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Use of antipsychotic drugs in adults who are hospitalized for nonpsychiatric indications has not been studied extensively. In this retrospective study from an academic medical center in Boston, researchers examined antipsychotic drug prescribing patterns in nearly 18,000 inpatients (median age, 64) during a 12-month period; patients admitted to psychiatric services or patients with diagnoses of psychotic disorders were excluded.
The following findings were noted:
Antipsychotic drugs were prescribed in 9% of admissions. In 45% of the patients who received antipsychotic drugs, this use continued a drug on a patient's preadmission medication list; but in 55%, antipsychotic drugs were initiated during hospitalization. Patients who were older than…