Ecological Assessment of Clinicians' Antipsychotic Prescription Habits In
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JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH Berrouiguet et al Original Paper Ecological Assessment of Clinicians' Antipsychotic Prescription Habits in Psychiatric Inpatients: A Novel Web- and Mobile Phone±Based Prototype for a Dynamic Clinical Decision Support System Sofian Berrouiguet1,2,3, MD; Maria Luisa Barrigón4, MD, PhD; Sara A Brandt5, MSc; George C Nitzburg5, PhD; Santiago Ovejero4, MD; Raquel Alvarez-Garcia4, MD; Juan Carballo4, MD, PhD; Michel Walter1, MD, PhD; Romain Billot2, PhD; Philippe Lenca6, PhD; David Delgado-Gomez7, PhD; Juliette Ropars8, MD; Ivan de la Calle Gonzalez9, MEng; Philippe Courtet10, MD, PhD; Enrique Baca-García4, MD, PhD 1Department of Psychiatry, Brest Medical University Hospital at Brest, Brest, France 2UMR CNRS 6285 Lab-STICC, Institut Mines-Telecom, Brest, France 3ERCR SPURBO, Université de Bretagne occidentale, Brest, France 4Department of Psychiatry, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz Hospital, Madrid, Spain 5Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States 6IMT Atlantique, UMR CNRS 6285 Lab-STICC, Technopôle Brest Iroise, Brest, France 7Departamento de Estadistica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain 8LaTIM - INSERM UMR 1101, Brest Medical University Hospital, Brest, France 9Cabaro Soluciones SA, Valladolid, Spain 10INSERM U1061, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France Corresponding Author: Sofian Berrouiguet, MD Department of Psychiatry Brest Medical University Hospital at Brest Urgences Psychiatrques CHRU Brest Brest, 29200 France Phone: 33 668204178 Fax: 33 298015218 Email: [email protected] Abstract Background: Electronic prescribing devices with clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) hold the potential to significantly improve pharmacological treatment management. Objective: The aim of our study was to develop a novel Web- and mobile phone±based application to provide a dynamic CDSS by monitoring and analyzing practitioners' antipsychotic prescription habits and simultaneously linking these data to inpatients' symptom changes. Methods: We recruited 353 psychiatric inpatients whose symptom levels and prescribed medications were inputted into the MEmind application. We standardized all medications in the MEmind database using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system and the defined daily dose (DDD). For each patient, MEmind calculated an average for the daily dose prescribed for antipsychotics (using the N05A ATC code), prescribed daily dose (PDD), and the PDD to DDD ratio. Results: MEmind results found that antipsychotics were used by 61.5% (217/353) of inpatients, with the largest proportion being patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (33.4%, 118/353). Of the 217 patients, 137 (63.2%, 137/217) were administered pharmacological monotherapy and 80 (36.8%, 80/217) were administered polytherapy. Antipsychotics were used mostly in schizophrenia spectrum and related psychotic disorders, but they were also prescribed in other nonpsychotic diagnoses. Notably, we observed polypharmacy going against current antipsychotics guidelines. http://www.jmir.org/2017/1/e25/ J Med Internet Res 2017 | vol. 19 | iss. 1 | e25 | p. 1 (page number not for citation purposes) XSL·FO RenderX JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH Berrouiguet et al Conclusions: MEmind data indicated that antipsychotic polypharmacy and off-label use in inpatient units is commonly practiced. MEmind holds the potential to create a dynamic CDSS that provides real-time tracking of prescription practices and symptom change. Such feedback can help practitioners determine a maximally therapeutic drug treatment while avoiding unproductive overprescription and off-label use. (J Med Internet Res 2017;19(1):e25) doi: 10.2196/jmir.5954 KEYWORDS clinical decision-making; antipsychotic agents; software; mobile applications; off-label use; prescriptions Introduction Challenges in Managing Psychopharmacological Treatments From Electronic Health Records to mHealth However, despite these technological advances, the management Applications of psychopharmacological treatment still grapples with many Over the last decade, management of patients in hospitalization challenges. Antipsychotics are widely prescribed in psychiatric units has been supported by the emergence of electronic health inpatient units and, as a result, off-label use is common. records (EHRs) [1]. This software facilitates portability and Although they are mostly prescribed in schizophrenia spectrum processing of pertinent health and pharmacological treatment and related disorders, antipsychotics are also used off-label in information [2]. These systems can support prescription practice a range of chronic diseases and they have been utilized as and help practitioners determine maximally therapeutic augmentation for depressive disorder [13], autism spectrum pharmacological treatments while avoiding pitfalls such as disorders [14], or off-label use, which is controversial but not off-label use, polypharmacy, and overly high dosages. Moreover, uncommon [15]. For example, one study conducted across 7 the emergence of electronic prescribing or e-prescribing devices provinces within Spain showed that antipsychotics were not with clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) has significantly only used in schizophrenia (22.8%) but also in other psychiatric reduced diagnosis and prescription error rates [3]. However, it disorders such as bipolar disorder (14.4%), depressive disorders remains difficult to extract clinically relevant information from (12.5%), personality disorders (9%), substance use disorders current CDSS tools, as these data are often not tailored to the (1.3%), and dementia (4.5%), with 32.8% considered off-label exact needs of the patient and clinician [4]. The availability of uses [16]. Antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) is also mobile phones and other handheld computers provides the controversial yet quite common. APP is the use of 2 or more opportunity to improve prescription practices in institutions antipsychotics concurrently by a single patient. APP is where e-prescribing systems are not yet available. For example, commonly used against general clinical guideline Web-based and mobile phone±based programs permit the recommendations [17]. A recent systematic review of APP gathering of naturalistic data that can be processed immediately prevalence between 1970 and 2009 found in a sample of and provide instantaneous decision-making assistance to 1,418,163 patients with mental disorder (82.9% with a diagnosis clinicians [5,6]. Overall, the appearance of these devices in of schizophrenia) a median APP prevalence of 19.6% across medical practice has heralded the mobile health (mHealth) era, different geographical regions, ranging from 6% to 90%, with which in turn falls under the umbrella of electronic health higher median prevalence in Asia (32%) and Europe (23%) (eHealth), where mobile devices are used to advance public compared with North America (16%) and Oceania (16.4%) health [7]. The combination of high levels of mental illness and [18]. APP differs according to treatment setting, requiring more high levels of mobile phone usage worldwide highlights the extended use in greater illness severity, such as that in inpatient settings [19,20]. In Spanish inpatient settings, APP is common potential for mH2 interventions (ie, mHealth mental health with 47.1% of patients in a psychiatric hospital [21] and figures interventions) [8]. between 40% and 50% in psychiatric brief hospitalization units Wirelessly connected technologies have also increased [22]. These studies highlight the discrepancy between guidelines communication and data transfer between clinicians and their and the real-world treatment. We can observe a paradigm shift patients, which further helps achieve these mHealth goals [9]. in APP from discouraging all uses of polypharmacy to The processing of naturalistic data is especially critical given determining patient profiles that could benefit from the enormous complexity of individual conditions [10]. Data polypharmacy [23]. In a naturalistic observational study, Gaviria mining techniques can also allow for automatic extraction of et al [24] analyzed existing EHRs to collect data on prescription meaningful data from large clinical databases, which can help habits in a sample of 1765 patients with schizophrenia. Out of answer important treatment and outcome questions and refine the sample of 1765 patients, 505 (28.6%) were receiving best practices. Moreover, this data mining can help develop treatment with antipsychotic monotherapy, whereas 1229 algorithms and guidelines to help care providers who require (69.6%) were receiving 2 or more antipsychotics. Another assistance [11]. These algorithms may be of particular interest concern regarding antipsychotic prescription is the use of to prescribers and can be used to improve the incorporation of antipsychotics above their recommended doses. Overly high prescription guidelines into clinical practice [12]. dosage can increase risk for adverse reactions and increases treatment cost without clear evidence of added therapeutic benefit [24]. This practice, although prevalent in clinical settings, is discouraged in clinical guidelines [25]. These challenges http://www.jmir.org/2017/1/e25/ J Med Internet Res 2017 | vol. 19 | iss. 1 | e25 | p. 2 (page number not for citation purposes) XSL·FO RenderX JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH Berrouiguet et al highlight the importance of exploring innovative prescription monitoring methods