Optimizing long-acting injectable antipsychotic safety and care continuity through documentation best practices

Area of Science:

• Psychiatric Pharmacy
• Medication Safety
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI-APs) are essential for managing psychiatric conditions, especially in patients with adherence issues.
• Current documentation practices for LAI-APs are underdeveloped, leading to potential medication errors.
• These errors can increase the risk of relapse and readmission for patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify documentation insufficiencies in the use of LAI-APs across various healthcare settings.
• To propose evidence-based recommendations for best practices to enhance safety and continuity of care.
• To address the need for standardized documentation in LAI-AP management.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, clinical guidelines, and gray literature.
• Search terms focused on LAI-AP medication errors, documentation, safety, mental health, and medication reconciliation.
• Recommendations were developed based on identified safety concerns, documentation gaps, and practical implementation strategies.

Main Results:

• Limited literature exists specifically on LAI-AP documentation errors.
• Key documentation gaps were identified in medication reconciliation, prescribing, patient education, preparation, administration, and transitions of care.
• Inadequate documentation contributes to missed/duplicate doses, incorrect administration, and poor care coordination.

Conclusions:

• Standardizing documentation for LAI-APs is critical to minimize medication errors and improve patient outcomes.
• Proposed recommendations offer practical steps for clinicians and health systems to enhance LAI-AP safety.
• Innovations like EHR-integrated registries and policy reforms can further support error reduction and communication.