Background

• Current clozapine prescribing requirements include mandatory monitoring of complete blood counts to ensure patient safety due to the rare but serious risk of severe agranulocytosis.
• Fingerstick blood testing provides a less invasive method of monitoring that may decrease the burden of prescribing clozapine.
• Patients in previous studies reported better acceptance of fingerstick blood testing, indicating that it was more convenient, less worrisome, and less painful than venipuncture. However, these studies were not designed to assess laboratory adherence.
• The pharmacy department at the project facility has managed an accredited, moderate complexity laboratory for fingerstick clozapine monitoring since March 2013.
• Horiba’s MICROS 60 hematology analyzer was utilized for specimen analysis to obtain a complete blood count with 3-part differential.

Objectives

• Determine whether patients are more adherent to fingerstick or venipuncture blood testing
• Report patient and prescriber preferences of fingerstick or venipuncture blood testing
• Assess for and address potential concerns relating to fingerstick clozapine monitoring

Read the Outcomes Study by submitting the form below.

​