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Clozapine: How Well Are We Monitoring Patients?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2023

Stephanie Johnson*
Affiliation:
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Eastbourne, United Kingdom
Samantha Perera
Affiliation:
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Eastbourne, United Kingdom
Mokhtar Isaac
Affiliation:
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Eastbourne, United Kingdom
Sally-Anne Heasman
Affiliation:
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Eastbourne, United Kingdom
Laura Payne
Affiliation:
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Eastbourne, United Kingdom
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

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Aims

Aims and auditable outcomes: We aim to ensure 100% patients on clozapine have annual physical health checks. By ensuring all patients prescribed clozapine therapy receive an annual physical health check and medic review, we aim to improve patient safety and prevent serious harm from occurring in cases that could be avoided.

Methods

All patients aged over 18 years prescribed Clozapine, who were under the assessment and treatment service in Eastbourne, were identified using Carenotes, our electronic patient records system.

Results

78% of patients on clozapine had been reviewed by a doctor in the past 12 months. 32% of patients had attended a physical health review within the past 12 months. One patient had not had a medical review for several years.

Conclusion

Our audit has shown that there are no clear guidelines on the long term monitoring of clozapine in regards to physical health reviews and psychiatric assessment. Using best practice it appears annual review should be the minimal standard, however further evaluation of this is recommended at trust level.

In response to these results and the current guidance, we would like to implement the following:

  • Create a database for all patients on Clozapine under the care of Eastbourne ATS.

  • Create a spreadsheet looked after by one member of admin staff to be updated regularly

  • The physical health lead nurse to be informed of physical health checks due by admin

Type
Audit
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NC
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This does not need to be placed under each abstract, just each page is fine.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Footnotes

Abstracts were reviewed by the RCPsych Academic Faculty rather than by the standard BJPsych Open peer review process and should not be quoted as peer-reviewed by BJPsych Open in any subsequent publication.

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