Rehospitalization Rates of Chronically Ill Schizophrenic Patients Discharged on a Regimen of Risperidone, Olanzapine, or Conventional Antipsychotics

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the rehospitalization rates of patients discharged from the hospital while being treated with risperidone, olanzapine, or conventional antipsychotics. METHOD: By using Israel’s National Psychiatric Hospitalization Case Registry, rehospitalization status was monitored for all patients with schizophrenia who were discharged from any inpatient psychiatric facility in Israel while taking risperidone (N=268) or olanzapine (N=313) between Jan. 1, 1998, and Dec. 31, 1998, and a group of patients discharged during that time who were treated with conventional antipsychotics (N=458). Time to readmission over the course of 2 years was measured by the product-limit (Kaplan-Meier) formula. RESULTS: The readmission rate for patients discharged while taking conventional antipsychotics was higher than the rates for patients treated with either risperidone or olanzapine. At 24 months, 67% of the risperidone-treated patients and 69% of the olanzapine-treated patients rema...