Date of Award
2019
Degree Type
Selective Evidence-Based Medicine Review
Degree Name
Master of Science in Health Sciences - Physician Assistant
Department
Physician Assistant Studies
Department Chair
Laura Levy, DHSc, PA-C
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not the use of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as adjunctive therapy is effective in reducing symptom severity in adult schizophrenia patients.
STUDY DESIGN: A selective review of three peer-reviewed, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials published between the years of 2008 and 2016.
DATA SOURCES: All three randomized control trials were published in English and were selected from peer-reviewed journals via EmBase and PubMed based on relevance to the clinical question posed above and that the outcomes measured in the studies mattered to patients, or were “patient oriented.”
OUTCOMES MEASURED: Outcomes of changes in schizophrenia symptom severity were measured by comparing Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) scores before and after treatment with either antipsychotic plus placebo or antipsychotic plus omega-3 PUFA.
RESULTS: Studies performed by Manteghiy, et. al. and Bentsen, et. al. revealed no statistically significant improvements in PANSS scores before and after treatment with antipsychotic plus omega-3 PUFA. The study performed by Pawelczyk, et. al. revealed statistically significant improvement in PANSS scores before and after treatment with antipsychotic plus omega-3 PUFA.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on the selective review of the studies included in this paper, evidence is still unclear as to whether or not the use of omega-3 PUFAs as adjunctive therapy is effective in reducing symptom severity in adult schizophrenia patients. Further research into the topic must be conducted in order to gather more evidence, as only a limited number of clinical trials all with small sample sizes observed over a short time frame have been performed throughout the last 10 years.
Recommended Citation
Goenaga, Desiree, "Is the Use of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids as Adjunctive Therapy Effective in Reducing Symptom Severity in Adult Schizophrenia Patients?" (2019). PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship. 479.
https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/pa_systematic_reviews/479