The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care surveyed psychiatric acute service users of the National Inpatient Medication Chart (NIMC) in late 2011. The survey found that many services had issues with ordering and recording titrating clozapine doses on the NIMC and that it presented a barrier to effective, standardised use of the NIMC. The survey report recommended that a national adult clozapine titration chart be made available to assist acute services manage titration of clozapine.
The National Adult Clozapine Titration Chart is intended to be used as a record of the prescribing, monitoring and administration of clozapine titration. When clozapine is used for maintenance treatment, the National Inpatient Medication Chart (NIMC) is to be used.
Support materials for the National Adult Clozapine Titration Chart include a user guide and an instructional PowerPoint presentation.
The Commission will make available a standard National Adult Clozapine Titration Chart audit tool in mid-2013. It will be designed for health services planning implementation of the National Adult Clozapine Titration Chart for pre and post-implementation auditing and evaluation.
- National Adult Clozapine Titration Chart
- National Adult Clozapine Titration Chart User Guide
- National Adult Clozapine Titration Chart PowerPoint presentation
Quality assurance
The National Adult Clozapine Titration Chart is based on the clozapine titration chart developed by Queensland Health. The national chart incorporates some changes to make it amenable to national use. While the Queensland chart has been implemented in public hospitals across the state, the national chart has not been piloted or otherwise tested by the Commission.
The Commission requests that health services implementing the National Adult Clozapine Titration Chart provide feedback on it either by contacting their jurisdictional representative or by emailing mail@safetyandquality.gov.au.