High-dose and combination antipsychotic prescribing in acute adult wards in the UK: The challenges posed by p.r.n. prescribing

Abstract

Background: Clinical guidelines recommend the routine use of a single antipsychotic drug in a standard dose, but prescriptions for high-dose and combined antipsychotics are common in clinical practice. Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of a quality improvement programme in reducing the prevalence of high-dose and combined antipsychotic prescribing in acute adult in-patient wards in the UK. Method: Baseline audit was followed by feedback of benchmarked data and delivery of a range of bespoke change interventions, and then by a further audit 1 year later. Results: Thirty-two services participated, submitting data for 3942 patients at baseline and 3271 patients at the 1-year audit. There was little change in the prevalence of high-dose (baseline 36%; re-audit 34%) or combined antipsychotic prescribing (baseline 43%; re-audit 39%). As required ('p.r.n.') prescriptions were the principal cause of both high-dose and combined antipsychotic prescribing on both occasions. Conclusions: The quality improvement programme did not have a demonstrable impact on prescribing practice in the majority of services. Future efforts to align practice with clinical guidelines need to specifically target the culture and practice of p.r.n. prescribing.