This webinar was recorded on 11th of June 2025
Speakers:
- Nikki Holmes, Director of Pharmacy, NHS Dumfries & Galloway
Resources:
Presentation slides available here.
Presentation slide notes available here.
IIOP Online Training: Clozapine - A Clinical Overview
Summary:
Celebrating the 100th webinar in the IIOP "In Conversation With..." series!
This webinar, delivered by Nikki Holmes, provided a focus on Clozapine, an antipsychotic used in the management of treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Nikki expanded on the evidence base for Clozapine, highlighting its efficacy and place in the treatment of schizophrenia, as well as outlining reasons for its suboptimal use, and some of the surrounding treatment misconceptions. The importance of using Clozapine appropriately was discussed, including clinical management aspects and practice-based issues such as side effect management and monitoring requirements. The initiation process of clozapine treatment, including patient assessment, baseline investigations, and strategies for dose titration were developed. The importance of multidisciplinary team involvement and effective communication between healthcare professionals and across transitions of care to ultimately optimise patient education, safety monitoring and patient outcomes was highlighted. Challenges of service provision across primary and secondary care were also outlined. A patient case study was presented which followed the clinical journey from starting clozapine through ongoing treatment adaptations and monitoring practices. Key pharmacy interventions during maintenance therapy, including monitoring for adverse effects such as constipation, agranulocytosis and metabolic issues, were presented. The broader impact pharmacy professionals can have on optimizing clozapine use, improving adherence, and enhancing patient outcomes over time was outlined.