Prescription Habits to Geriatric Patients in Psychiatry Clinic- University Hospital and Training and Research Hospital Comparison

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the psychotropic drug prescribing habits of clinicians from different clinics for patients over the age of 65 who applied to the psychiatry outpatient clinic. Patients over 65 who applied to the psychiatry outpatient clinic in January 2020 were included in the study. As a result of the inclusion criteria, 523 patients, 241 from university and 282 from training and research hospitals were included in the study. Age, gender, diagnoses, past psychiatric disease histories, and recommended treatments of patients were obtained from electronic files in the hospital automation system. Antidepressant treatment was used in 228 (94.6%) patients in the university hospital and in 232 (82.3%) patients in the training and research hospital (p<0.001). Clinicians preferred monotherapy for 71% (n: 171) of the patients in the university hospital and 56.4% (n: 159) in the training and research hospital (p=0.001). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are the most commonly used antidepressant group in both the university hospital (80.3%) and the training and research hospital (71.5%) (p=0.022). Escitalopram was the most frequently used SSRI in both the university hospital (54.7%) and the training and research hospital (42.8%) (p=0.027). Atypical antipsychotics (96.5%) constituted most antipsychotic preferences in the university hospital and quetiapine (90.9%) among atypicals. Among the antipsychotics, atypical antipsychotics (97.1%) were preferred most frequently in the training and research hospital, and quetiapine (59.4%) was the most common choice among them. The side effect profile is as important as the drug's effectiveness in selecting psychotropic medications in the geriatric period. For this reason, among antidepressants, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and among antipsychotics, atypical antipsychotics are the first drug groups used.

Keywords

• elderly
• escitalopram
• quetiapine
• outpatient

Supporting Institution

The authors declare that they are not a supporting organization. No funding was used for the study.

Thanks

The authors would like to thank Zeynep Laçiner and İlker Kayı for their contributions and support to this study.

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