Development of user-friendly consumer and health professional resources for the antipsychotic clozapine: a New Zealand example

Abstract

The antipsychotic clozapine has been shown to have superior efficacy to most other treatments for psychosis, especially where treatment-resistant schizophrenia has been diagnosed. Like all medications, clozapine has a number of well-recognised adverse effects, some of which can be fatal. Evidence also suggests that those for whom clozapine is the most suitable treatment option do not receive it because the doctor or health system views the risks as too great to prescribe. The provision of guidelines including innovative consumer and general practitioner resources regarding the ways to most safely monitor and manage people who are exposed to clozapine has the potential to increase the safe use of the product and also to provide potential prescribers with more confidence in using it. This paper outlines both the process for development and the final package produced by a large metropolitan District Health Board service in Auckland, New Zealand. This material was aimed at non-specialist prescribers as well as consumers and their family/carers and other supports.

Clozapine in the community: Improved access or risky free-for-all?

“…Expanding clozapine dispensing to community pharmacies has the potential to be highly beneficial. We can learn pragmatic ways to achieve this change safely and efficiently from experiences in South Australian and New Zealand (Holmes et al, 2015; SA Health, 2015). We believe there are four essential requirements: (a) training for GPs seeking to prescribe clozapine, (b) training for community pharmacists and technicians in clozapine dispensing, (c) robust clinical protocols and procedures for prescribing and dispensing of clozapine and (d) adequate time allocation and funding of hospital-based clozapine coordinators for liaison and support to GPs, private psychiatrists and community pharmacies.…”