Background
- Constipation due to clozapine is common and potentially life-threatening with an estimated prevalence
of 31.2%.
- The FDA implemented a box warning about the risk of clozapine-induced constipation in early 2020 emphasizing the importance of bowel monitoring.
- Fulton State Hospital implemented a clozapine constipation protocol in 2017 to address
clozapine-induced constipation.
- Starting in March 2020, hospital wards started to be quarantined to minimize the spread of COVID-19, which decreased the number of activities offered to clients and increased sedentary behaviors, potentially increasing cases of clozapine-induced constipation.
Objectives
To determine if COVID-19 quarantines impacted constipation due to clozapine by analyzing:
- The number of medical referrals for constipation
- Scheduled medication adherence for constipation
- PRN medications utilized for constipation
- Change in physical activity attendance
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