Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29955544›Full record

ArticleThe mental health clinician2018

Outcomes of patient education practices to optimize the safe use of lithium: A literature review.

Monica Zolezzi, Yassin Hassan Eltorki, Mahmoud Almaamoon, Mahmoud Fathy, Nabil E Omar

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The mental health clinician, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Lithium: Old Drug, New tricks?Current psychiatry reports · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Monica ZolezziAssistant Professor, College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; Clinical Pharmacist, Hamad Medical Corporation Mental Health Hospital, Doha, Qatar, mzolezzi@qu.edu.qa.ORCID 0000-0003-2065-0476
Yassin Hassan EltorkiClinical Pharmacist, Hamad Medical Corporation Mental Health Hospital, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0002-5110-784X
Mahmoud AlmaamoonPharmacist HMC, Pharmacy, Al Wakra Hospital, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0001-7068-1428
Mahmoud FathyPharmacist HMC, Pharmacy, Al Wakra Hospital, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0003-3267-7780
Nabil E OmarClinical Pharmacist, Hamad Medical Corporation-National Center for Cancer Care and Research Hospital, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0001-8291-7987
Hamad Medical Corporation · QANational Center for Cancer Care and Research · QA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionLithium is commonly used to treat various psychiatric disorders and is particularly effective in the maintenance phase of bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, this drug has a narrow therapeutic index and, if not monitored regularly, can result in toxicity. Therefore, for lithium to be prescribed safely, clinicians must ensure that patients are well educated on lithium toxicity, its prevention, and symptom recognition. This article summarizes studies that investigated lithium education strategies to help promote the safe use of lithium.

methodsFour electronic databases were searched using key terms and subject headings. Reference lists of relevant papers were also reviewed. The search was limited to literature published in English, without year limits. Eligible studies examined lithium patient education and the impact on patients' knowledge of safe lithium use.

resultsOf a total of 517 citations that were retrieved from the electronic database search, 12 were selected for inclusion in this review. Most of the studies included assessed the effect of lithium education on various aspects of patients' knowledge, including but not limited to, lithium toxicity. Of the studies assessing the correlation between lithium knowledge and lithium levels, most demonstrated a positive correlation between lithium knowledge and lithium levels that were more stable and within the higher end of the recommended therapeutic range.

conclusionsStudies evaluating lithium patient education and its effect on improving the safe use of lithium are limited. Nevertheless, this literature review highlights that lithium patient education is critical to promote its safe use.

Indexed as

lithium patient educationlithium safety outcomeslithium toxicity

Identifiers

PMID29955544
PMCPMC6007520
OpenAlexW2782161624

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.