RESUMO
Although risperidone seems to be a safe and effective treatment for the management of psychotic symptoms, its acquisition cost is considerably higher than that of conventional antipsychotics, and its precise role in managing psychiatric illnesses has yet to be defined. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship of patient demographic variables to therapeutic outcomes and to analyze the financial impact of risperidone on the treatment of psychotic symptoms. Subjects included in this 2-year, retrospective cohort, intent-to-treat analysis were all patients initiated on risperidone therapy at an inpatient psychiatric treatment facility. Clinical outcomes were assessed from the absolute change in hospitalized days, total number of psychotropic medications prescribed, and historic Clinical Global Impression severity scores. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the potential relationship to certain demographic variables to therapeutic response. The cost-benefit analysis compared the direct treatment costs incurred by the institution before and after risperidone initiation. Of the 66 patients originally started on risperidone, 57 completed a therapeutic trial. A clinical response was evident in 54 percent of these patients overall. Logistic regression analysis identified previous treatment intolerance and a negative history of substance abuse as predictive of therapeutic success with risperidone (p = .0006 and p = .01, respectively). Hospitalization rates declined by 43 percent among treatment responders and by 1.3 percent among nonresponders resulting in a net annual savings of $147,962. Risperidone may be efficacious in many patients who had previously failed antipsychotic trials. Patients who had been unable to tolerate traditional antipsychotics and those who lacked a documented history of substance abuse were uniquely responsive to risperidone treatment. The significant decline in hospitalized days that was observed among responsive patients seems to indicate that risperidone may be a cost-effective approach to the management of psychotic symptoms.
