Open AccessAssociation between the examination rate of treatment‐resistant schizophrenia and the clozapine prescription rate in a nationwide dissemination and implementation study
Author(s) -
YasuiFurukori Norio,
Muraoka Hiroyuki,
Hasegawa Naomi,
Ochi Shinichiro,
Numata Shusuke,
Hori Hikaru,
Hishimoto Akitoyo,
Onitsuka Toshiaki,
Ohi Kazutaka,
Hashimoto Naoki,
Nagasawa Tatsuya,
Takaesu Yoshikazu,
Inagaki Takahiko,
Tagata Hiromi,
Tsuboi Takashi,
Kubota Chika,
Furihata Ryuji,
Iga Junichi,
Iida Hitoshi,
Miura Kenichiro,
Matsumoto Junya,
Yamada Hisashi,
Watanabe Koichiro,
Inada Ken,
Shimoda Kazutaka,
Hashimoto Ryota
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
neuropsychopharmacology reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.661
H-Index - 13
ISSN - 2574-173X
DOI - 10.1002/npr2.12218
Subject(s) - clozapine , medical prescription , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , medicine , psychiatry , physical examination , pharmacology
Background The decision to initiate clozapine treatment should be made on an individual basis and may be closely related to the early detection of treatment‐resistant schizophrenia (TRS), although there is evidence that the early use of clozapine results in a better response to treatment. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between the examination rate of TRS and the prescription rate of clozapine. Methods After attending a 1‐day educational program on schizophrenia based on the "Guidelines for the Pharmacological Treatment of Schizophrenia," we asked the participating facilities to submit records of whether or not TRS was evaluated for each patient. We calculated the clozapine prescription rate from the schizophrenic patients prescribed clozapine and all of the schizophrenic patients. Forty‐nine facilities in 2017 were included in the study. Results There were dichotomous distributions in the examination rate of TRS and a non‐normal distribution in the prescription rate of clozapine. There was a significant correlation between the prescription rate of clozapine and the examination rate of TRS ( r s = 0.531, P = 1.032 × 10 −4 ). A significant difference was found in the prescription rate of clozapine between the three groups of facilities according to the examination rate of TRS. Conclusion As a preliminary problem for the use of clozapine, in Japan, the examination rate of TRS varies, and there are many facilities that typically do not consider the possibility of TRS; this trend leads to a low rate of clozapine use. Clearly, further clinician training is needed for the early detection and appropriate management of TRS that includes an explanation of TRS and how to introduce clozapine therapy to patients and their families.