Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for FREE ACCESS to this landmark database

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bernard, P.
Right arrow Articles by Littlejohn, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Bernard, P.
Right arrow Articles by Littlejohn, R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

The Use of ‘As Required’ Medication on an Adolescent Psychiatric Unit

Paul Bernard

Marion Family Centre, Darlington Memorial Hospital, Darlington, UK

Ralph Littlejohn

Child and Family Consultation Centre, Ilford, UK

This is a study of the use of ‘as required’ (prn) psychotropic medication in an in- patient unit for younger adolescents in the south of England. The case notes of 500 consecutive completed admissions over an approximately seven-year period were examined retrospectively. It was found that prn medication was administered during 60% of the 500 admissions. Regular medication was given infrequently. A limited range of types of medication was prescribed. A small number of admissions accounted for a large number of the administrations of prn medication. ‘Violence’, ‘running away’ and ‘stealing’ as reasons for admission were associated with an increased likelihood of receiving prn medication, as were longer duration of admission and non-Caucasian ethnic status. School non-attendance as a reason for admission was associated with a decreased likelihood of receiving prn medication. Medication was given more frequently in the evenings. Comparable amounts of medication were given at all stages of admission.

Key Words: child and adolescent psychiatry • in-patient • medication

Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Vol. 5, No. 2, 258-266 (2000)
DOI: 10.1177/1359104500005002011
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?