Long-acting injectable antipsychotic (LAI) prescribing trends during COVID-19 restrictions in Canada: a retrospective observational study

BMC Psychiatry

Philip G. Tibbo¹  Kyle A. McKee¹  Candice E. Crocker² 

[1] Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, 5909 Veterans Memorial Lane, B3H 2E2, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada;Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, 5909 Veterans Memorial Lane, B3H 2E2, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada;Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada;

关键词: COVID-19;    Long-acting injectable antipsychotics;    Schizophrenia;    Psychotic disorders;    Prescribing data;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-021-03646-9

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on how mental health services are delivered to patients throughout Canada. The reduction of in-person healthcare services have created unique challenges for individuals with psychotic disorders that require regular clinic visits to administer and monitor long-acting injectable antipsychotic medications.MethodsTo better understand how LAI usage was impacted, national and provincial patient-level longitudinal prescribing data from Canadian retail pharmacies were used to examine LAI prescribing practices during the pandemic. Prescribing data on new starts of medication, discontinuations of medications, switches between medications, antipsychotic name, concomitant medications, payer plan, gender and age were collected from January 2019 to December 2020 for individuals ≥18-years of age, and examined by month, as well as by distinct pandemic related epochs characterized by varying degrees of public awareness, incidence of COVID-19 infections and public health restrictions.ResultsNational, and provincial level data revealed that rates of LAI prescribing including new starts, discontinuations and switches between LAI products remained highly stable (i.e., no statistically significant differences) throughout the study period.ConclusionsEqual numbers of LAI new starts and discontinuations prior to and during the pandemic suggests prescribing of LAI antipsychotics, for those already in care, continued unchanged throughout the pandemic. The observed consistency of LAI prescribing contrasts with other areas of healthcare, such as cardiovascular and diabetes care, which experienced decreases in medication prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

【 授权许可】

CC BY