Health care utilization in patients with schizophrenia maintained on atypical versus conventional antipsychotics

1. Patients with schizophrenia who had been stabilized on their antipsychotic medication and subsequently maintained on it for a period of at least 18 months were identified: clozapine (N=15); risperidone (N=15); depot conventional (N=18); oral conventional (N=18). 2. Groups were compared on a clinical measure as well as the use of various health care services: hospitalizations; days in hospital, emergency room visits; physician and non-physician visits. 3. No differences between groups were found for hospitalizations, days in hospital, or emergency room visits, while physician and non-physician visits were highest in the clozapine group, in keeping with the need for routine hematologic monitoring in this population. The clozapine group had the highest baseline clinical scores and greatest number of previous hospitalizations. These treatment groups may reflect different clinical populations. However, the findings suggest that in drawing conclusions regarding long-term benefits of different agents, clinical or economic, it would prove useful to include in the evaluation a comparison of patients who have been stabilized on each of the treatments.