Non-prescribing of clozapine for outpatients with schizophrenia in real-world settings: The clinicians’ perspectives

Abstract

Clozapine is the gold standard for treating treatment-resistant schizophrenia although continuously underutilized. Previous surveys of clinicians have found that some of the most frequently cited barriers to clozapine prescribing are related to the blood-monitoring requirements. However, these surveys tend to explore general perspectives and may not reflect the true impact of different barriers in real-world outpatient settings. This study aimed to explore this issue. First, by surveying the clinicians responsible for the treatment of 39 clozapine-eligible, yet clozapine-naive, outpatients with schizophrenia. Then, based on the survey results, explanatory interviews with the participating psychiatrists were conducted and analyzed thematically. The most frequently cited reason for non-prescribing of clozapine was the expected non-compliance with blood-monitoring requirements; however, overall stability and/or severe mental illness was chosen as the most important reason in most patient-cases. The qualitative analysis highlighted the combined impact of standard clinical practice, personal experiences, and organizational constraints on clozapine utility.