Analysis of antipsychotic prescription data and attendance of patients with schizophrenia in the Hungarian health system

Regular care and sustained pharmacotherapy are inevitable for people who suffer from schizophrenia in order to attain an acceptable level of quality of life. The National Health Care Service Center (Allami Egeszsegugyi Ellato Kozpont) has a health care utilization database in which individuals can be identified with a specific number, but anonymously (pseudo-TAJ), and their patient pathways can be retraced. We analyzed the health service utilization of patients with schizophrenia in the inpatient and outpatient care and the patterns of prescription and drug dispensing. The results show that in a given year, 30-35% of patients with schizophrenia do not reach the provision system and do not get adequate ("lege artis") therapy. Data concerning the prescription of antipsychotics show that psychiatrists working in Hungary prefer modern medicinal therapies in accordance with the domestic and international pharmacotherapeutic guidelines. These findings suggest that proper clinical care is provided to those patients with schizophrenia and with psychosis in general, who remain in the care system.