Perfect adherence to medication linked to half the odds of a crash compared with complete nonadherence
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, June 9, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For drivers with schizophrenia, better adherence to antipsychotic medications is associated with lower motor vehicle crash risk, according to a study published online June 9 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
John A. Staples, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues performed a case-crossover study using population-based administrative health and driving data from British Columbia to examine whether antipsychotic adherence reduces the risk for a motor vehicle crash among individuals with schizophrenia. The study included individuals with schizophrenia who were involved as a driver in a police-attended motor vehicle crash during 2001 to 2016 and who filled prescriptions for antipsychotic medication as an outpatient in the two years before the crash; data were included for 1,130 eligible motor vehicle crashes.
The researchers found that the mean antipsychotic medication possession ratio was 0.69 in the 30 days before the crash (precrash interval) and 0.76 in the control interval (30-day interval ending one year before the crash). Relative to complete nonadherence, perfect adherence to antipsychotic medication was associated with half the odds of a crash (adjusted odds ratio, 0.50). Among subgroups defined by sex, age, and history of alcohol or drug use, the findings were consistent.
“Our results provide one more reason for doctors and family members to encourage people with schizophrenia to take their antipsychotics as prescribed,” Staples said in a statement. “We think our results also suggest that health systems should put more resources into programs to support antipsychotic adherence among people with schizophrenia.”
One author disclosed consulting for Boehringer Ingelheim, AbbVie, Newron, and Otsuka.
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