Patient Outcomes Post Hospitalization Discharge Among Patients With Schizophrenia Treated With a Long Acting Injectable or Switched to a New Oral Antipsychotic Medication

Abstract: Background: Low adherence to antipsychotic medication following a hospital discharge among patients with schizophrenia can lead to a higher risk of relapse and greater health care utilization. Using real-world data from a U.S. hospital-based, all-payer, administrative database, this study examined medication continuation and other quality indicators among patients with schizophrenia initiated on a long-acting injectable (LAI) or switched to a new oral antipsychotic (OAP) following an inpatient hospitalization. Methods: A retrospective cohort study using the PINC AI™ Healthcare Database and linked claims data compared 30-day post-discharge medication continuation, risk of discontinuation, and outpatient visits among patients with schizophrenia initiated on an LAI (n=7,292) or switched to a new OAP (n=31,956) during an index hospitalization between April 2017-April 2020. Propensity score weighting addressed differences in patient, hospital, and clinical characteristics between the two cohorts. Results: 30-day antipsychotic medication continuation (29% vs. 25.4%) and outpatient follow-up care (10.9% vs. 5.5%) were significantly higher while risk of discontinuation was significantly lower by 18% for LAI initiators compared to OAP switchers (all p values Short Description: Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics have been used to bolster medication adherence among patients with schizophrenia. Using data from the PINC AI™ Healthcare Database, we compared medication continuation and other quality indicators among schizophrenia patients following an inpatient hospitalization. Antipsychotic medication continuation and outpatient follow-up care were significantly higher while risk of medication discontinuation was significantly lower for LAI initiators than for OAP switchers, even after controlling for various patient, clinical, and hospital characteristics.Name of Sponsoring Organization(s): N/A