophrenia are very limited. Moreover, it remains unclear how patients' knowledge about prescribed antipsychotics affects medication adherence. ighty-one Japanese outpatients with schizophrenia according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, were included. Patients' knowledge of the primary antipsychotics prescribed to them in terms of therapeutic effects, type, and implicated neurotransmitters was assessed with a multiple-choice questionnaire developed for this study. Medication possession ratios (MPRs) were compared between patients who answered correctly and those who did not in each category. The percentages of subjects who answered correctly regarding antipsychotic effects, type, and implicated neurotransmitters were low at 30.9%, 30.9%, and 7.4%, respectively. No differences were found in MPRs between subjects who answered correctly and those who did not. Our preliminary results indicate that patients lack knowledge about their antipsychotic medications. More concerning, they suggest that knowledge about prescribed antipsychotics may not directly translate into actual medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia.

What do patients learn about psychotropic medications on the web? A natural language processing study

“…Second, while this study focuses on quantifying the online sentiment around different psychiatric medications, we are not able to link this information to individual patient consumption of this information (i.e., how many sites patients access, or the type of sites that are most likely to be accessed). Whereas 72% of American Internet users accessed health related information only 13.6% Japanese patients diagnosed with schizophrenia only 13.6% turned to the Internet for information and the present study does not address characteristics of patients who turn to the Internet for additional information (Fox and Duggan, 2013;Nagai et al, 2017). We included the first 119 search results for each generic and trade medication, but individuals may only access a fraction of these sites, and search strategies may vary widely (e.g., some patients may only access the top web site, or may prefer different search engines).…”

<p>Drug Attitude, Insight, and Patient’s Knowledge About Prescribed Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia: A Cross-Sectional Survey</p>

“…This is critically important in light of generally poor knowledge about pharmacotherapy on the side of patients as we have reported elsewhere. 13 The percentages of subjects with schizophrenia who chose correct answers regarding effects, types, and implicated neurotransmitters were as low as 30.9%, 30.9% and 7.4%, respectively. To fill in the gap in the literature, we set out to conduct a cross-sectional study to further evaluate these issues among Japanese outpatients with schizophrenia.…”

“…This questionnaire has been described in detail elsewhere. 13 In cases where the subjects were concomitantly receiving two or more antipsychotics, they were asked to respond on a basis of the primary antipsychotic drug that accounted for the greatest chlorpromazine equivalent relative dose (CPZE). 20 In the questionnaire, the participants were asked to choose from one of the following eight options regarding three categories: (1) effects of the drug: (i) delusions and/or hallucinations, (ii) depression, (iii) mania, (iv) anxiety, (v) insomnia, (vi) relieving adverse effect, (vii) others, and (viii) I do not know; (2) types of the drug: (i) antidepressant, (ii) antipsychotic, (iii) drug for side effects, (iv) hypnotic, (v) anxiolytic, (vi) mood stabilizer, (vii) others, and (viii) I do not know; and (3) neurotransmitters that they thought were related to the drug's mechanism of action: (i) benzodiazepine, (ii) serotonin, (iii) dopamine, (iv) noradrenalin, (v) histamine, (vi) acetylcholine, (vii) others, and (viii) I do not know.…”

“…20 In the questionnaire, the participants were asked to choose from one of the following eight options regarding three categories: (1) effects of the drug: (i) delusions and/or hallucinations, (ii) depression, (iii) mania, (iv) anxiety, (v) insomnia, (vi) relieving adverse effect, (vii) others, and (viii) I do not know; (2) types of the drug: (i) antidepressant, (ii) antipsychotic, (iii) drug for side effects, (iv) hypnotic, (v) anxiolytic, (vi) mood stabilizer, (vii) others, and (viii) I do not know; and (3) neurotransmitters that they thought were related to the drug's mechanism of action: (i) benzodiazepine, (ii) serotonin, (iii) dopamine, (iv) noradrenalin, (v) histamine, (vi) acetylcholine, (vii) others, and (viii) I do not know. 13 Those who chose (viii) in any instances were classified as those who did not answer correctly. Since target symptoms varied among the subjects, correct responses regarding the effects of the drug were determined jointly by the subject's psychiatrist and one of the investigators (N.N.).…”

Discrepancies Between Nomenclature and Indications of Psychotropics

“…biological effects of psychotropic drugs to physicians as well as comedical staff [6] and patients [7]. Examining the current situation regarding approved indications of newer psychotropic drugs will not only help to better appreciate the current chaotic conditions.…”