ABSTRACT
For patients with bipolar disorder in urgent situations, psychiatric and nonpsychiatric clinicians should employ practical approaches to achieve optimum outcomes and ensure safe and rapid reduction of symptoms, such as considering the treatment setting, clinician-patient relationship, and the severity of the patient's symptoms. Because biological, psychological, and social factors affect both the development and the treatment of acute bipolar states, treatment should address each factor to manage the illness.
Subject(s)
Benzodiazepines/therapeutic use , Bipolar Disorder/drug therapy , Emergency Services, Psychiatric , Piperazines/therapeutic use , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Quinolones/therapeutic use , Risperidone/therapeutic use , Thiazoles/therapeutic use , Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use , Aripiprazole , Benzodiazepines/administration & dosage , Humans , Impulsive Behavior/psychology , Injections, Intramuscular , Olanzapine , Piperazines/administration & dosage , Quinolones/administration & dosage , Suicide, Attempted/prevention & control , Thiazoles/administration & dosage , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Medication algorithms developed in Texas are being implemented in a number of states in the United States and internationally. This report describes a quality improvement process adapted from the Texas Medication Algorithm Project that was used to implement the Texas algorithm for schizophrenia in Ohio. A total of 38 physicians were surveyed about their perceptions of barriers to implementation of the guidelines. The physicians generally thought that the schizophrenia algorithm was good, current, and applicable. Although they did not perceive barriers to its implementation, they did not seem to alter their practices to a great extent in response to the algorithm. The results of the study may guide other states in their implementation of algorithms.
