Prescribing and deprescribing trends in schizophrenia: An overview of inpatients in Belgium and in the Canadian province of Québec

Abstract

AbstractAlthough switching to antipsychotic monotherapy improves patient outcomes in schizophrenia, antipsychotic deprescribing is rarely performed, and its use varies between countries, as do psychotropic prescribing patterns. This study aimed to determine factors associated with antipsychotic deprescribing at discharge after a psychiatric hospitalization and to compare psychotropic prescribing patterns between Belgium and Québec, Canada. Data on adult inpatients with schizophrenia were collected retrospectively in seven hospitals. At discharge, the number of antipsychotics had decreased in 22.2% of the 63 Canadian patients and 9.9% of the 516 Belgian patients. A number of factors increased the likelihood of antipsychotic deprescribing: a hospitalization in the Canadian hospital (aOR = 4.13, 95% CI 1.48–11.5), living in a residential facility (aOR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.05–4.39), ≥2 previous antipsychotic trials (aOR = 15.38, 95% CI 3.62–65.36), having an antipsychotic side effect (aOR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.01–3.44) and being in a general hospital (aOR = 2.28, 95% CI 1.09–4.75). Patients on a long‐acting injectable antipsychotic (aOR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.26–0.98), with prior clozapine use (aOR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.13–0.95), greater antipsychotic exposure (aOR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.2–0.61) and more hypno‐sedatives (aOR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.43–0.98), were less likely to be deprescribed. Specific deprescribing interventions could target patients who are less likely to be deprescribed.