Non-adherence to psychotropic medication assessed by plasma level in newly admitted psychiatric patients: Prevalence before acute admission.

Aims Non-adherence or partial adherence to psychotropic medication is found in 18-70% of patients. Many previously used methods for the assessment of adherence (e.g. questionnaires, pill counts, and electronic systems), however, might underreport actual rates of non-adherence to medication. The aim of this study was to quantify adherence using plasma level. Methods We conducted a 6-week prospective study of all consecutive admitted patients at the Paracelsus Medical University of Salzburg, Clinics of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, who had been treated with antipsychotics/antidepressants prior to admission (pre-medication dosage in 161 of 233). Plasma drug levels were determined and compared …