Serum Prolactin Level Monitoring in Children and Adolescents on Antipsychotic Treatment: Evaluating the Current Practice in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

AIMS: The use of antipsychotics in children and adolescents requires close supervision in a specialist clinic. The decision to commence antipsychotics should be made jointly with the young person, their parents, carers, and healthcare professionals. It is critical to provide age-appropriate information and discuss the possible benefits and side effects, including raised serum prolactin levels, potentially leading to serious consequences such as reduced bone density and abnormal pubertal development. This audit aimed to appraise the antipsychotic prescribing practice in children and adolescents in psychiatric outpatient clinicians in Al Ain Hospital, United Arab Emirates. The authors analysed the compliance against the standards set out in The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Clinical Guidance 155 concerning monitoring prolactin levels in children on antipsychotic medications at baseline, 12 weeks, and every six months thereafter. METHODS: This Hospital-wide audit involved a retrospective review of case notes. A questionnaire was developed to capture the required information anonymously. The audit sample comprised 135 children under the age of 16 who were on antipsychotics for more than six months and were followed up in the child psychiatry clinic between January 2018 and December 2019. We chose this pre-Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) period when services were running as usual. Data collection took place between September and December 2022. RESULTS: Out of 135, 28 (21%) patients were males, with 51 (38%) being Emirati citizens. The sample age ranged between 6 and 16 years, with a mean of 13.5 years. Risperidone was the most commonly used antipsychotic. The majority of patients (63%) had a diagnosis of psychosis in the context of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and intellectual disability. None of the patients had a baseline prolactin measurement performed, while only 10 (7%) had prolactin levels checked at 12 weeks. No patient had prolactin levels checked at six-monthly intervals. CONCLUSION: This audit has identified a clear need to develop local guidance on monitoring antipsychotic side effects in children and adolescents. We recommend enhanced staff training in monitoring for the relevant side effects and introducing a mechanism to electronically alert the prescribing clinician when the time of monitoring is due. We suggest educating the patients about symptoms of high prolactin levels and re-audit the practice after one year of implementing the above action plan. No financial sponsorship has been received for this evaluative exercise.