Utilization analysis of antidepressants in cancer patients from 87 hospitals in China

LIN Ping; ZHEN Jian-cun; CHEN Ning; YANG Li-juan; ZHANG Wei; LIANG Jian-hua

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1672-8157.2017.01.014

Abstract：Objective: To analyze the overall use of antidepressants in cancer patients in recent years, in order to provide data references for antidepressant treatment in cancer patients.Methods: The related data for antidepressants used in cancer outpatients and inpatients from 2012 to 2014 in 87 hospitals which participated in the project of prescriptions analysis in hospitals were analyzed by year and hospital category.Results:A total of 16 kinds of antidepressants were used in 87 hospitals from 2012 to 2014. The numbers of antidepressants' varieties used in cancer inpatients were integrally more than those in cancer outpatients for different levels hospitals and different years. By comparing data in different levels hospitals, except the grade-one hospitals in the three years, it was found that the ratios of antidepressants' cost, prescription number and using frequency among all the drugs used in cancer patients were not higher than 3.29‰. The ratios in outpatients were more than those in inpatients, while those ratios in specialized hospitals were basically lower than those in general hospitals. The average number of antidepressants' varieties used in different levels hospitals in the three years was not more than 1.13, and in specialized hospitals the number in outpatients was higher than that in inpatients. However, the result was opposite in general hospitals.Conclusion: The use of antidepressants differed between cancer outpatients and cancer inpatients in different levels hospitals, and was mainly monotherapy. However, the total use of antidepressants in cancer patients was very little, which need to be concerned.