Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33166337›Full record

ArticlePloS one2020

Patterns of prescription of antipsychotics in Qatar.

Sami Ouanes, Imen Becetti, Suhaila Ghuloum, Samer Hammoudeh, Mena Shehata, Hany Ghabrash, Areej Yehya, Hawra Al-Lawati, Nora Al-Fakhri, Huma Iram and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 32% 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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Prevalence and predictors of high-dose antipsychotic therapy among adult psychiatric inpatients in Baghdad, Iraq.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
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  6. Article
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  8. Observational
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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

13 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Sami OuanesDepartment of Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Imen BecettiWeill Cornell Medical College, Medical Education, Doha, Qatar.
Suhaila GhuloumDepartment of Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Samer HammoudehResearch Department, Weill Cornell Medical College, Doha, Qatar.
Mena ShehataDepartment of Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Hany GhabrashDepartment of Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Areej YehyaResearch Department, Weill Cornell Medical College, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0001-6669-8470
Hawra Al-LawatiWeill Cornell Medical College, Medical Education, Doha, Qatar.
Nora Al-FakhriWeill Cornell Medical College, Medical Education, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0001-8206-3774
Huma IramDepartment of Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Nighat AjmalDepartment of Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Yassin EltorkiPharmacy Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Psychiatry Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
Hassen Al-AminPsychiatry Department, Weill Cornell Medical College, Doha, Qatar.ORCID 0000-0001-6358-1541
Hamad Medical Corporation · QAWeill Cornell Medical College in Qatar · QA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveEven though all guidelines recommend generally against antipsychotic polypharmacy, antipsychotic polypharmacy appears to be a very common practice across the globe. This study aimed to examine the prescription patterns of antipsychotics in Qatar, in comparison with the international guidelines, and to scrutinize the sociodemographic and clinical features associated with antipsychotic polypharmacy.

methodsAll the medical records of all the inpatients and outpatients treated by antipsychotics at the Department of Psychiatry-Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Doha, Qatar (between October 2012 and April 2014) were retrospectively analyzed. We retrieved the available sociodemographic data, psychiatric features, and details on the medication history.

resultsOur sample consisted of 537 individuals on antipsychotics (2/3 were male; mean age 33.8±10.2 years), prescribed for a psychotic disorder in 57%, a mood disorder in 9.3%, and various other diagnoses in 33.7%. About 55.9% received one antipsychotic, 29.6% received two antipsychotics, and 14.5% received more than two antipsychotics. Polypharmacy was associated with younger age (p = 0.025), being single (p<0.001), the diagnosis of a psychotic disorder (p<0.001), and previous admissions to psychiatry (p<0.001).

conclusionsAntipsychotic polypharmacy appears to be quite common in Qatar, as it is the case in many other countries, in contrast with most international recommendations. Studies are needed to explore the reasons behind this disparity.

Indexed as

Drug PrescriptionsAdultAntipsychotic AgentsFemaleHumansMalePolypharmacyPsychotic DisordersQatarRetrospective StudiesYoung AdultAntipsychotic Agents

Identifiers

PMID33166337
PMCPMC7652328
OpenAlexW3099440494

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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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.