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Evaluating and improving the quality of risperidone prescribing

Bethlem and Maudsley NHS Trust, London SE5 8AZ

Robert Holmes, Principal Pharmacist

Royal London Hospital (Mile End), Bancroft Road, London E1 4DG

Trudi Hilton, Principal Pharmacist

Ealing Hospital, Uxbridge Road, Middlesex UB1 3HW

Carol Paton, Chief Pharmacist

Bexley Hospital, Old Bexley Lane, Bexley DA5 2BW

^* Correspondence

Clinical studies suggest that risperidone is an effective antipsychotic with a low incidence of extrapyramidal adverse effects. In a prescription survey of several trusts, we found that risperidone was widely prescribed at high doses alongside typical neuroleptics and anticholinergic drugs. We also demonstrated that prescribing in a single trust can be improved by simple interventions. Risperidone should be prescribed as the sole antipsychotic at doses below 8 mg/day to realise fully its clinical advantages. Few prescriptions met this standard.

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