An observational hospital study described medicines used in psychiatric emergencies. Its prescribing percentages were not comparative response or complication rates.
The reported pattern
The investigators studied 110 patients and recorded 463 prescribed medicines, averaging more than four medicines per prescription. Risperidone was the most frequently recorded psychotropic, followed by lorazepam; clonazepam also appeared.
Substance-related conditions and schizophrenia or psychosis were prominent diagnoses. The paper additionally assessed aspects of physicians’ prescribing practice.
Prescribing frequency is a limited endpoint
A percentage of drug entries is different from the percentage of patients treated, and multiple medicines may be used for one presentation. The study did not randomize emergency regimens or provide a controlled comparison of lorazepam efficacy.
Missing data and limited diagnostic follow-up constrained interpretation. In a case reconstruction, identify the actual indication, route, sequence, co-exposures, and clinical response. Common use in a service does not establish that a particular combination was appropriate, effective, or the cause of a subsequent adverse event.
Source paper
Original analysis of the supplied journal article, identified as PMC8525784.
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