ABSTRACT
Beginning with the discovery of rauwolfi a (i.e., reserpine) in 1931 and chlorpromzine in 1952, and accelerating during the 1960s, drug therapy has become an increasingly central part of psychiatric care (Cruz & Pincus, 2002; H. I. Kaplan & Sadock, 1998; Tasman, Riba, & Silk, 2000). In the last 10 years, however, several forces have converged to create a situation in which
drug therapy is the dominant and, at times, the only type of treatment some chronically mentally ill patients receive (Kandel, 1998). The recent rise to prominence of drug therapy and brief medication management are part of a larger set of changes currently affecting the U.S. health care delivery system. The effects of these changes on cost and quality are poorly understood (Durham, 1998). However, there is reason to suspect that key patient, professional, and societal goals may not be achieved by drug therapy and brief medication management alone. For many patients, the quality of psychiatric care depends on the quality of drug therapy and medication management. It is, therefore, important to carefully consider some of the factors that may improve the quality of this type of care.
