ArticleSchizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany)2025
Low awareness of clozapine-induced agranulocytosis in a mixed-method survey of 354 patients and carers.
Article in Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Current preventative measures for clozapine-induced agranulocytosis (CIA) include indefinite haematological monitoring. Another safeguard against CIA is patient and carer education to identify and respond to potential symptoms of this adverse effect. Our aim was to explore how informed patients and carers are about the potential symptoms of CIA and what actions to take. An anonymous cross-sectional survey was distributed electronically to patients or family/carers prescribed clozapine across England. A mixed methods approach was used to assess how informed patients and carers are about CIA, identifying potential symptoms of CIA and the appropriate actions to take. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and qualitative responses were analysed thematically. A total of 354 individuals participated in the survey (310 patients and 44 unrelated family carers). Overall, 122 (35%) were aware that clozapine can cause agranulocytosis. The odds of awareness were significantly higher among carers (AOR = 2.90; 95% CI, 1.45-5.88) and lower among males (AOR = 0.60; 95% CI, 0.36-1.00), Black individuals (AOR = 0.33; 95% CI, 0.17-0.61) and individuals in the other ethnicity group (AOR = 0.39; 95% CI, 0.16-0.89). Among those who reported CIA awareness, 45 (37%) participants could name at least one of the signs or symptoms of CIA. A typology of responses to experiencing signs or symptoms of CIA were derived from the thematic analysis, categorised into seeking immediate medical attention (two subthemes), consulting healthcare professionals (four subthemes), uncertainty or lack of knowledge (two subthemes), involvement of family or care providers (two subthemes), self-care (three subthemes) and reluctance to seek help (two subthemes). Our results indicate that most patients and carers are unaware of CIA. There is a need to better inform patients and carers about CIA, about how to identify symptoms and the importance of consulting their treating clinician when suspicions arise. This is particularly important if calls for reduced haematological monitoring are implemented.
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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 Socratic graph.