Haloperidol prescribing practices in the general hospital.

This study investigates the clinical use of haloperidol within a general hospital. Patients who were prescribed haloperidol were often elderly, seriously ill, and stayed in the hospital longer than average. Only 23% received a psychiatric consultation. Of the patients under study, 80% were prescribed haloperidol on a PRN basis. The most common reason for neuroleptic treatment was to symptomatically manage severe agitation. Organic mental syndromes were rarely documented. Mental status exams were generally absent; the neuroleptic's effect was often omitted, and its use was rarely noted in the discharge summary. It is recommended that more education regarding the use of neuroleptic medication is indicated.