Psychiatrists' self-reported adherence to evidence-based prescribing practices in the treatment of schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to identify relationships between psychiatrists' characteristics and their self-reported adherence to evidence-based recommendations regarding antipsychotic use in the treatment of schizophrenia. METHODS: Surveys were sent to 1,757 psychiatrists affiliated with the Veterans Health Administration. Respondents (N=696) reported their own adherence to two recommended prescribing practices for using antipsychotics. RESULTS: Several psychiatrists' characteristics were associated with greater adherence, including midcareer status, male sex, a caseload with a larger proportion of patients with schizophrenia, and use of current information from scientific literature or from drug company detailing. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified several characteristics of psychiatrists that may affect their adherence to evidence-based prescribing practices for patients with schizophrenia.