Medical use, medical misuse, and nonmedical use of prescription opioids: results from a longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

McCabe, Sean Esteban; West, Brady T; Boyd, Carol J

2013-05-01

The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and patterns associated with past-year medical use, medical misuse, and nonmedical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) among adolescents over a 2-year time period and to examine substance abuse, sleeping problems, and physical pain symptoms associated with these patterns of medical use, medical misuse, and NMUPO. A Web-based survey was self-administered by a longitudinal sample of 2050 middle and high school students in 2009-2010 (Year 1) and again in 2010-2011 (Year 2). The study was set in 2 southeastern Michigan school districts. The longitudinal sample consisted of 50% females, 67% Whites, 28% African-Americans, and 5% from other racial/ethnic categories. Main outcome measures were past-year medical use, medical misuse, and NMUPO. Of those reporting appropriate medical use of prescription opioids in Year 1, approximately 34% continued medical use in Year 2. Of those reporting past-year NMUPO in Year 1, approximately 25% continued NMUPO in Year 2. Appropriate medical use and NMUPO for pain relief was more prevalent among girls than boys. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that the odds of a positive screen for substance abuse in Year 2 were greater for adolescents who reported medical misuse or NMUPO for non-pain-relief motives in Year 1 compared with those who did not use prescription opioids. The findings indicate an increased risk for substance abuse among adolescents who report medical misuse or NMUPO for non-pain-relief motives over time. The findings have important clinical implications for interventions to reduce medical misuse and NMUPO among adolescents. Copyright © 2013 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

General sale of non-prescription medicinal products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lind, Johanna Lena Maria; Schafheutle, Ellen; Hägg, Annika Nordén

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: The number of non-prescription medicines (NPMs) available for self-medication is increasing within the European Union (EU). This can enhance the autonomy of individuals but is also connected with risks. Under an existing EU Directive, Sweden has only recently deregulated and made NPMs...... market. There is a difference in the balance between confidence and control, as well as availability and safety when it comes to NPMs in non-pharmacy settings that needs to be further discussed....

Trends in Non-prescription Drug Recalls in Japan.

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Yamamoto, Chikoto; Ishida, Takuya; Osawa, Takashi; Naito, Takafumi; Kawakami, Junichi

2016-01-01

Recalls of non-prescription drugs can contribute to preventing harm to human health, however, they also interrupt the supply of medicines to the market. The aim of the present study was to investigate the trends in non-prescription drug recalls in Japan. Class I, II, and III recalls reported from April 2009 to March 2014 were obtained from the websites of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency. Each drug recall was classified according to year, dosage form, therapeutic category, and reasons for the recall. The trends over the 5 year period were assessed for each class. A total of 220 recalls were reported in the 5-year study period. The numbers of drug recalls were 21, 16, 80, 58, and 45 in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. The drugs recalled consisted of 177 internal medications, 35 topical agents, and 8 others. Drug recalls were observed in 12 therapeutic categories of drug effects. The largest number of recalls was for Chinese herbal medicines and crude drugs. Of all the drug recalls in 2011, Chinese herbal medicines and crude drugs produced by one manufacturer accounted for 84%. Slightly more than half (54%) of drug recalls were due to a violation of the regulations. One manufacturer recalled many drugs because of non-compliance with the standard regulations for manufacturing drugs after 2011. In conclusion, non-prescription drug recalls can occur for any drug regardless of the dosage form and therapeutic category.

Willingness to use a supervised injection facility among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically: a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin A. Bouvier

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Supervised injection facilities (SIFs are legally sanctioned environments for people to inject drugs under medical supervision. SIFs currently operate in ten countries, but to date, no SIF has been opened in the USA. In light of increasing overdose mortality in the USA, this study evaluated willingness to use a SIF among youth who report non-medical prescription opioid (NMPO use. Methods Between January 2015 and February 2016, youth with recent NMPO use were recruited to participate in the Rhode Island Young Adult Prescription Drug Study (RAPiDS. We explored factors associated with willingness to use a SIF among participants who had injected drugs or were at risk of initiating injection drug use (defined as having a sex partner who injects drugs or having a close friend who injects. Results Among 54 eligible participants, the median age was 26 (IQR = 24–28, 70.4% were male, and 74.1% were white. Among all participants, when asked if they would use a SIF, 63.0% answered “Yes”, 31.5% answered “No”, and 5.6% were unsure. Among the 31 participants reporting injection drug use in the last six months, 27 (87.1% reported willingness to use a SIF; 15 of the 19 (78.9% who injected less than daily reported willingness, while all 12 (100.0% of the participants who injected daily reported willingness. Compared to participants who were unwilling or were unsure, participants willing to use a SIF were also more likely to have been homeless in the last six months, have accidentally overdosed, have used heroin, have used fentanyl non-medically, and typically use prescription opioids alone. Conclusions Among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically and inject drugs or are at risk of initiating injection drug use, more than six in ten reported willingness to use a SIF. Established risk factors for overdose, including homelessness, history of overdose, daily injection drug use, heroin use, and fentanyl misuse, were

Prematurity and prescription asthma medication from childhood to young adulthood

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgaard, Anne Louise; Hansen, Bo Moelholm; Mathiasen, Rene

2015-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Preterm birth is associated with increased risk of asthma-like symptoms and purchase of prescription asthma medication in childhood. We investigated whether this association persists into adulthood and whether it is affected by accounting for neonatal respiratory morbidity (acute...... both in childhood and adolescence. CONCLUSION: There was a strong dose-response association between gestational age and the purchase of prescription asthma medication in infancy and childhood. This association weakened during adolescence and was mostly non-significant in young adulthood. The increased...... respiratory disease and bronchopulmonary dysplasia). METHODS: A national cohort of all infants born in Denmark in the period 1980-2009 was included in this register study. Data on purchase of asthma medication (combination of inhaled β-2 agonists and other drugs for obstructive airway disease) in 2010...

38 CFR 17.96 - Medication prescribed by non-VA physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... AFFAIRS MEDICAL Outpatient Treatment § 17.96 Medication prescribed by non-VA physicians. Any prescription... and medicines ordered by a private or non-Department of Veterans Affairs doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathy duly licensed to practice in the jurisdiction where the prescription is written, shall...

The Role of Traumatic Event History in Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs among a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adolescents

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McCauley, Jenna L.; Danielson, Carla Kmett; Amstadter, Ananda B.; Ruggiero, Kenneth J.; Resnick, Heidi S.; Hanson, Rochelle F.; Smith, Daniel W.; Saunders, Benjamin E.; Kilpatrick, Dean G.

2010-01-01

Background: Building on previous research with adolescents that examined demographic variables and other forms of substance abuse in relation to non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD), the current study examined potentially traumatic events, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other substance use, and delinquent behavior as…

Safety of non-prescription medicines: knowledge and attitudes of Italian pharmacy customers.

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Cuzzolin, Laura; Benoni, Giuseppina

2010-02-01

A survey was designed to investigate customers attitudes and knowledge toward non-prescription medicines taken on a self-medication basis but not devoid of risks. Community pharmacies in Italy. Forty-four pharmacies participated in the project. On the basis of an anonymous questionnaire, face-to-face interviews were made to customers buying a non-prescription medicine over a 2-month period. The questionnaire included information about socio-demographic characteristics of the interviewed subjects and 18 items designed to elicit information about the kind of medicine purchased and reason of use, general product knowledge in relation to quality and risks, attitudes toward this kind of drugs, concurrent prescription drug use and the quality of relationship with the pharmacist. During the study period, 613 interviews were collected. The most frequently non-prescription medicines purchased by customers were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol and medicines for gastrointestinal problems. The most of interviewees referred to read carefully the package inserts or to ask information to pharmacists. Moreover, they reported to consider non-prescription medicines easy to manage and to be used only for minor ailments and for short periods. 55.3% of customers reported to have been taking at least a prescription drug, mostly antihypertensives or other cardiovascular medicines, in association with non-prescription medicines. In this situation, interviewees often did not inform pharmacists about chronic therapies. Our interviews demonstrate that, in general, Italian customers have a cautious approach toward non-prescription medicines and are informed on their use. However, in case of a long-term use, interviewees underestimate risks related to possible physiological/pathological changes in their organism or to interactions with other drugs.

A smart medication recommendation model for the electronic prescription.

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Syed-Abdul, Shabbir; Nguyen, Alex; Huang, Frank; Jian, Wen-Shan; Iqbal, Usman; Yang, Vivian; Hsu, Min-Huei; Li, Yu-Chuan

2014-11-01

The report from the Institute of Medicine, To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System in 1999 drew a special attention towards preventable medical errors and patient safety. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 and federal criteria of 'Meaningful use' stage 1 mandated e-prescribing to be used by eligible providers in order to access Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments. Inappropriate prescribing has been identified as a preventable cause of at least 20% of drug-related adverse events. A few studies reported system-related errors and have offered targeted recommendations on improving and enhancing e-prescribing system. This study aims to enhance efficiency of the e-prescribing system by shortening the medication list, reducing the risk of inappropriate selection of medication, as well as in reducing the prescribing time of physicians. 103.48 million prescriptions from Taiwan's national health insurance claim data were used to compute Diagnosis-Medication association. Furthermore, 100,000 prescriptions were randomly selected to develop a smart medication recommendation model by using association rules of data mining. The important contribution of this model is to introduce a new concept called Mean Prescription Rank (MPR) of prescriptions and Coverage Rate (CR) of prescriptions. A proactive medication list (PML) was computed using MPR and CR. With this model the medication drop-down menu is significantly shortened, thereby reducing medication selection errors and prescription times. The physicians will still select relevant medications even in the case of inappropriate (unintentional) selection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving Information on Maternal Medication Use by Linking Prescription Data to Congenital Anomaly Registers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de Jonge, Linda; Garne, Ester; Gini, Rosa

2015-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Research on associations between medication use during pregnancy and congenital anomalies is significative for assessing the safe use of a medicine in pregnancy. Congenital anomaly (CA) registries do not have optimal information on medicine exposure, in contrast to prescription...... databases. Linkage of prescription databases to the CA registries is a potentially effective method of obtaining accurate information on medicine use in pregnancies and the risk of congenital anomalies. METHODS: We linked data from primary care and prescription databases to five European Surveillance...... of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT) CA registries. The linkage was evaluated by looking at linkage rate, characteristics of linked and non-linked cases, first trimester exposure rates for six groups of medicines according to the prescription data and information on medication use registered in the CA databases...

Pharmacy Malpractice: The rate and prevalence of dispensing high-risk prescription-only medications at community pharmacies in Saudi Arabia.

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Alshammari, Thamir M; Alhindi, Salman A; Alrashdi, Ahmed M; Benmerzouga, Imaan; Aljofan, Mohamad

2017-07-01

To assess the compliance of community pharmacies with the regulations that prohibit the dispensing of prescription-only medications in the absence of a physician prescription in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the period between October 2014 and January 2015. A list of 10 prescription-only medications were selected to be studied. 150 community pharmacies were visited across 6 major regions in Saudi Arabia to assess the prevalence of non-compliance among community pharmacies. Pharmacies were selected in random and researchers (disguised as patients) requested to purchase prescription-only medications in the absence of a prescription. Not all medications were purchased at once. Data were recorded per pharmacy, where pharmacies that approved dispense of the selected drug were scored as non-compliant and the pharmacies that rejected dispense of the selected drug were scored as compliant. Compliance rate was calculated per region per drug. Pharmacies based in governmental hospitals were visited in parallel. A total of 20 were visited. Data and statistical analysis were performed using Statistical Analyses Software (SAS 9.3). A total of 150 pharmacies were visited over a period of 3 months. On average, the percent approved dispense of prescription-only drugs across 6 regions in Saudi Arabia is 63% and the percent rejected dispense is 37% representing a significant non-compliance rate regarding the selected list of medications in this study. The frequency of dispense per medication across 6 major regions in Saudi Arabia is as follows: Isosorbide dinitrate (86%), Enoxaparin (82%), nitroglycerin (74%), Propranolol (73%), Verapamil (70%), Warfarin (65%), Methyldopa (64%), Ciprofloxacin (57%) and Codeine (4%). Non-compliance of community pharmacies with the law of pharmaceutical practice is at an alarming rate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and authoritative figures must intervene to impede and combat such activities .

Use of Non-Prescription Remedies by Ghanaian Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Persons on Antiretroviral Therapy.

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Laar, Amos K; Kwara, Awewura; Nortey, Priscillia A; Ankomah, Augustine K; Okyerefo, Michael P K; Lartey, Margaret Y

2017-01-01

Inappropriate use of non-prescription remedies by persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) may result in adverse events or potentiate non-adherence to prescribed medications. This study investigated the use of non-prescription remedies among PLHIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) from four treatment centers in southern Ghana. A mixed method design using quantitative and qualitative methods was used. This article focuses on the quantitative survey of 540 respondents. Univariate analysis was used to generate descriptive tabulations of key variables. Bivariate analysis and logistic regression modeling, respectively, produced unadjusted and adjusted associations between background attributes of PLHIV and the use of non-prescription remedies. A p -value of antiretroviral medications (ARVs)-46% or administered with ARVs but at different times during the day (43%). Some of the remedies were reportedly prescribed by health workers, or self-initiated during periods of ARVs shortage. Others took them based on their perception of their efficacy. Bivariate level analysis identified ART clinic site, place of residence, and ARV adherence monitoring to be significantly associated with the use of non-prescription remedies ( p  < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis controlling for covariates confirmed the location of ART clinic as the only predictor of the use of non-prescription remedies. Compared to clients at the large urban teaching hospital (Korle-Bu Fevers Unit ART center), those at the district level (Atua ART center) were ninefold more likely to use non-prescription remedies [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 8.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.83-33.72]. Those from a district level mission hospital (St. Martin's ART center) were threefold as likely to use these remedies (AOR = 2.610; 95% CI 1.074-9.120). The use of non-prescription remedies by PLHIV on ART is common in southern Ghana. Usage is mostly self-initiated because of perceived

US veterans use vitamins and supplements as substitutes for prescription medication.

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Goldstein, Jennifer N; Long, Judith A; Arevalo, Doris; Ibrahim, Said A; Mao, Jun J

2014-12-01

Vitamins and supplements are the most commonly used form of complementary and alternative medicine in the United States. Growing research suggests that patients substitute vitamins and supplements for their prescription medications. The reasons might include cost of prescription medications and discordant patient and doctor health belief systems. To investigate the prevalence of substitution of vitamins and supplements for prescription medications among veterans who receive care in the VA health care system and whether substitution is associated with prescription rationing due to cost, treatment beliefs, or distrust of the health system. Cross-sectional observational survey. Primary care patients (n=275) at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. Medication substitution, prescription medication rationing, treatment beliefs, and health system distrust were measured with structured instruments. Multivariate logistic regression was performed with substitution as the dependent variable. A significant number of primary care patients in the VA system use vitamins and supplements 206 (75%). The prevalence of medication substitution is high 48 (18%). Medication substitution is strongly associated with prescription rationing due to cost (adjusted odds ratio 6.3, 95% confidence interval: 2.0-19.5, P=0.001). Similarly, greater belief in complementary and alternative approaches to care positively predicts medication substitution (adjusted odds ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.15, P=0.011). There is no significant association between health system distrust and likelihood of medication substitution. Medication substitution is prevalent in this sample of inner city primary care patients who receive care in the VA system. Cost of prescriptions and belief in the value of complementary and alternative approaches to care appear to be associated with this patient-driven treatment decision.

Antihypertensive use, prescription patterns, and cost of medications ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Antihypertensive use, prescription patterns, and cost of medications in a Teaching Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. ... Conclusions: Antihypertensive prescription pattern was in accordance with the seventh report of Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of high blood pressure.

The prescription talk – an approach to teach patient-physician conversation about drug prescription to medical students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hauser, Katarina

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Medication communication from physicians to patients often is poor, by this among others enhancing the risk of non-adherence. In this context, a neglect regarding the prescription talk has been complained.Aim of the project: In a newly developed elective medical students work on physician-patient conversations dealing with drug prescription. Essential aspects related to an effective and safe drug treatment are combined with steps of shared decision-making. Together with a tutor, students develop a (model conversation guide that might be tailored according to individual needs and views.Description/Methods: In a one-week course 3rd-5th year medical students treat a paper case according to problem-based learning. This is accompanied by a one-hour lecture and literature provided on an online learning platform (ILIAS. During a workshop, aspects of drug treatment and patient participation are integrated into a guide for a prescription talk. At the end of the week the students are invited to apply the (if need be individualized guide in a simulated physician-patient communication with an actor. The conversation is evaluated using a checklist based upon the (model conversation guide.Results: Informal and formalized feedback indicate high acceptance and satisfaction of participants with this elective. The checklist turned out to be of acceptable to good reliability with mostly selective items. Portfolio entries and written evaluation suggest that participants’ positions and attitudes are influenced.

Medication errors: prescribing faults and prescription errors.

Science.gov (United States)

Velo, Giampaolo P; Minuz, Pietro

2009-06-01

1. Medication errors are common in general practice and in hospitals. Both errors in the act of writing (prescription errors) and prescribing faults due to erroneous medical decisions can result in harm to patients. 2. Any step in the prescribing process can generate errors. Slips, lapses, or mistakes are sources of errors, as in unintended omissions in the transcription of drugs. Faults in dose selection, omitted transcription, and poor handwriting are common. 3. Inadequate knowledge or competence and incomplete information about clinical characteristics and previous treatment of individual patients can result in prescribing faults, including the use of potentially inappropriate medications. 4. An unsafe working environment, complex or undefined procedures, and inadequate communication among health-care personnel, particularly between doctors and nurses, have been identified as important underlying factors that contribute to prescription errors and prescribing faults. 5. Active interventions aimed at reducing prescription errors and prescribing faults are strongly recommended. These should be focused on the education and training of prescribers and the use of on-line aids. The complexity of the prescribing procedure should be reduced by introducing automated systems or uniform prescribing charts, in order to avoid transcription and omission errors. Feedback control systems and immediate review of prescriptions, which can be performed with the assistance of a hospital pharmacist, are also helpful. Audits should be performed periodically.

Non-medical use of prescription pain relievers among high school students in China: a multilevel analysis.

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Guo, Lan; Xu, Yan; Deng, Jianxiong; He, Yuan; Gao, Xue; Li, Pengsheng; Wu, Hong; Zhou, Jinhua; Lu, Ciyong

2015-07-13

Given the differences between general high school (GHS) and vocational high school (VHS) students, this study aimed to investigate the lifetime prevalence of non-medical use of prescription pain relievers (NMUPPR) among high school students as well as the associations between NMUPPR and individual-level factors and school category. A cross-sectional study was conducted in GHS and VHS students in 2012 in Chongqing, and 11 906 students' questionnaires were completed and qualified for the survey. Self-reported NMUPPR and information regarding individual-level determinants and school category were collected. A multilevel multivariate logistic regression model was fitted to explore independent predictors of NMUPPR. The total lifetime prevalence of NMUPPR was 11.3%, and NMUPPR was more prevalent among VHS students (15.8%) compared with GHS students (9.8%). Overall, the results indicated that VHS students were more likely to be involved in NMUPPR (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.64, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.89). Regarding the individual-level predictors of NMUPPR, below-average family economic status was negatively correlated with NMUPPR (AOR=0.77, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.98), and students with more pocket money were more likely to be engaged in NMUPPR. Students who had difficult family relationships, had poor relationships with teachers, had parents or friends who engaged in non-medical prescription drug use, and considered or attempted suicide were more likely to be engaged in NMUPPR. NMUPPR among high school students is a multidetermined phenomenon. The current findings indicate that VHS students are an important subgroup of adolescents and highlight the need for additional research as well as targeted prevention and intervention programmes for NMUPPR. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Deregulation of allopathic prescription and medical practice in India: Benefits and pitfalls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raman Kumar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the background of debates on Universal Health Coverage, skill transfer from the medical practice license holders to other health-care providers such as nurse practitioner has become a global norm. In India, where the world's largest numbers of medical graduates are produced, this discussion is expanding to extremes and serious suggestions are coming forward for the development of legal framework for allowing dentists, homeopaths, pharmacists, and half duration trained doctors; permission to issue allopathic prescription. Allopathic medical prescription. It is noteworthy that this discussion only pertains to the pharmaceutical products retailed through “allopathic medical prescriptions.” A prescription is not only advice for patient's recovery but it also is a legitimate order for the sale of controlled drugs and pharmaceutical product; thereby functions as a regulatory tool for consumption of pharmaceutical products at retail level. Who is ultimately going to benefit from this prescription deregulation? This editorial explores benefits and pitfalls of prescription and medical practice deregulation.

Prescription pain medications and chronic headache in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Westergaard, Maria Lurenda; Hansen, Ebba Holme; Glümer, Charlotte

2015-01-01

, tramadol, ibuprofen and codeine. CH was associated with osteoarthritis, back pain, and rheumatoid arthritis. Among those with MOH, 32.4 % were dispensed an opioid at least once within 1 year. Only 5.1 % of people with CH were dispensed triptans. CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of opioid use among people......PURPOSE: The aim of the present paper is to study which prescription pain medications are most commonly dispensed to people with chronic headache (CH), particularly those with medication-overuse headache (MOH). METHODS: This cross-sectional study analysed prescription pain medications dispensed...... within 1 year to 68,518 respondents of a national health survey. Participants with headache ≥15 days per month for 3 months were classified as having CH. Those with CH and over-the-counter analgesic use ≥15 days per month or purchase of ≥20 or ≥30 defined daily doses (DDDs) of prescription pain...

Use of Non-Prescription Remedies by Ghanaian Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Persons on Antiretroviral Therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amos K. Laar

2017-05-01

Full Text Available BackgroundInappropriate use of non-prescription remedies by persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV may result in adverse events or potentiate non-adherence to prescribed medications. This study investigated the use of non-prescription remedies among PLHIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART from four treatment centers in southern Ghana.MethodsA mixed method design using quantitative and qualitative methods was used. This article focuses on the quantitative survey of 540 respondents. Univariate analysis was used to generate descriptive tabulations of key variables. Bivariate analysis and logistic regression modeling, respectively, produced unadjusted and adjusted associations between background attributes of PLHIV and the use of non-prescription remedies. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. All analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0.ResultsOne out of three respondents reported the use of non-prescription remedies at least once within 3 months of the survey. Most of these were locally made and included “Angel natural bitters, concoctions from the Christian prayer centers, garlic, and mahogany syrups.” These remedies were used concomitantly with antiretroviral medications (ARVs—46% or administered with ARVs but at different times during the day (43%. Some of the remedies were reportedly prescribed by health workers, or self-initiated during periods of ARVs shortage. Others took them based on their perception of their efficacy. Bivariate level analysis identified ART clinic site, place of residence, and ARV adherence monitoring to be significantly associated with the use of non-prescription remedies (p < 0.05. Multiple logistic regression analysis controlling for covariates confirmed the location of ART clinic as the only predictor of the use of non-prescription remedies. Compared to clients at the large urban teaching hospital (Korle-Bu Fevers Unit ART

Reductions in non-medical prescription opioid use among adults in Ontario, Canada: are recent policy interventions working?

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Benedikt; Ialomiteanu, Anca; Kurdyak, Paul; Mann, Robert E; Rehm, Jürgen

2013-02-14

Non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) and prescription opioid (PO) related harms have become major substance use and public health problems in North America, the region with the world's highest PO use levels. In Ontario, Canada's most populous province, NMPOU rates, PO-related treatment admissions and accidental mortality have risen sharply in recent years. A series of recent policy interventions from governmental and non-governmental entities to stem PO-related problems have been implemented since 2010. We compared the prevalence of NMPOU in the Ontario general adult population (18 years+) in 2010 and 2011 based on data from the 'Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Monitor' (CM), a long-standing annual telephone interview-based representative population survey of substance use and health indicators. While 'any PO use' (in past year) changed non-significantly from 26.6% to 23.9% (Chi2 = 2.511; df = 1; p =  0.113), NMPOU decreased significantly from 7.7% to 4.0% (Chi2 = 14.786; df = 1; p policy interventions, alongside extensive media reporting, focusing on NMPOU and PO-related harms, and may mean that these interventions have shown initial effects. However, other casual factors could have been involved. Thus, it is necessary to systematically examine whether the observed changes will be sustained, and whether other key PO-related harm indicators (e.g., treatment admissions, accidental mortality) change correspondingly in order to more systematically assess the impact of the policy measures.

Elaboration and Validation of the Medication Prescription Safety Checklist 1

Science.gov (United States)

Pires, Aline de Oliveira Meireles; Ferreira, Maria Beatriz Guimarães; do Nascimento, Kleiton Gonçalves; Felix, Márcia Marques dos Santos; Pires, Patrícia da Silva; Barbosa, Maria Helena

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: to elaborate and validate a checklist to identify compliance with the recommendations for the structure of medication prescriptions, based on the Protocol of the Ministry of Health and the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency. Method: methodological research, conducted through the validation and reliability analysis process, using a sample of 27 electronic prescriptions. Results: the analyses confirmed the content validity and reliability of the tool. The content validity, obtained by expert assessment, was considered satisfactory as it covered items that represent the compliance with the recommendations regarding the structure of the medication prescriptions. The reliability, assessed through interrater agreement, was excellent (ICC=1.00) and showed perfect agreement (K=1.00). Conclusion: the Medication Prescription Safety Checklist showed to be a valid and reliable tool for the group studied. We hope that this study can contribute to the prevention of adverse events, as well as to the improvement of care quality and safety in medication use. PMID:28793128

Prescription headache medication in OEF/OIF veterans: results from the Women Veterans Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Seng, Elizabeth K; Driscoll, Mary A; Brandt, Cynthia A; Bathulapalli, Harini; Goulet, Joseph; Silliker, Norman; Kerns, Robert D; Haskell, Sally G

2013-09-01

To examine differences in male and female veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) period of service in taking prescription headache medication, and associations between taking prescription headache medication and mental health status, psychiatric symptoms, and rates of traumatic events. Headaches are common among active service members and are associated with impairment in quality of life. Little is known about headaches in OEF/OIF veterans. Veterans participating in the Women Veterans Cohort Study responded to a cross-sectional survey to assess taking prescription headache medication, mental health status (Post Deployment Health Assessment), psychiatric symptoms (portions of the Brief Patient Health Questionnaire and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist), and traumatic events (the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire and queries regarding military trauma). Gender differences among taking prescription headache medication, health status, psychiatric symptoms, and traumatic events were examined. Regression analyses were used to examine the influence of gender on the associations between taking prescription headache medication and health status, psychiatric symptoms, and traumatic events. 139/551 (25.2%) participants reported taking prescription headache medication in the past year. A higher proportion of women veterans (29.1%) reported taking prescription medication for headache in the last year compared with men (19.7%). Taking prescription headache medication was associated with poorer perceived mental health status, higher anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and higher rates of traumatic events. The association between prescription headache medication use and perceived mental health status, and with the association between prescription headache medication use and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, was stronger for men than for women. Among OEF/OIF veterans, the prevalence of clinically relevant headache is high

Does Medical Cannabis Use Increase or Decrease the Use of Opioid Analgesics and Other Prescription Drugs?

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Bachhuber, Marcus A; Arnsten, Julia H; Cunningham, Chinazo O; Sohler, Nancy

2018-04-17

: In observational and retrospective studies, people who use cannabis are more likely than people who do not use cannabis to also use other drugs. People who take medical cannabis are also more likely to report medical and non-medical use of opioid analgesics, stimulants, and tranquilizers. Given that people who take medical cannabis and those who do not are likely to have different underlying morbidity, it is possible that medical cannabis use reduces prescription drug use yet prescription drug use remains relatively high. Studies comparing people who take medical cannabis with people who do not take it cannot draw conclusions about the effect of medical cannabis on drug use. To fully understand the effect of medical cannabis on the use of other drugs, prospective longitudinal studies randomizing individuals to cannabis versus other treatments are urgently needed.

Medical and Nonmedical Use of Prescription Opioids among High School Seniors in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

McCabe, Sean Esteban; West, Brady T.; Teter, Christian J.; Boyd, Carol J.

2012-01-01

Objective To determine the prevalence of medical and nonmedical use of prescription opioids among high school seniors in the United States, and to assess substance use behaviors based on medical and nonmedical use of prescription opioids. Design Nationally representative samples of high school seniors (modal age 18) were surveyed during the spring of their senior year via self-administered questionnaires. Setting Data were collected in public and private high schools. Participants The sample consisted of 7,374 students from three independent cohorts (2007-09). Main Outcome Measures Self-reports of medical and nonmedical use of prescription opioids and other substance use. Results An estimated 17.6% of high school seniors reported lifetime medical use of prescription opioids, while 12.9% reported nonmedical use of prescription opioids. Gender differences in the medical and nonmedical use were minimal, while racial/ethnic differences were extensive. Over 37% of nonmedical users reported intranasal administration of prescription opioids. An estimated 80% of nonmedical users with an earlier history of medical use had obtained prescription opioids from a prescription they had previously. The odds of substance use behaviors were greater among individuals who reported any history of nonmedical use of prescription opioids relative to those who reported medical use only. Conclusions Nearly one in every four high school seniors in the United States has ever had some exposure to prescription opioids either medically or nonmedically. The quantity of prescription opioids and number of refills prescribed to adolescents should be carefully considered and closely monitored to reduce subsequent nonmedical use of leftover medication. PMID:22566521

Usefulness of traditionally defined herbal properties for distinguishing prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine from non-prescription recipes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ung, C Y; Li, H; Kong, C Y; Wang, J F; Chen, Y Z

2007-01-03

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely practiced and is considered as an attractive to conventional medicine. Multi-herb recipes have been routinely used in TCM. These have been formulated by using TCM-defined herbal properties (TCM-HPs), the scientific basis of which is unclear. The usefulness of TCM-HPs was evaluated by analyzing the distribution pattern of TCM-HPs of the constituent herbs in 1161 classical TCM prescriptions, which shows patterns of multi-herb correlation. Two artificial intelligence (AI) methods were used to examine whether TCM-HPs are capable of distinguishing TCM prescriptions from non-TCM recipes. Two AI systems were trained and tested by using 1161 TCM prescriptions, 11,202 non-TCM recipes, and two separate evaluation methods. These systems correctly classified 83.1-97.3% of the TCM prescriptions, 90.8-92.3% of the non-TCM recipes. These results suggest that TCM-HPs are capable of separating TCM prescriptions from non-TCM recipes, which are useful for formulating TCM prescriptions and consistent with the expected correlation between TCM-HPs and the physicochemical properties of herbal ingredients responsible for producing the collective pharmacological and other effects of specific TCM prescriptions.

Do Motives Matter?: Nonmedical Use of Prescription Medications among Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

McCabe, Sean Esteban; Boyd, Carol J.

2012-01-01

Adolescents' motives for engaging in nonmedical prescription drug use is somewhat different than their reasons for using other drugs, such as marijuana. For some youth, nonmedical prescription drug use is an attempt to self-treat a medical condition, for others it is an effort to get high, and some youth misuse prescription drugs for both reasons.…

Prevalence and correlates of fentanyl-contaminated heroin exposure among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically.

Science.gov (United States)

Macmadu, Alexandria; Carroll, Jennifer J; Hadland, Scott E; Green, Traci C; Marshall, Brandon D L

2017-05-01

The rate of overdose deaths caused by fentanyl-contaminated heroin (FCH) use is increasing rapidly in the United States. We examined risk factors for exposure to FCH and experiences with FCH use among young adult non-medical prescription opioids (NMPO) users. We analyzed data from the Rhode Island Young Adult Prescription Drug Study (RAPiDS), which enrolled young adults aged 18 to 29 reporting prior 30day NMPO use between January 2015 and February 2016. Participants completed questionnaires ascertaining drug use patterns and risk behaviors, including FCH exposure. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with known or suspected FCH exposure. Of 199 participants, the median age was 25 (IQR: 22, 27), 130 (65.3%) were male, and 122 (61.3%) were of White, non-Hispanic race/ethnicity. In total, 22 (11%) reported known or suspected FCH exposure in the prior six months. Several drug use patterns and risk behaviors were associated with FCH exposure, including: regular heroin and cocaine use; diverted pharmaceutical fentanyl use in the prior six months; NMPO use to avoid withdrawal symptoms; longer duration of NMPO use; regular injection drug use; and prior overdose (all pfentanyl prior to last use, 59% reported that FCH provides a better high, and all recognized that fentanyl increases overdose risk. Exposure to fentanyl-contaminated heroin is an emerging trend among young adult NMPO users in Rhode Island. Overdose prevention programs addressing FCH use are urgently needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality of prescription of high-alert medication and patient safety in pediatric emergency

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V. Vieira de Melo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Verify the importance of compliance by prescribed doses of high-alert medications in unit of pediatric emergency in patient safety. Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in a unit of pediatric emergency, for March to April of 2012. This study included all prescriptions that contained at least one high-alert medication, excluding all of others. The data were analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel® version 2007, and the study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Hospital. Results: This study included prescriptions for 100 patients with a mean age of 5.2 ± 4.2 years. Were identified 983 (40.1% high-alert medications (21 different, with predominance of injectable solutions (834, 84,8%, and of these 727 (73.95% were electrolytes. The analysis of the dose was possible for 641 electrolytes and 104 non-electrolytes, being the dose inadequacies observed for some medications. Was observed concentration absent to 189 (18.9% prescribed medications, these with liquid pharmaceutical form or aerosol. Was observed also the absence of maximum dose for 8 (36.3% prescribed drugs “if necessary”. Conclusión: The inadequacies of doses of high-alert medications identified in this study may compromise patient safety, demonstrating the importance of knowledge of multidisciplinary health care team by this subject, in this context, it is noteworthy that the acting of a clinical pharmacist together with the health multidisciplined team can contributes with the review of drug prescriptions, reducing potential errors and collaborating with patient safety.

Multifaceted determinants of online non-prescription drug information seeking and the impact on consumers' use of purchase channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Holtgräfe, Catherine; Zentes, Joachim

2012-06-01

The growing importance of the Internet as an information and purchasing channel is drawing widespread attention from marketing decision makers. Nevertheless, the relevance of the Internet to the so-called self-medication market in Germany has been paid barely enough attention. Our study aims to contribute insights concerning the penetration of the Internet in this market, as well as to give an overview of the critical determinants of Internet use for non-prescription drug information seeking, such as the accessibility of professional information, trust in health professionals' opinion and the ability to search online, as well as the perceived usefulness and credibility of online non-prescription drug information. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the preferred use of the Internet as a non-prescription drug information source positively influences the choice of unconventional purchase channels for non-prescription drugs and negatively affects the use of stationary pharmacies.

Prescription medication by physiotherapists: a Brazilian view of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand

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Valton da Silva Costa

Full Text Available Abstract Many health systems (HS have adopted novel models of care which have included non-medical prescription (NMP by physiotherapists. The aim of this study was to verify in the literature the existence of this practice and its possible benefits. A literature review was carried out through search on Science Direct, PubMed, SciELO, Lilacs and Google Scholar, and in the World Confederation for Physical Therapy and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy websites. In recent decades the United Kingdom adopted the NMP for health professionals, followed by Canada. In Australia and New Zealand physiotherapists have acted in the prescription and administration of medications under medical orders, which is the first step into independent prescription. Brazilian physiotherapists cannot prescribe any medication, despite of high demands from patients in the Brazilian HS, shortage of physicians in many regions and bureaucracy in accessing health services. The adoption of NMP by physiotherapists may play an important role in the HS, and it seems to be an inevitable achievement in the next years in Australia and New Zealand. The main benefits include decreasing bureaucracy for assistance, population demands for medication as well as major professional refinement.

Assessment of parental understanding of paediatric medical prescriptions

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Sadiqua Anjum, Nasir Mohiuddin M, Narayan Reddy U, Narsing Rao J, Sana Afreen, Mir S Adil, Javeedullah M

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Medical prescriptions are bound to be misinterpreted by patients and pharmacists if not properly conveyed. Pediatric prescriptions differ from adult prescriptions having wide variation in doses and formulations. There is a need to evaluate the lacunae in the parental understanding of pediatric prescriptions. Aims and objective: To evaluate the parental understanding of pediatric prescription and to evaluate the adequacy of communication with the physician and pharmacist regarding the same. Material and methods: 550 parents were enrolled and their literacy level was noted. They were subjected to modify MUSE questionnaire. Physician’s prescription was analyzed in terms of ease of understanding by parents. These parents were followed up till the pharmacies and the pharmacist understanding of prescription was analyzed and their communication with parents regarding drug usage was noted. Finally, ease of usage of drugs by parents was noted. Results: MUSE scale was modified to suit pediatric prescription understanding by parents and also additional questions were asked to include complete parental understanding of doctor’s prescription. Majority of parents failed to completely understand the written prescription. Though around 80% of pharmacist could understand the prescription, their communication with parents was poor resulting in difficulty for parents to even enquire about medicines from them. Parental overall understanding of prescription increased with their literacy levels. Conclusion: Not all prescriptions are completely understood by parents as well as a pharmacist. This can lead to misuse of drugs. Efforts to explain the drug usage are not adequate enough from the doctor or the pharmacist. While communicating literacy levels of parents is not being considered which may further worsen the understanding ability

Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use: Theory and Policy Implications

OpenAIRE

Gabriele Camera; Bryan Engelhardt

2014-01-01

The illicit nonmedical use of prescription drugs is studied in a model where individuals with imperfectly observable health conditions seek prescription drugs for either medical or nonmedical reasons. The equilibrium number of medical and nonmedical users is endogenous and depends on economic and non-economic barriers to drugs consumption, such as pricing, health care costs, refill policies, monitoring programs, and the medical community’s prescription standards. The results show policies cen...

Non-medical opioid use in youth: Gender differences in risk factors and prevalence.

Science.gov (United States)

Osborne, Vicki; Serdarevic, Mirsada; Crooke, Hannah; Striley, Catherine; Cottler, Linda B

2017-09-01

Non-medical use (NMU) of prescription opioids in youth is of concern since they may continue this pattern into adulthood and become addicted or divert medications to others. Research into risk factors for NMU can help target interventions to prevent non-medical use of opioids in youth. The National Monitoring of Adolescent Prescription Stimulants Study (N-MAPSS) was conducted from 2008 to 2011. Participants 10-18years of age were recruited from entertainment venues in urban, rural and suburban areas of 10 US cities. Participants completed a survey including questions on their use of prescription opioids. NMU was defined as a non-labeled route of administration or using someone else's prescription. Information on age, gender, alcohol, marijuana and tobacco use was also collected. Summary descriptive, chi-square statistics and logistic regression were conducted using SAS 9.4. Of the 10,965 youth who provided information about past 30day prescription opioid use, prevalence of reported opioid use was 4.8% with 3.2% reported as NMU (n=345) and 1.6% as medical use (MU) only (n=180). More males than females (55.7% vs. 44.4%) reported opioid NMU (pgender differences in opioid NMU is needed; interventions for opioid NMU may need to be gender specific to obtain the best results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medical and nonmedical users of prescription drugs among college students.

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Rozenbroek, Katelyn; Rothstein, William G

2011-01-01

To examine medical and nonmedical users of prescription opioids, central nervous system depressants, and stimulants taken individually and in combination. Undergraduates at an urban mid-Atlantic university with 12,000 students. A questionnaire administered in classes provided 413 responses, with a usable response rate of 94%. Nonmedical users obtained prescription drugs from friends and took them with friends. More nonmedical users than medical users took combinations of drugs. Nonmedical users did not show strong preferences for particular drugs. Nonmedical users compared to medical users who took only 1 drug were more likely to take stimulants and less likely to take opioids. The nonmedical use of prescription drugs by college students is a social activity that involves sharing drugs and taking combinations of drugs with friends. Discouraging nonmedical use must focus on the dangers of combining drugs, sharing drugs, and using social gatherings to consume drugs.

Cultural Disparities in the Use of Prescription and Nonprescription Medications Among Midlife Women in Israel.

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Lerner-Geva, Liat; Blumstein, Tzvia; Boyko, Valentina; Farhi, Adel; Benyamini, Yael

2017-07-01

The study aimed to examine differences in medication use among midlife women from different cultural origins and to identify socio-demographic, health, and lifestyle characteristics associated with prescribed and non-prescribed medication use. Face-to-face interviews with women aged 45-64 years were conducted during 2004-2006 within three population groups: long-term Jewish residents (LTJR), immigrants from the former Soviet Union after 1989, and Arab women. The survey instrument included current use of medications and way of purchasing (with/without prescription). The level of prescribed and non-prescribed medication use was categorized as taking none, taking 1-2, and taking 3 or more medications. The rates of medication use were 59.5% for prescribed medication and 47% for non-prescribed medications. Differences between the minority groups and LTJR were observed mainly for cardiovascular, vitamins, supplements, and hormonal medications. The analyses showed significantly lower use of prescribed medications among immigrants and of non-prescribed medications among Arab women after taking into account health and socioeconomic indicators. Increased use of prescribed and non-prescribed medications was associated with worse health status and older age. Education was associated with increased use of non-prescribed medications. The disparities in pharmaceutical care may be linked to barriers in access to health care and to cultural preferences among minorities.

An inevitable wave of prescription drug monitoring programs in the context of prescription opioids: pros, cons and tensions

OpenAIRE

Islam, M Mofizul; McRae, Ian S

2014-01-01

Background In an effort to control non-medical use and/or medical abuse of prescription drugs, particularly prescription opioids, electronic prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) have been introduced in North-American countries, Australia and some parts of Europe. Paradoxically, there are simultaneous pressures to increase opioid prescribing for the benefit of individual patients and to reduce it for the sake of public health, and this pressure warrants a delicate balance of appropriat...

Non-medical use of psychoactive drugs in relation to suicide tendencies among Chinese adolescents.

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Juan, Wang; Jian-Xiong, Deng; Lan, Guo; Yuan, He; Xue, Gao; Jing-Hui, Huang; Guo-Liang, Huang; Ci-Yong, Lu

2015-12-01

To investigate the prevalence of non-medical use of psychoactive prescription drug (NMUPD) among adolescents and to explore the associations between non-medical psychoactive prescription drug use and depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, deliberate self-harm, and suicide. A two-stage stratified cluster sample design produced a representative sample of 12-19-year-old students in grades 1-6 who attended public middle schools in Guangdong province. Prevalence estimates (SE) of non-medical psychoactive prescription drug use were calculated, and logistic regression was used to examine its association with depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, deliberate self-harm, and suicide. Overall, 7.5% of adolescents reported non-medical use of opioids, and 4.8% of adolescents reported non-medical use of sedatives. Lifetime, last-year, and last-month non-medical use of opioids and sedatives were positively associated with depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, deliberate self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempts among different gender and age-group adolescents. Those who reported last month non-medical use of opioids and sedatives had the greatest odds of reporting depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, deliberate self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempts. Males who were last month non-medical users of opioids or sedative had 8.9 or 10.7 times greater odds of reporting a suicidal attempt, and 8.8 or 9.8 times greater odds of reporting a suicidal attempt were observed among adolescents aged 16-19 who were last-month non-medical users of opioids or sedatives. These findings provide evidence for improving adolescents' suicide prevention strategy by targeting supervision on high risk current non-medical users of psychoactive drug. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medication non-adherence in the homeless population in an Intermountain West city

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Elizabeth J. Unni

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Homelessness happens when people or household are unable to acquire and/or maintain housing they can afford. Approximately 17% of homeless individuals are also chronically ill. Studies have often not objectively measured medication non- adherence among the homeless population, probably due to lack of consistent pharmacy records. This study proposed to objectively estimate medication non-adherence to chronic medications among the homeless population in Salt Lake City, Utah. Methods: A retrospective study design was used based on the pharmacy records from the Fourth Street Pharmacy based on four classes of chronic medications - asthma, diabetes, statins, and psychiatric medications. Data was collected between November 1, 2010 and February 28, 2011 on the variables: date of original prescription, number of refills on the original prescription, date of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fills, age, gender, and race. Primary non-adherence and medication refill non-adherence based on Continuous Measure of Medication Gaps were calculated. Results: The medication refill non-adherence rate was 38.8% with asthma medications, 38.5% with diabetic medications, 27.2% with statins, and 47.1% with psychiatric medications. The primary non-adherence rate varied from zero percent to 20%. Conclusion: The study concluded that this population has comparable non-adherence rates with asthma, diabetes, cholesterol lowering, and certain psychiatric medications than the general population.   Type: Original Research

Assessment of medication errors and adherence to WHO prescription writing guidelines in a tertiary care hospital

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Dilnasheen Sheikh

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of the study is to assess the medication errors and adherence to WHO prescription writing guidelines in a tertiary care hospital. A prospective observational study was carried out for a period of 8 months from June 2015 to February 2016 at tertiary care hospital. At inpatient department regular chart review of patient case records was carried out to assess the medication errors. The observed medication errors were assessed for level of harm by using NCCMERP index. The outpatient prescriptions were screened for adherence to WHO prescription writing guidelines. Out of 200 patients, 40 patients developed medication errors. Most of the medication errors were observed in the age group above 61 years (40%. Majority of the medication errors were observed with drug class of antibiotics 9 (22.5% and bronchodilators 9 (22.5%. Most of the errors were under the NCCMERP index category C. Out of 545 outpatient prescriptions, 51 (9.37% prescriptions did not have prescriber’s name and all of the prescriptions lack prescriber’s personal contact number. Eighteen prescriptions did not have patient’s name and 426 (78.2% prescriptions did not have patient’s age. The prevalence of medication errors in this study was relatively low (20% without any fatal outcome. Omission error was the most frequently observed medication errors 31 (77.5%. In the present study, the patient’s age was missing in 78.2% of the prescriptions and none of the prescriptions had patient’s address and the drug names were not mentioned by their generic names.

Medical Prescription Pitfalls of Uncomplicated Urinary Tract ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objectives: The aim of this evaluation was to identify pitfalls in medical prescriptions of uncomplicated urinary tract infections in government healthcare facilities in Zambia. Design: This was a cross sectional and government healthcare facilities were conveniently sampled. Main outcome measures: Rate of compliance to ...

Medical prescription adherence among patient visiting gynecology department

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rafique, M.; Arshad, H.; Tabassum, H.; Khan, N. U. S.; Qamar, K.

2017-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the level of Medical prescription adherence among gynecological patients of Pakistan. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Punjab province and data were collected from June 2015 to April 2016. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in main cities of Punjab province of Pakistan; Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Sheikhupura. The survey data was collected from different location of cities. Patients visiting the gynecological and going to chemists for getting the prescribed medicine were selected through probability based random sampling for this study. The questionnaire consisted on the extent to which they adhere to time, dose, frequency and procedure prescribed from their doctors. The questions were asked in native language (Urdu). The data analysis was performed by using SPSS software (Ver.21). Results: Results of this study, based on sample from four big cities of Punjab province of Pakistan, showed that the level of medical prescription was associated with the age, qualification and background of the patients. Adherence level of patients reporting with rural background was observed higher than the adherence level of patients from urban areas. Conclusion: Over all the patient require counseling regarding adherence to medical prescription irrespective of the nature of the disease. (author)

Analysis of the Cochrane Review: Non-medical Prescribing versus Medical Prescribing for Acute and Chronic Disease Management in Primary and Secondary Care. Cochrane Database Syst Ver. 2016;11:CD011227.

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Gonçalo Silva Duarte

2017-01-01

of evidence, among others. Prescription by pharmacists and nurses with different levels of undergraduate, specific and postgraduate education could provide comparable outcomes to medical prescription, specifically with regards to adherence to therapy, adverse events, overall satisfaction, quality of life, and resource utilisation (hospitalisations, visits to the emergency department, and consultations. Non-medical prescribers frequently had medical support available to facilitate a collaborative practice. With appropriate training and support, non-medical prescription by nurses and pharmacists can be as effective as when carried out by doctors.

Prevalence of pain medication prescriptions in France, Germany, and the UK - a cross-sectional study including 4,270,142 patients.

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Jacob, Louis; Kostev, Karel

2018-01-01

The goal of the present study was to analyze the prevalence of pain medication prescriptions in general practices in France, Germany, and the UK. This study included all patients aged ≥18 years followed in 2016 in general practitioner practices in France, Germany and the UK. The primary outcome was the prevalence of patients receiving prescriptions for pain medications in France, Germany, and the UK in 2016. The following drugs were included in the analysis: anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic products, non-steroids and analgesics including opioids, antimigraine preparations, and other analgesics and antipyretics. Demographic variables included age and gender. This study included 4,270,142 patients. The prevalences of pain medication prescriptions were 57.3% in France, 29.6% in Germany, and 21.7% in the UK. Although this prevalence generally remained consistent between age groups in France (54.3%-60.3%), it increased with age in Germany (18-30 years: 23.8%; >70 years: 35.8%) and in the UK (18-30 years: 9.3%; >70 years: 43.8%). Finally, the prevalence of pain medication prescriptions was higher in women than in men in all three countries. Paracetamol was prescribed to 82.3% and 60.1% of patients receiving pain medication in France and the UK, respectively, whereas ibuprofen was prescribed to 46.5% of individuals in Germany. The prevalence of pain medication prescriptions was higher in France than in Germany and the UK. Further research is needed to gain a better understanding of the differences in the prescription patterns between these three European countries.

Social network analysis of duplicative prescriptions: One-month analysis of medical facilities in Japan.

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Takahashi, Yoshimitsu; Ishizaki, Tatsuro; Nakayama, Takeo; Kawachi, Ichiro

2016-03-01

Duplicative prescriptions refer to situations in which patients receive medications for the same condition from two or more sources. Health officials in Japan have expressed concern about medical "waste" resulting from this practices. We sought to conduct descriptive analysis of duplicative prescriptions using social network analysis and to report their prevalence across ages. We analyzed a health insurance claims database including 1.24 million people from December 2012. Through social network analysis, we examined the duplicative prescription networks, representing each medical facility as nodes, and individual prescriptions for patients as edges. The prevalence of duplicative prescription for any drug class was strongly correlated with its frequency of prescription (r=0.90). Among patients aged 0-19, cough and colds drugs showed the highest prevalence of duplicative prescriptions (10.8%). Among people aged 65 and over, antihypertensive drugs had the highest frequency of prescriptions, but the prevalence of duplicative prescriptions was low (0.2-0.3%). Social network analysis revealed clusters of facilities connected via duplicative prescriptions, e.g., psychotropic drugs showed clustering due to a few patients receiving drugs from 10 or more facilities. Overall, the prevalence of duplicative prescriptions was quite low - less than 10% - although the extent of the problem varied by drug class and age group. Our approach illustrates the potential utility of using a social network approach to understand these practices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Herb-drug interactions. Interactions between saw palmetto and prescription medications.

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Bressler, Rubin

2005-11-01

Patients over age 50 typically present with one chronic disease per decade. Each chronic disease typically requires long-term drug therapy, meaning most older patients require several drugs to maintain health. Simultaneously, use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased in the United States in the last 20 years, reaching 36% in 2002; herbal medicine use accounts for approximately 22% of all CAM use. Older adults often add herbal medicines to prescription medications, yet do not always inform their physicians. The drug metabolizing enzyme systems process all compounds foreign to the body, including prescription and herbal medications. Therefore use of both medicinals simultaneously has a potential for adverse interactions. This review, which discusses saw palmetto, is the last in a series covering the documented interactions among the top 5 efficacious herbal medicines and prescription drugs.

Understanding Preclerkship Medical Students' Poor Performance in Prescription Writing.

Science.gov (United States)

James, Henry; Al Khaja, Khalid A J; Tayem, Yasin I; Veeramuthu, Sindhan; Sequeira, Reginald P

2016-05-01

This study aimed to explore reasons for poor performance in prescription writing stations of the objective structured practical examination (OSPE) and absenteeism in prescription writing sessions among preclerkship medical students at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) in Manama, Bahrain. This descriptive study was carried out between September 2014 and June 2015 among 157 preclerkship medical students at AGU. Data were collected using focus group discussions and a questionnaire with closed- and open-ended items. All 157 students participated in the study (response rate: 100.0%). The most frequently cited reasons for poor performance in OSPE stations were an inability to select the correct drugs (79.6%), treatment duration (69.4%), drug quantity (69.4%) and drug formulation (68.2%). Additionally, students reported inadequate time for completing the stations (68.8%). During focus group discussions, students reported other reasons for poor performance, including examination stress and the difficulty of the stations. Absenteeism was attributed to the length of each session (55.4%), lack of interest (50.3%), reliance on peers for information (48.4%) and optional attendance policies (47.1%). Repetitive material, large group sessions, unmet student expectations and the proximity of the sessions to summative examinations were also indicated to contribute to absenteeism according to open-ended responses or focus group discussions. This study suggests that AGU medical students perform poorly in prescription writing OSPE stations because of inadequate clinical pharmacology knowledge. Participation in prescription writing sessions needs to be enhanced by addressing the concerns identified in this study. Strategies to improve attendance and performance should take into account the learner-teacher relationship.

Most Frequently Reported Prescription Medications and Supplements in Couples Planning Pregnancy: The LIFE Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmsten, Kristin; Flores, Katrina F; Chambers, Christina D; Weiss, Lauren A; Sundaram, Rajeshwari; Buck Louis, Germaine M

2018-01-01

To identify frequently reported prescription medications and supplements among couples planning pregnancy because there is a lack of descriptive information on these agents in women and men who are trying to conceive. Five hundred one couples enrolled in the Longitudinal Study of Infertility and the Environment, which took place between 2005 and 2009. Participants reported prescription medications as well as prescription and over-the-counter supplements used through interviews at study enrollment and through daily dairies during the 12-month follow-up. We identified prescription medications and supplements prospectively reported by ≥1% of women and men at baseline and from daily journal information grouped into 3-month preconception follow-up intervals while couples tried for pregnancy. The 5 most reported prescription medications among women were levothyroxine (5.8%), cetirizine (2.6%), fluticasone (2.4%), escitalopram (1.8%), and fluoxetine (1.8%) and for men were lisinopril (2.0%), mometasone (2.0%), fexofenadine (1.8%), atorvastatin (1.6%), and montelukast (1.6%). The most reported supplements were multivitamins (63.3%, 43.5%) and fish oil (13.2%, 9.4%) for women and men, respectively, and prenatal vitamins (22.0%) for women. For women during the first 3 months of follow-up, prenatal vitamins (6.0%) and antibiotics (1.2%-2.6%) were among the most frequently started medications. During the next 3 months, clomiphene (4.5%) was the most frequently initiated medication. Couples trying for pregnancy reported a variety of prescription medications and supplements, and they differed by gender. Preconception guidance should address medication and supplement use to avoid potential exposures associated with adverse reproductive and perinatal outcomes.

Reducing inappropriate non-steroidal anti-inflammatory prescription in primary care patients with chronic kidney disease.

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Keohane, David M; Dennehy, Thomas; Keohane, Kenneth P; Shanahan, Eamonn

2017-08-14

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reduce inappropriate non-steroidal anti-inflammatory prescribing in primary care patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Once diagnosed, CKD management involves delaying progression to end stage renal failure and preventing complications. It is well established that non-steroidal anti-inflammatories have a negative effect on kidney function and consequently, all nephrology consensus groups suggest avoiding this drug class in CKD. Design/methodology/approach The sampling criteria included all practice patients with a known CKD risk factor. This group was refined to include those with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)<60 ml/min per 1.73m2 (stage 3 CKD or greater). Phase one analysed how many prescriptions had occurred in this group over the preceding three months. The intervention involved creating an automated alert on at risk patient records if non-steroidal anti-inflammatories were prescribed and discussing the rationale with practice staff. The re-audit phase occurred three months' post intervention. Findings The study revealed 728/7,500 (9.7 per cent) patients at risk from CKD and 158 (2.1 per cent) who were subsequently found to have an eGFR<60 ml/min, indicating=stage 3 CKD. In phase one, 10.2 per cent of at risk patients had received a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory prescription in the preceding three months. Additionally, 6.2 per cent had received non-steroidal anti-inflammatories on repeat prescription. Phase two post intervention revealed a significant 75 per cent reduction in the total non-steroidal anti-inflammatories prescribed and a 90 per cent reduction in repeat non-steroidal anti-inflammatory prescriptions in those with CKD. Originality/value The study significantly reduced non-steroidal anti-inflammatory prescription in those with CKD in primary care settings. It also created a CKD register within the practice and an enduring medication alert system for individuals that risk nephrotoxic

Deeply discounted medications: Implications of generic prescription drug wars.

Science.gov (United States)

Czechowski, Jessica L; Tjia, Jennifer; Triller, Darren M

2010-01-01

To describe the history of generic prescription pricing programs at major pharmacy chains and their potential implications on prescribing, quality of care, and patient safety. Publicly available generic prescription discount program drug lists as of May 1, 2009. Fierce competition among major pharmacy chains such as Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart has led to a generic prescription pricing war with unclear public health implications. Introduced in 2006, currently 7 of the 10 largest pharmacy chains advertise a version of a deeply discounted medication (DDM) program, accounting for more than 25,000 locations nationally. By early 2008, almost 70 million Americans had used these programs. Although DDM programs lower drug costs for many patients, DDM formularies include potentially ineffective or harmful medications, have the potential to influence physician prescribing behavior, and may impair pharmacists' ability to review complete drug-dispensing records. DDMs are widespread but have the potential for unintended consequences on patients, providers, and the health care system. A systematic review of DDMs needs to evaluate the clinical, economic, and system-level implications of such programs.

The use of non-prescription medicines during lactation: A qualitative study of community pharmacists' attitudes and perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Sim, Tin Fei; Hattingh, H Laetitia; Sherriff, Jillian; Tee, Lisa B G

2018-05-01

Community pharmacists play a significant role in the provision of non-prescription medicines. There is evidence that women self-medicate and use non-prescription medicines whilst breastfeeding. Studies have demonstrated that breastfeeding women are likely to seek advice from pharmacists, presenting a unique opportunity for pharmacists to provide on-going support of these women especially in relation to the appropriate use of non-prescription medicines. This study aimed to explore community pharmacists' attitudes and perspectives towards the use of non-prescription medicines during breastfeeding. This exploratory study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 30 community pharmacists in Western Australia, between July and September 2013. Transcribed data were analysed using descriptive and qualitative approaches. NVivo ® Version 10.0 was used to organise qualitative data and quotations to facilitate thematic analysis. Four major themes emerged. Despite the positive attitudes and favourable perceived knowledge level, participants often found themselves in a dilemma when required to make clinical recommendations especially in situations where there was a therapeutic need for treatment but clear guidelines or evidence to suggest safety of the medicines or treatment in lactation was absent. Despite the popularity of complementary medicines, participants felt more confident in providing advice in relation to conventional over complementary medicines. Whilst medication safety is within the field of expertise of pharmacists, the absence of information and safety data was seen as a major challenge and barrier to enable pharmacists to confidently provide evidence-based recommendations. This study has enhanced our understanding of the attitudes and perspectives of community pharmacists towards the use of non-prescription, including complementary medicines, during breastfeeding. Future studies are warranted to confirm the safety of commonly used or requested

Variations in non-prescription drug consumption and expenditure: Determinants and policy implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Otto, Monica; Armeni, Patrizio; Jommi, Claudio

2018-01-31

This paper analyses the determinants of cross-regional variations in expenditure and consumption for non-prescription drugs using the Italian Health Care Service as a case study. This research question has never been posed in other literature contributions. Per capita income, the incidence of elderly people, the presence of distribution points alternative to community pharmacies (para-pharmacies and drug corners in supermarkets), and the disease prevalence were included as possible explanatory variables. A trade-off between consumption of non-prescription and prescription-only drugs was also investigated. Correlation was tested through linear regression models with regional fixed-effects. Demand-driven variables, including the prevalence of the target diseases and income, were found to be more influential than supply-side variables, such as the presence of alternative distribution points. Hence, the consumption of non-prescription drugs appears to respond to needs and is not induced by the supply. The expected trade-off between consumption for prescription-only and non-prescription drugs was not empirically found: increasing the use of non-prescription drugs did not automatically imply savings on prescription-only drugs covered by third payers. Despite some caveats (the short period of time covered by the longitudinal data and some missing monthly data), the regression model revealed a high explanatory power of the variability and a strong predictive ability of future values. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Understanding Preclerkship Medical Students’ Poor Performance in Prescription Writing

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Henry James

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Objectives: This study aimed to explore reasons for poor performance in prescription writing stations of the objective structured practical examination (OSPE and absenteeism in prescription writing sessions among preclerkship medical students at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU in Manama, Bahrain. Methods: This descriptive study was carried out between September 2014 and June 2015 among 157 preclerkship medical students at AGU. Data were collected using focus group discussions and a questionnaire with closed- and open-ended items. Results: All 157 students participated in the study (response rate: 100.0%. The most frequently cited reasons for poor performance in OSPE stations were an inability to select the correct drugs (79.6%, treatment duration (69.4%, drug quantity (69.4% and drug formulation (68.2%. Additionally, students reported inadequate time for completing the stations (68.8%. During focus group discussions, students reported other reasons for poor performance, including examination stress and the difficulty of the stations. Absenteeism was attributed to the length of each session (55.4%, lack of interest (50.3%, reliance on peers for information (48.4% and optional attendance policies (47.1%. Repetitive material, large group sessions, unmet student expectations and the proximity of the sessions to summative examinations were also indicated to contribute to absenteeism according to open-ended responses or focus group discussions. Conclusion: This study suggests that AGU medical students perform poorly in prescription writing OSPE stations because of inadequate clinical pharmacology knowledge. Participation in prescription writing sessions needs to be enhanced by addressing the concerns identified in this study. Strategies to improve attendance and performance should take into account the learner-teacher relationship.

Adverse interactions between herbal and dietary substances and prescription medications: a clinical survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Bush, Thomas M; Rayburn, Keith S; Holloway, Sandra W; Sanchez-Yamamoto, Deanna S; Allen, Blaine L; Lam, Tiffany; So, Brian K; Tran, De H; Greyber, Elizabeth R; Kantor, Sophia; Roth, Larry W

2007-01-01

Patients often combine prescription medications with herbal and dietary substances (herein referred to as herbal medicines). A variety of potential adverse herb-drug interactions exist based on the pharmacological properties of herbal and prescription medications. To determine the incidence of potential and observed adverse herb-drug interactions in patients using herbal medicines with prescription medications. Consecutive patients were questioned about their use of herbal medicines in 6 outpatient clinics. Patients reporting use of these products provided a list of their prescription medications, which were reviewed for any potential adverse herb-drug interactions using a comprehensive natural medicine database. Any potential adverse herb-drug interactions prompted a review of the patient's chart for evidence of an observed adverse herb-drug interaction. The rate of potential and observed adverse herb-drug interactions. Eight hundred four patients were surveyed, and 122 (15%) used herbal medicines. Eighty-five potential adverse herb-drug interactions were found in 49 patients (40% of herbal medicine users). Twelve possible adverse herb-drug interactions in 8 patients (7% of herbal medicine users) were observed. In all 12 cases, the severity scores were rated as mild, including 8 cases of hypoglycemia in diabetics taking nopal (prickly pear cactus). A substantial number of potential adverse herb-drug interactions were detected and a small number of adverse herb-drug interactions observed, particularly in diabetics taking nopal. Screening for herbal medicine usage in 804 patients did not uncover any serious adverse interactions with prescription medications.

Medical prescription pitfalls of uncomplicated urinary tract infections ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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1Michael Chilufya Sata School of Medicine, Copperbelt University, Ndola, Zambia. C. S. ABSTRACT. Objectives: The aim of this evaluation was to identify pitfalls in medical prescriptions of uncomplicated urinary ... competences such as principles of clinical pharmacology, knowledge, skill and critical. 1 judgement, among ...

Evaluation of Antidiabetic Prescriptions from Medical Reimbursement Applications at Banaras Hindu University Health Care Facility

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Dev Priya

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Diabetes is on rapid increase in third world countries undergoing rapid transition in terms of development particularly in India, which is often being referred as Diabetic capital. It is a disease more prevalent at latter part of life of human beings when finances dwindle and social care gets neglected. The medication continues till the whole life on a regular basis. In present study, the objective has been to provide pharmacoeconomic medication to the diabetic pensioners in the backdrop as mentioned in above background.Methods: The data was collected at the medical reimbursement section of pensioners of the University. The data was examined to answer issues of therapeutic decisions in the light of the pharmacoeconomic considerations. In this paper essentially data on choice of prescriptions with the angle of pharmacoeconomic prudence were included. The dichotomy of specialist versus non specialist prescribers at the tertiary center (i.e. medical college hospital was compared. Effort was made to define merit of the prescription based on comprehensive considerations of patient profile, disease profile and therapeutic choice.Results: Total 72 prescriptions were analyzed for the study in which 475 drugs were prescribed to the patients.  Total antidiabetic drugs prescribed to the patients were 169. Out of 72 cases 39 were males and 33 were females with mean age 66.04 ± 5.80 (Mean ± SEM. The average number of drugs per prescription was 6.59 which was very high as per guidelines. Most commonly prescribed antidiabetic drug was Metformin (63.89% followed by Glimepiride (31.95%.Conclusion: This study reflects that there is need to make available the standard therapeutic optionat University Health Care Facility based upon pharmacoeconomic considerations.

Associations between the Big Five Personality Traits and the Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs for Cognitive Enhancement

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Sebastian eSattler

2016-01-01

Full Text Available While the number of studies of the non-medical use of prescription drugs to augment cognitive functions is growing steadily, psychological factors that can potentially help explain variance in such pharmaceutical cognitive enhancement (CE behavior are often neglected in research.This study investigates the association between the Big Five personality traits and a retrospective (prior CE-drug use as well as a prospective (willingness to use CE drugs measure of taking prescription drugs with the purpose of augmenting one’s cognitive functions (e.g. concentration, memory, or vigilance without medical necessity. We use data from a large representative survey of German employees (N= 6,454, response rate= 29.8%. The Five Factor Model (FFM of Personality was measured with a short version of the Big Five Personality Traits Inventory (BFI-S, which includes: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Together with this, demographic variables such as gender, age, education, and income were used as potential confounders in multiple logistic regression models. Our results show a 2.96% lifetime prevalence of CE-drug use and a 10.45% willingness to (reuse such drugs in the future. We found that less conscientious and more neurotic respondents have a higher probability of prior CE-drug use and a greater willingness to use CE drugs in the future. No significant effects were found for openness, extraversion, or agreeableness. Prior CE-drug use was strongly associated with a greater willingness to take such drugs in the future.This study shows that specific personality traits are not only associated with prior enhancement behavior, but also affect the willingness to (reuse such drugs. It helps increase understanding of the risk factors of CE-drug use, which is a health-related behavior that can entail severe side-effects for consumers. The knowledge gathered can thus help improve interventions aimed at minimizing

Associations Between the Big Five Personality Traits and the Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs for Cognitive Enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sattler, Sebastian; Schunck, Reinhard

2015-01-01

While the number of studies of the non-medical use of prescription drugs to augment cognitive functions is growing steadily, psychological factors that can potentially help explain variance in such pharmaceutical cognitive enhancement (CE) behavior are often neglected in research. This study investigates the association between the Big Five personality traits and a retrospective (prior CE-drug use) as well as a prospective (willingness to use CE drugs) measure of taking prescription drugs with the purpose of augmenting one's cognitive functions (e.g., concentration, memory, or vigilance) without medical necessity. We use data from a large representative survey of German employees (N = 6454, response rate = 29.8%). The Five Factor Model (FFM) of Personality was measured with a short version of the Big Five Personality Traits Inventory (BFI-S), which includes: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Together with this, demographic variables such as gender, age, education, and income were used as potential confounders in multiple logistic regression models. Our results show a 2.96% lifetime prevalence of CE-drug use and a 10.45% willingness to (re)use such drugs in the future. We found that less conscientious and more neurotic respondents have a higher probability of prior CE-drug use and a greater willingness to use CE drugs in the future. No significant effects were found for openness, extraversion, or agreeableness. Prior CE-drug use was strongly associated with a greater willingness to take such drugs in the future. This study shows that specific personality traits are not only associated with prior enhancement behavior, but also affect the willingness to (re)use such drugs. It helps increase understanding of the risk factors of CE-drug use, which is a health-related behavior that can entail severe side-effects for consumers. The knowledge gathered can thus help improve interventions aimed at minimizing health

Out-of-Hospital Administration of Medication without Prescription and Associated Factors among Preschool Children

OpenAIRE

Andritsou, Fotini; Benetou, Vassiliki; Michail, Koralia A.; Pantazis, Nikolaos; Pavlopoulou, Ioanna D.

2017-01-01

The increasing trend of administering nonprescribed medicines in children is a significant public health issue. The aim of the present study was to assess the use of medication without a prescription (MWP), including both nonprescribed medication (NPM) and prescription-only medication (POM), and identify associated factors, among preschoolers in Athens, Greece. A predesigned questionnaire was distributed to parents from May through June 2011. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis ...

Non-medical influences on medical decision-making.

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McKinlay, J B; Potter, D A; Feldman, H A

1996-03-01

The influence of non-medical factors on physicians' decision-making has been documented in many observational studies, but rarely in an experimental setting capable of demonstrating cause and effect. We conducted a controlled factorial experiment to assess the influence of non-medical factors on the diagnostic and treatment decisions made by practitioners of internal medicine in two common medical situations. One hundred and ninety-two white male internists individually viewed professionally produced video scenarios in which the actor-patient, presenting with either chest pain or dyspnea, possessed various balanced combinations of sex, race, age, socioeconomic status, and health insurance coverage. Physician subjects were randomly drawn from lists of internists in private practice, hospital-based practice, and HMO's, at two levels of experience. The most frequent diagnoses for both chest pain and dyspnea were psychogenic origin and cardiac problems. Smoking cessation was the most frequent treatment recommendation for both conditions. Younger patients (all other factors being the same) were significantly more likely to receive the psychogenic diagnosis. Older patients were more likely to receive the cardiac diagnosis for chest pain, particularly if they were insured. HMO-based physicians were more likely to recommend a follow-up visit for chest pain. Several interactions of patient and physician factors were significant in addition to the main effects. The variability in decision-making evidenced by physicians in this experiment was not entirely accounted for by strictly rational Bayesian inference (the common prescriptive model for medical decision-making), in-as-much as non-medical factors significantly affected the decisions that they made. There is a need to supplement idealized medical schemata with considerations of social behavior in any comprehensive theory of medical decision-making.

National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act (NASPER): balancing substance abuse and medical necessity.

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Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Brown, Keith R; Singh, Vijay

2002-07-01

The National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act, or NASPER, is a bill proposed by the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians to provide and improve patient access with quality care, and protect patients and physicians from deleterious effects of controlled substance misuse, abuse and trafficking. Controlled prescription drugs, including narcotic analgesics, anxiolytics, anti-depressants, stimulants, and sedative-hypnotics play a significant and legitimate role in interventional pain management practices in managing chronic pain and related disorders. Based on the 1997 household survey on drug abuse it is estimated that 76.9 million Americans had used an illicit drug at least once in their life. In 1997, 4.2 million people used analgesics, 2.1 million used tranquillizers, and an additional 2.3 million people used various other drugs, including sedatives, tranquillizers, etc. The non-medical use of prescription drugs exceeds that of all illicit substances except for marijuana and hashish. The report on epidemiology trends in drug abuse, based on community epidemiology work group analysis showed continued increase of abuse of prescription drugs in urban, suburban, and rural areas. The most commonly abused drugs include oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, morphine, codeine, clonazepam, alprazolam, lorazepam, diazepam and carisoprodol. The diversion of prescription controlled substances to illicit channels is a public health and safety issue. This review describes the role of controlled substances in chronic pain management, prevalence and economic impact of controlled substance abuse, prescription accountability, effectiveness of prescription monitoring programs, and rationale for national controlled substance electronic reporting system.

Prevalence of alcohol-interactive prescription medication use among current drinkers: United States, 1999 to 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Breslow, Rosalind A; Dong, Chuanhui; White, Aaron

2015-02-01

The majority of Americans consume alcoholic beverages. Alcohol interacts negatively with numerous commonly prescribed medications. Yet, on a population level, little is known about use of alcohol-interactive (AI) prescription medications among drinkers. The purpose of our study was to determine the prevalence of AI prescription medication use among current drinkers in the U.S. population. Data were from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999 to 2010); 26,657 adults aged ≥20 years had data on past year alcohol consumption and past month prescription medication use. Analyses were adjusted for covariates: age, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, and smoking. Statistical procedures accounted for survey stratification, clustering, and nonresponse. Analyses were weighted to be nationally representative. The unadjusted total prevalence of AI medication use was 42.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 41.5 to 44.0). Among current drinkers, adjusted prevalence was 41.5% (CI 40.3 to 42.7). Among participants aged ≥65 total prevalence of AI medication use was 78.6% (CI 77.3 to 79.9) and adjusted prevalence among current drinkers was 77.8% (CI 75.7 to 79.7). The AI medications most commonly used by current drinkers were cardiovascular agents, central nervous system agents, and metabolic agents. Our results suggest that there could be substantial simultaneous exposure to alcohol and AI prescription medications in the U.S. population. Given the adverse health risks of combining alcohol with AI prescription medications, future efforts are needed to collect data to determine actual simultaneous prevalence. Copyright © 2015 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

ADHD medication prescription: effects of child, sibling, parent and general practice characteristics.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heins, M.J.; Bruggers, I.; Dijk, L. van; Korevaar, J.C.

2016-01-01

Many children receive attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication, but factors that determine medication prescription are largely unknown. This study aimed to determine the relative impact of factors on the child, family and general practitioner (GP) practice level on ADHD medication

Prevalence of prescription and illicit drugs in pregnancy-associated non-natural deaths of Florida mothers, 1999-2005.

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Hardt, Nancy; Wong, Tit D; Burt, Martha J; Harrison, Ross; Winter, Will; Roth, Jeffrey

2013-11-01

Abuse of prescription and illicit drugs has been rapidly increasing. This study examines the prevalence of drug use in the non-natural deaths of pregnant or recently pregnant women. Records from Florida's Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review conducted between 1999 and 2005 (n = 415) were linked to 385 toxicology reports obtained from Florida medical examiners' offices. The final study sample consisted of 169 drug-positive, pregnancy-associated non-natural deaths. Of these, 86 were positive for both blood and urine, 64 were positive for blood only and five for urine only, and the remainder were positive for some other specimen. Among these deaths, 91 cases (54%) involved prescription drugs, 78 cases (46%) involved illicit drugs, and 69 cases (41%) involved alcohol. Opioids constituted the majority of deaths associated with prescription drugs. Substantial co-use of opioids and benzodiazepines was seen. Pregnant or recently pregnant women may have more interactions with healthcare providers, which may present more opportunities for intervention and prevention. © 2013 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Towards Non-prescriptive Issues: a Teaching Framework for Selecting Marketing Dissertation Topics

OpenAIRE

Horan, Conor

2006-01-01

There is a significant absence in academic literature, textbooks and practical teaching tools for advising or guiding student learning, in a practical non-prescriptive manner, toward topic selection and development. Prescriptive or rational approaches, taken by many research methods textbooks, are not adequate or sufficient when teaching this important first stage in the research process. Non-prescriptive approaches describing manageable steps should be researched more to fill this pedagogic ...

Health behaviors, care needs and attitudes towards self-prescription: a cross-sectional survey among Dutch medical students.

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Tjeerd Van der Veer

Full Text Available PURPOSE: There is a growing awareness of the potent ways in which the wellbeing of physicians impacts the health of their patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the health behaviors, care needs and attitudes towards self-prescription of Dutch medical students, and any differences between junior preclinical and senior clinically active students. METHODS: All students (n = 2695 of a major Dutch medical school were invited for an online survey. Physical activity, eating habits, alcohol consumption, smoking, Body Mass Index, substance use and amount of sleep per night were inquired, as well as their need for different forms of care and their attitude towards self-prescription. RESULTS: Data of 902 students were used. Physical activity levels (90% sufficient and smoking prevalence (94% non-smokers were satisfying. Healthy eating habits (51% insufficient and alcohol consumption (46% excessive were worrying. Body Mass Indexes were acceptable (20% unhealthy. We found no significant differences in health behaviors between preclinical and clinically active students. Care needs were significantly lower among clinically active students. (p<0.05 Student acceptance of self-prescription was significantly higher among clinically active students. (p<0.001 CONCLUSIONS: Unhealthy behaviors are prevalent among medical students, but are no more prevalent during the clinical study phase. The need for specific forms of care appears lower with study progression. This could be worrying as the acceptance of self-care and self-prescription is higher among senior clinical students. Medical faculties need to address students' unhealthy behaviors and meet their care needs for the benefit of both the future physicians as well as their patients.

The Adherence Estimator: a brief, proximal screener for patient propensity to adhere to prescription medications for chronic disease.

Science.gov (United States)

McHorney, Colleen A

2009-01-01

To conceptualize, develop, and provide preliminary psychometric evidence for the Adherence Estimator--a brief, three-item proximal screener for the likelihood of non-adherence to prescription medications (medication non-fulfillment and non-persistence) for chronic disease. Qualitative focus groups with 140 healthcare consumers and two internet-based surveys of adults with chronic disease, comprising a total of 1772 respondents, who were self-reported medication adherers, non-persisters, and non-fulfillers. Psychometric tests were performed on over 150 items assessing 14 patient beliefs and skills hypothesized to be related to medication non-adherence along a proximal-distal continuum. Psychometric tests included, but were not limited to, known-groups discriminant validity at the scale and item level. The psychometric analyses sought to identify: (1) the specific multi-item scales that best differentiated self-reported adherers from self-reported non-adherers (non-fulfillers and non-persisters) and, (2) the single best item within each prioritized multi-item scale that best differentiated self-reported adherers from self-reported non-adherers (non-fulfillers and non-persisters). The two rounds of psychometric testing identified and cross-validated three proximal drivers of self-reported adherence: perceived concerns about medications, perceived need for medications, and perceived affordability of medications. One item from each domain was selected to include in the Adherence Estimator using a synthesis of psychometric results gleaned from classical and modern psychometric test theory. By simple summation of the weights assigned to the category responses of the three items, a total score is obtained that is immediately interpretable and completely transparent. Patients can be placed into one of three segments based on the total score--low, medium, and high risk for non-adherence. Sensitivity was 88%--of the non-adherers, 88% would be accurately classified as medium

The prescription of addiction medications after implementation of chronic care management for substance dependence in primary care

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Tae Woo; Samet, Jeffrey H.; Cheng, Debbie M.; Winter, Michael R.; Kim, Theresa W.; Fitzgerald, Anna; Saitz, Richard

2014-01-01

People with addictive disorders commonly do not receive efficacious medications. Chronic care management (CCM) is designed to facilitate delivery of effective therapies. Using data from the CCM group in a trial testing its effectiveness for addiction (n=282), we examined factors associated with the prescription of addiction medications. Among participants with alcohol dependence, 17% (95%CI 12.0–22.1%) were prescribed alcohol dependence medications. Among those with drug dependence, 9% (95%CI 5.5–12.6%) were prescribed drug dependence medications. Among those with opioids as a substance of choice, 15% (95%CI 9.3–20.9%) were prescribed opioid agonist therapy. In contrast, psychiatric medications were prescribed to 64% (95%CI 58.2–69.4%). Absence of co-morbid drug dependence was associated with prescription of alcohol dependence medications. Lower alcohol addiction severity and recent opioid use were associated with prescription of drug dependence medications. Better understanding of infrequent prescription of addiction medications, despite a supportive clinical setting, might inform optimal approaches to delivering addiction medications. PMID:25524751

Adherence to the Australian National Inpatient Medication Chart: the efficacy of a uniform national drug chart on improving prescription error.

Science.gov (United States)

Atik, Alp

2013-10-01

In 2006, the National Inpatient Medication Chart (NIMC) was introduced as a uniform medication chart in Australian public hospitals with the aim of reducing prescription error. The rate of regular medication prescription error in the NIMC was assessed. Data was collected using the NIMC Audit Tool and analyzed with respect to causes of error per medication prescription and per medication chart. The following prescription requirements were assessed: date, generic drug name, route of administration, dose, frequency, administration time, indication, signature, name and contact details. A total of 1877 medication prescriptions were reviewed. 1653 prescriptions (88.07%) had no contact number, 1630 (86.84%) did not have an indication, 1230 and 675 (35.96%) used a drug's trade name. Within 261 medication charts, all had at least one entry, which did not include an indication, 258 (98.85%) had at least one entry, which did not have a contact number and 200 (76.63%) had at least one entry, which used a trade name. The introduction of a uniform national medication chart is a positive step, but more needs to be done to address the root causes of prescription error. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Nutrimental Composition and physicochemical parameters of thermosonicated soursop Nectar

OpenAIRE

Luis M. Anaya-Esparza; María D. Méndez-Robles; Alejandro Pérez-Larios; Elhadi M. Yahia; Efigenia Montalvo-González

2018-01-01

Se evaluó el efecto de la termosonicación (TS) a dos diferentes condiciones experimentales [TS1 = 24 kHz, 1,3 W/mL de densidad de energía acústica (AED), 51 °C durante 8 min y TS2 = 24 kHz, 1,4 W/mL AED, 54 °C durante 10min] sobre la composición nutrimental y parámetros fisicoquímicos de néctar de guanábana almacenado a 4ºC.Como testigos se emplearon un néctar sin tratar y otro pasteurizado tradicionalmente (65 °C, 30 min). La TS nocausó cambios en la mayoría de nutrientes y parámetros fisico...

Format of medical order sheet improves security of antibiotics prescription: The experience of an intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Wasserfallen, Jean-Blaise; Bütschi, Anne-Joëlle; Muff, Patrik; Biollaz, Jérôme; Schaller, Marie-Denise; Pannatier, André; Revelly, Jean-Pierre; Chiolero, René

2004-03-01

To assess whether formatting the medical order sheet has an effect on the accuracy and security of antibiotics prescription. Prospective assessment of antibiotics prescription over time, before and after the intervention, in comparison with a control ward. The medical and surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital. All patients hospitalized in the medical or surgical ICU between February 1 and April 30, 1997, and July 1 and August 31, 2000, for whom antibiotics were prescribed. Formatting of the medical order sheet in the surgical ICU in 1998. Compliance with the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists' criteria for prescription safety was measured. The proportion of safe orders increased in both units, but the increase was 4.6 times greater in the surgical ICU (66% vs. 74% in the medical ICU and 48% vs. 74% in the surgical ICU). For unsafe orders, the proportion of ambiguous orders decreased by half in the medical ICU (9% vs. 17%) and nearly disappeared in the surgical ICU (1% vs. 30%). The only missing criterion remaining in the surgical ICU was the drug dose unit, which could not be preformatted. The aim of antibiotics prescription (either prophylactic or therapeutic) was indicated only in 51% of the order sheets. Formatting of the order sheet markedly increased security of antibiotics prescription. These findings must be confirmed in other settings and with different drug classes. Formatting the medical order sheet decreases the potential for prescribing errors before full computerized prescription is available.

[Targeted pharmacist-led medication order review in hospital: Assessment of a selection method for drug prescriptions].

Science.gov (United States)

Jarre, C; Bouchet, J; Hellot-Guersing, M; Leromain, A-S; Derharoutunian, C; Gadot, A; Roubille, R

2017-11-01

The aim of this study was to assess a selection method for drug prescriptions developed at the hospital level that allows to target pharmacist-led medication order review for at-risk patients and drugs. A one-month study has been conducted on all targeted medication orders in 19 care units. Selection criteria have been identified: biological criteria, alert medications and drug interactions. Pharmacists' interventions proposed during medication order review were listed and the possible links to the selection criteria were determined. A total of 1612 prescriptions were analysed and 236 pharmacists' interventions were performed (14.6 interventions per 100 prescriptions). Physicians' acceptance rate was 60.6%. The percentage of pharmacists' interventions linked to the selection criteria was 35.6%. The relevance of the biological criteria was identified, particularly the one identifying patients with creatinine clearance below 30ml/min. Six alert medications were also relevant selection criteria: dabigatran, morphine, gentamicin, methotrexate, potassium chloride and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole. Drug interactions criteria was irrelevant. This study allowed a first assessment of the selection criteria used. A largest study seems necessary to continue the analysis of this selection method for prescriptions, especially the assessment of the alert medications list, in order to refine the prescriptions targeting. Copyright © 2017 Académie Nationale de Pharmacie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

El soporte nutrimental y su relación con algunos indicadores pronósticos del niño quemado

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro Torres Amaro

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Introducción: las quemaduras constituyen una de las principales causas de accidentes en el niño. El tamaño de estas y el estado hipercatabólico son determinantes de la dinámica del tratamiento y la supervivencia del niño con grandes quemaduras. Objetivo: buscar la posible relación entre el soporte nutrimental establecido en las primeras horas después de la reanimación, y algunos indicadores pronósticos en niños quemados. Métodos: se realizó un estudio retrospectivo, de carácter analítico, que incluyó a 252 niños que tuvieron un ingreso en el servicio de quemados del Hospital Pediátrico Docente "Juan Manuel Márquez"de Marianao, en La Habana, con estadía superior a los 7 días, durante el decenio 2000-2009. A partir de la auditoría de las historias clínicas se obtuvieron los indicadores siguientes del pronóstico del niño quemado: superficie corporal quemada, tiempo de estadía, por ciento de pérdida de peso y mortalidad. De la misma forma se obtuvo la información acerca del tipo de soporte nutrimental metabólico empleado durante el tratamiento. Resultados: el tipo de soporte nutrimental metabólico más empleado fue el mixto, en el que se combinan las modalidades enteral y parenteral periférica, que abarcó al 52 % de los pacientes tratados. Los niños con menor por ciento de pérdida de peso (inferior al 10 % recibieron la forma enteral exclusiva (53,1 % de los casos tratados; en el 37,4 % el soporte fue mixto, pero usando la modalidad periférica de uso parenteral. Conclusiones: la estrategia nutrimental empleada en el niño quemado puede modificar algunos indicadores del pronóstico y debe ser una prioridad terapéutica para prevenir el deterioro clínico de estos pacientes.

A psychophysical account of patient non-adherence to medical prescriptions. The case of insulin dose adjustment.

Science.gov (United States)

Reach, G

2013-02-01

Diabetic patients often do not adjust their insulin doses using the algorithms that they have been taught. While this behavior may intuitively have a number of causes, such as the complexity of the decision or the fear of hypoglycaemia, we propose in this article a more general, "psychophysical", explanation based on behavioral economics concepts used to describe decisions made under uncertainty and risk. The concepts discussed herein may not be familiar to clinicians, who will find here an introduction to theories that may be helpful in understanding some aspects of non-adherence to medical prescriptions. 1) The Prospect Theory of Kahneman and Tversky proposes that choices made in the context of risk are subject to loss aversion. 2) Decisions under uncertainty use mental short cuts called "heuristics", which can lead to biases; for instance, overestimating the probability of the risk. 3) To understand the very concept of risk, emotions must be considered with a special focus on anticipated regret. 4) Finally, selection difficulty is an important determinant of the preference for the status quo. These concepts may be relevant for understanding a preference for the status quo in decisions made in a context of uncertainty and risk, such as insulin dose adjustment. We suggest that these mental mechanisms may also be involved in other aspects of patients' non-adherence. As other common human behaviors, non-adherence may actually often be a consequence of biases resulting from our ways of thinking, being both cognitive and emotional, and, according to Kahneman, more often "fast" than "slow". Empirical studies are needed to support this hypothesis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Patterns of Psychotropic Medication Prescriptions by Psychiatrists for Private Clinic Outpatients in Kerman Province, Iran

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Abdolreza Sabahi

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the pattern and utilisation of psychotropic drug prescriptions by psychiatrists in Kerman Province, Iran. Methods: The prescriptions of 27 psychiatrists were randomly selected from two Iranian public insurance organisations and were analysed for the mean number of drugs/prescriptions, drug category and the most frequently prescribed drug in each category as well as overall. Results: A total of 6,414 prescriptions were analysed. The mean number of drugs per prescription was 2.9. Antidepressants (61.0% were the most frequently prescribed category of psychotropic medications, followed by antipsychotics (29.5%, sedative/hypnotics or anti-anxiety drugs (27.5% and mood stabilisers (18.5%. The combination of antidepressants with antipsychotics was the most commonly prescribed combination (18.8%. Fluoxetine (16.5% and trifluoperazine (13.5% were among the most frequently prescribed antidepressants and antipsychotics, respectively. Clonazepam (10.5% was the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepine agent, followed by alprazolam (8.5%. In terms of total drug utilisation, sertraline (12.4% was the most commonly used psychotropic medication followed by fluoxetine (9.7%, trifluoperazine (6.6%, propranolol (4.5% and clonazepam (3.7%. Conclusion: A high proportion of psychotropic prescriptions in Kerman Province were for antidepressants, followed by antipsychotics and the benzodiazepines. Further research is needed to determine the underlying correlation between prescription practice and the diagnosis and patient characteristics, as well as to investigate the use of different psychotropic medications.

Prescription drugs purchased through the internet: who are the end users?

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Inciardi, James A; Surratt, Hilary L; Cicero, Theodore J; Rosenblum, Andrew; Ahwah, Candice; Bailey, J Elise; Dart, Richard C; Burke, John J

2010-07-01

Although prescription drugs are readily available on the Internet, little is known about the prevalence of Internet use for the purchase of medications without a legitimate prescription, and the characteristics of those that obtain non-prescribed drugs through online sources. The scientific literature on this topic is limited to anecdotal reports or studies plagued by small sample sizes. Within this context, the focus of this paper is an examination of five national data sets from the U.S. with the purpose of estimating: (1) how common obtaining prescription medications from the Internet actually is, (2) who are the typical populations of "end users" of these non-prescribed medications, and (3) which drugs are being purchased without a prescription. Three of the data sets are drawn from the RADARS (Researched Abuse Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance) System, a comprehensive series of studies designed to collect timely and geographically specific data on the abuse and diversion of a number of prescription stimulants and opioid analgesics. The remaining data sets include the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey. Our analysis yielded uniformly low rates of prescription drug acquisition from online sources across all five data systems we examined. The consistency of this finding across very diverse populations suggests that the Internet is a relatively minor source for illicit purchases of prescription medications by the individual end-users of these drugs. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of EHR user interface changes on internal prescription discrepancies.

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Turchin, A; Sawarkar, A; Dementieva, Y A; Breydo, E; Ramelson, H

2014-01-01

To determine whether specific design interventions (changes in the user interface (UI)) of an electronic health record (EHR) medication module are associated with an increase or decrease in the incidence of contradictions between the structured and narrative components of electronic prescriptions (internal prescription discrepancies). We performed a retrospective analysis of 960,000 randomly selected electronic prescriptions generated in a single EHR between 01/2004 and 12/2011. Internal prescription discrepancies were identified using a validated natural language processing tool with recall of 76% and precision of 84%. A multivariable autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was used to evaluate the effect of five UI changes in the EHR medication module on incidence of internal prescription discrepancies. Over the study period 175,725 (18.4%) prescriptions were found to have internal discrepancies. The highest rate of prescription discrepancies was observed in March 2006 (22.5%) and the lowest in March 2009 (15.0%). Addition of "as directed" option to the dropdown decreased prescription discrepancies by 195 / month (p = 0.0004). An non-interruptive alert that reminded providers to ensure that structured and narrative components did not contradict each other decreased prescription discrepancies by 145 / month (p = 0.03). Addition of a "Renew / Sign" button to the Medication module (a negative control) did not have an effect in prescription discrepancies. Several UI changes in the electronic medication module were effective in reducing the incidence of internal prescription discrepancies. Further research is needed to identify interventions that can completely eliminate this type of prescription error and their effects on patient outcomes.

[Prescription annotations in Welfare Pharmacy].

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Han, Yi

2018-03-01

Welfare Pharmacy contains medical formulas documented by the government and official prescriptions used by the official pharmacy in the pharmaceutical process. In the last years of Southern Song Dynasty, anonyms gave a lot of prescription annotations, made textual researches for the name, source, composition and origin of the prescriptions, and supplemented important historical data of medical cases and researched historical facts. The annotations of Welfare Pharmacy gathered the essence of medical theory, and can be used as precious materials to correctly understand the syndrome differentiation, compatibility regularity and clinical application of prescriptions. This article deeply investigated the style and form of the prescription annotations in Welfare Pharmacy, the name of prescriptions and the evolution of terminology, the major functions of the prescriptions, processing methods, instructions for taking medicine and taboos of prescriptions, the medical cases and clinical efficacy of prescriptions, the backgrounds, sources, composition and cultural meanings of prescriptions, proposed that the prescription annotations played an active role in the textual dissemination, patent medicine production and clinical diagnosis and treatment of Welfare Pharmacy. This not only helps understand the changes in the names and terms of traditional Chinese medicines in Welfare Pharmacy, but also provides the basis for understanding the knowledge sources, compatibility regularity, important drug innovations and clinical medications of prescriptions in Welfare Pharmacy. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Association of prescription abandonment with cost share for high-cost specialty pharmacy medications.

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Gleason, Patrick P; Starner, Catherine I; Gunderson, Brent W; Schafer, Jeremy A; Sarran, H Scott

2009-10-01

In 2008, specialty medications accounted for 15.1% of total pharmacy benefit medication spending, and per member expenditures have increased by 11.1% annually from 2004 to 2008 within a commercially insured population of 8 million members. Insurers face increasing pressure to control specialty medication expenditures and to rely on increasing member cost share through creation of a fourth copayment tier within the incentive-based formulary pharmacy benefit system. Data are needed on the influence that member out-of-pocket (OOP) expense may have on prescription abandonment (defined as the patient never actually taking possession of the medication despite evidence of a written prescription generated by a prescriber). To explore the relationship between prescription abandonment and OOP expense among individuals newly initiating high-cost medication therapy with a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker or multiple sclerosis (MS) biologic agent. This observational cross-sectional study queried a midwestern and southern U.S. database of 13,172,480 commercially insured individuals to find members with a pharmacy benefit-adjudicated claim for a TNF blocker or MS specialty medication during the period from July 2006 through June 2008. Prescription abandonment was assessed among continuously enrolled members newly initiating TNF blocker or MS therapy. Prescription abandonment was defined as reversal of the adjudicated claim with no evidence of a subsequent additional adjudicated paid claim in the ensuing 90 days. Separate analyses for MS and TNF blocker therapy were performed to assess the association between member OOP expense and abandonment rate using the Cochran-Armitage test for trend and multivariate logistic regression. Members were placed into 1 of the 7 following OOP expense groups per claim: $0-$100, $101-$150, $151-$200, $201-$250, $251-$350, $351-$500, or more than $500. The association of MS or TNF blocker abandonment rate with OOP expense was tested with logistic

Factors influencing psychotropic prescription by non-psychiatrist physicians in a nursing home for the elderly in Brazil

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Florindo Stella

Full Text Available CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Although psychotropics are one of the classes of medications most prescribed in nursing homes for the elderly, studies examining prescribing patterns are limited in both number and scope. The present study was undertaken to investigate factors associated with general psychotropic use in a nursing home in Brazil. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective observational study at the Nursing Home for the Elderly, Institute of Biosciences, Universidade Estadual Paulista. METHODS: Information on prescriptions was retrieved from the medical records of 108 elderly residents in a nursing home. Sixty-five of these patients, with mean age 74.5 years (± standard deviation 9.4 years, who were taking medications on a regular basis, comprised the sample. The effects of demographic and clinical variables on the psychotropic prescription pattern were examined. RESULTS: Females were more likely to receive psychotropics (p = 0.038. Individuals on medicines for cardiovascular diseases received psychotropics less frequently (p = 0.001. The number of prescribed psychotropics correlated negatively with both age (p = 0.009 and number of non-psychotropic drugs (p = 0.009. CONCLUSIONS: Although preliminary, the present results indicated that cardiovascular disease was the clinical variable that most influenced psychotropic prescription. Physicians' overconcern regarding drug interactions might at least partially explain this result. Further investigations involving larger sample sizes from different regions are warranted to confirm these findings.

Medical and Nonmedical Users of Prescription Drugs among College Students

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Rozenbroek, Katelyn; Rothstein, William G.

2011-01-01

Objectives: To examine medical and nonmedical users of prescription opioids, central nervous system depressants, and stimulants taken individually and in combination. Participants: Undergraduates at an urban mid-Atlantic university with 12,000 students. Methods: A questionnaire administered in classes provided 413 responses, with a usable response…

Non-prescription proton-pump inhibitors for self-treating frequent heartburn:the role of the Canadian pharmacist

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Armstrong, David; Nakhla, Nardine

2016-01-01

Heartburn and acid regurgitation are the cardinal symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux and occur commonly in the Canadian population. Multiple non-prescription treatment options are available for managing these symptoms, including antacids, alginates, histamine-H2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), and proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). As a result, pharmacists are ideally positioned to recommend appropriate treatment options based upon an individual’s needs and presenting symptoms, prior treatment response, comorbid medical conditions, and other relevant factors. Individuals who experience mild heartburn and/or have symptoms that occur predictably in response to known precipitating factors can manage their symptoms by avoiding known triggers and using on-demand antacids and/or alginates or lower-dose non-prescription H2RAs (e.g. ranitidine 150 mg). For those with moderate symptoms, lifestyle changes, in conjunction with higher-dose non-prescription H2RAs, may be effective. However, for individuals with moderate-to-severe symptoms that occur frequently (i.e. ≥2 days/week), the non-prescription (Schedule II) PPI omeprazole 20 mg should be considered. The pharmacist can provide important support by inquiring about the frequency and severity of symptoms, identifying an appropriate treatment option, and recognizing other potential causes of symptoms, as well as alarm features and atypical symptoms that would necessitate referral to a physician. After recommending an appropriate treatment, the pharmacist can provide instructions for its correct use. Additionally, the pharmacist should inquire about recurrences, respond to questions about adverse events, provide monitoring parameters, and counsel on when referral to a physician is warranted. Pharmacists are an essential resource for individuals experiencing heartburn; they play a crucial role in helping individuals make informed self-care decisions and educating them to ensure that therapy is used in an optimal, safe, and

Risk perception about medication sharing among patients: a focus group qualitative study on borrowing and lending of prescription analgesics

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Markotic F

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Filipa Markotic,1 Davorka Vrdoljak,2 Marijana Puljiz,3 Livia Puljak,4 1Centre for Clinical Pharmacology, University Clinical Hospital Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 2Department of Family Medicine, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, 3Family Medicine Clinic, Health Centre Imotski, Kamenmost, 4Laboratory for Pain Research, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia Background: One form of self-medication is sharing of medications, defined as borrowing or lending medications in situations where the receiver of these drugs is not the individual to whom the medications were allocated. Objective: To explore experiences and opinions of patients about sharing prescription analgesics, reasons for sharing prescription analgesics, the way in which patients choose to share those medications, their awareness of risk regarding sharing prescription analgesics, and how they estimated the potential risk.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted by focus group discussions with 40 participants led by a moderator trained in focus group methodology using a semi-structured moderator guide. Adults aged ≥18 years who had received a prescription for an analgesic at least once in a lifetime were included. Six separate focus groups were conducted to discuss participants’ perception of risks associated with sharing of prescription analgesics among patients. Additionally, participants filled out two questionnaires on demographic data, their own behavior regarding sharing analgesics, and their attitudes about risks associated with sharing prescription analgesics.Results: In a questionnaire, 55% of the participants indicated that they personally shared prescription analgesics, while subsequently in the focus group discussions, 76% confessed to such behavior. Participants recognized certain risks related to sharing of prescription analgesics, mentioned a number of reasons for engaging in such behavior, and indicated certain positive

The attitudes and beliefs of oncology nurse practitioners regarding direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medications.

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Viale, Pamela Hallquist; Sanchez Yamamoto, Deanna

2004-07-01

To obtain information about the knowledge and attitudes of oncology nurse practitioners (ONPs) concerning the effect of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription medications on prescribing patterns. Exploratory survey. Oncology Nursing Society Nurse Practitioner Special Interest Group members in the United States. 221 of 376 ONPs completed the survey (58%). Researcher-developed 12-question postal survey. Knowledge and attitudes of ONPs on DTC advertising effects on prescribing patterns. The findings were similar to those of previous studies of physicians regarding the number of visits when patients requested DTC-advertised medications. Major differences were the positive attitudes of ONPs toward potentially longer patient visits to explain and educate patients regarding medication requests based on DTC advertising and smaller percentages of ONPs who felt "pressured" to prescribe requested medications. ONPs have mixed opinions regarding the practice of DTC advertising but do not believe that they are influenced heavily by advertising with regard to prescriptive practices. ONPs consider patient encounters for education purposes as appropriate and include information about requested DTC-advertised medications in their approach to patient care. This is an exploratory survey of a specialty group of ONPs. More research is needed to further explore the practice of DTC advertising and potential influences on the prescribing patterns of ONPs. DTC advertising of prescription medications is increasing; ONPs need to increase their knowledge base about the potential for influences of prescriptive practices.

Effect of EHR User Interface Changes on Internal Prescription Discrepancies

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Sawarkar, A.; Dementieva, Y.A.; Breydo, E.; Ramelson, H.

2014-01-01

Summary Objective To determine whether specific design interventions (changes in the user interface (UI)) of an electronic health record (EHR) medication module are associated with an increase or decrease in the incidence of contradictions between the structured and narrative components of electronic prescriptions (internal prescription discrepancies). Materials and Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 960,000 randomly selected electronic prescriptions generated in a single EHR between 01/2004 and 12/2011. Internal prescription discrepancies were identified using a validated natural language processing tool with recall of 76% and precision of 84%. A multivariable autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was used to evaluate the effect of five UI changes in the EHR medication module on incidence of internal prescription discrepancies. Results Over the study period 175,725 (18.4%) prescriptions were found to have internal discrepancies. The highest rate of prescription discrepancies was observed in March 2006 (22.5%) and the lowest in March 2009 (15.0%). Addition of „as directed“ option to the dropdown decreased prescription discrepancies by 195 / month (p = 0.0004). An non-interruptive alert that reminded providers to ensure that structured and narrative components did not contradict each other decreased prescription discrepancies by 145 / month (p = 0.03). Addition of a „Renew / Sign“ button to the Medication module (a negative control) did not have an effect in prescription discrepancies. Conclusions Several UI changes in the electronic medication module were effective in reducing the incidence of internal prescription discrepancies. Further research is needed to identify interventions that can completely eliminate this type of prescription error and their effects on patient outcomes. PMID:25298811

Medication persistence with long-term, specific grass pollen immunotherapy measured by prescription renewal rates.

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Sieber, J; De Geest, S; Shah-Hosseini, K; Mösges, R

2011-04-01

We assessed medication persistence using prescription renewal rates for grass pollen specific immunotherapy (SIT) in a representative population of patients in Germany to evaluate whether the perception of superior persistence for the subcutaneous route compared to the sublingual route could be confirmed in clinical practice. Individual prescriptions for allergen immunotherapy were extracted from a national prescription database (INSIGHT Health) and followed over 3 years on a per-patient basis. However, patients' medical history and treatment schedules were not available for analysis. Products were identified by the national drug code (PZN number) and grouped to either subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) with natural extract injections, SCIT with modified allergens (allergoids) or sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with natural pollen extract solutions. Persistence was defined as at least one prescription of the individual drug in the respective years. A total of 1409 patients started SIT in 2005 (112, 695, and 602 for natural extract SLIT, natural extract SCIT, and allergoid SCIT, respectively). In 2006, 71%, 55%, and 59% of those patients had at least one renewal prescription of natural extract SLIT, natural extract SCIT, and allergoid SCIT, respectively, as well as 51%, 34%, and 39% in 2007. In both years, persistence with natural extract SLIT was significantly higher than with natural extract SCIT (p = 0.0015 for 2006, p = 0.0003 for 2007) and allergoid SCIT (p = 0.0152 for 2006, p = 0.0111 for 2007). There were no significant differences between the two SCIT groups. Medication persistence with grass pollen SIT in a representative sample of patients in Germany was similar to published medication persistence in asthma and COPD patients. The sublingual application route shows significantly better persistency than the subcutaneous route with native allergens or allergoids.

Errors and omissions in hospital prescriptions: a survey of prescription writing in a hospital.

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Calligaris, Laura; Panzera, Angela; Arnoldo, Luca; Londero, Carla; Quattrin, Rosanna; Troncon, Maria G; Brusaferro, Silvio

2009-05-13

The frequency of drug prescription errors is high. Excluding errors in decision making, the remaining are mainly due to order ambiguity, non standard nomenclature and writing illegibility. The aim of this study is to analyse, as a part of a continuous quality improvement program, the quality of prescriptions writing for antibiotics, in an Italian University Hospital as a risk factor for prescription errors. The point prevalence survey, carried out in May 26-30 2008, involved 41 inpatient Units. Every parenteral or oral antibiotic prescription was analysed for legibility (generic or brand drug name, dose, frequency of administration) and completeness (generic or brand name, dose, frequency of administration, route of administration, date of prescription and signature of the prescriber). Eight doctors (residents in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine) and two pharmacists performed the survey by reviewing the clinical records of medical, surgical or intensive care section inpatients. The antibiotics drug category was chosen because its use is widespread in the setting considered. Out of 756 inpatients included in the study, 408 antibiotic prescriptions were found in 298 patients (mean prescriptions per patient 1.4; SD +/- 0.6). Overall 92.7% (38/41) of the Units had at least one patient with antibiotic prescription. Legibility was in compliance with 78.9% of generic or brand names, 69.4% of doses, 80.1% of frequency of administration, whereas completeness was fulfilled for 95.6% of generic or brand names, 76.7% of doses, 83.6% of frequency of administration, 87% of routes of administration, 43.9% of dates of prescription and 33.3% of physician's signature. Overall 23.9% of prescriptions were illegible and 29.9% of prescriptions were incomplete. Legibility and completeness are higher in unusual drugs prescriptions. The Intensive Care Section performed best as far as quality of prescription writing was concerned when compared with the Medical and Surgical Sections

PARENTAL ATTITUDES TOWARD THE PRESCRIPTION OF PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS FOR THEIR CHILDREN

OpenAIRE

Al-Haidar, Fatima A.

2008-01-01

Objective: To explore parental attitudes towards the prescription of psychotropic medication for their children. Method: A questionnaire built to collect socio-demographic data of parents and their attitudes was distributed among parents. Results: One thousand and ten questionnaires were filled by parents. Fathers who completed the questionnaire were double the number of mothers. Eight hundred and eighteen parents (84.3%) agreed to the dispensing psychotropic medication to their child...

Substituting cannabis for prescription drugs, alcohol and other substances among medical cannabis patients: The impact of contextual factors.

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Lucas, Philippe; Walsh, Zach; Crosby, Kim; Callaway, Robert; Belle-Isle, Lynne; Kay, Robert; Capler, Rielle; Holtzman, Susan

2016-05-01

Recent years have witnessed increased attention to how cannabis use impacts the use of other psychoactive substances. The present study examines the use of cannabis as a substitute for alcohol, illicit substances and prescription drugs among 473 adults who use cannabis for therapeutic purposes. The Cannabis Access for Medical Purposes Survey is a 414-question cross-sectional survey that was available to Canadian medical cannabis patients online and by hard copy in 2011 and 2012 to gather information on patient demographics, medical conditions and symptoms, patterns of medical cannabis use, cannabis substitution and barriers to access to medical cannabis. Substituting cannabis for one or more of alcohol, illicit drugs or prescription drugs was reported by 87% (n = 410) of respondents, with 80.3% reporting substitution for prescription drugs, 51.7% for alcohol, and 32.6% for illicit substances. Respondents who reported substituting cannabis for prescription drugs were more likely to report difficulty affording sufficient quantities of cannabis, and patients under 40 years of age were more likely to substitute cannabis for all three classes of substance than older patients. The finding that cannabis was substituted for all three classes of substances suggests that the medical use of cannabis may play a harm reduction role in the context of use of these substances, and may have implications for abstinence-based substance use treatment approaches. Further research should seek to differentiate between biomedical substitution for prescription pharmaceuticals and psychoactive drug substitution, and to elucidate the mechanisms behind both. [Lucas P, Walsh Z, Crosby K, Callaway R, Belle-Isle L, Kay B, Capler R, Holtzman S. Substituting cannabis for prescription drugs, alcohol, and other substances among medical cannabis patients: The impact of contextual factors. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:326-333]. © 2015 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Direct observation of Medicaid beneficiary attempts to fill prescriptions for nicotine replacement medications.

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Richter, Kimber P; Shergina, Elena; Grodie, Amanda; Massey, Justin K; Ellerbeck, Edward F; Applegate, Amanda; Faseru, Babalola

2018-04-21

Although many states have expanded Medicaid coverage of cessation medications, utilization remains low. Anecdotal reports suggest that beneficiaries are at times denied coverage of cessation medications at the pharmacy counter. We conducted an observational community-wide case study of Medicaid beneficiary attempts to fill over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy at pharmacies. We recruited tobacco-using beneficiaries from a Federally Qualified Health Center, whose providers wrote paper prescriptions for nicotine patches. Study staff escorted beneficiaries to all eligible pharmacies (n = 18) in a Midwestern community to observe fill attempts. Study staff recorded encounters via smartphone into a secure database on a university server. Seven of 18 pharmacies (39%) did not fill the prescription on the day of the attempt. Of these, 6 offered to order the patch for pick-up at a later date. All (4/4) chain pharmacies filled the prescription; 2/3 mass merchant pharmacies failed to fill. Combining successful same-day fills with offers to order for pick-up, 17/18 (94%) would ultimately have been able to obtain patches. This pilot study found that many beneficiaries left pharmacies without a prescription in hand. Successful same-day fills varied markedly by store type. For people with low incomes, transportation presents a major barrier for delayed pick-up. In addition, delays can fuel ambivalence toward quitting. Future research based on this pilot study might address whether patients who fail to secure a same-day prescription ever fill the prescription and, if not, the degree to which this barrier contributes to success or failure in quitting. Copyright © 2018 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inhalant and Prescription Medication Abuse among Adolescents: An Inexpensive, Accessible, and Misperceived Trend

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Sikes, April; Walley, Cynthia; McBride, Rebecca; Fusco, Angela; Cole, Rebekah F.; Lauka, Justin

2011-01-01

Inhalant and prescription medication abuse, particularly among adolescents, are serious problems in our society. Several risk factors associated with inhalant and medication abuse among adolescents have been identified. As a result, adolescents may suffer multiple consequences in a range of developmental areas. The purpose of this article is to…

Does providing prescription information or services improve medication adherence among patients discharged from the emergency department? A randomized controlled trial.

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McCarthy, Melissa L; Ding, Ru; Roderer, Nancy K; Steinwachs, Donald M; Ortmann, Melinda J; Pham, Julius Cong; Bessman, Edward S; Kelen, Gabor D; Atha, Walter; Retezar, Rodica; Bessman, Sara C; Zeger, Scott L

2013-09-01

We determine whether prescription information or services improve the medication adherence of emergency department (ED) patients. Adult patients treated at one of 3 EDs between November 2010 and September 2011 and prescribed an antibiotic, central nervous system, gastrointestinal, cardiac, or respiratory drug at discharge were eligible. Subjects were randomly assigned to usual care or one of 3 prescription information or services intervention groups: (1) practical services to reduce barriers to prescription filling (practical prescription information or services); (2) consumer drug information from MedlinePlus (MedlinePlus prescription information or services); or (3) both services and information (combination prescription information or services). Self-reported medication adherence, measured by primary adherence (prescription filling) and persistence (receiving medicine as prescribed) rates, was determined during a telephone interview 1 week postdischarge. Of the 3,940 subjects enrolled and randomly allocated to treatment, 86% (N=3,386) completed the follow-up interview. Overall, primary adherence was 88% and persistence was 48%. Across the sites, primary adherence and persistence did not differ significantly between usual care and the prescription information or services groups. However, at site C, subjects who received the practical prescription information or services (odds ratio [OR]=2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4 to 4.3) or combination prescription information or services (OR=1.8; 95% CI 1.1 to 3.1) were more likely to fill their prescription compared with usual care. Among subjects prescribed a drug that treats an underlying condition, subjects who received the practical prescription information or services were more likely to fill their prescription (OR=1.8; 95% CI 1.0 to 3.1) compared with subjects who received usual care. Prescription filling and receiving medications as prescribed was not meaningfully improved by offering patients patient

Risk factors for medication errors in the electronic and manual prescription.

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Volpe, Cris Renata Grou; Melo, Eveline Maria Magalhães de; Aguiar, Lucas Barbosa de; Pinho, Diana Lúcia Moura; Stival, Marina Morato

2016-08-08

to compare electronic and manual prescriptions of a public hospital of Brasilia, identifying risk factors for the occurrence of medication errors. descriptive-exploratory, comparative and retrospective study. Data collection occurred from July 2012 to January 2013, using an instrument for the review of the information contained in medical records related to the medication process. A total of 190 manual and 199 electronic records composed the sample, with 2027 prescriptions each. compared to the manual prescription, a significant reduction was observed in the risk factors after implantation of the electronic prescription, in items such as "lack of the form of dilution" (71.1% to 22.3%) and "prescription with brand name" (99.5% to 31.5%). Conversely, the risk factors "no check" and "lack of CRM of the prescriber" increased. The lack of the allergy registration and the occurrences related to medication were the same for both groups. generally, the use of the electronic prescription system was associated with a significant reduction in risk factors for medication errors, concerning the following aspects: illegibility, prescription with brand name and presence of essential items that provide a safe and effective prescription. comparar as prescrições eletrônicas e manuais de um hospital público do Distrito Federal, identificando os fatores de risco para ocorrência de erros de medicação. Estudo descritivo-exploratório, comparativo e retrospectivo. A coleta de dados ocorreu no período de julho de 2012 a janeiro de 2013, através de instrumento para revisão das informações referentes ao processo de medicação contidas em prontuários. Integraram a amostra 190 prontuários manuais e 199 eletrônicos, com 2027 prescrições cada. na comparação com a prescrição manual, observou-se redução significativa dos fatores de risco após implantação da eletrônica, em itens como "falta da forma de diluição" (71,1% e 22,3%) e "prescrição com nome comercial" (99

Patterns and predictors of non-prescription medicine use among Malaysian pharmacy patrons: a national cross sectional study.

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Mohamed Azmi Hassali

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The study aims to evaluate the predictors of non-prescription medicine purchasing patterns among pharmacy patrons in Malaysia. METHODS: A cross-sectional nationwide study was undertaken in 2011 in sixty randomly selected community pharmacies across 14 Malaysian states. A pharmacy exit survey was conducted over a 6-month period across Malaysia. A one-stage random cluster sampling technique was employed as there was no national sampling framework available for conducting this survey. Face-to-face interviews using a validated and pre-tested questionnaire were conducted by trained data collectors. The non-prescription medicine purchasing pattern was explored and analysed descriptively. Chi-square/Fisher exact test was used to determine the association between study variables. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of type of non-prescription medicine purchased. RESULTS: A total of 2729 pharmacy patrons agreed to participate in 60 selected pharmacy outlets. A total of 3462 non-prescription medicine were purchased during the study period with an average of 1.3 medicines per participant. Most of the non-prescription medicine purchased was meant for alimentary tract and metabolism (31.8%, followed by respiratory system (19.4% and musculoskeletal system (15.8% usage. Factors found to be associated with the choice of non-prescription medicine purchased were age group [χ2 = 170.75, (df = 57, p<0.01], locality [χ2 = 48.16, (df = 19, p<0.01], gender [χ2 = 32.93, (df = 13, p = 0.002], ethnic group [χ2 = 118.89, (df = 39, p<0.01] and type of occupation [χ2 = 222.434, (df = 117, p<0.01]. Non-prescription medicine purchased defined about 20% of the variance in the combination of predictors such as locality, gender, age, ethnicity, type of occupation and household income. CONCLUSION: The predictors for selection of non-prescription medicine were locality (urban or rural, gender, age, ethnicity, type of

Future Challenges and Opportunities in Online Prescription Drug Promotion Research Comment on "Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters".

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Southwell, Brian G; Rupert, Douglas J

2016-01-16

Despite increased availability of online promotional tools for prescription drug marketers, evidence on online prescription drug promotion is far from settled or conclusive. We highlight ways in which online prescription drug promotion is similar to conventional broadcast and print advertising and ways in which it differs. We also highlight five key areas for future research: branded drug website influence on consumer knowledge and behavior, interactive features on branded drug websites, mobile viewing of branded websites and mobile advertisements, online promotion and non-US audiences, and social media and medication decisions. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Subtypes of nonmedical prescription drug misuse

Science.gov (United States)

McCabe, Sean Esteban; Boyd, Carol J.; Teter, Christian J.

2010-01-01

This study used three characteristics (i.e., motive, route of administration, and co-ingestion with alcohol) of nonmedical prescription drug misuse across four separate classes (i.e., pain, sedative/anxiety, sleeping and stimulant medications) to examine subtypes and drug related problems. A Web survey was self-administered by a randomly selected sample of 3,639 undergraduate students attending a large Midwestern 4-year U.S. university. Self-treatment subtypes were characterized by motives consistent with the prescription drug's pharmaceutical main indication, oral only routes of administration, and no co-ingestion with alcohol. Recreational subtypes were characterized by recreational motives, oral or non-oral routes, and co-ingestion. Mixed subtypes consisted of other combinations of motives, routes, and co-ingestion. Among those who reported nonmedical prescription drug misuse, approximately 13% were classified into the recreational subtype, while 39% were in the self-treatment subtype, and 48% were in the mixed subtype. There were significant differences in the subtypes in terms of gender, race and prescription drug class. Approximately 50% of those in subtypes other than self-treatment screened positive for drug abuse. The odds of substance use and abuse were generally lower among self-treatment subtypes than other subtypes. The findings indicate subtypes should be considered when examining nonmedical prescription drug misuse, especially for pain medication. PMID:19278795

Comparison of various measures for assessing medication refill adherence using prescription data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vink, N. M.; Klungel, O. H.; Stolk, R. P.; Denig, P.

Background Several measures using prescription data have been developed for estimating medication refill adherence. Few Studies have made direct comparisons, and little is known about the accuracy of these measures in patients oil a multiple-drug regimen. Purpose To compare different calculation

Prescription Opioid Usage and Abuse Relationships: An Evaluation of State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Efficacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard M. Reisman

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Context The dramatic rise in the use of prescription opioids to treat non-cancer pain has been paralleled by increasing prescription opioid abuse. However, detailed analyses of these trends and programs to address them are lacking. Objective To study the association between state shipments of prescription opioids for medical use and prescription opioid abuse admissions and to assess the effects of state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs on prescription opioid abuse admissions. Design and Setting A retrospective ecological cohort study comparing state prescription opioid shipments (source: Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders Systems database and inpatient admissions for prescription opioid abuse (source: Treatment Episode Data Set in 14 states with PDMPs (intervention group and 36 states without PDMPs (control group for the period 1997–2003. Results From 1997 to 2003, oxycodone, morphine, and hydrocodone shipments increased by 479%, 100%, and 148% respectively. Increasing prescription oxycodone shipments were significantly associated with increasing prescription opioid admission rates (p < 0.001. PDMP states had significantly lower oxycodone shipments than the control group. PDMP states had less increase in prescription opioid admissions per year (p = 0.063. A patient admitted to an inpatient drug abuse rehabilitation program in a PDMP state was less likely to be admitted for prescription opioid drug abuse (Odds ratio = 0.775, 95% Confidence Interval 0.764–0.785. Conclusions PDMPs appear to decrease the quantity of oxycodone shipments and the prescription opioid admission rate for states with these programs. Overall, opioid shipments rose significantly in PDMP states during the study period indicating a negligible “chilling effect” on physician prescribing.

Prescription patterns and costs of acne/rosacea medications in Medicare patients vary by prescriber specialty.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Myron; Silverberg, Jonathan I; Kaffenberger, Benjamin H

2017-09-01

Prescription patterns for acne/rosacea medications have not been described in the Medicare population, and comparisons across specialties are lacking. To describe the medications used for treating acne/rosacea in the Medicare population and evaluate differences in costs between specialties. A cross-sectional study was performed of the 2008 and 2010 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Prescription Drug Profiles, which contains 100% of Medicare part D claims. Topical antibiotics accounted for 63% of all prescriptions. Patients ≥65 years utilized more oral tetracycline-class antibiotics and less topical retinoids. Specialists prescribed brand name drugs for the most common topical retinoids and most common topical antibiotics more frequently than family medicine/internal medicine (FM/IM) physicians by 6%-7%. Topical retinoids prescribed by specialists were, on average, $18-$20 more in total cost and $2-$3 more in patient cost than the same types of prescriptions from FM/IM physicians per 30-day supply. Specialists (60%) and IM physicians (56%) prescribed over twice the rate of branded doxycycline than FM doctors did (27%). The total and patient costs for tetracycline-class antibiotics were higher from specialists ($18 and $4 more, respectively) and IM physicians ($3 and $1 more, respectively) than they were from FM physicians. The data might contain rare prescriptions used for conditions other than acne/rosacea, and suppression algorithms might underestimate the number of specialist brand name prescriptions. Costs of prescriptions for acne/rosacea from specialists are higher than those from primary care physicians and could be reduced by choosing generic and less expensive options. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Information system technologies' role in augmenting dermatologists' knowledge of prescription medication costs.

Science.gov (United States)

DeMarco, Sebastian S; Paul, Ravi; Kilpatrick, Russell J

2015-12-01

Despite the recent rising costs of once affordable dermatologic prescription medications, a survey measuring dermatologists' attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge of the cost of drugs they commonly prescribe has not been conducted. Awareness of drug costs is hindered by a lack of access to data about the prices of medicines. No surveys of physicians have addressed this issue by proposing new information system technologies that augment prescription medication price transparency and measuring how receptive physicians are to using these novel solutions in their daily clinical practice. Our research aims to investigate these topics with a survey of physicians in dermatology. Members of the North Carolina Dermatology Association were contacted through their electronic mailing list and asked to take an online survey. The survey asked several questions about dermatologists' attitudes and beliefs about drug costs. To measure their knowledge of prescription medications, the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost was used as an authoritative price that was compared to the survey takers' price estimates of drugs commonly used in dermatology. Physicians' willingness to use four distinct information system technologies that increase drug price transparency was also assessed. Dermatologists believe drug costs are an important factor in patient care and believe access to price information would allow them to provide a higher quality of care. Dermatologists' knowledge of the costs of medicines they commonly prescribe is poor, but they want to utilize information system technologies that increase access to drug pricing information. There is an unmet demand for information system technologies which increase price transparency of medications in dermatology. Physicians and IT professionals have the opportunity to create novel information systems that can be utilized to help guide cost conscious clinical decision making. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serotonin syndrome following overdose of a non-prescription slimming product containing sibutramine: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Pui Kin; Leung, K S; Wong, T W; Lee, H H C; Tang, M H Y; Mak, T W L

2012-04-01

Non-prescription slimming products are popular and can be easily purchased from the Internet. However, adulteration of these products with undeclared substances including prescription drugs is not uncommon. We report a case of serotonin syndrome after an overdose of a non-prescription product containing sibutramine. A 21-year-old woman presented with somnolence, sinus tachycardia, generalised increase in tone, hyper-reflexia and clonus more prominent in the lower limbs after an intentional overdose of a non-prescription slimming product obtained from the Internet. The product was later found to contain sibutramine and other substances such as animal thyroid tissues, caffeine and phenolphthalein. Quantitative analysis of patient's serum on presentation revealed a sibutramine concentration of 112 ng/mL, which far exceeded the reported peak serum concentration after a single oral dose of 15 mg (the maximum daily recommended dose). No other culpable agent was identified. The overall clinical presentation was compatible with serotonin syndrome associated with sibutramine overdose. The patient made a full recovery after supportive management. This case highlighted the health threat posed by non-prescription slimming products sold over the Internet. Sibutramine overdose can result in serotonin syndrome, as in overdose of other serotonergic agents. Early recognition and timely supportive treatment are essential to ensure a good clinical outcome.

Reduction of inappropriate prescriptions and adverse effects to medications in hospitalized elderly patients

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Ana Fajreldines

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Together, potentially inappropriate prescribing of medications (PIP and appropriate prescribing omission (APO constitute a problem that requires multiple interventions to reduce its size and the occurrence of adverse drug events (ADE. This study aims to assess PIP, APO, ADE before and after the intervention of a clinical pharmacist over medical prescriptions for elderly hospitalized patients. In a before-after study, a total of 16 542 prescriptions for 1262 patients were analyzed applying the criteria defined in both STOPP- START (screening tool of older people's prescriptions and screening tool to alert to right treatment. The intervention consisted in lectures and publications on STOPP-START criteria made available to all the areas of the hospital and suggestions made by the clinical pharmacist to the physician on each individual prescription. Before intervention, PIM was 48.9% on admission and 46.1% at discharge, while after the intervention it was 47.4% on admission and 16.7% at discharge. APO was 10% on admission and 7.6% at discharge, while after intervention it was 12.2% on admission and 7.9% at discharge. ADE were 50.9% before and 34.4% after intervention. The frequency of return to emergency was 12.2% and 4.7% before and after intervention. PIM, EAM, conciliation error, clinically serious drug interaction, and delirium were reduced to statistically significant levels. In line with various international studies, the intervention showed to attain positive results.

Medical prescription of heroin to treatment resistant heroin addicts: two randomised controlled trials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Brink, Wim; Hendriks, Vincent M.; Blanken, Peter; Koeter, Maarten W. J.; van Zwieten, Barbara J.; van Ree, Jan M.

2003-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether supervised medical prescription of heroin can successfully treat addicts who do not sufficiently benefit from methadone maintenance treatment. DESIGN: Two open label randomised controlled trials. SETTING: Methadone maintenance programmes in six cities in the

Medical cannabis access, use, and substitution for prescription opioids and other substances: A survey of authorized medical cannabis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, Philippe; Walsh, Zach

2017-04-01

In 2014 Health Canada replaced the Marihuana for Medical Access Regulations (MMAR) with the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR). One of the primary changes in the new program has been to move from a single Licensed Producer (LP) of cannabis to multiple Licensed Producers. This is the first comprehensive survey of patients enrolled in the MMPR. Patients registered to purchase cannabis from Tilray, a federally authorized Licenced Producer (LP) within the MMPR, were invited to complete an online survey consisting of 107 questions on demographics, patterns of use, and cannabis substitution effect. The survey was completed by 271 respondents. Cannabis is perceived to be an effective treatment for diverse conditions, with pain and mental health the most prominent. Findings include high self-reported use of cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs (63%), particularly pharmaceutical opioids (30%), benzodiazepines (16%), and antidepressants (12%). Patients also reported substituting cannabis for alcohol (25%), cigarettes/tobacco (12%), and illicit drugs (3%). A significant percentage of patients (42%) reported accessing cannabis from illegal/unregulated sources in addition to access via LPs, and over half (55%) were charged to receive a medical recommendation to use cannabis, with nearly 25% paying $300 or more. The finding that patients report its use as a substitute for prescription drugs supports prior research on medical cannabis users; however, this study is the first to specify the classes of prescription drugs for which cannabis it is used as a substitute, and to match this substitution to specific diagnostic categories. The findings that some authorized patients purchase cannabis from unregulated sources and that a significant percentage of patients were charged for medical cannabis recommendations highlight ongoing policy challenges for this federal program. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Medication Adherence using Non-intrusive Wearable Sensors

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T. H. Lim

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Activity recognition approaches have been applied in home ambient systems to monitor the status and well- being of occupant especially for home care systems. With the advancement of embedded wireless sensing devices, various applications have been proposed to monitor user´s activities and maintain a healthy lifestyle. In this paper, we propose and evaluate a Smart Medication Alert and Treatment Electronic Systems (SmartMATES using a non-intrusive wearable activity recognition sensing system to monitor and alert an user for missing medication prescription. Two sensors are used to collect data from the accelerometer and radio transceiver. Based on the data collected, SmartMATES processes the data and generate a model for the various actions including taking medication. We have evaluated the SmartMATES on 9 participants. The results show that the SmartMATES can identify and prevent missing dosage in a less intrusive way than existing mobile application and traditional approaches.

The Misuse of Prescription Opioids: A Threat for Europe?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Amsterdam, Jan; van den Brink, Wim

2015-01-01

In the the past two decades the medical use of prescription opioids (POs), in particular oxycodone, increased up to 14-fold in the U.S. and Canada. The high consumption of these pain relievers also led to non-medical use and abuse of these substances which in turn resulted in a dramatic increase in

Future Challenges and Opportunities in Online Prescription Drug Promotion Research

Science.gov (United States)

Southwell, Brian G.; Rupert, Douglas J.

2016-01-01

Despite increased availability of online promotional tools for prescription drug marketers, evidence on online prescription drug promotion is far from settled or conclusive. We highlight ways in which online prescription drug promotion is similar to conventional broadcast and print advertising and ways in which it differs. We also highlight five key areas for future research: branded drug website influence on consumer knowledge and behavior, interactive features on branded drug websites, mobile viewing of branded websites and mobile advertisements, online promotion and non-US audiences, and social media and medication decisions. PMID:26927597

Association between adherence to medications for COPD and medications for other chronic conditions in COPD patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dhamane AD

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Amol D Dhamane,1 Phil Schwab,2 Sari Hopson,2 Chad Moretz,2 Srinivas Annavarapu,2 Kate Burslem,1 Andrew Renda,3 Shuchita Kaila1 1Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc, Ridgefield, CT, 2Comprehensive Health Insights Inc, Louisville, 3Humana Inc, Louisville, KY, USA Background: Patients with COPD often have multiple comorbidities requiring use of multiple medications, and adherence rates for maintenance COPD (mCOPD medications are already known to be suboptimal. Presence of comorbidities in COPD patients, and use of medications used to treat those comorbidities (non-COPD medications, may have an adverse impact on adherence to mCOPD medications. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the association between non-adherence to mCOPD medications and non-COPD medications in COPD patients. Methods: COPD patients were identified using a large administrative claims database. Selected patients were 40–89 years old and continuously enrolled for 12 months prior to and 24 months after the first identified COPD diagnosis (index date during January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010. Patients were required to have ≥1 prescription for a mCOPD medication within 365 days of the index date and ≥1 prescription for one of 12 non-COPD medication classes within ±30 days of the first COPD prescription. Adherence (proportion of days covered [PDC] was measured during 365 days following the first COPD prescription. The association between non-adherence (PDC <0.8 to mCOPD and non-adherence to non-COPD medications was determined using logistic regression, controlling for baseline patient characteristics. Results: A total of 14,117 patients, with a mean age of 69.9 years, met study criteria. Of these, 40.9% were males and 79.2% were non-adherent to mCOPD medications with a mean PDC of 0.47. Non-adherence to mCOPD medications was associated with non-adherence to 10 of 12 non-COPD medication classes (odds ratio 1.38–1

Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medication in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Every-Palmer, Susanna; Duggal, Rishi; Menkes, David B

2014-08-29

The last decade has seen increasing measures aimed at regulating the influence of 'Big Pharma' following a number of scandals relating to unethical marketing. Despite these international trends, New Zealand continues to tolerate direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medication, a controversial pharmaceutical marketing strategy that has been prohibited in all but two countries in the industrialised world. While the pharmaceutical industry asserts that DTCA is informational and empowers consumers, in this viewpoint article we argue that DTCA is a heavily biased source of health information that favours representation of benefits over harms, and is associated with unnecessary prescribing, iatrogenic harm and increased costs to the taxpayer. In this paper, we show that DTCA provides unbalanced information to consumers who may misconstrue DTCA as public health messages, and fail to recognise inherent commercial bias. We describe how DTCA has been linked with inappropriate prescribing and overtreatment, with evidence indicating that patients request and receive specific medications in response to DTCA, even when treatment is not clinically indicated. This exposes patients to unnecessary adverse effects and iatrogenic harm, and increases costs for the health-care sector through the prescription of expensive branded medication. We use local examples to illustrate these points. New Zealand remains an outlier in allowing DTCA to continue which, in our view, is a controversial and harmful practice. The available evidence suggests that consumers and health care professionals are generally opposed to DTCA. Therefore, we believe that the New Zealand government should review its stance on DTCA.

Drugs prescription pattern in dogs diagnosed with parvovirus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Canine parvovirus enteritis affects predominantly puppies with a high prevalence rate in Nigeria and is characterized by diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia and leucopenia. Treatment is non-specific; hence array of medications are usually prescribed to manage the condition symptomatically. Irrational drugs prescription has been ...

Celiac disease diagnosis: impact of guidelines on medical prescription in France.

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Bach Nga; Musset, Lucile; Chyderiotis, Georges; Olsson, Nils Olivier; Fabien, Nicole

2014-08-01

Celiac disease is a complex autoimmune disease affecting patients of any age, who may present a wide variety of clinical manifestations. Different guidelines for the diagnosis and management of celiac disease have been recently published. The aim of this study was to determine whether the recommendations issued in these guidelines have been adopted by physicians in France when celiac disease was suspected. A total of 5521 physicians were asked to fill in a detailed questionnaire on diagnosing celiac disease to evaluate their medical practice, as to the type of symptoms leading to the suspicion of celiac disease, the prescription of duodenal biopsy or serological tests, the type of serological tests (anti-tissue transglutaminase, anti-endomysium, anti-gliadin and anti-reticulin antibodies, total immunoglobulin A measurement) prescribed to diagnose celiac disease. The analysis of the responses of 256 general practitioners (GPs), 221 gastroenterologists and 227 pediatricians showed that the protean clinical presentations of celiac disease might be better recognized by gastroenterologists and pediatricians than by GPs. Gastroenterologists asked for duodenal biopsy much more often than GPs and pediatricians when celiac disease was suspected. Serological testing and knowledge of critical markers, prescribed to diagnose celiac disease, differed among GPs, gastroenterologists and pediatricians. Analysis of medical prescriptions showed that the recommendations for celiac disease diagnosis are not necessarily followed by physicians, emphasizing the fact that the impact of national or international guidelines on medical behavior should be evaluated. © 2014 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Medical opinions, beliefs and prescription of orthopaedic footwear: A survey of Dutch orthopaedists and rehabilitation practitioners.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, Hendrik; Seydel, E.R.

1998-01-01

Objectives: To get insight into medical opinions about the use of orthopaedic footwear and the medical and social factors related to the prescription of orthopaedic footwear by orthopaedists and rehabilitation practitioners. Methods: In this study 85 orthopaedists and 96 rehabilitation practitioners

Elaboration and Validation of the Medication Prescription Safety Checklist.

Science.gov (United States)

Pires, Aline de Oliveira Meireles; Ferreira, Maria Beatriz Guimarães; Nascimento, Kleiton Gonçalves do; Felix, Márcia Marques Dos Santos; Pires, Patrícia da Silva; Barbosa, Maria Helena

2017-08-03

to elaborate and validate a checklist to identify compliance with the recommendations for the structure of medication prescriptions, based on the Protocol of the Ministry of Health and the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency. methodological research, conducted through the validation and reliability analysis process, using a sample of 27 electronic prescriptions. the analyses confirmed the content validity and reliability of the tool. The content validity, obtained by expert assessment, was considered satisfactory as it covered items that represent the compliance with the recommendations regarding the structure of the medication prescriptions. The reliability, assessed through interrater agreement, was excellent (ICC=1.00) and showed perfect agreement (K=1.00). the Medication Prescription Safety Checklist showed to be a valid and reliable tool for the group studied. We hope that this study can contribute to the prevention of adverse events, as well as to the improvement of care quality and safety in medication use. elaborar e validar um instrumento tipo checklist para identificar a adesão às recomendações na estrutura das prescrições de medicamentos, a partir do Protocolo do Ministério da Saúde e Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária. pesquisa metodológica, conduzida por meio do processo de validade e análise de confiabilidade, com amostra de 27 prescrições eletrônicas. análises realizadas confirmaram a validade de conteúdo e a confiabilidade da versão do instrumento. A validade de conteúdo, obtida por meio da avaliação de juízes, foi considerada satisfatória por contemplar itens que representam a adesão às recomendações na estrutura das prescrições de medicamentos. A confiabilidade, avaliada por interobservadores, apresentou-se excelente (ICC=1,00) e de concordância perfeita (K=1,00). o instrumento Lista de Verificação de Segurança na Prescrição de Medicamentos demonstrou-se válido e confiável para o grupo estudado. Espera

Abuse of prescription drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilford, B B

1990-01-01

An estimated 3% of the United States population deliberately misuse or abuse psychoactive medications, with severe consequences. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than half of patients who sought treatment or died of drug-related medical problems in 1989 were abusing prescription drugs. Physicians who contribute to this problem have been described by the American Medical Association as dishonest--willfully misprescribing for purposes of abuse, usually for profit; disabled by personal problems with drugs or alcohol; dated in their knowledge of current pharmacology or therapeutics; or deceived by various patient-initiated fraudulent approaches. Even physicians who do not meet any of these descriptions must guard against contributing to prescription drug abuse through injudicious prescribing, inadequate safeguarding of prescription forms or drug supplies, or acquiescing to the demands or ruses used to obtain drugs for other than medical purposes. PMID:2349801

Predictive Modeling of Physician-Patient Dynamics That Influence Sleep Medication Prescriptions and Clinical Decision-Making

Science.gov (United States)

Beam, Andrew L.; Kartoun, Uri; Pai, Jennifer K.; Chatterjee, Arnaub K.; Fitzgerald, Timothy P.; Shaw, Stanley Y.; Kohane, Isaac S.

2017-02-01

Insomnia remains under-diagnosed and poorly treated despite its high economic and social costs. Though previous work has examined how patient characteristics affect sleep medication prescriptions, the role of physician characteristics that influence this clinical decision remains unclear. We sought to understand patient and physician factors that influence sleep medication prescribing patterns by analyzing Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) including the narrative clinical notes as well as codified data. Zolpidem and trazodone were the most widely prescribed initial sleep medication in a cohort of 1,105 patients. Some providers showed a historical preference for one medication, which was highly predictive of their future prescribing behavior. Using a predictive model (AUC = 0.77), physician preference largely determined which medication a patient received (OR = 3.13 p = 3 × 10-37). In addition to the dominant effect of empirically determined physician preference, discussion of depression in a patient’s note was found to have a statistically significant association with receiving a prescription for trazodone (OR = 1.38, p = 0.04). EMR data can yield insights into physician prescribing behavior based on real-world physician-patient interactions.

Radiopharmaceutical prescription in nuclear medicine departments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biechlin-Chassel, M.L.; Lao, S.; Bolot, C.; Francois-Joubert, A.

2010-01-01

In France, radiopharmaceutical prescription is often discussed depending to which juridical structure the nuclear medicine department is belonging. According to current regulation, this prescription is an obligation in a department linked to hospital with a pharmacy department inside. But situation remains unclear for independent nuclear medicine departments where physicians are not constrained to prescribe radiopharmaceuticals. However, as radiographers and nurses are only authorized to realize theirs acts in front of a medical prescription, one prescription must be realized. Nowadays, computerized prescription tools have been developed but only for radiopharmaceutical drugs and not for medical acts. In the aim to achieve a safer patient care, the prescription regulation may be applied whatever differences between nuclear medicines departments. (authors)

Non-prescription dispensing of emergency oral contraceptives: Recommendations from the German Federal Chamber of Pharmacists [Bundesapothekerkammer

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Schulz M

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Emergency hormonal contraceptives (EHC are contraceptives used to prevent unintended pregnancy following unprotected sexual intercourse (USI or contraceptive failure. The EHCs available without a prescription include medicines containing levonorgestrel (LNG in more than 80 countries and, recently, based on an EU-switch ellaOne®, which contains ulipristal acetate (UPA. EHCs work by stopping or delaying ovulation. Those containing LNG can be used up to 72 hours after USI or contraceptive failure, while UPA can be used up to 120 hours. In the context of the UPA implementation process, Germany switched LNG to non-prescription status as well. Objectives: To develop recommendations, a protocol, and a continuing education program for pharmacists to assure quality when giving advice and dispensing EHCs in community pharmacies without a medical prescription. Methods: The recommendations were developed by an iterative process of drafting, recognizing, and discussing comments and proposals for amendments as well a seeking agreement with a number of stakeholders such as the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM, Federal Chamber of Physicians (BÄK, Drug Commission of German Physicians (AkdÄ, professional organizations/associations of gynaecologists, pharmaceutical OTC-industry as well as government-controlled, private, and church-based organizations and centres providing advice on sex education and family planning. Results: The recommendations were eventually endorsed by the BMG in consultation with the BfArM. Conclusions: The recommendations were made public, published in the professional journal and used in an uncounted number of continuing education programs based on the curriculum and provided by the State Chambers of Pharmacists.

Availability, cost, and prescription patterns of antihypertensive medications in primary health care in China: a nationwide cross-sectional survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Meng; Zhang, Qiuli; Bai, Xueke; Wu, Chaoqun; Li, Yetong; Mossialos, Elias; Mensah, George A; Masoudi, Frederick A; Lu, Jiapeng; Li, Xi; Salas-Vega, Sebastian; Zhang, Anwen; Lu, Yuan; Nasir, Khurram; Krumholz, Harlan M; Jiang, Lixin

2017-12-09

Around 200 million adults in China have hypertension, but few are treated or achieve adequate control of their blood pressure. Available and affordable medications are important for successfully controlling hypertension, but little is known about current patterns of access to, and use of, antihypertensive medications in Chinese primary health care. We used data from a nationwide cross-sectional survey (the China Patient-Centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events Million Persons Project primary health care survey), which was undertaken between November, 2016 and May, 2017, to assess the availability, cost, and prescription patterns of 62 antihypertensive medications at primary health-care sites across 31 Chinese provinces. We surveyed 203 community health centres, 401 community health stations, 284 township health centres, and 2474 village clinics to assess variation in availability, cost, and prescription by economic region and type of site. We also assessed the use of high-value medications, defined as guideline-recommended and low-cost. We also examined the association of medication cost with availability and prescription patterns. Our study sample included 3362 primary health-care sites and around 1 million people (613 638 people at 2758 rural sites and 478 393 people at 604 urban sites). Of the 3362 sites, 8·1% (95% CI 7·2-9·1) stocked no antihypertensive medications and 33·8% (32·2-35·4) stocked all four classes that were routinely used. Village clinics and sites in the western region of China had the lowest availability. Only 32·7% (32·2-33·3) of all sites stocked high-value medications, and few high-value medications were prescribed (11·2% [10·9-11·6] of all prescription records). High-cost medications were more likely to be prescribed than low-cost alternatives. China has marked deficiencies in the availability, cost, and prescription of antihypertensive medications. High-value medications are not preferentially used. Future efforts to

Cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs – a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corroon Jr JM

2017-05-01

Full Text Available James M Corroon Jr,1 Laurie K Mischley,2 Michelle Sexton3 1Center for Medical Cannabis Education, Del Mar, CA, 2Bastyr University Research Institute, Kenmore, WA, 3Department of Medical Research, Center for the Study of Cannabis and Social Policy, Seattle, WA, USA Background: The use of medical cannabis is increasing, most commonly for pain, anxiety and depression. Emerging data suggest that use and abuse of prescription drugs may be decreasing in states where medical cannabis is legal. The aim of this study was to survey cannabis users to determine whether they had intentionally substituted cannabis for prescription drugs.Methods: A total of 2,774 individuals were a self-selected convenience sample who reported having used cannabis at least once in the previous 90 days. Subjects were surveyed via an online anonymous questionnaire on cannabis substitution effects. Participants were recruited through social media and cannabis dispensaries in Washington State.Results: A total of 1,248 (46% respondents reported using cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs. The most common classes of drugs substituted were narcotics/opioids (35.8%, anxiolytics/benzodiazepines (13.6% and antidepressants (12.7%. A total of 2,473 substitutions were reported or approximately two drug substitutions per affirmative respondent. The odds of reporting substituting were 4.59 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.87–5.43 greater among medical cannabis users compared with non-medical users and 1.66 (95% CI, 1.27–2.16 greater among those reporting use for managing the comorbidities of pain, anxiety and depression. A slightly higher percentage of those who reported substituting resided in states where medical cannabis was legal at the time of the survey (47% vs. 45%, p=0.58, but this difference was not statistically significant.Discussion: These patient-reported outcomes support prior research that individuals are using cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs

Visualization of medicine prescription behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Corput, van der P.N.A.; Arends, J.B.A.M.; Wijk, van J.J.

2014-01-01

Medicine prescriptions play an important role in medical treatments. More insight in medicine prescription behavior can lead to more efficient and effective treatments, as well as reflection on prescription behavior for specific physicians, types of medicines, or classes of patients. Most current

Pharmacist Remote Review of Medication Prescriptions for Appropriateness in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazaryan, Moran; Abu-Kishk, Ibrahim; Rosenfeld-Yehoshua, Noa; Berkovitch, Sofia; Toledano, Michal; Reshef, Iris; Kanari, Tal; Ziv-Baran, Tomer; Berkovitch, Matitiahu

2016-01-01

One aspect of ordering and prescribing medication is the requirement for a trained professional to review medication orders or prescriptions for appropriateness. In practice, this review process is usually performed by a clinical pharmacist. However, in many medical centers there is a shortage of staff and a pharmacist is not always available. To determine whether remote review of medication orders by a pharmacist is a plausible method in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). A pharmacist from the pharmacy department reviewed medication orders of patients admitted to our PICU over a 7-month period for appropriateness. A special form for medical orders was filled in and sent to the physician in the PICU, who replied informing whether the recommendation had been accepted. The time spent by the pharmacist for this activity was recorded. The review time for one medical record was 8.9 (95% CI, 6.9-10.9) min. Every additional drug prescribed increased the total review time by 0.8 (95% CI, 0.45-1.11) min. The pharmacist filled in 186 forms on 117 admissions for 109 children. The median review time was 15 (12.8-18.8) and 12 (9-15) min, respectively, for patients with psychiatric-neurologic disorders compared to those without (p = 0.032). Usually, a daily workload of 240 min was needed for the pharmacist accompanying the round in contrast to 108 min per day needed to review all the medical records in 95% of the cases. The physician accepted 51.2%, rejected 11.9%, and made no comment on 36.9% of the recommendations. Hospitals facing budget shortages can carry out focused remote reviews of prescriptions by the pharmacist.

An inevitable wave of prescription drug monitoring programs in the context of prescription opioids: pros, cons and tensions.

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Islam, M Mofizul; McRae, Ian S

2014-08-16

In an effort to control non-medical use and/or medical abuse of prescription drugs, particularly prescription opioids, electronic prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) have been introduced in North-American countries, Australia and some parts of Europe. Paradoxically, there are simultaneous pressures to increase opioid prescribing for the benefit of individual patients and to reduce it for the sake of public health, and this pressure warrants a delicate balance of appropriate therapeutic uses of these drugs with the risk of developing dependence. This article discusses pros and cons of PDMP in reducing diversion of prescription opioids, without hampering access to those medications for those with genuine needs, and highlights tensions around PDMP implementation. PDMPs may help alleviate diversion, over-prescription and fraudulent prescribing/dispensing; prompt drug treatment referrals; avoid awkward drug urine test; and inform spatial changes in prescribing practices and help designing tailored interventions. Fear of legal retribution, privacy and data security, potential confusion about addiction and pseudo-addiction, and potential undue pressure of detecting misuse/diversion - are the major problems. There are tensions about unintended consequence of excessive regulatory enforcements, corresponding collateral damages particularly about inadequate prescribing for patients with genuine needs, and mandatory consultation requirements of PDMP. In this era of information technology PDMP is likely to flourish and remain with us for a long time. A clear standard of practice against which physicians' care will be judged may expedite the utilisation of PDMP. In addition, adequate training on addiction and pain management along with public awareness, point-of-supply data entry from pharmacy, point-of-care real-time access to data, increasing access to addiction treatment and appropriate regulatory enforcement preferably through healthcare administration, together

Brand name and generic proton pump inhibitor prescriptions in the United States: insights from the national ambulatory medical care survey (2006-2010).

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Gawron, Andrew J; Feinglass, Joseph; Pandolfino, John E; Tan, Bruce K; Bove, Michiel J; Shintani-Smith, Stephanie

2015-01-01

Introduction. Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are one of the most commonly prescribed medication classes with similar efficacy between brand name and generic PPI formulations. Aims. We determined demographic, clinical, and practice characteristics associated with brand name PPI prescriptions at ambulatory care visits in the United States. Methods. Observational cross sectional analysis using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) of all adult (≥18 yrs of age) ambulatory care visits from 2006 to 2010. PPI prescriptions were identified by using the drug entry code as brand name only or generic available formulations. Descriptive statistics were reported in terms of unweighted patient visits and proportions of encounters with brand name PPI prescriptions. Global chi-square tests were used to compare visits with brand name PPI prescriptions versus generic PPI prescriptions for each measure. Poisson regression was used to determine the incidence rate ratio (IRR) for generic versus brand PPI prescribing. Results. A PPI was prescribed at 269.7 million adult ambulatory visits, based on 9,677 unweighted visits, of which 53% were brand name only prescriptions. In 2006, 76.0% of all PPI prescriptions had a brand name only formulation compared to 31.6% of PPI prescriptions in 2010. Visits by patients aged 25-44 years had the greatest proportion of brand name PPI formulations (57.9%). Academic medical centers and physician-owned practices had the greatest proportion of visits with brand name PPI prescriptions (58.9% and 55.6% of visits with a PPI prescription, resp.). There were no significant differences in terms of median income, patient insurance type, or metropolitan status when comparing the proportion of visits with brand name versus generic PPI prescriptions. Poisson regression results showed that practice ownership type was most strongly associated with the likelihood of receiving a brand name PPI over the entire study period. Compared to HMO visits

Varsity Medical Ethics Debate 2015: should nootropic drugs be available under prescription on the NHS?

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Thorley, Emma; Kang, Isaac; D'Costa, Stephanie; Vlazaki, Myrto; Ayeko, Olaoluwa; Arbe-Barnes, Edward H; Swerner, Casey B

2016-09-13

The 2015 Varsity Medical Ethics debate convened upon the motion: "This house believes nootropic drugs should be available under prescription". This annual debate between students from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, now in its seventh year, provided the starting point for arguments on the subject. The present article brings together and extends many of the arguments put forward during the debate. We explore the current usage of nootropic drugs, their safety and whether it would be beneficial to individuals and society as a whole for them to be available under prescription. The Varsity Medical Debate was first held in 2008 with the aim of allowing students to engage in discussion about ethics and policy within healthcare. The event is held annually and it is hoped that this will allow future leaders to voice a perspective on the arguments behind topics that will feature heavily in future healthcare and science policy. This year the Oxford University Medical Society at the Oxford Union hosted the debate.

Medication deserts: survey of neighborhood disparities in availability of prescription medications

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Only a small amount of research has focused on the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and geographic access to prescription medications at community pharmacies in North America and Europe. To examine the relationship between a community’s socio-economic context and its residents’ geographic access to common medications in pharmacies, we hypothesized that differences are present in access to pharmacies across communities with different socio-economic environments, and in availability of commonly prescribed medications within pharmacies located in communities with different socio-economic status. Methods We visited 408 pharmacies located in 168 socio-economically diverse communities to assess the availability of commonly prescribed medications. We collected the following information at each pharmacy visited: hours of operation, pharmacy type, in-store medication availability, and the cash price of the 13 most commonly prescribed medications. We calculated descriptive statistics for the sample and fitted a series of hierarchical linear models to test our hypothesis that the in-stock availability of medications differs by the socio-economic conditions of the community. This was accomplished by modeling medication availability in pharmacies on the socio-economic factors operating at the community level in a socio-economically devise urban area. Results Pharmacies in poor communities had significantly higher odds of medications being out of stock, OR=1.24, 95% CI [1.02, 1.52]. There was also a significant difference in density of smaller, independent pharmacies with very limited stock and hours of operation, and larger, chain pharmacies in poor communities as compared to the middle and low-poverty communities. Conclusions The findings suggest that geographic access to a neighborhood pharmacy, the type of pharmacy, and availability of commonly prescribed medications varies significantly across communities. In extreme cases, entire communities

NUTRIMENTAL POTENTIAL OF RED DOLICHOS, BROWN DOLICHOS AND COWPEA FOR GREEN MANURE PRODUCED UNDER THREE TILLAGE SYSTEMS

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Felix Alfredo Beltran-Morales

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The nutrimental content of N, NO3-N, P, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe, and B, was evaluated in three bean cultivars of two species with potential to be used as green manure. Cultivars were the red lab-lab bean (RL (Lablab purpureus, brown lab-lab bean (BL (L. purpureus and cowpea (CW (Vigna unguiculata. Three tillage systems were assayed: conventional tillage (CT, minimum tillage (MT and optimal tillage (OT. Results showed that the nutrimental content of N, NO3, P, K did not evidence statistical differences (P≤0.05 among bean cultivars and tillage systems. However, the greater content of N was in BL-CT with 4.85%. The content of P varied from 0.38 to 0.41% and the concentration of K from 2.40 to 2.84%. Ca showed the highest concentration in RL-OT with 2.88%, while the lowest percentage was evidenced by CW-CT, with 2.12% (P≤0.05. The highest percentage of Mg appeared in CW-OT with 0.89% and the lowest concentration was registered for BL-CT, showing 0.52% (P≤0.05. The highest Fe concentration was observed in RL-OT with 0.15% and the lowest in BL-CT and RL-CT, with 0.10%. The Mn content was significantly greater in CW without concerning the tillage system with 0.39% and the smallest concentration was obtained in RL-MT with 0.17%. The greatest percentage content of nutriment B was observed in BL-OT, RL-CT, CW-MT and CW-OT, from 0.024 to 0.030%. In contrast, the lowest content of B was found in RL-MT with 0.015%. The content of Zn did not showed statistical differences respect to the cropping system; the lowest concentration of Zn was observed in CW-OT with 0.0026% and the highest percentage in BL-OT with 0.0040. Cu was significantly highest in BL-CT, BL-MT, BL-OT, RL-CT, RL-MT, RL-OT and CW-OT, being BL-MT and BL-OT the combinations with the highest concentration (0.0061%, while the lowest concentration was observed in CW-MT and CW-CT, with 0.0048% and 0.0044%, respectively.

Co-prescription of medication for bipolar disorder and diabetes mellitus: a nationwide population-based study with focus on gender differences

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Svendal Gjertrud

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Studies have shown a correlation between bipolar disorder and diabetes mellitus. It is unclear if this correlation is a part of common pathophysiological pathways, or if medication for bipolar disorder has negative effects on blood sugar regulation. Methods The Norwegian prescription database was analyzed. Prescriptions for lithium, lamotrigine, carbamazepine and valproate were used as proxies for bipolar disorder. Prescriptions for insulin and oral anti-diabetic agents were used as proxies for diabetes mellitus. We explored the association between medication for bipolar disorder and diabetes medication by logistic regression Results We found a strong association between concomitant use of medication to treat diabetes mellitus and mood stabilizers for the treatment of bipolar disorder. Females had a 30% higher risk compared to men of being treated for both disorders. Persons using oral anti-diabetic agents had higher odds of receiving valproate than either lithium or lamotrigine. Use of insulin as monotherapy seemed to have lower odds than oral anti-diabetic agents of co-prescription of mood stabilizers, compared to the general population. Conclusions This study showed a strong association between the use of mood stabilizers and anti-diabetic agents. The association was stronger among women than men.

Pharmacist Remote Review of Medication Prescriptions for Appropriateness in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

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Moran Lazaryan

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background: One aspect of ordering and prescribing medication is the requirement for a trained professional to review medication orders or prescriptions for appropriateness. In practice, this review process is usually performed by a clinical pharmacist. However, in many medical centers there is a shortage of staff and a pharmacist is not always available.Objective: To determine whether remote review of medication orders by a pharmacist is a plausible method in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU. Methods: A pharmacist from the pharmacy department reviewed medication orders of patients admitted to our PICU over a 7-month period for appropriateness. A special form for medical orders was filled in and sent to the physician in the PICU, who replied informing whether the recommendation had been accepted. The time spent by the pharmacist for this activity was recorded.Results: The review time for one medical record was 8.9 (95% CI, 6.9-10.9 minutes. Every additional drug prescribed increased the total review time by 0.8 (95% CI, 0.45-1.11 minutes. The pharmacist filled in 186 forms on 117 admissions for 109 children. The median review time was 15 (12.8-18.8 and 12 (9-15 minutes, respectively, for patients with psychiatric-neurologic disorders compared to those without (p=0.032. Usually, a daily workload of 240 minutes was needed for the pharmacist accompanying the round in contrast to 108 minutes per day needed to review all the medical records in 95% of the cases. The physician accepted 51.2%, rejected 11.9% and made no comment on 36.9% of the recommendations. Conclusion: Hospitals facing budget shortages can carry out focused remote reviews of prescriptions by the pharmacist.

Inclusion of salt form on prescription medication labeling as a source of patient confusion: a pilot study

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McDougall DJ

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background: It has been estimated that 10,000 patient injuries occur in the US annually due to confusion involving drug names. An unexplored source of patient misunderstandings may be medication salt forms. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess patient knowledge and comprehension regarding the salt forms of medications as a potential source of medication errors. Methods: A 12 item questionnaire which assessed patient knowledge of medication names on prescription labels was administered to a convenience sample of patients presenting to a family practice clinic. Descriptive statistics were calculated and multivariate analyses were performed. Results: There were 308 responses. Overall, 41% of patients agreed they find their medication names confusing. Participants correctly answered to salt form questions between 12.1% and 56.9% of the time. Taking more prescription medications and higher education level were positively associated with providing more correct answers to 3 medication salt form knowledge questions, while age was negatively associated. Conclusions: Patient misconceptions about medication salt forms are common. These findings support recommendations to standardize the inclusion or exclusion of salt forms. Increasing patient education is another possible approach to reducing confusion.

Drug prescriptions in Danish out-of-hours primary care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Morten Bondo; Nørøxe, Karen Busk; Moth, Grete

2016-01-01

of prescriptions per 100 contacts. RESULTS: Of 644,777 contacts, 154,668 (24.0%) involved medication prescriptions; 21.9% of telephone consultations, 32.9% of clinic consultations and 14.3% of home visits. Around 53% of all drug prescriptions were made in telephone consultations. Anti-infective medications...... for systemic use accounted for 45.5% of all prescriptions and were the most frequently prescribed drug group for all contact types, although accounting for less than 1/3 of telephone prescriptions. Other frequently prescribed drugs were ophthalmological anti-infectives (10.5%), NSAIDs (6.4%), opioids (3......) primary care services cover more than 75% of all hours during a normal week, insight into the extent and type of OOH drug prescription is important. General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for more than 80% of all drug prescriptions in Denmark. Of all contacts 24.0% involved medication prescriptions...

FREQUENCY AND PATTERN OF HEADACHE IN MEDICAL RESIDENTS AND NON-MEDICAL STUDENTS IN A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL IN NORTH INDIA

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Ruchika Tandon

2018-02-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Headache is quite prevalent in general population. Few studies have been done on medical residents and comparison between headache prevalence and types in medical and non-medical student groups is quite lacking. This institute having medical residents as well as non-medical students, provides an opportunity to study and compare frequency and pattern of headache in these student groups. The study was aimed at finding out the type and frequency of headache, disability due to headache and treatment practices followed by these two student groups and the effect on the quality of life of our work force resulting from headache. MATERIALS AND METHODS Headache characteristics were studied in 200 medical residents and non-medical students who had at least one episode of headache of at least moderate intensity in the last 1 year using structured questionnaire. RESULTS Headache occurred in 81% students (79.9% of males and 83.9% of females, of whom, 81.82% were medical, 77.14% were non-medical, 79.65% were married and 82.76% were unmarried. Episodic tension-type headache (TTH was most frequent headache type and migraine without aura was uncommon. More males had TTH than females (55.6% versus 39.3% and migraine was more common in females (39.3% versus 20.1%. Common triggers for headache in medical students were stress, lack of sleep and in non-medical students were stress, sunshine and loud noise. Only 10.5% students were on prescription drugs while 69.8% were self-medicating. CONCLUSION Headache is almost as frequent in medical as in non-medical students and it affects the quality of life of our work force

Non-prescription medicines: a process for standards development and testing in community pharmacy.

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Benrimoj, Shalom Charlie I; Gilbert, Andrew; Quintrell, Neil; Neto, Abilio C de Almeida

2007-08-01

The objective of the study was to develop and test standards of practice for handling non-prescription medicines. In consultation with pharmacy registering authorities, key professional and consumer groups and selected community pharmacists, standards of practice were developed in the areas of Resource Management; Professional Practice; Pharmacy Design and Environment; and Rights and Needs of Customers. These standards defined and described minimum professional activities required in the provision of non-prescription medicines at a consistent and measurable level of practice. Seven standards were described and further defined by 20 criteria, including practice indicators. The Standards were tested in 40 community pharmacies in two States and after further adaptation, endorsed by all Australian pharmacy registering authorities and major Australian pharmacy and consumer organisations. The consultation process effectively engaged practicing pharmacists in developing standards to enable community pharmacists meet their legislative and professional responsibilities. Community pharmacies were audited against a set of standards of practice for handling non-prescription medicines developed in this project. Pharmacies were audited on the Standards at baseline, mid-intervention and post-intervention. Behavior of community pharmacists and their staff in relation to these standards was measured by conducting pseudo-patron visits to participating pharmacies. The testing process demonstrated a significant improvement in the quality of service delivered by staff in community pharmacies in the management of requests involving non-prescription medicines. The use of pseudo-patron visits, as a training tool with immediate feedback, was an acceptable and effective method of achieving changes in practice. Feedback from staff in the pharmacies regarding the pseudo-patron visits was very positive. Results demonstrated the methodology employed was effective in increasing overall

[Analysis on regularity of prescriptions in "a guide to clinical practice with medical record" for diarrhoea based on traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system].

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He, Lan-Juan; Zhu, Xiang-Dong

2016-06-01

To analyze the regularities of prescriptions in "a guide to clinical practice with medical record" (Ye Tianshi) for diarrhoea based on traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system(V2.5), and provide a reference for further research and development of new traditional Chinese medicines in treating diarrhoea. Traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system was used to build a prescription database of Chinese medicines for diarrhoea. The software integration data mining method was used to analyze the prescriptions according to "four natures", "five flavors" and "meridians" in the database and achieve frequency statistics, syndrome distribution, prescription regularity and new prescription analysis. An analysis on 94 prescriptions for diarrhoea was used to determine the frequencies of medicines in prescriptions, commonly used medicine pairs and combinations, and achieve 13 new prescriptions. This study indicated that the prescriptions for diarrhoea in "a guide to clinical practice with medical record" are mostly of eliminating dampness and tonifying deficienccy, with neutral drug property, sweet, bitter or hot in flavor, and reflecting the treatment principle of "activating spleen-energy and resolving dampness". Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

A prescription fraud detection model.

Science.gov (United States)

Aral, Karca Duru; Güvenir, Halil Altay; Sabuncuoğlu, Ihsan; Akar, Ahmet Ruchan

2012-04-01

Prescription fraud is a main problem that causes substantial monetary loss in health care systems. We aimed to develop a model for detecting cases of prescription fraud and test it on real world data from a large multi-center medical prescription database. Conventionally, prescription fraud detection is conducted on random samples by human experts. However, the samples might be misleading and manual detection is costly. We propose a novel distance based on data-mining approach for assessing the fraudulent risk of prescriptions regarding cross-features. Final tests have been conducted on adult cardiac surgery database. The results obtained from experiments reveal that the proposed model works considerably well with a true positive rate of 77.4% and a false positive rate of 6% for the fraudulent medical prescriptions. The proposed model has the potential advantages including on-line risk prediction for prescription fraud, off-line analysis of high-risk prescriptions by human experts, and self-learning ability by regular updates of the integrative data sets. We conclude that incorporating such a system in health authorities, social security agencies and insurance companies would improve efficiency of internal review to ensure compliance with the law, and radically decrease human-expert auditing costs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Future Challenges and Opportunities in Online Prescription Drug Promotion Research; Comment on “Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters”

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Brian G. Southwell

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Despite increased availability of online promotional tools for prescription drug marketers, evidence on online prescription drug promotion is far from settled or conclusive. We highlight ways in which online prescription drug promotion is similar to conventional broadcast and print advertising and ways in which it differs. We also highlight five key areas for future research: branded drug website influence on consumer knowledge and behavior, interactive features on branded drug websites, mobile viewing of branded websites and mobile advertisements, online promotion and non-US audiences, and social media and medication decisions.

Cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs – a cross-sectional study

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Corroon, James M; Mischley, Laurie K; Sexton, Michelle

2017-01-01

Background The use of medical cannabis is increasing, most commonly for pain, anxiety and depression. Emerging data suggest that use and abuse of prescription drugs may be decreasing in states where medical cannabis is legal. The aim of this study was to survey cannabis users to determine whether they had intentionally substituted cannabis for prescription drugs. Methods A total of 2,774 individuals were a self-selected convenience sample who reported having used cannabis at least once in the previous 90 days. Subjects were surveyed via an online anonymous questionnaire on cannabis substitution effects. Participants were recruited through social media and cannabis dispensaries in Washington State. Results A total of 1,248 (46%) respondents reported using cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs. The most common classes of drugs substituted were narcotics/opioids (35.8%), anxiolytics/benzodiazepines (13.6%) and antidepressants (12.7%). A total of 2,473 substitutions were reported or approximately two drug substitutions per affirmative respondent. The odds of reporting substituting were 4.59 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.87–5.43) greater among medical cannabis users compared with non-medical users and 1.66 (95% CI, 1.27–2.16) greater among those reporting use for managing the comorbidities of pain, anxiety and depression. A slightly higher percentage of those who reported substituting resided in states where medical cannabis was legal at the time of the survey (47% vs. 45%, p=0.58), but this difference was not statistically significant. Discussion These patient-reported outcomes support prior research that individuals are using cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs, particularly, narcotics/opioids, and independent of whether they identify themselves as medical or non-medical users. This is especially true if they suffer from pain, anxiety and depression. Additionally, this study suggests that state laws allowing access to, and use of, medical

Radiopharmaceutical prescription in nuclear medicine departments; La prescription medicale des radiopharmaceutiques au sein d'un service de medecine nucleaire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biechlin-Chassel, M.L. [Radiopharmacie, service de pharmacie, Centre hospitalier de Chambery, 73 - Chambery (France); Lao, S. [Service de medecine nucleaire, CHU-Hopital de l' Archet, 06 - Nice (France); Bolot, C. [Service de pharmacie, hospices civiles de Lyon, groupement hospitalier Est, 69 - Bron (France); Francois-Joubert, A. [Service de medecine nucleaire, centre hospitalier de Chambery, 73 - Chambery (France)

2010-11-15

In France, radiopharmaceutical prescription is often discussed depending to which juridical structure the nuclear medicine department is belonging. According to current regulation, this prescription is an obligation in a department linked to hospital with a pharmacy department inside. But situation remains unclear for independent nuclear medicine departments where physicians are not constrained to prescribe radiopharmaceuticals. However, as radiographers and nurses are only authorized to realize theirs acts in front of a medical prescription, one prescription must be realized. Nowadays, computerized prescription tools have been developed but only for radiopharmaceutical drugs and not for medical acts. In the aim to achieve a safer patient care, the prescription regulation may be applied whatever differences between nuclear medicines departments. (authors)

Electronic medication complete communication strategy for opioid prescriptions in the emergency department: Rationale and design for a three-arm provider randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, Danielle M; Courtney, D Mark; Lank, Patrick M; Cameron, Kenzie A; Russell, Andrea M; Curtis, Laura M; Kim, Kwang-Youn A; Walton, Surrey M; Montague, Enid; Lyden, Abbie L; Gravenor, Stephanie J; Wolf, Michael S

2017-08-01

Thousands of people die annually from prescription opioid overdoses; however there are few strategies to ensure patients receive medication risk information at the time of prescribing. To compare the effectiveness of the Emergency Department (ED) Electronic Medication Complete Communication (EMC 2 ) Opioid Strategy (with and without text messaging) to promote safe medication use and improved patient knowledge as compared to usual care. The ED EMC 2 Opioid Strategy consists of 5 automated components to promote safe medication use: 1) physician reminder to counsel, 2) inbox message sent on to the patient's primary care physician, 3) pharmacist message on the prescription to counsel, 4) MedSheet supporting prescription information, and 5) patient-centered Take-Wait-Stop wording of prescription instructions. This strategy will be assessed both with and without the addition of text messages via a three-arm randomized trial. The study will take place at an urban academic ED (annual volume>85,000) in Chicago, IL. Patients being discharged with a new prescription for hydrocodone-acetaminophen will be enrolled and randomized (based on their prescribing physician). The primary outcome of the study is medication safe use as measured by a demonstrated dosing task. Additionally actual safe use, patient knowledge and provider counseling will be measured. Implementation fidelity as well as costs will be reported. The ED EMC 2 Opioid Strategy embeds a risk communication strategy into the electronic health record and promotes medication counseling with minimal workflow disruption. This trial will evaluate the strategy's effectiveness and implementation fidelity as compared to usual care. This trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov with identifier NCT02431793. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of the Pharmacist in the design, development and implementation of Medication Prescription Support Systems

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Núria Solà Bonada

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS are computerized tools designed to help healthcare professionals to make clinical and therapeutic decisions, with the objective of improving patient care. Prescription-targeted CDSS have the highest impact in improving patient safety. Although there are different designs and functionalities, all these systems will combine clinical knowledge and patient information in a smart manner, in order to improve the prescription process. With the emergence of new technologies and advances in smart decision systems, the implementation of said systems can achieve an important improvement in terms of the prescription process and patient safety. The design and implementation of these systems should be performed by a multidisciplinary team of professionals, where Pharmacists will play an important role due to their technical knowledge about medications and the technologies associated to their use. This article aims to provide basic guidelines for the design and adequate implementation, monitoring and follow-up of Clinical Decision Support Systems within the setting of pharmacological prescription.

An Item Bank for Abuse of Prescription Pain Medication from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®).

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Pilkonis, Paul A; Yu, Lan; Dodds, Nathan E; Johnston, Kelly L; Lawrence, Suzanne M; Hilton, Thomas F; Daley, Dennis C; Patkar, Ashwin A; McCarty, Dennis

2017-08-01

There is a need to monitor patients receiving prescription opioids to detect possible signs of abuse. To address this need, we developed and calibrated an item bank for severity of abuse of prescription pain medication as part of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS ® ). Comprehensive literature searches yielded an initial bank of 5,310 items relevant to substance use and abuse, including abuse of prescription pain medication, from over 80 unique instruments. After qualitative item analysis (i.e., focus groups, cognitive interviewing, expert review, and item revision), 25 items for abuse of prescribed pain medication were included in field testing. Items were written in a first-person, past-tense format, with a three-month time frame and five response options reflecting frequency or severity. The calibration sample included 448 respondents, 367 from the general population (ascertained through an internet panel) and 81 from community treatment programs participating in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network. A final bank of 22 items was calibrated using the two-parameter graded response model from item response theory. A seven-item static short form was also developed. The test information curve showed that the PROMIS ® item bank for abuse of prescription pain medication provided substantial information in a broad range of severity. The initial psychometric characteristics of the item bank support its use as a computerized adaptive test or short form, with either version providing a brief, precise, and efficient measure relevant to both clinical and community samples. © 2016 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Relationships between self-reported unfair treatment and prescription medication use, illicit drug use, and alcohol dependence among Filipino Americans.

Science.gov (United States)

Gee, Gilbert C; Delva, Jorge; Takeuchi, David T

2007-05-01

We examined associations between self-reported unfair treatment and prescription medication use, illicit drug use, and alcohol dependence. We used data from the Filipino American Community Epidemiological Survey, a cross-sectional investigation involving 2217 Filipino Americans interviewed in 1998-1999. Multinomial logistic and negative binomial regression analyses were used in assessing associations between unfair treatment and the substance use categories. Reports of unfair treatment were associated with prescription drug use, illicit drug use, and alcohol dependence after control for age, gender, location of residence, employment status, educational level, ethnic identity level, nativity, language spoken, marital status, and several health conditions. Unfair treatment may contribute to illness and subsequent use of prescription medications. Furthermore, some individuals may use illicit drugs and alcohol to cope with the stress associated with such treatment. Addressing the antecedents of unfair treatment may be a potential intervention route.

Understanding the Nonmedical Use of Prescription Medications in the U.S. High School Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Ayres, Cynthia G.; Pontes, Nancy M.; Pontes, Manuel C. F.

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine relationships between sleep insufficiency, depressive symptoms, demographic factors, and the nonmedical use of prescription medications (NMUPMs) in the U.S. high school students. Data from the 2013 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System were used (n = 13,570) and analyzed using IBM SPSS 23™ (complex…

The medical treatment of Maria, Dowager Empress of the Russian Empire: an analysis of her prescription book from 1807 and 1808.

Science.gov (United States)

Gudienè, V

2016-11-02

This study analyzes the medicines that were used to treat the Dowager Russian Empress Maria, widow of Tsar Paul I, and describes the doctors who cared for her health in 1807 and 1808. The source for this research was the imperial court pharmacy prescription book 1807-1811. Hypotheses about the diseases and medical problems of the Empress and how treatment for her differed according to circumstances, particularly after the loss of her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth, have been made based on the prescriptions recorded in the book. The content of the prescriptions suggests that the Empress suffered from gastrointestinal tract disorders, skin and eye diseases, neuralgic pains and insomnia. Foreign physicians educated in European universities worked at the imperial court and implemented European medical traditions. They took high positions in the administration and the medical education system, and gradually spread their experience and modern knowledge to Tsarist Russian society.

Prescription trends and the selection of initial oral antidiabetic agents for patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: a nationwide study.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, C-H; Chen, S-T; Chang, C-H; Chuang, L-M; Lai, M-S

2017-11-01

The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of patients, physicians, and medical facilities, and their association with prescriptions that do not include metformin as the initial oral antidiabetic agent. Observational, cross-sectional study. Patients with incident type 2 diabetes between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2010, were identified from the Taiwan National Insurance Research Database. We describe trends in the initial prescription of antidiabetic medications that do not contain metformin during the study period. A multivariable logistic model and a multilevel linear model were used in the analysis of factors at a range of levels (patient, physician, and medical facility), which may be associated with the selection of oral antidiabetic drugs. During the study period, the proportion of prescriptions that did not include metformin declined from 43.8% to 26.2%. Male patients were more likely to obtain non-metformin prescriptions (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.23), and the likelihood that a patient would be prescribed a non-metformin prescription increased with age. Physicians aged ≥35 years and those with specialties other than endocrinology tended to prescribe non-metformin prescriptions. Metformin was less commonly prescribed in for-profit hospitals (adjusted OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.11-1.61) and hospitals in smaller cities (adjusted OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.05-1.57) and rural areas (adjusted OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.32-2.54). Disparities continue to exist in clinical practice with regard to the treatment of diabetes. These inequalities appear to be linked to a variety of factors related to patients, physicians, and medical facilities. Further study will be required to understand the effects of continuing medical education in enhancing adherence to clinical guidelines. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The mental health consequences of nonmedical prescription drug use among adolescents.

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Ali, Mir M; Dean, David; Lipari, Rachel; Dowd, William N; Aldridge, Arnie P; Novak, Scott P

2015-03-01

Nonmedical prescription drug use is estimated to be the second most abused category of drugs after marijuana among adolescents. Prescription drugs can be highly addictive and prolonged use can produce neurological changes and physiological dependence and could result in adverse mental health outcomes. This topic is largely unexplored, as current knowledge of possible mechanisms of the linkage between adverse mental health consequences and prescription drug misuse is limited. This study explores the relationship between nonmedical use of prescription drugs and depression outcomes among adolescents. Given their complex and confounded relationship, our purpose is to better understand the extent to which nonmedical use of prescription drugs is an antecedent of depressive episodes. Using data from the 2008-2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the study employs a propensity score matching methodology to ascertain whether nonmedical use of prescription drugs is linked to major depressive episodes among adolescents. The results document a positive relationship between nonmedical prescription drug use and major depressive episodes among adolescents. Specifically, the results indicate that adolescents who used prescription drugs non-medically are 33% to 35% more likely to experience major depressive episodes compared to their non-abusing counterparts. This provides additional evidence about the potential public health consequences of misuse of prescription drugs on adverse mental health outcomes. Given the significant increased risk of major depressive episode among adolescents who use prescription drugs nonmedically, it seems that the prevention of nonmedical prescription drug use warrants the utilization of both educational and public health resources. An important area for future research is to understand how any policy initiatives in this area must strike a balance between the need to minimize the misuse of prescription drugs and the need to ensure access for

ESTADO NUTRIMENTAL Y PRODUCCIÓN DE FRUTO DE MANGO (Mangifera indica L., CV. TOMMY ATKINS, EN SUELOS LUVISOLES DEL ESTADO DE CAMPECHE, MÉXICO

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Juan Medina-Méndez

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Se estudió el estado nutrimental en árboles de mango ( Mangifera indica L., en suelos Luvisoles del estado de Campeche, México, con fines de determinar posibles deficiencias y, en su caso, decidir acerca de la necesidad de realizar aplicaciones de fertilizantes. En huertos comerciales de mango se tomaron muestras de suelo, para determinar sus propiedades físicas y químicas, y de hoja, para especificar las concentraciones nutrimentales, a la vez que se obtuvo información sobre el manejo del huerto y del rendimiento de frutos. Se estimaron modelos de regresión del rendimiento como función de las concentraciones nutrimentales y propiedades físicas y químicas del suelo así como factores tecnológicos. Se establecieron los rangos de suficiencia nutrimental como expresión del estado nutrimental de los árboles. El rango de suficiencia ade - cuado fue, para N, de 0.90 a 1.35 %; P, de 0.07 a 0.11 %; K, de 0.5 a 0.8 %; Ca, de 3.5 a 3.75 %; Mg, de 0.16 a 0.25 %; Fe, de 75 ≥ 140 mg · kg -1 ; Mn, de 175 a 320 mg · kg -1 ; Cu, de 6 a 9 mg · kg -1 ; Zn, de 10 a 22 mg · kg -1 ; y, B de 85 a 210 mg · kg -1 . Con base en la distribución de los huertos en los rangos de suficiencia, se observó que hay huertos que requerirían aplicaciones de fertilizantes: P (48 %, K (52 %, Ca (62 %, Mg (56 %, Fe (73 %, Cu (65 %, y B (44 %. En cambio, las deficiencias son menores para Mn (17 % y Zn (21 %, y no se observaron para N.

Pharmacological interventions for adolescents and adults with ADHD: stimulant and nonstimulant medications and misuse of prescription stimulants

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Weyandt LL

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Lisa L Weyandt, Danielle R Oster, Marisa E Marraccini, Bergljot Gyda Gudmundsdottir, Bailey A Munro, Brynheld Martinez Zavras, Ben Kuhar Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA Abstract: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that cause functional impairment. Recent research indicates that symptoms persist into adulthood in the majority of cases, with prevalence estimates of approximately 5% in the school age population and 2.5%–4% in the adult population. Although students with ADHD are at greater risk for academic underachievement and psychosocial problems, increasing numbers of students with ADHD are graduating from high school and pursuing higher education. Stimulant medications are considered the first line of pharmacotherapy for individuals with ADHD, including college students. Although preliminary evidence indicates that prescription stimulants are safe and effective for college students with ADHD when used as prescribed, very few controlled studies have been conducted concerning the efficacy of prescription stimulants with college students. In addition, misuse of prescription stimulants has become a serious problem on college campuses across the US and has been recently documented in other countries as well. The purpose of the present systematic review was to investigate the efficacy of prescription stimulants for adolescents and young adults with ADHD and the nonmedical use and misuse of prescription stimulants. Results revealed that both prostimulant and stimulant medications, including lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, methylphenidate, amphetamines, and mixed-amphetamine salts, are effective at reducing ADHD symptoms in adolescents and adults with ADHD. Findings also suggest that individuals with ADHD may have higher rates of stimulant misuse than individuals without the disorder, and

Pharmacist prescriptive authority for smoking cessation medications in the United States.

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Adams, Alex J; Hudmon, Karen Suchanek

2018-02-06

To characterize the status of state laws regarding the expansion of pharmacists' prescriptive authority for smoking cessation medications and to summarize frequently asked questions and answers that arose during the associated legislative debates. Legislative language was reviewed and summarized for all states with expanded authority, and literature supporting the pharmacist's capacity for an expanded role in smoking cessation is described. The core elements of autonomous tobacco cessation prescribing models for pharmacists vary across states. Of 7 states that currently have fully or partially delineated protocols, 4 states (Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, New Mexico) include all medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for smoking cessation, and 3 (Arizona, California, Maine) include nicotine replacement therapy products only. The state protocol in Oregon is under development. Most states specify minimum cessation education requirements and define specific elements (e.g., patient screening, cessation intervention components, and documentation requirements) for the autonomous prescribing models. Through expanded authority and national efforts to advance the tobacco cessation knowledge and skills of pharmacy students and licensed pharmacists, the profession's role in tobacco cessation has evolved substantially in recent years. Eight states have created, or are in the process of creating, pathways for autonomous pharmacist prescriptive authority. States aiming to advance tobacco control strategies to help patients quit smoking might consider approaches like those undertaken in 8 states. Copyright © 2018 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prescription opioid abuse, pain and addiction: clinical issues and implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Walter; Mooney, Larissa; Hillhouse, Maureen

2011-05-01

Prescription opioid misuse in the USA has increased over threefold since 1990 to epidemic proportions, with substantial increases in prescription opioid use also reported in other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand. The broad availability of prescription pain medications, coupled with public misconceptions about their safety and addictive potential, have contributed to the recent surge in non-medical use of prescription opioids and corresponding increases in treatment admissions for problems related to opioid misuse. Given competing pressures faced by physicians to both diagnose and treat pain syndromes and identify individuals at risk for addictive disorders, the use of opioids in the treatment of pain poses a significant clinical challenge. This paper reviews the interaction between pain and opioid addiction with a focus on clinical management issues, including risk factors for opioid dependence in patients with chronic pain and the use of assessment tools to identify and monitor at-risk individuals. Treatment options for opioid dependence and pain are reviewed, including the use of the partial µ agonist buprenorphine in the management of concurrent pain and opioid addiction. Physicians should strive to find a reasonable balance between minimising potential adverse effects of opioid medications without diminishing legitimate access to opioids for analgesia. The article discusses the need to identify methods for minimising risks and negative consequences associated with opioid analgesics and poses research directions, including the development of abuse-deterrent opioid formulations, genetic risk factors for opioid dependence and opioid-induced hyperalgesia as a potential target for medication therapy. © 2011 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Chronic non-cancer pain and the epidemic prescription of opioids in the Danish population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Birke, H; Kurita, G P; Sjøgren, P

2016-01-01

of benzodiazepine (BZD)/BZD-related drugs in the Danish population. METHODS: Data from the cross-sectional national representative Danish Health and Morbidity Surveys (2000, 2005, 2010, and 2013) were combined with The Danish National Prescription Registry at an individual level. The study populations varied...... prevalence of opioid use from 4.1% to 5.7% among CNCP individuals. Higher CNCP prevalence was related to female gender, no cohabitation partner, short education, non-Western origin, and overweight/obesity. In addition, women with CNCP, especially >65 years, became more frequent users of opioids and used...... higher doses than men. Concurrent use of BZD/BZD-related drugs decreased (13%) from 2010 to 2013, still one-third of long-term opioid user were co-medicated with these drugs. CONCLUSIONS: The use of opioids has increased in Denmark, especially among elderly women. The concurrent use of BZD...

Prescription pattern of antibiotic and analgesic in endodontic treatment in Kuwaiti population: A self-administered Survey

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Manal J Al-Maslamani

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Surgical and non-surgical endodontic treatment of involved teeth can necessitate prescription of analgesics and antimicrobials. The literature suggests confusion amongst practitioners regarding the need for adjunctive medication, mainly during non-surgical endodontic treatment, often leading to over-prescription. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the current clinical practice of dentists participated in this study with respect to antibiotic and analgesic prescription patterns in their endodontic treatment management in Kuwait. Materials and Methods: Prescription patterns for antibiotics and analgesics were analyzed based on the responses to self-administered questionnaire (n = 169. Information was collected based on different clinical endodontic diagnostic scenarios. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software version 17.0 to determine relationships between prescription patterns, age, gender, and dental qualification (specialists and general dentists. Results: Ninety-two percent of dentists prescribed analgesics for the management of endodontic pain. While 16% prescribed antibiotics for severe dental pain; 62% prescribed antibiotics for acute apical abscesses. Significantly more male dentists prescribed antibiotics for dental pain than female dentists. No significant difference was found between general dental practitioners′ and specialists′ attitude toward drug prescriptions. Amoxicillin and ibuprofen were the most commonly prescribed medications. Conclusion: While the majority of dentists appeared to prescribe antibiotics and analgesics appropriately, some did not. This research confirmed previous studies and established a need for imparting information of evidence-based prescriptions protocols for the dentists surveyed in this study in Kuwait.

Population prevalence of high dose paracetamol in dispensed paracetamol/opioid prescription combinations: an observational study

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is generally considered a safe medication, but is associated with hepatotoxicity at doses above doses of 4.0 g/day, and even below this daily dose in certain populations. Methods The Nova Scotia Prescription Monitoring Program (NSPMP) in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia is a legislated organization that collects dispensing information on all out-of-hospital prescription controlled drugs dispensed for all Nova Scotia residents. The NSPMP provided data to track all paracetamol/opioids redeemed by adults in Nova Scotia, from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2010. Trends in the number of adults dispensed these prescriptions and the numbers of prescriptions and tablets dispensed over this period were determined. The numbers and proportions of adults who filled prescriptions exceeding 4.0 g/day and 3.25 g/day were determined for the one-year period July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Data were stratified by sex and age (paracetamol/opioid prescription was lower in each successive one-year period. From July 2009 to June 2010, one in 12 adults (n = 59,197) filled prescriptions for over 13 million paracetamol/opioid tablets. Six percent (n = 3,786) filled prescriptions that exceeded 4.0 g/day and 18.6% (n = 11,008) exceeded 3.25 g/day of paracetamol at least once. These findings exclude non-prescription paracetamol and paracetamol–only prescribed medications. Conclusions A substantial number of individuals who redeem prescriptions for paracetamol/opioid combinations may be at risk of paracetamol-related hepatotoxicity. Healthcare professionals must be vigilant when prescribing and dispensing these medications in order to reduce the associated risks. PMID:22709372

Evaluation of changes in prescription medication use after a residential treatment programme for borderline personality disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Broadbear, Jillian H; Nesci, Julian; Thomas, Rosemary; Thompson, Katherine; Beatson, Josephine; Rao, Sathya

2016-12-01

Residential patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder were evaluated to determine whether borderline personality disorder-focused psychotherapy reduced prescribing, personality disorder and co-morbid symptom severity. Psychotropic prescriptions were measured at admission, discharge and 1 year later in 74 female participants with one or more personality disorder diagnosis and co-morbid mood disorders. Changes in pharmacotherapy were examined in the context of improvements in borderline personality disorder and/or co-morbid disorder symptom severity. Residential treatment included individual and group psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was used to confirm the borderline personality disorder diagnosis and associated co-morbid conditions. The Beck Depression Inventory was completed at each time point. A significant reduction in the incidence and severity of self-rated depression as well as clinician assessed personality disorder, including borderline personality disorder, was accompanied by a reduction in prescription of psychoactive medications. Three to six months of intensive borderline personality disorder-specific psychotherapy showed lasting benefit with regard to symptom severity of personality disorders (borderline personality disorder in particular) as well as depressive symptoms. This improvement corresponded with a reduction in prescriptions for psychoactive medications, which is consistent with current thinking regarding treatment for borderline personality disorder. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2016.

[Failure mode and effects analysis on computerized drug prescriptions].

Science.gov (United States)

Paredes-Atenciano, J A; Roldán-Aviña, J P; González-García, Mercedes; Blanco-Sánchez, M C; Pinto-Melero, M A; Pérez-Ramírez, C; Calvo Rubio-Burgos, Miguel; Osuna-Navarro, F J; Jurado-Carmona, A M

2015-01-01

To identify and analyze errors in drug prescriptions of patients treated in a "high resolution" hospital by applying a Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA).Material and methods A multidisciplinary group of medical specialties and nursing analyzed medical records where drug prescriptions were held in free text format. An FMEA was developed in which the risk priority index (RPI) was obtained from a cross-sectional observational study using an audit of the medical records, carried out in 2 phases: 1) Pre-intervention testing, and (2) evaluation of improvement actions after the first analysis. An audit sample size of 679 medical records from a total of 2,096 patients was calculated using stratified sampling and random selection of clinical events. Prescription errors decreased by 22.2% in the second phase. FMEA showed a greater RPI in "unspecified route of administration" and "dosage unspecified", with no significant decreases observed in the second phase, although it did detect, "incorrect dosing time", "contraindication due to drug allergy", "wrong patient" or "duplicate prescription", which resulted in the improvement of prescriptions. Drug prescription errors have been identified and analyzed by FMEA methodology, improving the clinical safety of these prescriptions. This tool allows updates of electronic prescribing to be monitored. To avoid such errors would require the mandatory completion of all sections of a prescription. Copyright © 2014 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Prescription Drug Abuse

Science.gov (United States)

... were prescribed to someone else or if your child is already taking other prescription medications. Set rules. Let your teen know that it's not OK to share medications with others — or to take drugs prescribed for others. Emphasize the importance of taking the prescribed dose and talking with ...

Prescription Monitoring Program Trends Among Individuals Arrested in Maine for Trafficking Prescription Drugs in 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

McCall, Kenneth; Nichols, Stephanie D; Holt, Christina; Ochs, Leslie; Cattabriga, Gary; Tu, Chunhao

2016-06-01

To evaluate controlled substance prescribing trends available in the Maine Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) among individuals arrested for prescription drug "trafficking." The demographic characteristics of the individuals who had matching prescription records in the PMP within 90 days of the arrest were identified. A population-based, retrospective cohort study using data from the Maine Diversion Alert Program (DAP) and the Maine PMP. The study population consisted of persons arrested for trafficking prescription drugs in Maine during the 2014 calendar year from January 1 to December 31. There were 594 trafficking arrests reported by the Maine DAP in 2014. The study population consisted of the 235 persons (40%) with arrests involving controlled prescription medications. The mean age of these persons was 33 years (range 18-77 yrs), and 156 (66%) were male. Arrests involved 154 prescription opioids (65%), seven stimulants (3%), seven benzodiazepines (3%), and 77 unspecified controlled prescription drugs (33%). A minority of individuals (n=57, 24%) had a prescription record in the PMP that matched the substance involved in the arrest. Only one person with matching PMP and arrest records utilized ≥ 5 prescribers, while none used ≥ 5 pharmacies within 90 days before the arrest. Payment methods for matching prescriptions were commercial insurance (n=28, 49%), Medicaid (n=19, 33%), Medicare (n=5, 9%), and cash (n=5, 9%). The majority (76%) of persons arrested for prescription drug trafficking did not have PMP records and did not directly obtain the diverted medication from a licensed pharmacy. Traditional red flags, like cash payment and using multiple prescribers or pharmacies, were uncommon. Therefore, arrest records for diversion and PMPs are distinct and complementary tools for identifying individuals at risk for substance misuse. © 2016 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

Failure to refill essential prescription medications for asthma among pediatric Medicaid beneficiaries with persistent asthma

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Vaidya V

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Varun Vaidya,1 Renuka Gupte,2 Rajesh Balkrishnan31Pharmacy Health Care Administration, Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Toledo College of Pharmacy, Toledo, OH, USA; 2Private Practice, Sylvania, OH, USA; 3Department of Clinical, Social and Administrative Sciences, Pharmacy, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USAAbstract: The problem of patients not taking medications as prescribed, also known as "lack of medication adherence," is widely discussed as an issue related to suboptimal outcomes and excess health care expenditure. Although medication adherence is defined as patients not taking medications as prescribed, there are two elements to it: first, those who fail to follow the medication regimen by skipping a dose or not following the instructions, resulting in poor adherence with prescribed medicines; and, second, the patient who does not take the medication at all or stops after the initial fill. The existing literature contains a lot of studies on the first element, but very little is known about those who stop taking their medication after the initial fill or do not take it at all. In this study, our focus is on identifying patients who fail to refill a prescription for essential medicines, such as asthma-controlling drugs. Using Medicaid claims datasets, this study analyzed a pediatric population diagnosed with persistent asthma that discontinued an essential controlling medication after the initial fill. We found that more than half of this population did not continue their medication after the first fill. While there might be many reasons behind the failure to refill such medications, our data indicate that race/ethnicity, comorbid illness, and type of Medicaid plan are potentially associated with such behavior. Future research is warranted to understand this issue further and identify specific factors causing such behavior, such that strategies may be formulated by which poor adherence can be minimized

Prescription of opioid and nonopioid analgesics for dental care in emergency departments: Findings from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Okunseri, Christopher; Okunseri, Elaye; Xiang, Qun; Thorpe, Joshua M; Szabo, Aniko

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine trends and associated factors in the prescription of opioid analgesics, nonopioid analgesics, opioid and nonopioid analgesic combinations, and no analgesics by emergency physicians for nontraumatic dental condition (NTDC)-related visits. Our secondary aim was to investigate whether race/ethnicity is a possible predictor of receiving a prescription for either type of medication for NTDC visits in emergency departments (EDs) after adjustment for potential covariates. We analyzed data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for 1997-2000 and 2003-2007, and used multinomial multivariate logistic regression to estimate the probability of receiving a prescription for opioid analgesics, nonopioid analgesics, or a combination of both, compared with receiving no analgesics for NTDC-related visits. During 1997-2000 and 2003-2007, prescription of opioid analgesics and combinations of opioid and nonopioid analgesics increased, and that of no analgesics decreased over time. The prescription rates for opioid analgesics, nonopioid analgesics, opioid and nonopioid analgesic combinations, and no analgesics for NTDC-related visits in EDs were 43 percent, 20 percent, 12 percent, and 25 percent, respectively. Majority of patients categorized as having severe pain received prescriptions for opioids for NTDC-related visits in EDs. After adjusting for covariates, patients with self-reported dental reasons for visit and severe pain had a significantly higher probability of receiving prescriptions for opioid analgesics and opioid and nonopioid analgesic combinations. Prescription of opioid analgesics increased over time. ED physicians were more likely to prescribe opioid analgesics and opioid and nonopioid analgesic combinations for NTDC-related visits with reported severe pain. © 2014 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.

Perceived Discrimination and Reported Delay of Pharmacy Prescriptions and Medical Tests

Science.gov (United States)

Van Houtven, Courtney Harold; Voils, Corrine I; Oddone, Eugene Z; Weinfurt, Kevin P; Friedman, Joëlle Y; Schulman, Kevin A; Bosworth, Hayden B

2005-01-01

BACKGROUND Access to health care varies according to a person's race and ethnicity. Delaying treatment is one measure of access with important health consequences. OBJECTIVE Determine whether perceptions of unfair treatment because of race or ethnicity are associated with reported treatment delays, controlling for economic constraints, self-reported health, depression, and demographics. DESIGN Cross-sectional, observational study. PARTICIPANTS A randomly selected community sample of 181 blacks, 148 Latinos, and 193 whites in Durham County, NC. MEASUREMENTS A phone survey conducted in 2002 to assess discrimination, trust in medical care, quality of care, and access to care. Treatment delays were measured by whether or not a person reported delaying or forgoing filling a prescription and delaying or forgoing having a medical test/treatment in the past 12 months. Perceived discrimination was measured as unfair treatment in health care and as racism in local health care institutions. RESULTS The odds of delaying filling prescriptions were significantly higher (odds ratio (OR)=2.02) for persons who perceived unfair treatment, whereas the odds of delaying tests or treatments were significantly higher (OR=2.42) for persons who thought racism was a problem in health care locally. People with self-reported depression and people who reported not working had greater odds of delaying both types of care. CONCLUSIONS A prospective cohort study with both personal and macro measures of discrimination, as well as more refined measures of treatment delays, would help us better understand the relationship between perceived discrimination and treatment delays. PMID:16050850

Prescription pattern of medication in the elderly residing in nursing homes in Tehran

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Sabour Malihe

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study aimed to investigate prescription patterns for older people in nursing homes of Tehran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the data of 170 older people, sampled random cluster gathering method, using medical records, questionnaires and interview with nurses and physicians. Results: The mean average age of the sample was 79.75. 64.7% of them were female. 62.4% received more than 5 types of medicines. The mean number of medicines was 7.55 with the ranging of 1-19 drugs. The most medicine forms used by older people were: tablets 98.2%, injection medicines 20.6 %, drops 13.5%, syrup 8.8%, sprays 6.5%, ointments and suppositories 2.9%. There was not a significant relationship between participating in geriatric educational course And the mean numbers of the prescribed medications (P>0.05., as well as between covering by health insurance specialty in medicine and the mean of the numbers of mediations (P>0.05. There was a significant relationship between having insurance and the mean number of prescribed medicine (P<0.05. Conclusion: Developing educational programs on geriatric pharmacology general practitioners and more supervision on residential care homes practices may have affects on prescription pattern.

Disagreements with implications: diverging discourses on the ethics of non-medical use of methylphenidate for performance enhancement.

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Forlini, Cynthia; Racine, Eric

2009-07-06

There is substantial evidence that methylphenidate (MPH; Ritalin), is being used by healthy university students for non-medical motives such as the improvement of concentration, alertness, and academic performance. The scope and potential consequences of the non-medical use of MPH upon healthcare and society bring about many points of view. To gain insight into key ethical and social issues on the non-medical use of MPH, we examined discourses in the print media, bioethics literature, and public health literature. Our study identified three diverging paradigms with varying perspectives on the nature of performance enhancement. The beneficial effects of MPH on normal cognition were generally portrayed enthusiastically in the print media and bioethics discourses but supported by scant information on associated risks. Overall, we found a variety of perspectives regarding ethical, legal and social issues related to the non-medical use of MPH for performance enhancement and its impact upon social practices and institutions. The exception to this was public health discourse which took a strong stance against the non-medical use of MPH typically viewed as a form of prescription abuse or misuse. Wide-ranging recommendations for prevention of further non-medical use of MPH included legislation and increased public education. Some positive portrayals of the non-medical use of MPH for performance enhancement in the print media and bioethics discourses could entice further uses. Medicine and society need to prepare for more prevalent non-medical uses of neuropharmaceuticals by fostering better informed public debates.

Using Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis to reduce medication errors in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing in hospitalised patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Vélez-Díaz-Pallarés, Manuel; Delgado-Silveira, Eva; Carretero-Accame, María Emilia; Bermejo-Vicedo, Teresa

2013-01-01

To identify actions to reduce medication errors in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing, and to evaluate the impact of their implementation. A Health Care Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFMEA) was supported by a before-and-after medication error study to measure the actual impact on error rate after the implementation of corrective actions in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing in wards equipped with computerised physician order entry (CPOE) and unit-dose distribution system (788 beds out of 1080) in a Spanish university hospital. The error study was carried out by two observers who reviewed medication orders on a daily basis to register prescription errors by physicians and validation errors by pharmacists. Drugs dispensed in the unit-dose trolleys were reviewed for dispensing errors. Error rates were expressed as the number of errors for each process divided by the total opportunities for error in that process times 100. A reduction in prescription errors was achieved by providing training for prescribers on CPOE, updating prescription procedures, improving clinical decision support and automating the software connection to the hospital census (relative risk reduction (RRR), 22.0%; 95% CI 12.1% to 31.8%). Validation errors were reduced after optimising time spent in educating pharmacy residents on patient safety, developing standardised validation procedures and improving aspects of the software's database (RRR, 19.4%; 95% CI 2.3% to 36.5%). Two actions reduced dispensing errors: reorganising the process of filling trolleys and drawing up a protocol for drug pharmacy checking before delivery (RRR, 38.5%; 95% CI 14.1% to 62.9%). HFMEA facilitated the identification of actions aimed at reducing medication errors in a healthcare setting, as the implementation of several of these led to a reduction in errors in the process of drug prescription, validation and dispensing.

Characteristics of medication advertisements found in US women's fashion magazines.

Science.gov (United States)

Mongiovi, Jennifer; Clarke Hillyer, Grace; Basch, Corey H; Ethan, Danna; Hammond, Rodney

2017-01-01

Background: Although prescriptions are dispensed at discretion of medical professionals, many pharmaceutical companies use direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising to increase sales. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are similarly marketed. Methods: We examined the content of advertisements in 38 issues of 9 popular US women's fashion magazines. We evaluated target audience, health condition, product availability, message appeal, target to females, and mention of potential side effects and benefits. Results: Sixty total medication advertisements were identified, 58.3% (95% CI: 45.8, 70.8) for prescription products. In magazines targeted to non-Hispanic Whites, >65% of advertisements were for OTC medications whereas 80% (95% CI: 66.7, 94.5) of advertisements found in Black/Latina magazines were for prescription medications. The rational appeal was used most commonly in non-Hispanic White magazines (75.9%; 95% CI: 60.3, 91.5). Emotional appeal was featured more often in prescription advertisements magazines (60.0; 95% CI:43.8, 76.2) compared to OTC (8.0; 95% CI: -2.6, 18.6). Conclusion: Although emotional appeal may be effective for selling medication to women, it often does not completely inform consumers of potential risks.

21 CFR 886.5844 - Prescription spectacle lens.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Prescription spectacle lens. 886.5844 Section 886...) MEDICAL DEVICES OPHTHALMIC DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 886.5844 Prescription spectacle lens. (a) Identification. A prescription spectacle lens is a glass or plastic device that is a lens intended to be worn by...

Preparing for a Hurricane: Prescription Medications

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2006-08-10

What you should do to protect yourself and your family from a hurricane. As you evacuate, remember to take your prescription medicines with you.  Created: 8/10/2006 by Emergency Communications System.   Date Released: 7/17/2008.

Prescription copay reduction program for diabetic employees: impact on medication compliance and healthcare costs and utilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Kavita V; Miller, Kerri; Saseen, Joseph; Wolfe, Pamela; Allen, Richard Read; Park, Jinhee

2009-01-01

To examine the impact of a value-based benefit design on utilization and expenditures. This benefit design involved all diabetes-related drugs and testing supplies placed on the lowest copay tier for 1 employer group. The sample of diabetic members were enrolled from a 9-month preperiod and for 2 years after the benefit design was implemented. Measured outcomes included prescription drug utilization for diabetes and medical utilization. Generalized measures were used to estimate differences between years 1 and 2 and the preperiod adjusting for age, gender, and comorbidity risk. Diabetes prescription drug use increased by 9.5% in year 1 and by 5.5% in year 2, and mean adherence increased by 7% to 8% in year 1 and fell slightly in year 2 compared with the preperiod. Pharmacy expenditures increased by 47% and 53% and expenditures for diabetes services increased by 16% and 32% in years 1 and 2, respectively. Increases in adherence and use of diabetes medications were observed. There were no compensatory cost-savings for the employer through lower utilization of medical expenditures in the first 2 years. Adherent patients had fewer emergency department visits than nonadherent patients after the implementation of this benefit design.

The value of self-medication: summary of existing evidence.

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Noone, Joshua; Blanchette, Christopher M

2018-02-01

The aim of this review was to identify the international evidence that is currently available on the economic value of self-care through responsible self-medication, in terms of the measures related to access to treatment, time, and productivity. A targeted literature search was conducted for 1990-2016, including data gathered from members of the World Self-Medication Industry and searches on PubMed, EBSCOHost, and Google Scholar. Specific searches of individual drug classes known to be switched to non-prescription status in this period were also conducted. A total of 71 articles were identified, of which 17 (11 modeling studies, six retrospective analyses) were included in the review. Evidence from modeling studies and retrospective analyses of grouped data across a range of common conditions for which non-prescription medications are available in different countries/regions showed that the use of non-prescription products for the treatment of common conditions or for symptom management (e.g. allergies, chronic pain, migraine, vaginitis, gastrointestinal symptoms, or common cold symptoms) had considerable value to patients, payers, and employers alike in terms of cost savings and improved productivity. Potential benefits of self-medication were also identified in preventative healthcare strategies, such as those for cardiovascular health and osteoporosis. This review was limited by a targeted, but non-systematic approach to literature retrieval, as well as the inclusion of unpublished reports/white papers and patient self-reported data. The evidence identified in this literature review shows that responsible, appropriate self-medication with non-prescription products can provide significant economic benefits for patients, employers, and healthcare systems worldwide.

The economic impact of wasted prescription medication in an outpatient population of older adults.

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Morgan, T M

2001-09-01

The causes and costs of outpatient medication waste are not known. We report the results of a cross-sectional pilot survey of medication waste in a convenience sample of 73 New Hampshire retirement community residents aged 65 years or older. We used questionnaires and in-home pill counts to determine the annual occurrence of medication waste, defined as no intention to take leftover medicines prescribed within the past year. Mean individual annual cost of wasted medication was $30.47 (range = $0-$131.56). Waste represented 2.3% of total medication costs. The main causes for waste included: resolution of the condition for which the medication was prescribed (37.4%), patient-perceived ineffectiveness (22.6%), prescription change by the physician (15.8%), and patient-perceived adverse effects (14.4%). Individual costs were modest, but if $30 per person represents a low estimate of average annual waste, the US national cost for adults older than 65 years would top $1 billion per year.

The use of psychoactive prescription drugs among DUI suspects.

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Karjalainen, Karoliina; Haukka, Jari; Lintonen, Tomi; Joukamaa, Matti; Lillsunde, Pirjo

2015-10-01

The study seeks to increase understanding of the use of psychoactive prescription drugs among persons suspected of driving under the influence (DUI). We studied whether the use of prescribed psychoactive medication was associated with DUI, and examined the difference in the use of prescription drugs between DUI recidivists and those arrested only once. In this register-based study, persons suspected of DUI (n=29470) were drawn from the Register of DUI suspects, and an age- and gender-matched reference population (n=30043) was drawn from the Finnish general population. Data on prescription drug use was obtained by linkage to the National Prescription Register. The associations of DUI arrest and use of psychoactive prescription drugs in different DUI groups (findings for alcohol only, prescription drugs, prescription drugs and alcohol, illicit drugs) were estimated by using mixed-effect logistic regression. The use of psychoactive prescription drugs and DUI appeared to be strongly associated, with DUI suspects significantly more likely to use psychoactive prescription drugs compared to the reference population. Gender differences existed, with the use of benzodiazepines being more common among female DUI suspects. Moreover, DUI recidivists were more likely to use psychoactive prescription drugs compared to those arrested only once. In addition to alcohol and/or illicit drug use, a significant proportion of DUI suspects were using psychoactive prescription drugs. When prescribing psychoactive medication, especially benzodiazepines, physicians are challenged to screen for possible substance use problems and also to monitor for patients' alcohol or illicit drug use while being medicated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overdosed prescription of paracetamol (acetaminophen) in a teaching hospital.

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Charpiat, B; Henry, A; Leboucher, G; Tod, M; Allenet, B

2012-07-01

Paracetamol is the most commonly used analgesic and antipyretic. Reviews of hospital use of paracetamol are scarce. Little is known about the appropriateness of the dose of paracetamol prescribed for hospitalized adults. The aim of this study was to report on the nature and the frequency of the overdosed prescription of paracetamol observed in adult patients over a 4.5-year period in a teaching hospital. Prescription analysis by pharmacists was performed once a week in six medical and three surgical departments and daily in a post-emergency unit. In cases of prescription error, the pharmacist notified the physician through an electronic alert when a computerized prescription order entry system was available or otherwise by face-to-face discussion. For each drug-related problem detected, the pharmacists recorded relevant details in a database. From October 2006 to April 2011, 44,404 prescriptions were reviewed and 480 alerts related to the overdosed prescription of paracetamol were made (1% of analyzed prescriptions). The extent of errors of dosage was within the intervals [90-120 mg/kg/d] and greater than 120 mg/kg/d for 87 and 11 patients respectively, who were prescribed a single non-combination paracetamol containing product. Sixty alerts concerned co-prescription of at least two paracetamol containing products with similar frequency for computerized (1.4/1000) or handwritten (1.2/1000) prescriptions. Prescriptions of paracetamol for hospitalized adults frequently exceed the recommended dosage. These results highlight the need for increased awareness of unintentional paracetamol overdose and support the initiation of an educational program aimed at physicians and nurses. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

[Medical prescription and informed consent for the use of physical restraints in nursing homes in the Canary Islands (Spain)].

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Estévez-Guerra, Gabriel J; Fariña-López, Emilio; Penelo, Eva

To identify the frequency of completion of informed consent and medical prescription in the clinical records of older patients subject to physical restraint, and to analyse the association between patient characteristics and the absence of such documentation. A cross-sectional and descriptive multicentre study with direct observation and review of clinical records was conducted in nine public nursing homes, comprising 1,058 beds. 274 residents were physically restrained. Informed consent was not included in 82.5% of cases and was incomplete in a further 13.9%. There was no medical prescription in 68.3% of cases and it was incomplete in a further 12.0%. The only statistical association found was between the lack of prescription and the patients' advanced age (PR=1.03; p <0.005). Failure to produce this documentation contravenes the law. Organisational characteristics, ignorance of the legal requirements or the fact that some professionals may consider physical restraint to be a risk-free procedure may explain these results. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The mediating effects of depressive symptoms and sleep quality on the relationship between the non-medical use of prescription drugs and suicidal behaviors among Chinese adolescents.

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Wang, Juan; Xu, Yan; Guo, Lan; Deng, Jian-Xiong; Huang, Jing-Hui; Huang, Guo-Liang; Gao, Xue; Wu, Hong; Pan, Si-Yuan; Lu, Ci-Yong

2017-09-01

The nature of the relationship between the non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) and suicide has not been clearly elucidated. Some studies have suggested that the relationship between substance use and suicidal ideation may be spurious and could be explained by other variables. A school-based cross-sectional study was performed in Guangzhou. A total of 5853 students completed questionnaires and were included in the study. NMUPD, alcohol use, illicit drug use, depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and suicidal behaviors were assessed. The mediating effects of depressive symptoms and sleep quality on the relationship between NMUPD and suicidal behaviors were examined using a structural equation model. In the simple model without mediation, a positive relationship between NMUPD and suicidal behaviors in adolescents was found, which was independent of effects from the use of other substances. Both depressive symptoms and sleep quality were significant mediators of this relationship. Public health and educational professionals should survey depressive symptoms and sleep quality and provide interventions when managing suicidal behaviors among adolescents engaging in NMUPD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of errors in prescriptions on the security of medicine

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Puke K.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available All types of medication errors including missed doses, incorrect dosage forms, time intervals, and routes are essential encumbrances for qualitative pharmaceutical care and security of medicine [1]. Problems related to prescription errors are common in the healthcare profession, and are responsible for significant increase in costs, cases of morbidity and mortality [2]. The aim of the study was to analyze the common errors in prescriptions which were received in pharmacies and their effect on the security of medicine. Retrospective study was conducted between December 2013 and January 2014 in the pharmacy of Riga, Latvia. Prescriptions were analyzed to identify errors in Inscriptio, Praescriptio and the Signatura part. Of 200 prescriptions, only 14 (7% were filled correctly according to the legislative requirements in Latvia. The most common drug therapeutic class in the prescriptions was non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID and other analgesics (21.1%. Unclear handwriting was observed in more than one third of all studied prescriptions (n=72; 36.0%. Mean age values of physicians were higher, but not significantly different, in the unclear compared to clear prescriptions, 59.5 ± 8.5 vs. 57.8 ± 10.6, respectively (p=0.253. Omission of the quantity of drug in the prescription part was the most frequent type of the error (n=112, 56.0%. High level of incorrect prescriptions was found during the period of study in the pharmacy. Overall, approximately 27% of prescriptions had significant failures, which could negatively affect therapeutic effect and safety of drug use.

How does use of a prescription monitoring program change medical practice?

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Green, Traci C; Mann, Marita R; Bowman, Sarah E; Zaller, Nickolas; Soto, Xaviel; Gadea, John; Cordy, Catherine; Kelly, Patrick; Friedmann, Peter D

2012-10-01

  The objectives of this study were to test for differences in prescription monitoring program (PMP) use between two states, Connecticut (CT) and Rhode Island (RI), with a different PMP accessibility; to explore use of PMP reports in clinical practice; and to examine associations between PMP use and clinician's responses to suspected diversion or "doctor shopping" (i.e., multiple prescriptions from multiple providers).   From March to August 2011, anonymous surveys were emailed to providers licensed to prescribe Schedule II medications in CT (N = 16,924) and RI (N = 5,567).   PMP use, use of patient reports in clinical practice, responses to suspected doctor shopping, or diversion.   Responses from 1,385 prescribers were received: 998 in CT and 375 in RI. PMP use was greater in CT, where an electronic PMP is available (43.9% vs 16.3%, χ(2)  = 85.2, P behavior were more likely to entail clinical response (i.e., refer to another provider odds ratio, OR, 1.75 [95% confidence interval, CI, 1.10, 2.80]; screen for drug abuse OR 1.93 [1.39, 2.68]; revisit pain/treatment agreement OR 1.97 [1.45, 2.67]; conduct urine screen OR 1.82 [1.29, 2.57]; refer to substance abuse treatment OR 1.30 [0.96, 1.75]) rather than legal intervention (OR 0.45 [0.21, 0.94]) or inaction (OR 0.09 [0.01, 0.70]).   Prescribers' use of an electronic PMP may influence medical practice, especially opioid abuse detection, and is associated with clinical responses to suspected doctor shopping or diversion. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Doctor shopping for medications used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: shoppers often pay in cash and cross state lines.

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Cepeda, M Soledad; Fife, Daniel; Berwaerts, Joris; Friedman, Andrew; Yuan, Yingli; Mastrogiovanni, Greg

2015-05-01

Doctor shopping, defined by filling overlapping prescriptions from more than one prescriber at more than two pharmacies, is a way to obtain scheduled medications for diversion or abuse. Little is known about how far attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication shoppers travel, how often they cross state lines to fill their ADHD prescriptions and how often they pay for their medication in cash, i.e. entirely out of pocket. We sought to describe the pattern of doctor shopping for ADHD medications: how far shoppers travel, how often they cross state lines to fill their prescriptions, and how often they pay in cash. Retrospective cohort study using LRx, a large US retail prescription database. We included subjects with any ADHD medication dispensed between 2011 and 2012. Subjects were followed for 18 months. Of a total of 4 402 464 subjects exposed to ADHD medications, 0.4% developed shopping behavior. Women were more likely to become shoppers. Shoppers travelled a median of 91.9 miles and non-shoppers 0.2 miles to fill their ADHD prescriptions. Almost 28% of the shoppers filled prescriptions in >1 state compared with 4.3% of non-shoppers. Of the shoppers, 27.3% paid at least one prescription in cash compared to 14.4% of the non-shoppers. Shoppers travelled larger distances, visited more states and paid in cash for ADHD medications more often than non-shoppers. Data sharing among prescriptions monitoring programs can improve their effectiveness and drug utilization studies should take account of cash purchases.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics prescription trends at a central west bank hospital.

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Tayem, Yasin I; Qubaja, Marwan M; Shraim, Riyad K; Taha, Omar B; Abu Shkheidem, Imadeddin A; Ibrahim, Murad A

2013-11-01

We aimed to reliably describe the pattern of outpatient prescription of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and antibiotics (ATBs) at a central hospital in the West Bank, Palestine. This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study investigating a cohort of 2,208 prescriptions ordered by outpatient clinics and the emergency room over one year in Beit Jala Hospital in Bethlehem, West Bank. The orders were analysed for the rate and types of NSAIDs and ATBs utilised, and the appropriateness of these drugs to the diagnosis. Of the total prescriptions, 410 contained NSAIDs (18.6%), including diclofenac (40.2%), low dose aspirin (23.9%), ibuprofen (17.8%) and indomethacin (15.1%). A minority of these prescriptions contained a combination of these agents (2.5%). Only one prescription contained cyclooxyeganse-2 inhibitors (0.2%). The appropriateness of NSAID use to the diagnosis was as follows: appropriate (58.3%), inappropriate (14.4%) and difficult to tell (27.3%). The rate of ATB use was 30.3% (669 prescriptions). The ATBs prescribed were amoxicillin (23.3%), augmentin (14.3%), quinolones (12.7%), first and second generation cephalosporins (9.4% and 12.7%, respectively) and macrolides (7.2%). ATB combinations were identified in 9.4%, with the most common being second-generation cephalopsorins and metronidazole (4.3%). Regarding the appropriateness of prescribing ATBs according to the diagnosis, it was appropriate in 44.8%, inappropriate in 20.6% and difficult to tell in 34.6% of the prescriptions. These findings revealed a relatively large number and inappropriate utilisation of ATBs and NSAIDs. An interventional programme needs to be adopted to reinforce physicians' knowledge of the rational prescription of these agents.

Drug prescription based on WHO indicators: Tehran university of medical sciences facilities with pharmacy

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Mosleh A.

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Rationalize of drug use in societies is one of the main responsibilities of health policy makers. In our country irrational use of dugs has increased in the recent years, for example one study in 1998 has shown that average number of medicines per prescription was 3.6, percentage of prescriptions containing antibiotics was 43% and percentage of prescriptions containing Injections was 39%. One of the best tools for evaluation of drug use is the WHO guideline for calculating prescribing indicators. In this study, we had an assessment about prescribing patterns in South of Tehran, Islamshahr and Rey Health Centers.Methods: In order to evaluating prescribing indicators in Tehran University of Medical Sciences region 35 facilities which had pharmacy were selected according to WHO gridline and 4190 prescription from these facilities were studied. Indicators were calculated according to formulas has explained in article. Results: The average number of drug per prescription was 2.58, percentage of drug prescribed by generic name: 99.8%, percentage of encounters prescribed Antibiotics: 62.39% percentage of encounters prescribed Injection: 28.96% & the percentage of drugs prescribed from PHC formulary 99.46%. These findings were almost similar in the three Health Centers.Conclusions: Health facilities are one of the most important bases to improve rational use of Drugs and general practitioners are the major chain in RUD cycle. Results show that we need to design intervention especially educational interventions to improve two WHO prescribing indicators, percentage of encounters prescribed Antibiotics & Injections in this region. For reaching this goals we need to design educational programs for physicians, pharmacists and people too. These educations can be as workshops, seminars, conferences or printed materials such as books, leaflets and etc.

Optimizing Effectiveness in Electronic Prescriptions for Pediatric Outpatients: A Call for Responsive Action

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Richard H. Parrish II

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A pediatric compounded non-sterile products repository (pCNP to optimize the effectiveness and safety of “off-label” use of compounded pharmacotherapy through complete transmission of electronic prescriptions across the continuum of care is described. The advent of electronic prescribing has the potential to refocus and resolve long-standing issues of prescription therapy for pediatric patients related to formulation, indication, dosing, and outcomes follow-up, among others. This white paper describes the architecture and function of the pCNP repository. Further, it calls on professional societies, health information technology (HIT and pharmaceutical industries, universities, and government to create a safer pediatric pharmacotherapy system across the continuum of care. This system would include pCNPs within the existing federal and corporate database structures for medical language, and integrates advanced system safety features as requirements for prescribing, compounding, and dispensing non-mass produced prescription therapies for children.

Characteristics of medication advertisements found in US women’s fashion magazines

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Mongiovi, Jennifer; Clarke Hillyer, Grace; Basch, Corey H.; Ethan, Danna; Hammond, Rodney

2017-01-01

Background: Although prescriptions are dispensed at discretion of medical professionals, many pharmaceutical companies use direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising to increase sales. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are similarly marketed. Methods: We examined the content of advertisements in 38 issues of 9 popular US women’s fashion magazines. We evaluated target audience, health condition, product availability, message appeal, target to females, and mention of potential side effects and benefits. Results: Sixty total medication advertisements were identified, 58.3% (95% CI: 45.8, 70.8) for prescription products. In magazines targeted to non-Hispanic Whites, >65% of advertisements were for OTC medications whereas 80% (95% CI: 66.7, 94.5) of advertisements found in Black/Latina magazines were for prescription medications. The rational appeal was used most commonly in non-Hispanic White magazines (75.9%; 95% CI: 60.3, 91.5). Emotional appeal was featured more often in prescription advertisements magazines (60.0; 95% CI:43.8, 76.2) compared to OTC (8.0; 95% CI: -2.6, 18.6). Conclusion: Although emotional appeal may be effective for selling medication to women, it often does not completely inform consumers of potential risks. PMID:28058239

Prescription Stimulant Medication Misuse: Where Are We and Where Do We Go from Here?

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Weyandt, Lisa L.; Oster, Danielle R.; Marraccini, Marisa Ellen; Gudmundsdottir, Bergljot Gyda; Munro, Bailey A.; Rathkey, Emma S.; Mccallum, Alison

2016-01-01

Prescription stimulants, including methylphenidate (e.g., Ritalin) and amphetamine compounds (e.g., dextroamphetamine; Adderall), have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and are classified by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as Schedule II medications due to their high potential for abuse and dependence (DEA, U.S. Department of Justice, 2015). Despite the potential health and judici...

Neighborhood linking social capital as a predictor of psychiatric medication prescription in the elderly: a Swedish national cohort study.

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Sundquist, Jan; Hamano, Tsuyoshi; Li, Xinjun; Kawakami, Naomi; Shiwaku, Kuninori; Sundquist, Kristina

2014-08-01

Little is known about the association between neighborhood linking social capital and psychiatric medication in the elderly. The present study analyzes whether there is an association between linking social capital (a theoretical concept describing the amount of trust between individuals and societal institutions) and prescription of antipsychotics, anxiolytics, hypnotics/sedatives, antidepressants, or anti-dementia drugs. The entire Swedish population aged 65+, a total of 1,292,816 individuals, were followed from 1 July 2005 until first prescription of psychiatric medication, death, emigration, or the end of the study on 31 December 2010. Small geographic units were used to define neighborhoods. The definition of linking social capital was based on mean voting participation in each neighborhood unit, categorized in three groups. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and between-neighborhood variance in three different models. There was an inverse association between the level of linking social capital and prescription of psychiatric medications (except for anti-dementia drugs). The associations decreased, but remained significant, after accounting for age, sex, family income, marital status, country of birth, and education level (except for antidepressants). The OR for prescription of antipsychotics in the crude model was 1.65 (95% CI 1.53-1.78) and decreased, but remained significant (OR = 1.26; 95% CI 1.17-1.35), after adjustment for the individual-level sociodemographic variables. Decision-makers should take into account the potentially negative effect of linking social capital on psychiatric disorders when planning sites of primary care centers and psychiatric clinics, as well as other kinds of community support for elderly patients with such disorders. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prescription analysis of pediatric outpatient practice in Nagpur city

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Pandey Anuja

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Medication errors are probably one of the most common types of medical errors, as medication is the most common health-care intervention. Knowing where and when errors are most likely to occur is generally felt to be the first step in trying to prevent these errors. Objective: To study prescribing patterns and errors in pediatric OPD prescriptions presenting to four community pharmacies across Nagpur city and to compare the prescription error rates across prescriber profiles. Materials and Methods: The study sample included 1376 valid pediatric OPD prescriptions presenting to four randomly selected community pharmacies in Nagpur, collected over a period of 2 months. Confirmed errors in the prescriptions were reviewed and analyzed. The core indicators for drug utilization studies, mentioned by WHO, were used to define errors. Results: The 1376 prescriptions included in the study were for a total of 3435 drugs, prescribed by 41 doctors. Fixed dose formulations dominated the prescribing pattern, many of which were irrational. Prescribing by market name was almost universal and generic prescriptions were for merely 254 (7.4% drugs. The prescribing pattern also indicated polypharmacy with the average number of drugs per encounter of 2.5. Antibiotics were included in 1087 (79% prescriptions, while injectable drugs were prescribed in 22 (1.6% prescriptions. The prescription error score varied significantly across prescriber profiles. Conclusion: The findings of our study highlight the continuing crisis of the irrational drug prescribing in the country.

Disagreements with implications: diverging discourses on the ethics of non-medical use of methylphenidate for performance enhancement

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Forlini, Cynthia; Racine, Eric

2009-01-01

Background There is substantial evidence that methylphenidate (MPH; Ritalin), is being used by healthy university students for non-medical motives such as the improvement of concentration, alertness, and academic performance. The scope and potential consequences of the non-medical use of MPH upon healthcare and society bring about many points of view. Methods To gain insight into key ethical and social issues on the non-medical use of MPH, we examined discourses in the print media, bioethics literature, and public health literature. Results Our study identified three diverging paradigms with varying perspectives on the nature of performance enhancement. The beneficial effects of MPH on normal cognition were generally portrayed enthusiastically in the print media and bioethics discourses but supported by scant information on associated risks. Overall, we found a variety of perspectives regarding ethical, legal and social issues related to the non-medical use of MPH for performance enhancement and its impact upon social practices and institutions. The exception to this was public health discourse which took a strong stance against the non-medical use of MPH typically viewed as a form of prescription abuse or misuse. Wide-ranging recommendations for prevention of further non-medical use of MPH included legislation and increased public education. Conclusion Some positive portrayals of the non-medical use of MPH for performance enhancement in the print media and bioethics discourses could entice further uses. Medicine and society need to prepare for more prevalent non-medical uses of neuropharmaceuticals by fostering better informed public debates. PMID:19580661

Disagreements with implications: diverging discourses on the ethics of non-medical use of methylphenidate for performance enhancement

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Racine Eric

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is substantial evidence that methylphenidate (MPH; Ritalin, is being used by healthy university students for non-medical motives such as the improvement of concentration, alertness, and academic performance. The scope and potential consequences of the non-medical use of MPH upon healthcare and society bring about many points of view. Methods To gain insight into key ethical and social issues on the non-medical use of MPH, we examined discourses in the print media, bioethics literature, and public health literature. Results Our study identified three diverging paradigms with varying perspectives on the nature of performance enhancement. The beneficial effects of MPH on normal cognition were generally portrayed enthusiastically in the print media and bioethics discourses but supported by scant information on associated risks. Overall, we found a variety of perspectives regarding ethical, legal and social issues related to the non-medical use of MPH for performance enhancement and its impact upon social practices and institutions. The exception to this was public health discourse which took a strong stance against the non-medical use of MPH typically viewed as a form of prescription abuse or misuse. Wide-ranging recommendations for prevention of further non-medical use of MPH included legislation and increased public education. Conclusion Some positive portrayals of the non-medical use of MPH for performance enhancement in the print media and bioethics discourses could entice further uses. Medicine and society need to prepare for more prevalent non-medical uses of neuropharmaceuticals by fostering better informed public debates.

Frequency of potential interactions between drugs in medical prescriptions in a city in southern Brazil

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Genici Weyh Bleich

Full Text Available CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Drug interactions form part of current clinical practice and they affect between 3 and 5% of polypharmacy patients. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of potential drug-drug interactions in prescriptions for adult and elderly patients. TYPE OF STUDY AND SETTING: Cross-sectional pharmacoepidemiological survey in the Parque Verde housing project, municipality of Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil, between December 2006 and February 2007. METHODS: Stratified cluster sampling, proportional to the total number of homes in the housing project, was used. The sample consisted of 95 homes and 96 male or female patients aged 19 or over, with medical prescriptions for at least two pharmaceutical drugs. Interactions were identified using DrugDigest, Medscape and Micromedex softwares. RESULTS: Most of the patients were female (69.8%, married (59.4% and in the age group of 60 years or over (56.3%, with an income less than or equal to three minimum monthly salaries (81.3% and less than eight years of schooling (69.8%; 90.6% of the patients were living with another person. The total number of pharmaceutical drugs was 406 (average of 4.2 medications per patient. The drugs most prescribed were antihypertensives (47.5%. The frequency of drug interactions was 66.6%. Among the 154 potential drug interactions, 4.6% were classified as major, 65.6% as moderate and 20.1% as minor. CONCLUSION: The high frequency of drug prescriptions with a potential for differentiated interactions indicates a situation that has so far been little explored, albeit a reality in household surveys.

[Analysis on composition and medication regularities of prescriptions treating hypochondriac pain based on traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system inheritance support platform].

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Zhao, Yan-qing; Teng, Jing

2015-03-01

To analyze the composition and medication regularities of prescriptions treating hypochondriac pain in Chinese journal full-text database (CNKI) based on the traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system, in order to provide a reference for further research and development for new traditional Chinese medicines treating hypochondriac pain. The traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support platform software V2. 0 was used to build a prescription database of Chinese medicines treating hypochondriac pain. The software integration data mining method was used to distribute prescriptions according to "four odors", "five flavors" and "meridians" in the database and achieve frequency statistics, syndrome distribution, prescription regularity and new prescription analysis. An analysis were made for 192 prescriptions treating hypochondriac pain to determine the frequencies of medicines in prescriptions, commonly used medicine pairs and combinations and summarize 15 new prescriptions. This study indicated that the prescriptions treating hypochondriac pain in Chinese journal full-text database are mostly those for soothing liver-qi stagnation, promoting qi and activating blood, clearing heat and promoting dampness, and invigorating spleen and removing phlem, with a cold property and bitter taste, and reflect the principles of "distinguish deficiency and excess and relieving pain by smoothening meridians" in treating hypochondriac pain.

Impact of Internally Developed Electronic Prescription on Prescribing Errors at Discharge from the Emergency Department.

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Hitti, Eveline; Tamim, Hani; Bakhti, Rinad; Zebian, Dina; Mufarrij, Afif

2017-08-01

Medication errors are common, with studies reporting at least one error per patient encounter. At hospital discharge, medication errors vary from 15%-38%. However, studies assessing the effect of an internally developed electronic (E)-prescription system at discharge from an emergency department (ED) are comparatively minimal. Additionally, commercially available electronic solutions are cost-prohibitive in many resource-limited settings. We assessed the impact of introducing an internally developed, low-cost E-prescription system, with a list of commonly prescribed medications, on prescription error rates at discharge from the ED, compared to handwritten prescriptions. We conducted a pre- and post-intervention study comparing error rates in a randomly selected sample of discharge prescriptions (handwritten versus electronic) five months pre and four months post the introduction of the E-prescription. The internally developed, E-prescription system included a list of 166 commonly prescribed medications with the generic name, strength, dose, frequency and duration. We included a total of 2,883 prescriptions in this study: 1,475 in the pre-intervention phase were handwritten (HW) and 1,408 in the post-intervention phase were electronic. We calculated rates of 14 different errors and compared them between the pre- and post-intervention period. Overall, E-prescriptions included fewer prescription errors as compared to HW-prescriptions. Specifically, E-prescriptions reduced missing dose (11.3% to 4.3%, p prescriptions, however, were associated with a significant increase in duplication errors, specifically with home medication (1.7% to 3%, p=0.02). A basic, internally developed E-prescription system, featuring commonly used medications, effectively reduced medication errors in a low-resource setting where the costs of sophisticated commercial electronic solutions are prohibitive.

Antipsychotic Prescriptions for Children Aged 5 Years or Younger

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Ana Lòpez-De Fede

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The use of antipsychotics in very young children is of concern given the lack of empirical evidence in their efficacy and long-term impact on children’s health. This study examined the prescription of antipsychotics among children aged ≤5 years enrolled in a state Medicaid program. Secondary data analysis was conducted using the Medicaid administrative data of a southeastern state. Using SAS 9.3, descriptive statistics were performed to examine socio-demographic characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses, off-label use, receipt of medications from multiple psychotropic drug classes, and receipt of non-pharmacologic psychiatric services among children aged ≤5 years who received antipsychotic prescriptions in calendar year (CY 2011. A total of 112 children in the target age group received antipsychotics in CY 2011, the most common prescription being risperidone. The most common listed psychiatric diagnosis was attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Two in five children received antipsychotics for off-label use. Three in four children also received medications from at least one other psychotropic drug class. More than half did not receive adjunct psychiatric services. State-level policies offering specific guidance and recommendations for antipsychotic use among very young children are urgently needed. Future research is warranted to examine long-term impact of such practices on children’s growth and development.

Evaluation of antibiotic prescription in the Lebanese community: a pilot study

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Nadine Saleh

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Antibiotics are considered among the most commonly prescribed drug classes in developing countries. Inappropriate prescription of antibiotics is a major public health concern and is related to the development of antimicrobial resistance. Objective: This study aimed at assessing the appropriateness of antibiotic prescription by non-infectious disease physicians in a community setting in Lebanon. Methods: A pilot cross-sectional study was undertaken on community pharmacy patients presenting with antibiotic prescription. It was performed over a period of 4 months in different regions of Lebanon. Participants answered a questionnaire inquiring about socio-demographic characteristics, medical conditions, symptoms that required medical attention, the doctor's diagnosis, the prescribed antibiotic, and whether laboratory tests were ordered to identify the causative organism or not. Data were analyzed using SPSS 17. Results: We studied 270 patients (49.3% males and 50.7% females. This study showed that the most-prescribed antibiotics were the cephalosporins (82% and that almost half of the illnesses for which antibiotics were prescribed were respiratory tract infections (41%. The study also showed that the choice of the prescribed antibiotic was appropriate in 61.5% of the studied cases, while the prescribed dose and the duration of the treatment were inaccurate in 52 and 64% of the cases, respectively. In addition, fever seemed to be a factor that influenced the physician's prescriptions, since the choice of drug conformity to guidelines increased from 53.7% (1 day of fever to 88.9% (1 week of fever, and the dose prescription compliance to guidelines was higher (55.9% for patients suffering from fever compared to those with no fever (38.1%. Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions in Lebanon. Therefore, actions should be taken to optimize antibiotic prescription.

Marijuana practices and patterns of use among young adult medical marijuana patients and non-patient marijuana users.

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Lankenau, Stephen E; Fedorova, Ekaterina V; Reed, Megan; Schrager, Sheree M; Iverson, Ellen; Wong, Carolyn F

2017-01-01

Little is known about young adult medical marijuana patients (MMP) and their marijuana using patterns and practices, which includes frequency of use, sourcing of marijuana products, forms/modes of administration, and patterns of illicit/prescription drug misuse, compared to non-patient marijuana users (NPU). Young adults (N=366) aged 18-26 years old were sampled in Los Angeles in 2014-15 and segmented into NPU (n=156), marijuana users who never had a medical marijuana (MM) recommendation, and MMP (n=210), marijuana users with a current, verified MM recommendation. Differences regarding self-reported marijuana and other drug use during the past 90days are expressed as unadjusted risk ratios or differences in means. MMP reported significantly greater mean days of use (76.4 vs. 59.2, pmarijuana products (564.5 vs. 266.9, pmarijuana obtained from a dispensary to someone else in the past 90days. MMP were more likely to report vaporization modalities for concentrates (URR=1.5, 95% C.I.=1.2, 2.0) and for marijuana (URR=1.5, 95% C.I.=1.1, 2.1) than NPU. Though not significant, trends toward lower misuse of prescription drugs in the past 90days were observed among MMP compared to NPU. MMP reported greater access to marijuana via dispensaries, more frequent and intensive use of marijuana, and greater use of non-combustible forms of marijuana compared to NPU. MMP reported less recent misuse of prescription drugs compared to NPU. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Depression and anxiety among chronic pain patients receiving prescription opioids and medical marijuana.

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Feingold, Daniel; Brill, Silviu; Goor-Aryeh, Itay; Delayahu, Yael; Lev-Ran, Shaul

2017-08-15

High rates of depression and anxiety have been consistently reported among patients suffering from chronic pain. Prescription opioids are one of the most common modalities for pharmacological treatment of pain, however in recent years medical marijuana(MM) has been increasingly used for pain control in the US and in several countries worldwide. The aim of this study was to compare levels of depression and anxiety among pain patients receiving prescription opioids and MM. Participants were patients suffering from chronic pain treated with prescription opioids (OP,N=474), MM (N=329) or both (OPMM,N=77). Depression and anxiety were assessed using the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). Prevalence of depression among patients in the OP, MM and OPMM groups was 57.1%, 22.3% and 51.4%, respectively and rates of anxiety were 48.4%, 21.5% and 38.7%, respectively. After controlling for confounders, patients in the OP group were significantly more likely to screen positive for depression (Adjusted Odds Ratio(AOR)=6.18;95%CI=4.12-9.338) and anxiety(AOR=4.12;CI=3.84-5.71)) compared to those in the MM group. Individuals in the OPMM group were more prone for depression (AOR for depression=3.34;CI=1.52-7.34)) compared to those in the MM group. Cross-sectional study, restricting inference of causality. Levels of depression and anxiety are higher among chronic pain patients receiving prescription opioids compared to those receiving MM. Findings should be taken into consideration when deciding on the most appropriate treatment modality for chronic pain, particularly among those at risk for depression and anxiety. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Patterns of Drug Prescription for Japanese Cedar Pollinosis Using a Clinical Vignette Questionnaire

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Goro Takahashi

2008-01-01

Conclusions: Our investigation suggested that, compared to ENTs, GPs and IMs have a lower tendency to concomitantly prescribe drugs for localized treatment such as nasal corticosteroids and eye drops with oral medication. There may be differences in prescription patterns of drugs for pollinosis between ENTs and non-specialist physicians.

Assessment of legibility and completeness of handwritten and electronic prescriptions.

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Albarrak, Ahmed I; Al Rashidi, Eman Abdulrahman; Fatani, Rwaa Kamil; Al Ageel, Shoog Ibrahim; Mohammed, Rafiuddin

2014-12-01

To assess the legibility and completeness of handwritten prescriptions and compare with electronic prescription system for medication errors. Prospective study. King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Handwritten prescriptions were received from clinical units of Medicine Outpatient Department (MOPD), Primary Care Clinic (PCC) and Surgery Outpatient Department (SOPD) whereas electronic prescriptions were collected from the pediatric ward. The handwritten prescription was assessed for completeness by the checklist designed according to the hospital prescription and evaluated for legibility by two pharmacists. The comparison between handwritten and electronic prescription errors was evaluated based on the validated checklist adopted from previous studies. Legibility and completeness of prescriptions. 398 prescriptions (199 handwritten and 199 e-prescriptions) were assessed. About 71 (35.7%) of handwritten and 5 (2.5%) of electronic prescription errors were identified. A significant statistical difference (P prescriptions in omitted dose and omitted route of administration category of error distribution. The rate of completeness in patient identification in handwritten prescriptions was 80.97% in MOPD, 76.36% in PCC and 85.93% in SOPD clinic units. Assessment of medication prescription completeness was 91.48% in MOPD, 88.48% in PCC, and 89.28% in SOPD. This study revealed a high incidence of prescribing errors in handwritten prescriptions. The use of e-prescription system showed a significant decline in the incidence of errors. The legibility of handwritten prescriptions was relatively good whereas the level of completeness was very low.

Widening consumer access to medicines: a comparison of prescription to non-prescription medicine switch in Australia and New Zealand.

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Natalie J Gauld

Full Text Available Despite similarities in health systems and Trans-Tasman Harmonization of medicines scheduling, New Zealand is more active than Australia in 'switching' (reclassifying medicines from prescription to non-prescription.To identify and compare enablers and barriers to switch in New Zealand and Australia.We conducted and analyzed 27 in-depth personal interviews with key participants in NZ and Australia and international participants previously located in Australia, and analyzed records of meetings considering switches (2000-2013. Analysis of both sets of data entailed a heuristic qualitative approach that embraced the lead researcher's knowledge and experience.The key themes identified were conservatism and political influences in Australia, and an open attitude, proactivity and flexibility in NZ. Pharmacist-only medicine schedules and individuals holding a progressive attitude were proposed to facilitate switch in both countries. A pharmacy retail group drove many switches in NZ ('third-party switch', unlike Australia. Barriers to switch in both countries included small market sizes, funding of prescription medicines and cost of doctor visits, and lack of market exclusivity. In Australia, advertising limitations for pharmacist-only medicines reportedly discouraged industry from submitting switch applications. Perceptions of pharmacy performance could help or hinder switches.Committee and regulator openness to switch, and confidence in pharmacy appear to influence consumer access to medicines. The pharmacist-only medicine schedule in Australasia and the rise of third-party switch and flexibility in switch in NZ could be considered elsewhere to enable switch.

Widening consumer access to medicines: a comparison of prescription to non-prescription medicine switch in Australia and New Zealand.

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Gauld, Natalie J; Kelly, Fiona S; Emmerton, Lynne M; Buetow, Stephen A

2015-01-01

Despite similarities in health systems and Trans-Tasman Harmonization of medicines scheduling, New Zealand is more active than Australia in 'switching' (reclassifying) medicines from prescription to non-prescription. To identify and compare enablers and barriers to switch in New Zealand and Australia. We conducted and analyzed 27 in-depth personal interviews with key participants in NZ and Australia and international participants previously located in Australia, and analyzed records of meetings considering switches (2000-2013). Analysis of both sets of data entailed a heuristic qualitative approach that embraced the lead researcher's knowledge and experience. The key themes identified were conservatism and political influences in Australia, and an open attitude, proactivity and flexibility in NZ. Pharmacist-only medicine schedules and individuals holding a progressive attitude were proposed to facilitate switch in both countries. A pharmacy retail group drove many switches in NZ ('third-party switch'), unlike Australia. Barriers to switch in both countries included small market sizes, funding of prescription medicines and cost of doctor visits, and lack of market exclusivity. In Australia, advertising limitations for pharmacist-only medicines reportedly discouraged industry from submitting switch applications. Perceptions of pharmacy performance could help or hinder switches. Committee and regulator openness to switch, and confidence in pharmacy appear to influence consumer access to medicines. The pharmacist-only medicine schedule in Australasia and the rise of third-party switch and flexibility in switch in NZ could be considered elsewhere to enable switch.

Prescriptions, Nonmedical Use, and Emergency Department Visits Involving Prescription Stimulants

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Chen, Lian-Yu; Crum, Rosa M.; Strain, Eric C.; CalebAlexander, G.; Kaufmann, Christopher; Mojtabai, Ramin

2018-01-01

Objective Little is known regarding the temporal trends in prescription, nonmedical use and emergency department (ED) visits involving prescription stimulants in the United States. We aimed to examine the three national trends involving dextroamphetamine-amphetamin (Adderall) and methylphenidate in adults and adolescents. Method Three national surveys conducted between 2006-2011 were used: National Disease and Therapeutic Index (NDTI), a survey of office-based practices, National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), a population survey of substance use, and Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), a survey of ED visits. Ordinary least square regression was used to examine temporal changes over time and the associations between these three trends. Results In adolescents, treatment visits involving dextroamphetamine-amphetamine and methylphenidate decreased over time; nonmedical dextroamphetamine-amphetamine use remained stable while nonmedical methylphenidate use declined by 54.4% in 6 years. ED visits involving either medication remained stable. In adults, treatment visits involving dextroamphetamine-amphetamine remained unchanged while nonmedical use went up by 67% and ED visits went up by 156%. These three trends involving methylphenidate remained unchanged. The major source for both medications was a friend or relative across age groups; two-thirds of these friends/relatives had obtained the medication from a physician. Conclusions Trends of prescriptions for stimulants do not correspond to trends in reports of nonmedical use and ED visits. Increased nonmedical stimulant use may not be simply attributed to increased prescribing trends. Future studies should focus on deeper understanding of the proportion, risk factors and motivations for drug diversions. PMID:26890573

Understanding Adherence and Prescription Patterns Using Large-Scale Claims Data.

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Bjarnadóttir, Margrét V; Malik, Sana; Onukwugha, Eberechukwu; Gooden, Tanisha; Plaisant, Catherine

2016-02-01

Advanced computing capabilities and novel visual analytics tools now allow us to move beyond the traditional cross-sectional summaries to analyze longitudinal prescription patterns and the impact of study design decisions. For example, design decisions regarding gaps and overlaps in prescription fill data are necessary for measuring adherence using prescription claims data. However, little is known regarding the impact of these decisions on measures of medication possession (e.g., medication possession ratio). The goal of the study was to demonstrate the use of visualization tools for pattern discovery, hypothesis generation, and study design. We utilized EventFlow, a novel discrete event sequence visualization software, to investigate patterns of prescription fills, including gaps and overlaps, utilizing large-scale healthcare claims data. The study analyzes data of individuals who had at least two prescriptions for one of five hypertension medication classes: ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and diuretics. We focused on those members initiating therapy with diuretics (19.2%) who may have concurrently or subsequently take drugs in other classes as well. We identified longitudinal patterns in prescription fills for antihypertensive medications, investigated the implications of decisions regarding gap length and overlaps, and examined the impact on the average cost and adherence of the initial treatment episode. A total of 790,609 individuals are included in the study sample, 19.2% (N = 151,566) of whom started on diuretics first during the study period. The average age was 52.4 years and 53.1% of the population was female. When the allowable gap was zero, 34% of the population had continuous coverage and the average length of continuous coverage was 2 months. In contrast, when the allowable gap was 30 days, 69% of the population showed a single continuous prescription period with an average length of 5

Direct-to-consumer advertisements of prescription medications over the Internet.

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Fogel, Joshua; Novick, Daniel

2009-01-01

This study sought data on the impact of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements and both intentions and frequency to seek more information about the drug being advertised. Data were collected from 498 college students regarding intention to seek and how frequently they obtained more information about prescription medications. For intentions, grocery or pharmacy and radio advertisements were associated with lesser intentions. For frequency, Internet advertisements were associated, while newspaper and spam e-mail advertisements were not. Types of sources associated with seeking additional information were doctor, Internet, and 1-800 information numbers. A significant interaction existed for seeing Internet advertisements for drugs and then seeking additional information from a doctor and not from the Internet. In conclusion, Internet advertising is associated with seeking additional information from a reliable source such as a doctor.

Improving Information on Maternal Medication Use by Linking Prescription Data to Congenital Anomaly Registers : A EUROmediCAT Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jonge, Linda; Garne, Ester; Gini, Rosa; Jordan, Susan E.; Klungsoyr, Kari; Loane, Maria; Neville, Amanda J.; Pierini, Anna; Puccini, Aurora; Thayer, Daniel S.; Tucker, David; Hansen, Anne Vinkel; Bakker, Marian K.

2015-01-01

Research on associations between medication use during pregnancy and congenital anomalies is significative for assessing the safe use of a medicine in pregnancy. Congenital anomaly (CA) registries do not have optimal information on medicine exposure, in contrast to prescription databases. Linkage of

Using human error theory to explore the supply of non-prescription medicines from community pharmacies.

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Watson, M C; Bond, C M; Johnston, M; Mearns, K

2006-08-01

The importance of theory in underpinning interventions to promote effective professional practice is gaining recognition. The Medical Research Council framework for complex interventions has assisted in promoting awareness and adoption of theory into study design. Human error theory has previously been used by high risk industries but its relevance to healthcare settings and patient safety requires further investigation. This study used this theory as a framework to explore non-prescription medicine supply from community pharmacies. The relevance to other healthcare settings and behaviours is discussed. A 25% random sample was made of 364 observed consultations for non-prescription medicines. Each of the 91 consultations was assessed by two groups: a consensus group (stage 1) to identify common problems with the consultation process, and an expert group (stages 2 and 3) to apply human error theory to these consultations. Paired assessors (most of whom were pharmacists) categorised the perceived problems occurring in each consultation (stage 1). During stage 2 paired assessors from an expert group (comprising patient safety experts, community pharmacists and psychologists) considered whether each consultation was compliant with professional guidelines for the supply of pharmacy medicines. Each non-compliant consultation identified during stage 2 was then categorised as a slip/lapse, mistake, or violation using human error theory (stage 3). During stage 1 most consultations (n = 75, 83%) were deemed deficient in information exchange. At stage 2, paired assessors varied in attributing non-compliance to specific error types. Where agreement was achieved, the error type most often selected was "violation" (n = 27, 51.9%, stage 3). Consultations involving product requests were less likely to be guideline compliant than symptom presentations (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.95, p = 0.05). The large proportion of consultations classified as violations suggests that either

Outpatient prescription practices in rural township health centers in Sichuan Province, China

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Jiang Qian

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Sichuan Province is an agricultural and economically developing province in western China. To understand practices of prescribing medications for outpatients in rural township health centers is important for the development of the rural medical and health services in this province and western China. Methods This is an observational study based on data from the 4th National Health Services Survey of China. A total of 3,059 prescriptions from 30 township health centers in Sichuan Province were collected and analyzed. Seven indicators were employed in the analyses to characterize the prescription practices. They are disease distribution, average cost per encounter, number of medications per encounter, percentage of encounters with antibiotics, percentage of encounters with glucocorticoids, percentage of encounters with combined glucocorticoids and antibiotics, and percentage of encounters with injections. Results The average medication cost per encounter was 16.30 Yuan ($2.59. About 60% of the prescriptions contained Chinese patent medicine (CPM, and almost all prescriptions (98.07% contained western medicine. 85.18% of the prescriptions contained antibiotics, of which, 24.98% contained two or more types of antibiotics; the percentage of prescriptions with glucocorticoids was 19.99%; the percentage of prescriptions with both glucocorticoids and antibiotics was 16.67%; 51.40% of the prescriptions included injections, of which, 39.90% included two or more injections. Conclusions The findings from this study demonstrated irrational medication uses of antibiotics, glucocorticoids and injections prescribed for outpatients in the rural township health centers in Sichuan Province. The reasons for irrational medication uses are not only solely due to the pursuit of maximizing benefits in the township health centers, but also more likely attributable to the lack of medical knowledge of rational medication uses among rural doctors and the

Parental attitudes toward the prescription of psychotropic medications for their children

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Fatima A Al-Haidar

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To explore parental attitudes towards the prescription of psychotropic medication for their children. Method: A questionnaire built to collect socio-demographic data of parents and their attitudes was distributed among parents. Results: One thousand and ten questionnaires were filled by parents. Fathers who completed the questionnaire were double the number of mothers. Eight hundred and eighteen parents (84.3% agreed to the dispensing psychotropic medication to their children if necessary. About 83.5% preferred to start with psychotherapy before trying medication. Fathers are more than twice likely than mothers to agree to the use of psychotropic drugs. Older parents more easily agreed to give their children psychotropic drugs. Parents who used psychotropic drug themselves were more likely to agree to the use of psychotropic drug by their children. Having a child with a psychiatric illness is the most significant factor in making parents accede to giving children psychotropic medication. Other factors such as pressure from schools and the side effects of drugs could also modify decision of parents. Conclusion: Although most parents agreed to give their children psychotropic drugs if necessary, they preferred to start with psychotherapy sessions before giving them the drugs. Fear and worries about such issues as side effects of drugs or addiction should be considered. Pressure from school should also be considered when deciding on drug therapy.

Physicians' decision process for drug prescription and the impact of pharmaceutical marketing mix instruments.

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Campo, Katia; De Staebel, Odette; Gijsbrechts, Els; van Waterschoot, Walter

2005-01-01

This paper provides an in-depth, qualitative analysis of the physicians' decision process for drug prescription. Drugs in the considered therapeutic classes are mainly prescribed by specialists, treating patients with obligatory medical insurance, for a prolonged period of time. The research approach is specifically designed to capture the full complexity and sensitive nature of the physician's choice behavior, which appears to be more hybrid and less rational in nature than is often assumed in quantitative, model-based analyses of prescription behavior. Several interesting findings emerge from the analysis: (i) non-compensatory decision rules seem to dominate the decision process, (ii) consideration sets are typically small and change-resistant, (iii) drug cost is not a major issue for most physicians, (iv) detailing remains one of the most powerful pharmaceutical marketing instruments and is highly appreciated as a valuable and quick source of information, and (v) certain types of non-medical marketing incentives (such as free conference participation) may in some situations also influence drug choices.

Workaround identification as an instrument for work analysis and design: a case study on ePrescription.

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Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni; Tsagkas, Vassilis; Marmaras, Nicolas

2012-01-01

This paper investigates workarounds occurring while pharmacists use an electronic prescription (ePrescription) application. ePrescription enables physicians to send prescriptions electronically to pharmacies and was recently introduced in Greece as a solution for controlling the ever-increasing medication costs and improving patient safety. The research was carried out in two phases: (i) review of the relevant documentation, (ii) fieldwork (field observations and semi-structured interviews with the pharmacists) in three pharmacies. The workarounds identified fall into five categories and namely: (a) bypass of ePrescription application (i.e. ePrescription application is not used at all), (b) temporal nonconformity in the use of ePrescription application (i.e. usage of the application, but not at the formally specified time), (c) catachresis of ePrescription application (i.e. usage of the application, but not according to the intended way), (d) ePrescription application substitution by another electronic application, and (e) delegation of ePrescription application usage to non-authorized users. The outcome of the research can be used for the improvement of multiple work system elements such as the tools, the procedures, the organisational arrangements and the policies.

Características das prescrições no transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade Medical prescriptions characteristics in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

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Walter Camargos Jr.

2009-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: O trabalho busca conhecer, no atual momento, a realidade das prescrições para o transtorno de déficit de atenção/hiperatividade. MÉTODO: Revisão não sistemática dos descritores "transtorno de falta de atenção/ hiperatividade" e "prescrição de medicamentos" e seus similares em inglês. Foram utilizados os seguintes limitadores: publicações de 10 anos até novembro de 2008, idiomas inglês, francês, espanhol e português, nas bases de dados do Medline, SciELO, Lilacs, áreas especializadas e Cochrane. Não foram utilizados os artigos referentes ao uso ilícito e aspectos clínicos em geral. RESULTADOS: Foram tratados 8 itens: sistema de prescrições, características socioculturais, os sistemas de saúde que influenciam as prescrições, tempo de uso das medicações, aumento das prescrições, aspectos em comum, dosagens e prescrição em idades abaixo de 5 anos. CONCLUSÕES: Alguns aspectos são preocupantes, como a baixa adesão aos tratamentos medicamentosos, doses médias de metilfenidato relativamente baixas e aumento das prescrições de psicoestimulantes para crianças de até 3 anos. Características sociais e o sistema de saúde utilizado pelo afetado também geram grandes variações na prática clínica. Uma questão interessante é a evidência de que o sistema brasileiro de prescrições não é o mais restritivo.OBJECTIVE: The paper seeks to know the reality of the prescriptions for the attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder. METHOD: Non-systematic review of the descriptors "attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder" and "medication prescriptions", in Portuguese and in English similar. The limiters were: 10 years publishings until November 2008, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese languages, in Medline, SciELO, Lilacs, Specialized Areas and Cochrane data base. The articles concerning the drug illicit use and clinical aspects have not been used. RESULTS: Eight items were dealt with: prescriptions

Enhancement of medication recall using medication pictures and lists in telephone interviews.

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Kimmel, Stephen E; Lewis, James D; Jaskowiak, Jane; Kishel, Lori; Hennessy, Sean

2003-01-01

To determine the effect of reading medication lists and providing medication pictures on recall of non-aspirin non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NANSAIDs) during telephone interviews in a case-control study. After a series of indication-specific questions, a list of all available NANSAIDs was read to study participants and a series of pictures was reviewed when available. Recall was defined as enhanced if a participant recalled NANSAID use only after the memory aids. Among the 1484 participants who reported NANSAID use, 94 (6.3%) recalled their NANSAID use only after the memory aids. Several groups demonstrated enhanced recall following the memory aids: men (odds ratio (OR): 1.73; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11, 2.69), users of non-prescription versus prescription NANSAIDs (OR 2.28; 95% CI: 1.21, 4.30), those using > 2 other medications (OR 1.69; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.69), those who did not have all of their medication containers available during the interview (OR 1.58; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.42) and cases versus controls (OR 1.90; 95% CI: 1.11, 3.28). The reading of medication names with the availability of medication photographs enhanced recall by approximately 6%. The use of this type of memory aid may reduce recall bias in case-control studies that rely on medication recall, depending on the overall prevalence of medication use and the effect size of the drug on the outcome.

Trends in exposure to televised prescription drug advertising, 2003-2011.

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Kornfield, Rachel; Alexander, G Caleb; Qato, Dima M; Kim, Yoonsang; Hirsch, Jan D; Emery, Sherry L

2015-05-01

TV accounts for more than half of pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) spending in the U.S. The purpose of this study is to quantify average household exposure to branded and non-branded (help-seeking) televised prescription drug advertisements and describe variation over time and according to medication indication and geography. In 2013, Nielsen TV ratings were compiled for prescription pharmaceutical advertising that aired between 2003 and 2011 for the top 75 U.S. media markets. All advertisements were coded as branded or help-seeking. Advertisements were further coded for one of eight prevalent indications (allergies, arthritis, asthma, erectile dysfunction, high cholesterol, smoking cessation, depression, and sleep disorder) or as "other." Televised DTCA exposure increased from 2003 to 2007 and then declined 43% by 2011, to 111 monthly prescription drug advertisements per household. The examined indications were associated with varying amounts and patterns of exposure, with greatest declines among medications for allergies and sleep disorders. Help-seeking advertisements comprised 10% of total exposure, with substantial variation by indication. Considerations of DTCA's effects on health care should take into account the shifting concentration of advertising across indications. Copyright © 2015 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Are Prescription Stimulants "Smart Pills"? The Epidemiology and Cognitive Neuroscience of Prescription Stimulant Use by Normal Healthy Individuals

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Smith, M. Elizabeth; Farah, Martha J.

2011-01-01

Use of prescription stimulants by normal healthy individuals to enhance cognition is said to be on the rise. Who is using these medications for cognitive enhancement, and how prevalent is this practice? Do prescription stimulants in fact enhance cognition for normal healthy people? We review the epidemiological and cognitive neuroscience…

[Analysis on composition principles of prescriptions for stranguria in dictionary of traditional Chinese medicine prescription].

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Sun, Jing-Chang; Wang, Miao-Miao

2014-03-01

By using traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system to analyze the dominant experience and recessive principles of the prescriptions for stranguria in the dictionary of traditional Chinese medicine prescription (DCMP), we aim to define the medication pattern and rule and to acquire new prescriptions. In dominant experience analysis, we were able to find 22 drugs used over 50 times, including drugs of clearing heat, diuresis and relieving stranguria which are the most used and drugs of clearing heat, cooling blood, benefiting Qi and nourishing Yin. In addition, drugs of activating Qi and Xue, eliminating phlegm and removing toxic are often used, including 34 herb pairs and 5 combinations of three-taste drugs are used more than 35 times. These results fully reflect the composition principles and compatibility characteristic of prescriptions for treating stranguria in DCMP. Thirteen new prescriptions by way of recessive principle excavating were acquired. These new prescriptions might be suitable to clinical treatments of variable syndromes. This article provides an useful clue to research and produce new drugs.

A review of countries' pharmacist-patient communication legal requirements on prescription medications and alignment with practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svensberg, Karin; Sporrong, Sofia Kälvemark; Björnsdottir, Ingunn

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Pharmacist-patient communication around prescription medications can optimize treatment outcomes. Society's expectations of pharmacist-patient communication around medications can be expressed in legislation, economic incentives, and authority control. In this study, the Nordic...... countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden provide the legislative examples and can be used as a platform to discuss how society's expectations, professional visions, and practice are aligning. OBJECTIVE: The overall aim of this study was to describe society's expectations of pharmacist......-patient communication around medications as expressed by the state in Nordic legislation, economic incentives and authority control. Additionally, this study describes how the states govern Nordic pharmacists in different pharmacy systems. METHOD: A legal review was performed using online legislative databases...

Opioid Prescriptions by Specialty in Ohio, 2010-2014.

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Weiner, Scott G; Baker, Olesya; Rodgers, Ann F; Garner, Chad; Nelson, Lewis S; Kreiner, Peter W; Schuur, Jeremiah D

2018-05-01

The current US opioid epidemic is attributed to the large volume of prescribed opioids. This study analyzed the contribution of different medical specialties to overall opioids by evaluating the pill counts and morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) of opioid prescriptions, stratified by provider specialty, and determined temporal trends. This was an analysis of the Ohio prescription drug monitoring program database, which captures scheduled medication prescriptions filled in the state as well as prescriber specialty. We extracted prescriptions for pill versions of opioids written in the calendar years 2010 to 2014. The main outcomes were the number of filled prescriptions, pill counts, MMEs, and extended-released opioids written by physicians in each specialty, and annual prescribing trends. There were 56,873,719 prescriptions for the studied opioids dispensed, for which 41,959,581 (73.8%) had prescriber specialty type available. Mean number of pills per prescription and MMEs were highest for physical medicine/rehabilitation (PM&R; 91.2 pills, 1,532 mg, N = 1,680,579), anesthesiology/pain (89.3 pills, 1,484 mg, N = 3,261,449), hematology/oncology (88.2 pills, 1,534 mg, N = 516,596), and neurology (84.4 pills, 1,230 mg, N = 573,389). Family medicine (21.8%) and internal medicine (17.6%) wrote the most opioid prescriptions overall. Time trends in the average number of pills and MMEs per prescription also varied depending on specialty. The numbers of pills and MMEs per opioid prescription vary markedly by prescriber specialty, as do trends in prescribing characteristics. Pill count and MME values define each specialty's contribution to overall opioid prescribing more accurately than the number of prescriptions alone.

Do internationally adopted children in the Netherlands use more medication than their non-adopted peers?

Science.gov (United States)

van Ginkel, Joost R; Juffer, Femmie; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H

2016-05-01

Empirical evidence has shown that international adoptees present physical growth delays, precocious puberty, behavioral problems, and mental health referrals more often than non-adoptees. We hypothesized that the higher prevalence of (mental) health problems in adoptees is accompanied by elevated consumption of prescription drugs, including antidepressants, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication, and medication for growth inhibition/stimulation. In an archival, population-based Dutch cohort study, data on medication use were available from the Health Care Insurance Board by Statistics Netherlands from 2006 to 2011. The Dutch population born between 1994 and 2005 and alive during the period of measurement was included (2,360,450 including 10,602 international adoptees, of which 4447 from China). Their mean age was 6.5 years at start (range 1-12 years) and 11.5 years at the end of the measurement period (range 6-17 years). Chinese female adoptees used less medication for precocious puberty (as treatment for precocious puberty; odds ratio (OR) = 0.57, effect size Cohen's d = -0.31) and contraception (OR = 0.65, d = -0.24) than non-adoptees. For both males and females, non-Chinese adoptees used more medication for ADHD than non-adoptees (males: OR = 1.22, females: OR = 1.32), but the effect was small (males: d = 0.11, females: d = 0.15). Adoptees in the Netherlands generally do not use more medication than their non-adopted peers. • Meta-analytical evidence shows that international adoptees present physical growth delays and mental health referrals more often than non-adopted controls. • With the exception of one Swedish study on ADHD medication, there is no other systematic research on medication use of international adoptees. What is New: • All differences in medication use between international adoptees in the Netherlands and non-adopted controls were below the threshold of a small effect with the exception

Abuse of prescription drugs.

OpenAIRE

Wilford, B B

1990-01-01

An estimated 3% of the United States population deliberately misuse or abuse psychoactive medications, with severe consequences. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than half of patients who sought treatment or died of drug-related medical problems in 1989 were abusing prescription drugs. Physicians who contribute to this problem have been described by the American Medical Association as dishonest--willfully misprescribing for purposes of abuse, usually for profit; disable...

Pattern of medication selling and self-medication practices: A study from Punjab, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, Muhammad Majid; Masood, Imran; Yousaf, Mahreen; Saleem, Hammad; Ye, Dan; Fang, Yu

2018-01-01

Access to medicines without prescription is a major contributing factor for self-medication practices. This study was designed to examine the ratio of non-prescribed medicines sales and self-medication practices in Punjab, Pakistan. This study also evaluates the reasons for self-medication within its communities. An observational study was conducted in 272 systemically selected pharmacies to analyze medicines-related sales, with or without prescription. A cross-sectional survey was performed between June 2015 and November 2016. Consumers were interviewed about their self-medication practices. Of the pharmacies surveyed, 65.3% participated in the study. A total of 4348 medicines were purchased for self-medication by 3037 consumers (15.2% of all study participants), of which 873 (28.7%) participated in an interview. Majority (81.2%) medicine purchaser, (90.9%) interview participants, and (59.4%) drug users were male. On average, each community pharmacy sold 7.9 medicines without prescription each day, to an average of 5.5 customers. Many participants (28.9%) had matriculation in their formal education. The medicines most often sold for self-medication were analgesics and antipyretics(39.4%). More than 25% of participants reported fever symptoms and 47.8% assumed their illness was too trivial to consult a doctor. Media advertisements were the most common source of information for participants (46.7%). Many types of medicines were often sold without prescription from community pharmacies. Self-medication was common practice for a wide range of illnesses. Pakistan also needs effective implementation of policies to monitor medication sales. Public education about rational medication and limits to advertising medicine are very necessary.

Electronic prescription as contributing factor for hospitalized patients' safety.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gimenes FRE

2006-03-01

Full Text Available The following study was performed to identify factors related to medication errors in the computerized physician order entry and their advantages and disadvantages according to doctors, nursing team and administrative officers. It is a survey descriptive study carried out at three units of a Brazilian academic hospital in the southeast area. The study was divided in two phases. In the first phase, we analyzed a total of 1,349 prescriptions from general medical unit, surgical and orthopaedic wards during 30 days consecutively. A semi-structured instrument, elaborated by a group of researchers for the study proposals, was used. In the second phase, a semi-structured questionnaire was applied to the health professionals containing closed and open items approaching their opinion about the composition of electronic prescription, the advantages and disadvantages of them, and their suggestions for its improvement. Out of 1,349 prescriptions observed, 17.5% presented deletions, 25.0% medicines written manually and 17.0% of them were incomplete. Some of the advantages pointed by health professionals were its legibility (37.5%, little time spent when elaborating and emitting them (20.5% and the way they are a practical and organized (8%. The disadvantages pointed were repetition of previous prescriptions (34%, typing mistakes (17%, dependence on computers (11% and alterations made manually (7%. We conclude, this way, that the computerized prescription order entry represents a great progress among the strategies used to minimize medication errors caused by prescriptions badly formulated. However, it doesn't eradicate the possibility of medication error occurrences, needing some system modifications.

Assessment of prescription sales in Ukraine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. V. Teterich

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Currently, the state of the national health system (health is characterized by a low level of funding for medical and pharmaceutical care and the lack of effective methods of free and preferential dispensing of medicines (drugs and compensation of their value. Thus the most urgent problem arises is unregulated drugs prescription, which is one of the main negative factors behind the rapid spread of self-medication and polypragmasy. Thus, improving drugs prescription dispensing is one of the current challenges of medicine and pharmacy management which should be solved to provide a safe, rational and effective drug therapy. The results of the questionnaire survey of doctors and pharmaceutical workers identified and explored key factors that contribute to a violation of drugs prescription. The authors analyzed the literature on the current state of drugs prescription in Ukraine, which resulted in selected priority issues that need resolution as soon as possible. Established that the main disadvantages of the national health care system is unreasonable approach to state regulation of the relevant system and the low level of funding. This situation prevents rational regulation of free and preferential delivery of drugs, the introduction of obligatory medical insurance and the reimbursement cost of drugs and other modern approaches that are effective in developed countries. Тhe main motive of view of legislative acts to implement strict drugs prescription in Ukraine is a link to international experience, guided by the standards of European and international practices that do not comply with the Law of Ukraine issued on 18.03.2004 № 1629-IV «On the National Program for Adaptation of Ukraine to the European Union, "and points to the disparity modern domestic rule-making European practice. The fundamental problem here is the comparison of the legal, social, financial and economic status of the counter in Ukraine with the countries in which the system

What nurse practitioners should know about direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medications.

Science.gov (United States)

Viale, Pamela Hallquist

2003-07-01

To describe the marketing strategies of direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising and the risks, benefits, and potential influence on the prescribing practices of nurse practitioners (NPs). Journal articles, media sources, and clinical experience. The effect of DTC advertising of prescription medications on NPs has not been well studied. Although there are studies that examine the effects of DTC advertising on physician prescribing as well as the effects of this practice on the consumer, opinions on the benefits of DTC advertising are varied. NPs need to recognize the potential influence of DTC advertising and to be prepared to guide patients toward appropriate medication choices by participating in a partnership with patients. Health care providers, including NPs, need to work with the pharmaceutical industry to encourage accountability of DTC advertising, thus improving dissemination of correct information and promoting positive outcomes for health consumers and patients.

Extent of dispensing prescription-only medications without a prescription in community drug retail outlets in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a simulated-patient study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erku DA

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Daniel Asfaw Erku,1 Abebe Basazn Mekuria,2 Abdrrahman Shemsu Surur,1 Begashaw Melaku Gebresillassie3 1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 2Department of Pharmacology, 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia Purpose: This study was aimed at assessing the extent of dispensing prescription-only medications without a prescription in community drug retail outlets (CDROs of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional observational study design was used to sample 31 pharmacies, 25 drug stores, and two rural drug vendors from August 11, 2015, to October 21, 2015, through a simple random sampling method. A simulated-patient method of visit was implemented to collect data. Requests of six tracer prescription-only medicines (amoxicillin + clavulanic acid capsule, amitriptyline, captopril, glibenclamide [also known as glyburide], omeprazole capsule, and sildenafil citrate and upper respiratory tract infection were selected as the simulated clinical scenario.Results: Amoxicillin–clavulanic acid capsule was dispensed when requested in 87.93% of the dispensaries. All of the CDROs dispensed omeprazole upon request. Sildenafil citrate (Viagra was in stock in 96.55% of the CDROs, all of which issued the requested number of tablets without asking why or for whom the drug was needed. Amitriptyline, captopril, and glibenclamide (glyburide were dispensed in 84.48%, 89.65%, and 87.93% of CDROs upon the provision of an empty container. Antibiotics were obtained from 75.86% of CDROs for presentation of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. Among the dispensed antibiotics, the most common was amoxicillin (93.18%, followed by amoxicillin–clavulanic acid capsule (72.72%, and azithromycin (50%. Only 4.5% of the dispensaries asked about drug allergies, and 15.9% of the CDROs informed the simulated patient about the possible side effects of the drugs.Conclusion: This study revealed a very high

Emergency department discharge prescription interventions by emergency medicine pharmacists.

Science.gov (United States)

Cesarz, Joseph L; Steffenhagen, Aaron L; Svenson, James; Hamedani, Azita G

2013-02-01

We determine the rate and details of interventions associated with emergency medicine pharmacist review of discharge prescriptions for patients discharged from the emergency department (ED). Additionally, we evaluate care providers' satisfaction with such services provided by emergency medicine pharmacists. This was a prospective observational study in the ED of an academic medical center that serves both adult and pediatric patients. Details of emergency medicine pharmacist interventions on discharge prescriptions were compiled with a standardized form. Interventions were categorized as error prevention or optimization of therapy. The staff of the ED was surveyed related to the influence and satisfaction of this new emergency medicine pharmacist-provided service. The 674 discharge prescriptions reviewed by emergency medicine pharmacists during the study period included 602 (89.3%) for adult patients and 72 (10.7%) for pediatric patients. Emergency medicine pharmacists intervened on 68 prescriptions, resulting in an intervention rate of 10.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.0% to 12.7%). The intervention rate was 8.5% (95% CI 6.4% to 11.1%) for adult prescriptions and 23.6% for pediatric prescriptions (95% CI 14.7% to 35.3%) (difference 15.1%; 95% CI 5.1% to 25.2%). There were a similar number of interventions categorized as error prevention and optimization of medication therapy, 37 (54%) and 31 (46%), respectively. More than 95% of survey respondents believed that the new pharmacist services improved patient safety, optimized medication regimens, and improved patient satisfaction. Emergency medicine pharmacist review of discharge prescriptions for discharged ED patients has the potential to significantly improve patient care associated with suboptimal prescriptions and is highly valued by ED care providers. Copyright © 2012. Published by Mosby, Inc.

Manipulation of prescriptions by patients - what must a doctor do?

Science.gov (United States)

DeSousa, Avinash

2016-01-01

Over-the-counter use of medication via chemists, including the use of psychiatric medication, has always been a cause of worry in the Indian subcontinent. Over the last two years, the rules on dispensing psychiatric medication have become stringent and chemists have to dispense the exact amount of medicine written on the prescription for the time duration mentioned. The chemist also stamps the prescription with the amount of medicine dispensed so that the patient does not use the prescription at another chemist's or counter to obtain more than the amount prescribed. This means that patients must follow up with the psychiatrist regularly, have themselves evaluated, and get a fresh prescription that must be signed by the doctor and also carry his seal. There are many patients who do not adhere to this rule. Many a time, chemists who have known a patient over the years tend to continue dispensing medication to the patient for durations which far exceed that prescribed by the doctor. This is rather dangerous as the patient may end up taking antidepressants, antipsychotics and sedatives for months or at times, years, without a valid prescription. They may also develop side-effects that could ensue under unsupervised consumption.

Status of Emergency Contraceptives in Europe One Year after the European Medicines Agency's Recommendation to Switch Ulipristal Acetate to Non-Prescription Status.

Science.gov (United States)

Italia, Salvatore; Brand, Helmut

2016-01-01

In November 2014, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended switching the emergency contraceptive (EMC) ulipristal acetate to non-prescription status. This study's objective is to assess the current legal status of the two EMCs ulipristal acetate and levonorgestrel in Europe and to report on the development of sales figures for EMCs since they were made freely available. Health authorities were contacted in autumn 2015 and asked about the current status of EMCs and whether the sales figures had changed after a switch to non-prescription status. Additionally, data on consumption were collected in 18 German community pharmacies. As of November 2015, most countries in the European Union (EU) have followed the EMA recommendation. Hungary kept the prescription-only status. In Malta, EMC drugs are not authorized. Germany and Croatia switched levonorgestrel to non-prescription status as well. Of the EU candidate and European Free Trade Association countries, ulipristal acetate is available without prescription in Norway and Bosnia and Herzegovina only. Several countries reported an increase in EMC sales since the switch. An EMA recommendation can strongly contribute to the harmonization of a drug's legal status in the EU. In most European countries, ulipristal acetate and/or levonorgestrel are now freely available. © 2016 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

El soporte nutrimental y su relación con algunos indicadores pronósticos del niño quemado Nutritional support and its relation to some prognostic indicators of burnt child

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro Torres Amaro

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Introducción: las quemaduras constituyen una de las principales causas de accidentes en el niño. El tamaño de estas y el estado hipercatabólico son determinantes de la dinámica del tratamiento y la supervivencia del niño con grandes quemaduras. Objetivo: buscar la posible relación entre el soporte nutrimental establecido en las primeras horas después de la reanimación, y algunos indicadores pronósticos en niños quemados. Métodos: se realizó un estudio retrospectivo, de carácter analítico, que incluyó a 252 niños que tuvieron un ingreso en el servicio de quemados del Hospital Pediátrico Docente "Juan Manuel Márquez"de Marianao, en La Habana, con estadía superior a los 7 días, durante el decenio 2000-2009. A partir de la auditoría de las historias clínicas se obtuvieron los indicadores siguientes del pronóstico del niño quemado: superficie corporal quemada, tiempo de estadía, por ciento de pérdida de peso y mortalidad. De la misma forma se obtuvo la información acerca del tipo de soporte nutrimental metabólico empleado durante el tratamiento. Resultados: el tipo de soporte nutrimental metabólico más empleado fue el mixto, en el que se combinan las modalidades enteral y parenteral periférica, que abarcó al 52 % de los pacientes tratados. Los niños con menor por ciento de pérdida de peso (inferior al 10 % recibieron la forma enteral exclusiva (53,1 % de los casos tratados; en el 37,4 % el soporte fue mixto, pero usando la modalidad periférica de uso parenteral. Conclusiones: la estrategia nutrimental empleada en el niño quemado puede modificar algunos indicadores del pronóstico y debe ser una prioridad terapéutica para prevenir el deterioro clínico de estos pacientes.Introduction: burns are one of the major causes of accidents in child. Its size and the hypercatabolic status are determinant factors of treatment dynamics and the survival of child with large burns. Objective: to look for the possible relation

Potentially inappropriate medications in elderly Japanese patients: effects of pharmacists' assessment and intervention based on Screening Tool of Older Persons' Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions criteria ver.2.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, T; Ogura, F; Yamamoto, K; Uda, A; Nishioka, T; Kume, M; Makimoto, H; Yano, I; Hirai, M

2017-04-01

The Screening Tool of Older Persons' Potentially Inappropriate Prescriptions (stopp) criteria were updated in 2014 (stopp criteria ver.2), but few studies have evaluated the usefulness of stopp criteria in elderly patients. This prospective observational study evaluated the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), and the efficacy of hospital pharmacists' assessment and intervention based on stopp criteria ver.2. The study was conducted at three medical units of Kobe University Hospital between April 2015 and March 2016. Pharmacists assessed and detected PIMs based on stopp criteria ver.2 and considered the patient's intention to change the prescription at the time of admission of each patient. If the pharmacists judged that benefits outweighed risks of prescription change and the patients consented to change the medications, they recommended the doctor to change the prescription. If there was a risk of exacerbation of disease by the change of medications and the pharmacists judged it to be difficult to adjust medications during hospitalization or the patients did not consent to change the medications, they did not recommend to change it. The pharmacists and the doctors discussed and finally decided whether to change the PIMs or not. The number of patients prescribed PIMs, the number and contents of PIMs, and the number of medications changed after pharmacists' intervention were calculated. Totally, 822 new inpatients aged ≥65 years prescribed ≥1 daily medicine were included. Their median (interquartile range) age was 75·0 (71·0-80·0) years, and 54·9% were male. According to the criteria, 346 patients (42·1%) were prescribed ≥1 PIMs. Patients prescribed PIMs took significantly more medications than others: 10·0 (7·0-13·0) vs. 6·0 (4·0-9·0), P older people (benzodiazepines) (30/67) and (iii) drugs that predictably increase the risk of falls in older people (hypnotic Z-drugs) (15/31). Over 40% elderly patients were prescribed PIMs

Governmental oversight of prescribing medications: history of the US Food and Drug Administration and prescriptive authority.

Science.gov (United States)

Plank, Linda S

2011-01-01

The evolution of drug regulation and awarding of prescriptive authority is a complex and sometimes convoluted process that can be confusing for health care providers. A review of the history of how drugs have been manufactured and dispensed helps explain why this process has been so laborious and complicated. Because the federal and state governments have the responsibility for protecting the public, most regulations have been passed with the intentions of ensuring consumer safety. The current system of laws and regulations is the result of many years of using the legal system to correct drug marketing that had adverse health consequences. Government oversight will continue as prescribing medications transitions to an electronic form and as health care professionals in addition to physicians seek to gain prescriptive authority. © 2011 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Routes of abuse of prescription opioid analgesics: a review and assessment of the potential impact of abuse-deterrent formulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gasior, Maciej; Bond, Mary; Malamut, Richard

2016-01-01

Prescription opioid analgesics are an important treatment option for patients with chronic pain; however, misuse, abuse and diversion of these medications are a major global public health concern. Prescription opioid analgesics can be abused via intended and non-intended routes of administration, both intact or after manipulation of the original formulation to alter the drug-delivery characteristics. Available data indicate that ingestion (with or without manipulation of the prescribed formulation) is the most prevalent route of abuse, followed by inhalation (snorting, smoking and vaping) and injection. However, reported routes of abuse vary considerably between different formulations. A number of factors have been identified that appear to be associated with non-oral routes of abuse, including a longer duration of abuse, younger age, male sex and a rural or socially deprived location. The development of abuse-deterrent formulations of prescription opioid analgesics is an important step toward reducing abuse of these medications. Available abuse-deterrent formulations aim to hinder extraction of the active ingredient, prevent administration through alternative routes and/or make abuse of the manipulated product less attractive, less rewarding or even aversive. There are currently five opioid analgesics with a Food and Drug Administration abuse-deterrent label, and a number of other products are under review. A growing body of evidence suggests that introduction of abuse-deterrent opioid analgesics in the USA has been associated with decreased rates of abuse of these formulations. The availability of abuse-deterrent formulations therefore appears to represent an important step toward curbing the epidemic of abuse of prescription opioid analgesics, while ensuring the availability of effective pain medications for patients with legitimate medical need.

The 340B discount program: outpatient prescription dispensing patterns through contract pharmacies in 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Bobby L; Hou, John; Chou, Chia-Hung; Huang, Elbert S; Conti, Rena

2014-11-01

Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act provides qualified organizations serving vulnerable populations with deep discounts for some outpatient medications. A 2010 regulatory change widely expanded the 340B program's reach, allowing these organizations to contract with retail pharmacies to dispense medications for eligible patients. Little is known about which medications are dispensed by contract pharmacies under the expanded program. We provide the first comparison of 340B prescriptions and all prescriptions dispensed in contract pharmacies. We used 2012 data from Walgreens, the national leader in 340B contract pharmacies. Medications used to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol levels, asthma, and depression accounted for an overwhelming majority of all prescriptions dispensed at Walgreens as part of the 340B program. A higher percentage of antiretrovirals used to treat HIV/AIDS were dispensed through 340B prescriptions than through all prescriptions dispensed at Walgreens. The majority of 340B prescriptions dispensed at Walgreens originated at tuberculosis clinics, consolidated health centers, disproportionate-share hospitals, and Ryan White clinics. Our results suggest that 340B contract pharmacies dispense medications used to treat Americans' chronic disease burden and disproportionately dispense medications used by key vulnerable populations targeted by the program. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

The Prescription Opioid Pain Medication Overdose Epidemic

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2016-04-19

Overdose related to prescription opioids has become an epidemic. This podcast discusses the risks of this type of drug sometimes used to treat pain, and how to protect yourself. .  Created: 4/19/2016 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 4/19/2016.

The Canary in the Coal Mine Tweets: Social Media Reveals Public Perceptions of Non-Medical Use of Opioids.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Brian; Lopez, Andrea; Sarkar, Urmimala

2015-01-01

Non-medical prescription opioid use is a growing public health concern. Social media is an emerging tool to understand health attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. We retrieved a sample of publicly available Twitter messages in early 2014, using common opioid medication names and slang search terms. We used content analysis to code messages by user, context of message (personal vs general experiences), and key content themes. We reviewed 540 messages, of which 375 (69%) messages were related to opioid behaviors. Of these, 316 (84%) originated from individual user accounts; 125 messages expressed personal experience with opioids. The majority of personal messages referenced using opioids to obtain a "high", use for sleep, or other non-intended use (87,70%). General attitudes regarding opioid use included positive sentiment (52, 27%), comments on others peoples opioid use (57, 30%), and messages containing public health information or links (48, 25%). In a sample of social media messages mentioning opioid medications, the most common theme amongst English users related to various forms of opioid misuse. Social media can provide insights into the types of misuse of opioids that might aid public health efforts to reduce non-medical opioid use.

[Standardization of names in prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicines].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chao-Feng; Zhang, Yu-Jun; Fan, Dong-He; Zhang, Meng-Jie; Bai, Xue; Yang, Wen-Hua; Qi, Shu-Ya; Zhang, Zhi-Jie; Xue, Chun-Miao; Mao, Liu-Ying; Cao, Jun-Ling

2017-01-01

Chinese medicine prescriptions are a type of medical documents written by doctors after they understand the patients' conditions for syndrome differentiation. Chinese medicine prescriptions are also the basis for pharmacy personnel to dispense medicines and guide patients to use drugs. It has the legal, technical and economic significances. Chinese medicine prescriptions contain such information of names, quantity and usage. Whether the names of drugs in Chinese medicine prescriptions are standardized or not is directly related to the safety and efficacy of the drugs. At present, nonstandard clinical prescriptions are frequently seen. With "Chinese medicine prescription", "names of drug in Chinese medicine prescription" and "standards of Chinese medicine prescription" as key words, the author searched CNKI, Wanfang and other databases, and consulted nearly 100 literatures, so as to summarize current names of drugs in traditional Chinese medicine prescription, analyze the reasons, and give suggestions, in the expectation of standardizing the names of drugs used in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Implications of prescription drug monitoring and medical cannabis legislation on opioid overdose mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Elyse; Gazmararian, Julie

To determine whether specific state legislation has an effect on opioid overdose mortality rates compared to states without those types of legislation. Ecological study estimating opioid-related mortality in states with and without a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) and/or medical cannabis legislation. Opioid-related mortality rates for 50 states and Washington DC from 2011 to 2014 were obtained from CDC WONDER. PDMP data were obtained from the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws, and data on medical cannabis legislation from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The relationship between PDMPs with mandatory access provisions, medical cannabis legislation, and opioid-related mortality rates. Multivariate repeated measures analysis performed with software and services. Medical cannabis laws were associated with an increase of 21.7 percent in mean age-adjusted opioid-related mortality (p cannabis (p = 0.049) and 5.8 percent for states with a PDMP (p = 0.005). Interaction between both types of legislation produced a borderline significant decrease of 10.1 percent (p = 0.055). For every year states had both types of legislation, interaction resulted in a 0.6 percent decrease in rate (p = 0.013). When combined with the availability of medical cannabis as an alternative analgesic therapy, PDMPs may be more effective at decreasing opioid-related mortality.

Prevalence and pattern of prescription errors in a Nigerian kidney ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Setting: Kidney Care Centre is a public Specialist hospital. ... Main outcome measures: Prevalence of prescription errors, pattern of prescription errors, pharmacist's intervention. ... A medication quality assurance unit is needed in our hospitals.

Asthma prescription patterns for children: can GPs do better?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Uijen, J.H.J.M.; Wouden, J.C. van der; Schellevis, F.G.; Willemsen, S.P.; Suijlekom-Smit, L.W.A. van; Bindels, P.J.E.

2011-01-01

Background: Assessing prescription patterns of asthma medication for children is helpful to optimize prescribing by general practitioners (GPs). The aim was to explore prescription patterns in children with physician-diagnosed asthma and its determinants in general practice. Methods: We used the

A battle over birth "control": legal and legislative employer prescription contraception benefit mandates.

Science.gov (United States)

Loomis, C Keanin

2002-12-01

Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), employers are prohibited from discriminating against women by treating pregnancy and childbirth different from other medical conditions. Employers who offer medical benefits to their employees have thus been required to cover pregnancy-related medical costs on the same terms as other medical coverage. The cost of prescription contraception, however, has generally not been covered by employer-sponsored medical plans, even while other prescription drugs were. This Note examines the recent case of Erickson v. Bartell Drug Co., which challenged this practice of excluding prescription contraception coverage as discriminatory under the PDA, and argues that further federal legislation is necessary to ensure the equal treatment of women in the workplace.

[Analysis on traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions treating cancer based on traditional Chinese medicine inheritance assistance system and discovery of new prescriptions].

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Ming; Cao, Qi-chen; Su, Yu-xi; Sui, Xin; Yang, Hong-jun; Huang, Lu-qi; Wang, Wen-ping

2015-08-01

Malignant tumor is one of the main causes for death in the world at present as well as a major disease seriously harming human health and life and restricting the social and economic development. There are many kinds of reports about traditional Chinese medicine patent prescriptions, empirical prescriptions and self-made prescriptions treating cancer, and prescription rules were often analyzed based on medication frequency. Such methods were applicable for discovering dominant experience but hard to have an innovative discovery and knowledge. In this paper, based on the traditional Chinese medicine inheritance assistance system, the software integration of mutual information improvement method, complex system entropy clustering and unsupervised entropy-level clustering data mining methods was adopted to analyze the rules of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for cancer. Totally 114 prescriptions were selected, the frequency of herbs in prescription was determined, and 85 core combinations and 13 new prescriptions were indentified. The traditional Chinese medicine inheritance assistance system, as a valuable traditional Chinese medicine research-supporting tool, can be used to record, manage, inquire and analyze prescription data.

Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising: history, regulation, and issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Huh, Jisu; DeLorme, Denise E; Reid, Leonard N; An, Soontae

2010-03-01

Direct-to-consumer advertising has changed the way prescription drugs are marketed in the United States. This article traces the history of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription and over-the-counter medications and describes how drug advertising is regulated and by whom. It also discusses the controversies that surround direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription drugs.

Original Research Prescription pattern of antihypertensive ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2017 The College of Medicine and the Medical Association of Malawi. This work is licensed ... This study assessed the prescription pattern of antihypertensive medications and BP .... Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social. Sciences ... chi-square test was used to determine the significance of observed ...

Association between childhood maltreatment and non-medical prescription opioid use among Chinese senior high school students: The moderating role of gender.

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Yiling; Xi, Chuhao; Li, Pengsheng; Luo, Min; Wang, Wanxin; Pan, Siyuan; Gao, Xue; Xu, Yan; Huang, Guoliang; Deng, Xueqing; Guo, Lan; Lu, Ciyong

2018-08-01

Non-medical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) and childhood maltreatment are currently serious problems among adolescents worldwide, and childhood maltreatment may be associated with the increased rates of NMPOU. This study examined the specific associations between particular types of childhood maltreatment and lifetime NMPOU and assessed whether gender has a moderating effect on these associations. A 3-stage, stratified cluster, randomized sampling method was used to collect data from 11,194 high school students in Chongqing. The prevalence of the lifetime NMPOU among senior high school students in Chongqing was 7.7%. Physical abuse (AOR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.07-1.14), emotional abuse (AOR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.03-1.08), sexual abuse (AOR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.01-1.07), physical neglect (AOR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.04-1.09), and emotional neglect (AOR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.02-1.04) were all positively associated with lifetime NMPOU. The moderating effects of gender on emotional abuse (P = 0.004) and sexual abuse (P = 0.019) were statistically significant in the adjusted model of lifetime NMPOU. According to the stratification analyses in which the male and female students were analyzed separately, female students who previously experienced emotional/sexual abuse had a higher prevalence of lifetime NMPOU. The study sample only contained school students and cross-sectional design limited our ability to make causal inferences. Childhood maltreatment was positively associated with lifetime NMPOU, and gender had a moderating effect on the associations between childhood maltreatment and lifetime NMPOU. Early identification of and intervention for childhood maltreatment victims, particularly female victims, may help reduce the lifetime risk of NMPOU. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ensuring safe access to medication for palliative care while preventing prescription drug abuse: innovations for American inner cities, rural areas, and communities overwhelmed by addiction

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Francoeur RB

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Richard B FrancoeurSchool of Social Work, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, USA; Center for the Psychosocial Study of Health and Illness, Columbia University, New York, NY, USAAbstract: This article proposes and develops novel components of community-oriented programs for creating and affording access to safe medication dispensing centers in existing retail pharmacies and in permanent or travelling pharmacy clinics that are guarded by assigned or off-duty police officers. Pharmacists at these centers would work with police, medical providers, social workers, hospital administrators, and other professionals in: planning and overseeing the safe storage of controlled substance medications in off-site community safe-deposit boxes; strengthening communication and cooperation with the prescribing medical provider; assisting the prescribing medical provider in patient monitoring (checking the state prescription registry, providing pill counts and urine samples; expanding access to lower-cost, and in some cases, abuse-resistant formulations of controlled substance medications; improving transportation access for underserved patients and caregivers to obtain prescriptions; and integrating community agencies and social networks as resources for patient support and monitoring. Novel components of two related community-oriented programs, which may be hosted outside of safe medication dispensing centers, are also suggested and described: (1 developing medication purchasing cooperatives (ie, to help patients, families, and health institutions afford the costs of medications, including tamper- or abuse-resistant/deterrent drug formulations; and (2 expanding the role of inner-city methadone maintenance treatment programs in palliative care (ie, to provide additional patient monitoring from a second treatment team focusing on narcotics addiction, and potentially, to serve as an untapped source of opioid medication for pain that is less subject to abuse

A Theoretical Approach to Electronic Prescription System: Lesson Learned from Literature Review

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Samadbeik, Mahnaz; Ahmadi, Maryam; Hosseini Asanjan, Seyed Masoud

2013-01-01

Context The tendency to use advanced technology in healthcare and the governmental policies have put forward electronic prescription. Electronic prescription is considered as the main solution to overcome the major drawbacks of the paper-based medication prescription, such as transcription errors. This study aims to provide practical information concerning electronic prescription system to a variety of stakeholders. Evidence Acquisition In this review study, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE databases, Iranian National Library Of Medicine (INLM) portal, Google Scholar, Google and Yahoo were searched for relevant English publications concerning the problems of paper-based prescription, and concept, features, levels, benefits, stakeholders and standards of electronic prescription system. Results There are many problems with the paper prescription system which, according to studies have jeopardized patients’ safety and negatively affected the outcomes of medication therapy. All of these problems are remedied through the implementation of e-prescriptions. Conclusions The sophistication of electronic prescription and integration with EHR will become a reality, if all its stakeholders collaborate in developing fast and secure electronic prescription systems. It is plausible that the required infrastructure should be provided for implementation of the national integrated electronic prescription systems in countries without the system. Given the barriers to the implementation and use, policymakers should consider multiple strategies and offer incentives to encourage e-prescription initiatives. This will result in widespread adoption of the system. PMID:24693376

INFLUENCIA DEL CLIMA, HUMEDAD DEL SUELO Y ÉPOCA DE FLORACIÓN SOBRE LA BIOMASA Y COMPOSICIÓN NUTRIMENTAL DE FRUTOS DE AGUACATE "HASS" EN MICHOACÁN, MÉXICO

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Samuel Salazar-García

2011-01-01

Full Text Available El amplio periodo de cosecha del aguacate "Hass" en Michoacán se debe a la diversidad de condiciones de cultivo y a la ocurrencia de múltiples flujos vegetativos que resultan en varios flujos de floración y épocas de cosecha. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la influencia de tres condiciones climáticas (semicálido subhúmedo, semicálido húmedo y templado subhúmedo, el régimen de humedad del suelo (con y sin riego y la época de floración ("loca": agosto-septiembre, "normal": diciembre-febrero, y "marceña": febrero-marzo, sobre la biomasa de diferentes partes del fruto y su composición nutrimental. Se seleccionaron seis árboles en cada uno de seis huertos comerciales y de cada árbol se tomaron 10 frutos (¿ 21.5 % materia seca de la pulpa por época de floración. Los frutos fueron seprados en epidermis, pulpa, testa y embrión. A cada parte se le determinó peso fresco (PF, peso seco (PS, materia seca (MS y composición nutrimental. A diferencia del clima y régimen de humedad del suelo, la época de floración afectó el PF, PS y MS de las partes del fruto,así como su composición nutrimental, especialmente K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn y B. En el clima templado subhúmedo se tuvieron los mayores contenidos de N y Mn en epidermis; N, P, K, Ca y Mg en pulpa; Mg, S, Cu y Mn en testa, y B en testa y embrión. Los huertos sin riego mostraron concentraciones más altas de Ca, S y Cu en epidermis; P, K, Mn, Ca y Cu en pulpa; K, Mn y Cu en testa, y de P, K, Mn en embrión

Antibiotic prescription strategies for acute sore throat: a prospective observational cohort study.

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Little, Paul; Stuart, Beth; Hobbs, F D Richard; Butler, Chris C; Hay, Alastair D; Delaney, Brendan; Campbell, John; Broomfield, Sue; Barratt, Paula; Hood, Kerenza; Everitt, Hazel; Mullee, Mark; Williamson, Ian; Mant, David; Moore, Michael

2014-03-01

Data from trials suggest that antibiotics reduce the risk of complications of sore throat by at least 50%, but few trials for complications have been done in modern settings, and datasets of delayed antibiotic prescription are underpowered. Observational evidence is important in view of poor compliance with antibiotic treatment outside trials, but no prospective observational cohort studies have been done to date. We generated a large prospective cohort from the DESCARTE study, and the PRISM component of DESCARTE, of 12,829 adults presenting with sore throat (≤ 2 weeks duration) in primary care. Our follow-up of the cohort was based on a detailed and structured review of routine medical records, and analysis of the comparison of three antibiotic prescription strategies (no antibiotic prescription, immediate antibiotic prescription, and delayed antibiotic prescription) to control for the propensity to prescribe antibiotics. Information about antibiotic prescription was recorded in 12,677 individuals (4805 prescribed no antibiotics, 6088 prescribed antibiotics immediately, and 1784 prescribed delayed antibiotics). We documented by review of patients' notes (n=11,950) the development of suppurative complications (eg, quinsy, impetigo and cellulitis, otitis media, and sinusitis) or reconsultation with new or non-resolving symptoms). We used multivariate analysis to control for variables significantly related to the propensity to prescribe antibiotics and for clustering by general practitioner. 164 (1.4%) of the 11,950 patients with information available developed complications; otitis media and sinusitis were the most common complications (101 patients [62%]). Compared with no antibiotic prescription, immediate antibiotic prescription was associated with fewer complications (adjusted risk ratio [RR] 0.62, 95% CI 0.43-0.91, estimated number needed to treat [NNT 193) as was delayed prescription of antibiotics (0.58, 0.34-0.98; NNT 174). 1787 of the 11,950 patients (15

Unintentional prescription opioid-related overdose deaths: description of decedents by next of kin or best contact, Utah, 2008-2009.

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Johnson, Erin M; Lanier, William A; Merrill, Ray M; Crook, Jacob; Porucznik, Christina A; Rolfs, Robert T; Sauer, Brian

2013-04-01

Little is known about the characteristics that may predispose an individual to being at risk for fatal overdose from prescription opioids. To identify characteristics related to unintentional prescription opioid overdose deaths in Utah. Interviews were conducted (October 2008-October 2009) with a relative or friend most knowledgeable about the decedent's life. Analyses involved 254 decedents aged 18 or older, where cause of death included overdose on at least one prescription opioid. Decedents were more likely to be middle-aged, Caucasian, non-Hispanic/Latino, less educated, not married, or reside in rural areas than the general adult population in Utah. In the year prior to death, 87.4 % were prescribed prescription pain medication. Reported potential misuse prescription pain medication in the year prior to their death was high (e.g., taken more often than prescribed [52.9 %], obtained from more than one doctor during the previous year [31.6 %], and used for reasons other than treating pain [29.8 %, almost half of which "to get high"]). Compared with the general population, decedents were more likely to experience financial problems, unemployment, physical disability, mental illness (primarily depression), and to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and use illicit drugs. The primary source of prescription pain medication was from a healthcare provider (91.8 %), but other sources (not mutually exclusive) included: for free from a friend or relative (24 %); from someone without their knowledge (18.2 %); purchase from a friend, relative, or acquaintance (16.4 %); and purchase from a dealer (not a pharmacy) (11.6 %). The large majority of decedents were prescribed opioids for management of chronic pain and many exhibited behaviors indicative of prescribed medication misuse. Financial problems, unemployment, physical disability, depression, and substance use (including illegal drugs) were also common.

Motives for nonmedical use of prescription opioids among high school seniors in the United States: self-treatment and beyond.

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McCabe, Sean Esteban; Boyd, Carol J; Cranford, James A; Teter, Christian J

2009-08-01

To assess motives for nonmedical use of prescription opioids among US high school seniors and examine associations between motives for nonmedical use and other substance use behaviors. Nationally representative samples of US high school seniors (modal age 18 years) were surveyed during the spring of their senior year via self-administered questionnaires. Data were collected in public and private high schools. The sample consisted of 5 cohorts (2002-2006) of 12 441 high school seniors. Self-reports of motives for nonmedical use of prescription opioids and substance use behaviors. More than 1 in every 10 high school seniors reported nonmedical use of prescription opioids and 45% of past-year nonmedical users reported "to relieve physical pain" as an important motivation. The odds of heavy drinking and other drug use were lower among nonmedical users of prescription opioids motivated only by pain relief compared with nonmedical users who reported pain relief and other motives and those who reported non-pain relief motives only. The odds of medical use of prescription opioids were lower among nonmedical users who reported only non-pain relief motives compared with other types of nonmedical users. The findings indicate motives should be considered when working with adolescents who report nonmedical use of prescription opioids. Future efforts are needed to identify adolescents who may need appropriate pain management and those at increased risk for prescription opioid abuse.

Prescription Pattern Analysis of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in the Northeastern Iranian Population.

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Zeinali, Majid; Tabeshpour, Jamshid; Maziar, Seyed Vahid; Taherzadeh, Zhila; Zirak, Mohammad Reza; Sent, Danielle; Azarkhiavi, Kamal Razavi; Eslami, Saeid

2017-01-01

Inappropriate nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) therapy is a common cause of actual and potential adverse effects, such as bleeding and gastrointestinal ulceration, which exacerbates the patient's medical condition and might even be life threatening. We aimed to evaluate and analyze the prescription pattern of NSAIDs in Northeastern Iranian population and also provide suggestions for a more rational prescription behavior for such drugs. In this cross-sectional retrospective study, pattern of 1-year prescriptions was inspected based on 9.3 million prescriptions from two insurance companies. Type of NSAIDs, all dispensed doses and the number of NSAIDs ordered per prescription, and the route of administration for each patient were extracted from the databases. The prescription pattern of NSAIDs was analyzed seasonally. Out of 9,303,585 prescriptions, 19.3% contained at least one NSAID. Diclofenac was the most commonly prescribed NSAID (49.21%). At least two NSAIDs were simultaneously prescribed in 7% of prescriptions. General practitioners prescribed NSAIDs more frequently (67%) than specialists. Orthopedic surgeons and internists more frequently prescribed NSAIDs in comparison with other physicians (6% and 4%, respectively). Gastroprotective agents (GPAs) were coprescribed to only 7.62% of prescriptions. The frequency of NSAIDs prescription was relatively high in Northeast of Iran. A significant number of prescriptions were associated with irrational prescribing in both coadministration of NSAIDs and GPAs and NSAIDs combination. A strategy must be developed and implemented for prescribing and rational use of medications, e.g., continuing medical education regarding the potential risks of NSAIDs, importance of their appropriate and rational use, and necessity of appropriate prescription writing regarding both content and indication.

Prescription Writing Errors of Midwifery Students in Common Gynecological problems

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Serveh Parang

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Background and aim: Giving improper prescriptions is common among medical practitioners, mostly graduates, in most communities even developed countries. So far, to our knowledge, no study has been conducted on prescription writing of graduate midwifery students. Therefore, this study aimed to detect prescription writing errors of midwifery students in common gynecological problems. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 56 bachelor midwifery students, who had passed the theoretical and clinical courses of gynecology, were evaluated by Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE. A demographic questionnaire and a standard checklist for writing the prescriptions and medications were used for data collection. SPSS Version 16 was used to carry out descriptive statistics. Findings: Most of the students were single, with the mean age of 23.0±1.7 years. Most errors were related to not recording the patients’ age and sex, diagnosis, chief complaint, and the prescriber’s name (observed in less than 10% of the prescriptions. The complete dosage schedule and drug name were stated only in 1.8±4.8 and 14±18.6 of prescriptions, respectively. In more than 93% of the cases, route of use and treatment duration were not recorded. Conclusion: According to the results, the number of prescription errors of midwifery students was high. Therefore, it is recommended to run educational courses on prescription writing skills (e.g. writing prescriptions based on World Health Organization (WHO guidelines for the midwifery students.

Matching of treatment-resistant heroin-dependent patients to medical prescription of heroin or oral methadone treatment: results from two randomized controlled trials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blanken, Peter; Hendriks, Vincent M.; Koeter, Maarten W. J.; van Ree, Jan M.; van den Brink, Wim

2005-01-01

AIMS: To investigate which baseline patient characteristics of treatment-resistant heroin addicts differentially predicted treatment response to medical heroin prescription compared to standard methadone maintenance treatment. DESIGN: Two open-label randomized controlled trials; pooled data.

Use of a generic protocol in documentation of prescription errors in Estonia, Norway and Sweden

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Haavik S

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Pharmacists have an important role in detecting, preventing, and solving prescription problems, which if left unresolved, may pose a risk of harming the patient.Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of a generic study instrument for documentation of prescription problems requiring contact with prescriber before dispensing. The study was organized: 1 by countries: Estonia, Norway and Sweden; 2 by type of prescriptions: handwritten prescriptions, printouts of prescriptions in the electronic medical record and electronically transmitted prescriptions to pharmacies; and 3 by recording method - self-completion by pharmacists and independent observers.Methods: Observational study with independent observers at community pharmacies in Estonia (n=4 and Sweden (n=7 and self-completed protocols in Norway (n=9.Results: Pharmacists’ in Estonia contacted the prescriber for 1.47% of the prescriptions, about 3 times as often as in Norway (0.45% and Sweden (0.38%. Handwritten prescriptions dominated among the problem prescriptions in Estonia (73.2%, printouts of prescriptions in the electronic medical record (89.1% in Norway and electronically transmitted prescriptions to pharmacies (55.9% in Sweden.More administrative errors were identified on handwritten prescriptions and printouts of prescriptions in the electronic medical record in Estonia and in Norway compared with electronically transmitted prescriptions to pharmacies in Sweden (p<0.05 for prescription types and p<0.01 for countries. However, clinically important errors and delivery problems appeared equally often on the different types of prescriptions. In all three countries, only few cases of drug interactions and adverse drug reactions were identified.Conclusion: Despite the different patterns of prescription problems in three countries, the instrument was feasible and can be regarded appropriate to document and classify prescription problems necessitating contact

Providing an information prescription in veterinary medical clinics: a pilot study.

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Kogan, Lori R; Schoenfeld-Tacher, Regina; Gould, Lauren; Viera, Ann R; Hellyer, Peter W

2014-01-01

The study assesses the impact on client behavior and attitudes toward receiving an information prescription as part of a veterinary office visit. A random sample of veterinary clinics from a Western US metropolitan area was asked to distribute an information prescription in addition to their customary veterinary services. All clients, regardless of the reason for their visit, were presented with an information prescription: a handout that included the uniform resource locator (URL) to a general veterinary medicine website and several tips to help their clients make more informed choices about where to seek pet health information online. Nearly 40% of clients who reported that they remembered receiving the information prescription accessed the website at least once. Of the clients who reported accessing the suggested website, 86.3% reported finding it "very helpful" or "somewhat helpful." Nearly all the clients (87.9%) reported feeling the information on the site helped them make better decisions for their pets. Most clients reported that it helped them talk to their veterinarians (89.9%) and added to the information they received during their veterinary visits (83.5%). Clients appreciate and utilize veterinary prescriptions, suggesting that this is a tool that both veterinarians and librarians can use to improve animal health and client relations. The value placed on reliable Internet information by veterinary clients suggests several opportunities for librarians to become more proactive in partnering with veterinarians to facilitate the education of pet owners.

One in 3 prescriptions are never redeemed: primary nonadherence in an outpatient clinic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Storm, A.; Andersen, S.E.; Benfeldt, E.

2008-01-01

or hospitalizations within 4 weeks. RESULTS: In all, 30.7% of the 322 eligible patients did not collect their medication. Patients with psoriasis were least adherent with nearly 50% of the prescriptions being unredeemed. LIMITATIONS: Only initial prescriptions for previously untried medications issued to hospital...

Two Years of ePrescription in Slovenia - Applications and Potentials.

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Stanimirovic, Dalibor; Savic, Dusan

2018-01-01

ePrescription is one of the most successful eHealth solutions in Slovenia. Since its national roll-out in early 2016, the quality of its operations has been constantly improving, and the number of users has been growing ever since to reach today's 90% of all healthcare providers. ePrescription facilitates more transparent and safer prescribing of medications, an overview of possible medication interactions, and reduction of administrative and opportunity costs. This paper initially explores the current state of ePrescription in Slovenia and different aspects of its application. Based on the research findings, the paper finally outlines potentials of ePrescription, which could be transformed into tangible benefits with particular implications for healthcare system. The research is based on focus group methodology. Structured discussions were conducted with eminent experts currently in charge of ePrescription (and other eHealth solutions) development and implementation in Slovenia. Research results imply that certain application aspects are relatively easy to define and evaluate, while the overall potentials of ePrescription are difficult to determine in many cases, and relatively unexplored in terms of their implications and operational feasibility.

The Relationship Between Treatment Adherence and Non-picked Up Medications in Community Pharmacies

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Vu Phan Hoang Nguyen

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Medication adherence is one of the major factors that determine an outcome of a treatment. Despite the effort of healthcare providers to improve the adherence rate, it still remains a serious issue in our health care system today. Many patients do not take their medications as directed or just simply do not want to fill or refill their prescriptions. A small survey performed by pharmacy students at Temple School of Pharmacy showed that there is a significant number of patients did not pick up their medications. Cardiovascular medications are the most common non-picked up drugs. There are various reasons that patients use to justify for this non-adherence behavior. However, they are unaware that their actions create a tremendous negative effect not only on the treatment itself but also on the entire health care system. The consequences include expensive therapies, inaccurate research data, and poor treatment outcomes. Many solutions have been utilized to solve this problem, but it is still the major problem for healthcare providers to keep in mind when planning a drug regimen. Although many people believed that pharmacists are responsible for solving this problem, it should be a multidisciplinary effort of all healthcare providers to improve the medication adherence. Conflict of Interest We declare no conflicts of interest or financial interests that the authors or members of their immediate families have in any product or service discussed in the manuscript, including grants (pending or received, employment, gifts, stock holdings or options, honoraria, consultancies, expert testimony, patents and royalties.   Type: Student Project

Opioid tapering in patients with prescription opioid use disorder: A retrospective study.

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Zhou, Kehua; Jia, Peng; Bhargava, Swati; Zhang, Yong; Reza, Taslima; Peng, Yuan Bo; Wang, Gary G

2017-10-01

Opioid use disorder (OUD) refers to a maladaptive pattern of opioid use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress. OUD causes, and vice versa, misuses and abuse of opioid medications. Clinicians face daily challenges to treat patients with prescription opioid use disorder. An evidence-based management for people who are already addicted to opioids has been identified as the national priority in the US; however, options are limited in clinical practices. In this study, we aimed to explore the success rate and important adjuvant medications in the medication assisted treatment with temporary use of methadone for opioid discontinuation in patients with prescription OUD. This is a retrospective chart review performed at a private physician office for physical medicine and rehabilitation. We reviewed all medical records dated between December 1st, 2011 and August 30th, 2016. The initial evaluation of the included patients (N=140) was completed between December 1st, 2011 and December 31st, 2014. They all have concumittant prescription OUD and chronic non-cancer pain. The patients (87 female and 53 male) were 46.7±12.7 years old, and had a history of opioid use of 7.7±6.1 years. All patients received the comprehensive opioid taper treatments (including interventional pain management techniques, psychotherapy, acupuncture, physical modalities and exercises, and adjuvant medications) on top of the medication assisted treatment using methadone (transient use). Opioid tapering was considered successful when no opioid medication was used in the last patient visit. The 140 patients had pain of 9.6±8.4 years with 8/10 intensity before treatment which decreased after treatment in all comparisons (pOUD. For patients with OUD, indefinite opioid maintenance treatment may not be necessary. Considering the ethical values of autonomy, nonmaleficence, and beneficence, clinicians should provide patients with OUD the option of opioid tapering. Copyright © 2017

An audit of dental prescriptions between clinics and dental laboratories.

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Stewart, C A

2011-08-12

To discover the quality of written instructions from dentists to dental technicians and the nature of non-compliant prescriptions. An audit of laboratory prescription compliance was conducted within an NHS Trust Dental Teaching Hospital to determine the level of communication between dentists and dental technicians. One hundred and fifty prescriptions were audited from dental undergraduates and qualified dentists throughout the different departments. A total of two-thirds of prescriptions were considered non-compliant and failed to meet relevant ethical and legal guidelines. This problem was seen throughout all departments and at all professional levels. A breakdown in communication between dentists and technicians through the use of prescriptions is evident even within a close working environment.

Increase in the prescription rate of antidepressants after the Sewol Ferry disaster in Ansan, South Korea.

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Han, Kyu-Man; Kim, Kyoung-Hoon; Lee, Mikyung; Lee, Sang-Min; Ko, Young-Hoon; Paik, Jong-Woo

2017-09-01

Previous pharmaco-epidemiological studies have reported increases in the prescription of psychotropic medications after a disaster, reflecting post-disaster changes in psychiatric conditions and mental health service utilization. We investigated changes in the prescription of psychotropic medications in the Danwon district of Ansan city (Ansan Danwon) compared to a control community before and after the Sewol Ferry disaster on April 16, 2014. Data was collected from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. We analyzed the prescription rates of psychotropic medications including antidepressants, anxiolytics, and sedatives/hypnotics, and investigated whether the time-series pattern of monthly prescriptions per 100,000 people was different in Ansan Danwon compared to that in Cheonan city after the Sewol Ferry disaster through difference-in-differences regression analysis. Ansan Danwon showed a significantly greater increase (5.6%) in the prescription rate of antidepressants compared to Cheonan city following the Sewol Ferry disaster. There were no significant differences in changes in the prescription rates of anxiolytics or sedatives/hypnotics. In the secondary analysis, a significantly greater increase in the prescription rate of antipsychotics was observed in Ansan Danwon compared to a control community after the disaster. We could not exclude the possibility that other events influenced changes in the prescription rates of psychotropic medications during the study period. Pharmaco-epidemiological studies on psychotropic medication prescription after a disaster provide important information about population-level mental health. Our results suggest that the Sewol Ferry disaster exerted a harmful effect on the mental health status of the affected community. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CQUIN audit for prescription of antibiotics for urinary tract infections in an acute medical assessment unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Oppenheimer, Maylin; Rezwan, Nivin

2015-01-01

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are a common presentation in a medical assessment unit, and we wanted to check compliance with hospital guidelines for antibiotic prescribing in patients presenting to hospital with urinary tract infection. The guidelines are based on local organisms and sensitivities. A retrospective audit of 40 patient records with positive urine cultures from July to August 2013 showed that 20% of patients with culture confirmed UTI were not given antibiotics at all. Of those prescribed antibiotics, 25% were non-compliant with local policy, and nearly one in two patients received more than one antibiotic. Furthermore, stop dates were not stated on 77% of the drug charts and duration of treatment ranged from one to 11 days. Interventions were then introduced in the form of group teaching sessions, proactive checks by Trust pharmacists and widely distributed posters, and the same data sets collected for April to March 2014 to assess for efficacy of the interventions. On re-auditing, 35% patients were not prescribed any antibiotics. However, compliance with local policy was 100%, including 100% drug charts having a stop/review date stated. The overall duration of treatment now ranged from one to seven days, and fewer than one in four patients had more than one antibiotic. Our results showed that improvement was needed in antibiotic stewardship, in particular with regards to compliance with the local guidelines and documentation of prescription. We have demonstrated that it is possible to improve compliance through teaching, by displaying information prominently, and vigilance by the clinical team. The outcome of this is a decreased number and duration of antibiotics prescribed, which has benefits for the patients, the hospital, and the community as a whole. Further work would include interventions to improve the number of patients who are missing antibiotic prescriptions altogether.

Diversity of Physicians’ Handwriting and Name Stamp in Chemotherapy Prescriptions: Potential Target for Fraud

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Asiyeh Amouei

2018-02-01

Full Text Available BBackgrounds: Verification and authentication of the paper-based handwritten prescriptions is of great importance for antineoplastic medications that are good targets for forgery and fraud. Pharmacists usually investigate handwriting, signature and name stamp of prescribers to verify prescriptions in Iran. Anecdotal reports of variations in handwriting and name stamp of physicians who wrote antineoplastic prescriptions raised concerns in this regard. The aim of the study was to investigate the reported diversity and evaluate the quality of writing physician identity and required items in antineoplastic prescriptions.Methods: All insured hand-written prescriptions contained at least one antineoplastic medication and were dispensed by four main authorized community pharmacies dispensing antineoplastic medications in Tehran during one month were included. Prescriptions that were written by specialties other than oncology-related fields were excluded. Prescriptions of each physician were evaluated considering handwriting and name stamp by experienced pharmacy staff and the frequency of detected handwriting and name stamp types was recorded.Results: Of the 11022 included prescriptions, 10944 were eligible and written by 241 physicians. Median (third quartile number of physicians’ prescriptions was 17 (51. Maximum number of observed handwriting and name stamp types were eight and six respectively. High prescribers tended to have several handwriting and name stamp types.Conclusion: The observed diversity and variation in handwriting and name stamp of the physicians in antineoplastic prescriptions may facilitate the entrance of forged prescription and makes fraud detection difficult. Administrative and regulatory interventions in addition to notification of health care professionals about the observed potential might be necessary.

Non-medical use of prescription drugs and its association with socio-demographic characteristics, dietary pattern, and perceived academic load and stress in college students in Puerto Rico.

Science.gov (United States)

Betancourt, Jesmari; Ríos, Josué L; Pagán, Ideliz; Fabián, Carla; González, Anaisa M; Cruz, Sonia Y; González, Michael J; Rivera, Winna T; Palacios, Cristina

2013-06-01

Stress can have deleterious effects on health and academic performance. Common stress-relieving activities among college students include the non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD). The aim of this study was to determine the associations between self-perceived academic load and stress, NMUPD (stimulants, depressants, and sleeping medication), and dietary pattern in college students in PR. A questionnaire to evaluate academic load and stress, NMUPD, and dietary pattern was used on a representative sample of 275 first- and second-year students from one campus. In total, 27.6% reported NMUPD in the past 6 months, with higher use among students aged 21-30 years (93.4%) than in those aged 31-53 years (6.6%; p=0.062). Those with high levels of stress had higher NMUPD (42.1%) than did those with low (26.3%) or moderate (31.6%) stress levels, after controlling for age and sex (p=0.03). Among those who reported NMUPD over the previous 6 months, 74% reported that such use was effective as a coping strategy, and 35% reported that it helped them to improve academic performance. Although no significant association was found between NMUPD and dietary pattern, 57% of the participants reported that their appetites decreased when they engaged in NMUPD. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has associated self-perceived academic load and stress, NMUPD, and dietary pattern among college students in Puerto Rico. NMUPD's prevalence was 27.6%, which prevalence appeared to be higher in students aged 21-30 years than in those of any other age. High levels of stress were significantly related to high NMUPD in this sample.

General practitioners' views and experiences of counselling for physical activity through the New Zealand Green Prescription program

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Patel Asmita

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Regular physical activity is beneficial in both the prevention and management of chronic health conditions. A large proportion of adult New Zealanders, however, are insufficiently active. To help increase population levels of physical activity in New Zealand the Green Prescription, a primary care physical activity scripting program, was developed. The primary aim of this study was to identify why general practitioners (GPs counsel for physical activity and administer Green Prescriptions. A secondary aim was to examine GPs' views and experiences of Green Prescription counselling for the management of depression. Methods Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted with 15 GPs. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic approach. Results Several themes and sub-themes emerged from the data. Notably, GPs counselled for physical activity and prescribed Green Prescriptions for both primary preventive (e.g., weight control and secondary management (e.g., diabetes management purposes. GPs reported the benefits of the Green Prescription centred around two main themes: (i a non-medication approach to a healthier lifestyle and (ii the support benefits of physical activity. Time constraints within the consultation was the only main theme that emerged regarding the barriers GPs perceived to Green Prescription use. Physical activity in general, and physical activity prescribed through the Green Prescription, were also viewed by GPs as beneficial for the management of depression. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that New Zealand GPs view the Green Prescription program as beneficial for their patients with pre-existing conditions and/or weight problems. While this is encouraging, the Green Prescription may also be used to promote physical activity in currently healthy but low-active and sedentary individuals. Such individuals are currently disease free, but are at risk

Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

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Frosch, Dominick L; Grande, David

2010-01-01

In 2007, the pharmaceutical industry spent more than $4.9 billion on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs in the U.S. Controversy over DTCA has grown since the Food and Drug Administration liberalized its regulations in 1997. Proponents claim that such advertising educates consumers, promotes patient participation in clinical decisions, and improves patient adherence to medication instructions. Opponents argue that such advertising is meant to persuade, not educate, and that it promotes inappropriate use of prescription drugs, or diverts consumers from better alternatives. This Issue Brief summarizes the evidence about the effects of DTCA, and proposes guidelines for improving the utility of prescription drug advertising.

Potential Drug-Drug Interactions among Patients prescriptions collected from Medicine Out-patient Setting.

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Farooqui, Riffat; Hoor, Talea; Karim, Nasim; Muneer, Mehtab

2018-01-01

To identify and evaluate the frequency, severity, mechanism and common pairs of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in prescriptions by consultants in medicine outpatient department. This cross sectional descriptive study was done by Pharmacology department of Bahria University Medical & Dental College (BUMDC) in medicine outpatient department (OPD) of a private hospital in Karachi from December 2015 to January 2016. A total of 220 prescriptions written by consultants were collected. Medications given with patient's diagnosis were recorded. Drugs were analyzed for interactions by utilizing Medscape drug interaction checker, drugs.com checker and stockley`s drug interactions index. Two hundred eleven prescriptions were selected while remaining were excluded from the study because of unavailability of the prescribed drugs in the drug interaction checkers. In 211 prescriptions, two common diagnoses were diabetes mellitus (28.43%) and hypertension (27.96%). A total of 978 medications were given. Mean number of medications per prescription was 4.6. A total of 369 drug-drug interactions were identified in 211 prescriptions (175%). They were serious 4.33%, significant 66.12% and minor 29.53%. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions were 37.94% and 51.21% respectively while 10.84% had unknown mechanism. Number wise common pairs of DDIs were Omeprazole-Losartan (S), Gabapentine- Acetaminophen (M), Losartan-Diclofenac (S). The frequency of DDIs is found to be too high in prescriptions of consultants from medicine OPD of a private hospital in Karachi. Significant drug-drug interactions were more and mostly caused by Pharmacodynamic mechanism. Number wise evaluation showed three common pairs of drugs involved in interactions.

[Counselling customers with psychotropic vs. cardiovascular prescriptions: a survey among Austrian community pharmacists].

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Hagmair, Gisela; Amering, Michaela; Kaiser, Gerda; Katschnig, Heinz

2014-01-01

Prescriptions for psychotropic drugs in general and their share of all prescriptions have substantially risen over the last decades. Thus, also counselling by pharmacists becomes more important in this area. This study focuses on how community pharmacists see their own role when counselling persons with prescriptions for psychotropic medication and how this differs from counselling persons with other types of prescriptions. Based on the Toronto Community Pharmacists' Questionnaire an online questionnaire was developed with the assistance of the Austrian Pharmacists Association. This instrument elicits pharmacists' attitudes toward and professional interactions with users of psychotropic drugs on the one hand and of cardiovascular medication on the other. After a pilot study the questionnaire - which was to be filled in anonymously - was put on a web portal for six months and Austrian community pharmacists were invited to answer it. 125 pharmacists completed the questionnaire. Overall it was reported, that new customers with psychotropic prescriptions were less often counselled than those with prescriptions for cardiovascular medication. The main reasons for this difference seem to be the lack of privacy in public pharmacies, the fear of stigmatising customers with psychotropic medication and a perceived lack of training concerning the treatment of mental disorders. In addition to improving such training, it was suggested that seminars and workshops for communication skills should be organised. The reduced frequency in counselling new customers with psychotropic medication is related to a lack of privacy in public pharmacies, fear of stigmatising customers and a perceived need for improving the training on the treatment of mental disorders.

Pediatrician’s cough and cold medication prescription for hypothetical cases – A cross-sectional multi-centric study

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Sudha Chandelia

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Concerns over inappropriate use of cough and cold medication (CCM in children have been raised. In addition to being ineffective, these are now considered toxic for young children. Despite this fact studies from some regions have shown high use of these medications by physicians. However data on pediatricians and from India are negligible. Aim: To study the burden and patterns of cough and cold medications use by pediatricians for hypothetical cases. Methods: In this cross-sectional study; 172 pediatricians of various hospitals of Delhi and Haryana were enrolled from February 15 to March 15, 2012. They were contacted personally by authors and asked to write their prescriptions for two hypothetical case scenarios [having cough and cold] of two different age groups; (1 less than 2 years and (2 2–5 years. We made two categories as recommendations exist for children less than 2 years while recommendations for the second category are underway. Results were summarized as percentages, counts and; presented in tables and figures. Chi square test was used to establish association between categorical variables of subgroups. Results: Response rate was 93%. The most used CCM was antihistaminics (82% and systemic sympathomimetics (48%. The use of CCM was significantly less in teaching hospitals as compared to non-teaching (77% vs. 95%; p-value – 0.025. However there was no statistical difference in the practice of post graduates and more senior pediatricians (p value-0.895. No difference in CCM use in two age groups {(82% (less than 2 years vs. 85% (2–5 years; p-value – 0.531} was observed. Conclusion: Overall use of CCM is still high irrespective of patient age, pediatrician’s seniority or hospital setting. Efforts should be made to create awareness among the pediatricians regarding cautious use of these medications.

Nature, frequency and determinants of prescription modifications in Dutch community pharmacies

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Buurma, Henk; de Smet, Peter A G M; van den Hoff, Olga P; Egberts, Antoine C G

2001-01-01

Aims To examine the nature, frequency and determinants of prescription modifications in Dutch community pharmacies. Methods A prospective case-control study comparing modified prescriptions with nonmodified prescriptions was carried out in 141 Dutch community pharmacies. 2014 modified prescriptions (cases), collected in the selected pharmacies on a predetermined day in a specific period (25th February until 12th March 1999) and 2581 nonmodified prescriptions (controls) randomly selected on the same day were studied. The nature and frequency of prescription modifications and patient, drug and prescriber related determinants for a modified prescription were assessed. Results The overall incidence of prescription modifications was 4.3%, with a mean of 14.3 modifications per pharmacy per day. For prescription only medicines (POM) the incidence was 4.9%. The majority of POM modifications concerned a clarification (71.8%). In 22.2% a prescription could potentially have had clinical consequences when not altered; in more than half of the latter it concerned a dose error (13.7% of all cases). POM prescriptions of patients of 40–65 years had a significantly lower chance of modification compared with those of younger people (OR = 0.74 [0.64–0.86]). With respect to medication-class, we found a higher chance of POM modifications in the respiratory domain (OR = 1.48 [1.23-1.79]) and a decreased chance for nervous system POMs (OR = 0.71 [0.61–0.83]). With regard to prescriber-related determinants modifications were found three times more often in non printed prescriptions than in printed ones (OR = 3.30 [2.90-3.75]). Compared with prescriptions by the patient's own GP, prescriptions of specialists (OR = 1.82 [1.57-2.11]), other GP's (OR = 1.49 [1.02-2.17]) and other prescribers such as dentists and midwives (OR = 1.95 [1.06-3.57]) gave a higher probability of prescription modifications. When a GP had no on-line access to the computer of the pharmacy the chance of a

The influence of prescription monitoring programs on chronic pain management.

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Wang, Jing; Christo, Paul J

2009-01-01

Abuse of prescribed controlled substance has become a serious social as well as health care issue over the past decade. A particularly alarming trend exists among patients aged 12 to 17. Common abuse behaviors include doctor shopping, drug theft, feigned pain symptoms to gain health care access, drug sharing, prescription forgery, and improper prescription practices. In response to this epidemic of abuse, many states have adopted prescription monitoring programs (PMPs). Such programs first originated in the early twentieth century. As of 2006, 38 states had such programs, many of which are supported by federal grants. As PMPs become more widespread, they have also increased in sophistication. By keeping a record of the prescription and dispensing of narcotics, these programs are able to build a comprehensive data network for tracking prescription medications. These databases aid law enforcement agencies in investigations of narcotic trafficking; they also help state regulatory boards to monitor improper prescription practices. This manuscript examines the basic structure of a PMP, including the way the data are collected and the way these data are stored and used. It also looks at the organizational differences amongst state programs. NASPER and Harold Rogers are two federal programs that provide funding to the state PMPs, and the current study examines the differences as well as similarities between these 2 programs. This study also compares the results of 2 reports: the U.S. General Accounting Office Study and the Twillman study.& Both studies have evaluated the efficiency of the PMPs. The U.S. General Accounting Office Study showed that while considerable differences exist among the state PMPs, these programs not only reduce the time and effort for law enforcement agencies to conduct investigations, but also cut the supply of prescription medications. However, the Twillman report suggests that prescription programs caused a shift in prescription practice, while

[Dispensing prescriptions to persons affiliated with the Seguro Popular de Salud de México].

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Garrido-Latorre, Francisco; Hernández-Llamas, Héctor; Gómez-Dantés, Octavio

2008-01-01

Measure and compare the percentage of prescriptions fully dispensed to persons with and without Popular Health Insurance (SPS in Spanish) who use ambulatory and general hospital services associated with the Mexico State Health Services (SESA in Spanish), and taking into account insurance status. SESA user satisfaction was also measured with respect to access to medication. Information for the study was taken from four surveys of SESA ambulatory and hospital units that included probabilistic samples with state representativity. Samples of ambulatory units were selected by stratification according to level of care and association to the SPS service network. The findings indicate that the percentage of prescriptions fully dispensed in SESA ambulatory units has improved, reaching approximately 90%, especially among those units offering services to persons affiliated with SPS. Nevertheless, these percentages continue to be lower than those of ambulatory units associated with social security institutions. Percentages of prescriptions fully dispensed have also improved in SESA hospital units, but continue to be relatively low. In nearly all states, as the percentage of prescriptions fully dispensed has increased, user satisfaction with access to medication has also improved. In 2006 more than 50% of the states had high levels of fully dispensed prescriptions among persons with SPS (> or =90%). The more significant problem exists among hospitals, since only 44% of users who received a prescription in SESA hospitals in 2006 had their prescriptions fully dispensed. This finding requires a review of SPS medication policies, which have favored highly prescribed low-cost medications at ambulatory services at the expense of higher cost and more therapeutically effective medications for hospital care, the latter having a greater impact on household budgets.

[Changes in prescription patterns for peripheral and cerebral vasoactive drugs before and after establishing prescription standards in France].

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Vuittenez, F; Guignard, E; Comte, S

1999-01-23

Assess changes in the number of prescriptions for peripheral and cerebral vasoactive drugs for the treatment of lower limb arteritis and cerebrovascular disease since the promulgation in 1995 of prescription standards for the treatment of lower limb arteritis. Assess compliance to prescription standards with a detailed analysis of patient features, prescriptions written for lower limb arteritis, cerebrovascular disease and concomitant diseases and evaluate changes in treatment costs for lower limb arteritis and cerebrovascular disease as well as cost of the full prescription, including treatments for associated diseases. This study was based on data recorded during the Permanent Study of Medical Prescriptions conducted from March 1994 to February 1995 and from March 1995 to February 1996 by the IMS. Prescription costs were established from the National Description Files of the IMS. Treatment costs were expressed as public price (FF) tax included. Prescriptions meeting the following criteria were selected for each period: prescriptions written by general practitioners for drugs with peripheral and cerebral vasoactivity (excepting calcium antagonists with a cerebral target) belonging to the Anatomic Therapeutic Classes C4A1 of the European Pharmaceutical Marketing Research Association, Bromly 1996; prescriptions for diagnoses 447.6 (arteritis) and 437.9 (cerebrovascular disease) according to the 9th WHO classification. A random sample of 500 prescriptions was selected to calculate costs. Since the advent of the prescription standards in 1995, prescriptions have dropped off by 6.3% for lower limb arteritis and by 14.8% for cerebrovascular disease. There was a 3.7 point decline in the percentage of multiple prescriptions of vasoactive drugs for lower limb arteritis (21.7% prior to March 1995 versus 18% after promulgation of the prescription standards, p > 0.1) and a 1.8 increase in the percentage of multiple prescriptions for cerebrovascular disease (14% prior to March

Review: Taking care of yourself in later life: a qualitative study into the use of non-prescription medicines by people aged 60+.

Science.gov (United States)

Leontowitsch, Miranda; Higgs, Paul; Stevenson, Fiona; Rees Jones, Ian

2010-03-01

The last 40 years have witnessed substantial changes to the experience of later life. Health and life expectancy have improved and the emergence of a putative third age has allowed post-working life to move beyond being a residual social category to become an arena in which later life lifestyles can be constructed. Greater emphasis is now placed on expectations of self-agency and choice. Allied to this is the growing role of consumerism as a way of organizing key aspects of social life. Not only do these changes place increased emphasis on individual responsibility for health, but they also engage individuals in various forms of health consumerism.This study draws on these aspects of contemporary society to provide an explanatory framework for understanding older people's engagement with, and consumption of non-prescription medicines. We present a qualitative study in which we interviewed 22 men and women aged 60 plus who were purchasing or interested in purchasing non-prescription medicines, including complementary and alternative medicines. Our findings suggest that the use of non-prescription medicines is both pluralistic and makeshift. Moreover, while this pluralism led to tensions with conventional bio-medicine, conventional bio-medicine still maintained the legitimacy of its knowledge base. Self-care using non-prescription medicines appeared more governed by hope than by evidence or knowledge of the treatments concerned.We conclude that such pluralism of approach reflects the growing consumerism in health and self-care and that older people may in fact be similar to other age groups in terms of their approach to such commodification.

A population-based study of dosing and persistence with anti-dementia medications.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Brewer, Linda

2013-02-27

PURPOSE: Cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine are the mainstay of pharmacological intervention for the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer\\'s disease (AD). This study assessed the adequacy of dosing and persistence with AD medications and the predictors of these variables in the \\'real world\\' (outside the clinical trial setting). METHODS: The Health Service Executive-Primary Care Reimbursement Services prescription claims database in the Republic of Ireland contains prescription information for 1.6 million people. Patients aged >70 years who received at least two prescriptions for donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine and memantine between January 2006 and December 2010 were included in the study. Rates of dose-maximisation were recorded by examining the initiation dose of each AD drug commenced during the study period and any subsequent dose titrations. Non-persistence was defined by a gap in prescribing of more than 63 consecutive days. Predictors of dose-maximisation and non-persistence were also analysed. RESULTS: Between January 2006 and December 2010, 20,729 patients aged >70 years received a prescription for an AD medication. Despite most patients on donepezil and memantine receiving a prescription for the maximum drug dose, this dose was maintained for 2 consecutive months in only two-thirds of patients. Patients were significantly more likely to have their doses of donepezil and memantine maximised if prescribed in more recent years (2010 vs. 2007). Rates of non-persistence were 30.1 % at 6 months and 43.8 % at 12 months. Older age [75+ vs. <75 years; hazards ratio (HR) 1.16, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.27] and drug type (rivastigmine vs. donepezil; HR 1.15, 95 % CI 1.03-1.27) increased the risk of non-persistence. Non-persistence was lower for those commencing therapy in more recent years (2010 vs. 2007; HR 0.81, 95 % CI 0.73-0.89, p < 0.001) and for those on multiple anti-dementia medications (HR 0.59, 95 % CI 0

[Driving under the influence of benzodiazepines and antidepressants: prescription and abuse].

Science.gov (United States)

Coutinho, Daniel; Vieira, Duarte Nuno; Teixeira, Helena M

2011-01-01

Benzodiazepines are drugs usually used in anxiety disorders, dyssomnias, convulsions, muscle disorders, alcohol and other drugs detoxification, as well as in preoperative sedation/amnesia. Moreover, antidepressants are mainly indicated in depression and as co-therapeutic drugs in other psychiatric disorders. The use of benzodiazepines and antidepressants is associated with some health and public safety problems. Decreased of attention, concentration, reflexes, visual capacity, motor coordination and reasoning, associated with increased reaction time and lack of awareness of driving impairment among these drug users, contributes to the increased risk on traffic safety linked with these drugs. This risk may further increase with non-compliance of medical prescription, drug abuse or concomitant use of alcohol. The relationship between the use of psychoactive drugs and road traffic safety is, however, an extremely complex subject and has a primordial importance in the clarification of the role of benzodiazepine and antidepressant effects on driving skills. The prevention of driving under the influence of these drugs depends on the awareness, among doctors, of the risks associated with their use. Thus, the consciousness of medical prescription, as well as providing clear information to patients is extremely important.

Variation in CAD Secondary Prevention Prescription among Outpatient Cardiology Practices: Insights from the NCDR®

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Maddox, Thomas M.; Chan, Paul S.; Spertus, John A.; Tang, Fengming; Jones, Phil; Ho, P. Michael; Bradley, Steven M.; Tsai, Thomas T.; Bhatt, Deepak L.; Peterson, Pamela N.

2014-01-01

Objectives This study assesses practice variation of secondary prevention medication prescription among coronary artery disease (CAD) patients treated in outpatient practices participating in the NCDR® PINNACLE Registry®. Background Among patients with CAD, secondary prevention with a combination of beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, and statins reduces cardiac mortality and myocardial infarction (MI). Accordingly, every CAD patient should receive the combination of these medications for which they are eligible. However, little is known about current prescription patterns of these medications and the variation in use among outpatient cardiology clinics. Methods Using data from NCDR® PINNACLE Registry®, a national outpatient cardiology practice registry, we assessed medication prescription patterns among eligible CAD patients between July 2008 and December 2010. Overall rates of prescription and variation by practice were calculated, adjusting for patient characteristics. Results Among 156,145 CAD patients in 58 practices, 103,830 (66.5%) were prescribed the optimal combination of medications for which they were eligible. The median rate of optimal combined prescription by practice was 73.5% and varied from 28.8% to 100%. After adjustment for patient factors, the practice median rate ratio for prescription was 1.25 (95% CI 1.2,1.32), indicating a 25% likelihood that 2 random practices would differ in treating identical CAD patients. Conclusions Among a national registry of CAD patients treated in outpatient cardiology practices, over one-third of patients failed to receive their optimal combination of secondary prevention medications. Significant variation was observed across practices, even after adjusting for patient characteristics, suggesting that quality improvement efforts may be needed to support more uniform practice. PMID:24184238

[Hospital fluoroquinolone prescription habits in northern France].

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Levent, T; Cabaret, P

2010-09-01

The aim of the study was to assess the good use organization and fluoroquinolone prescription habits in cases of bone and joint, urinary, pulmonary, and digestive infections. A declarative survey was made (questionnaire for the hospital and for the prescriber). Thirty percent (44/145) of hospitals participated with 274 prescribers. Eighty percent had prescription protocols, 71 % of clinicians had access to epidemiologic data. A percentage of 30.7 (853/2,771) of prescriptions included a fluoroquinolone, 44.5 % (380/853) among these had not been recommended. The excessive prescription reached 24.4 % (116/474) in case of bone and joint infection, 14.6 % (107/731), and 20 % (157/779) in cases of digestive and respiratory infection respectively. Prescriptions for urinary infection were adequate in 47.6 % (375/787) of cases. Inadequate prescriptions were made because of bad knowledge of bacteria resistance epidemiology and pharmacology (insufficient dose, monotherapy at risk of selection), and non-application of good practice recommendations. This study justifies the rationalization of antibiotic prescription. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Detection and correction of prescription errors by an emergency department pharmacy service.

Science.gov (United States)

Stasiak, Philip; Afilalo, Marc; Castelino, Tanya; Xue, Xiaoqing; Colacone, Antoinette; Soucy, Nathalie; Dankoff, Jerrald

2014-05-01

Emergency departments (EDs) are recognized as a high-risk setting for prescription errors. Pharmacist involvement may be important in reviewing prescriptions to identify and correct errors. The objectives of this study were to describe the frequency and type of prescription errors detected by pharmacists in EDs, determine the proportion of errors that could be corrected, and identify factors associated with prescription errors. This prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching ED on 25 consecutive weekdays. Pharmacists reviewed all documented prescriptions and flagged and corrected errors for patients in the ED. We collected information on patient demographics, details on prescription errors, and the pharmacists' recommendations. A total of 3,136 ED prescriptions were reviewed. The proportion of prescriptions in which a pharmacist identified an error was 3.2% (99 of 3,136; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5-3.8). The types of identified errors were wrong dose (28 of 99, 28.3%), incomplete prescription (27 of 99, 27.3%), wrong frequency (15 of 99, 15.2%), wrong drug (11 of 99, 11.1%), wrong route (1 of 99, 1.0%), and other (17 of 99, 17.2%). The pharmacy service intervened and corrected 78 (78 of 99, 78.8%) errors. Factors associated with prescription errors were patient age over 65 (odds ratio [OR] 2.34; 95% CI 1.32-4.13), prescriptions with more than one medication (OR 5.03; 95% CI 2.54-9.96), and those written by emergency medicine residents compared to attending emergency physicians (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.18-4.14). Pharmacists in a tertiary ED are able to correct the majority of prescriptions in which they find errors. Errors are more likely to be identified in prescriptions written for older patients, those containing multiple medication orders, and those prescribed by emergency residents.

Differences of smoking knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors between medical and non-medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Min-Yan; Chen, Wei-Qing; Wen, Xiao-Zhong; Liang, Cai-Hua; Ling, Wen-Hua

2012-03-01

Previous studies in the world reported inconsistent results about the relationship of medical professional education with medical students' smoking behaviors, and no similar research had been published in China. This paper aims to explore whether the differences of smoking-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors existed between medical and non-medical undergraduate students. Eight thousand one hundred thirty-eight undergraduate students sampled from a university in Guangzhou were investigated with a self-administered structured questionnaire about their smoking-related knowledge, attitude and behaviors, and other relevant factors. General linear model and multinomial logistic regression were conducted to test the differences in smoking-related knowledge, attitude, and behaviors between medical and non-medical students while controlling for potential confounding variables. There was no difference in smoking-related knowledge scores between medical and non-medical freshmen, but medical sophomores and juniors had higher scores of smoking-related knowledge than their non-medical counterparts. The medical sophomores had higher mean score of attitudes towards smoking than non-medical ones. Before entering university, the difference in the prevalence of experimental and regular smoking between medical and non-medical college students was not significant. After entering university, in contrast, the overall prevalence of regular smoking was significantly higher among male non-medical college students than among male medical students. Stratified by current academic year, this difference was significant only among male sophomores. Medical students have higher smoking-related knowledge, stronger anti-smoking attitude, and lower prevalence of regular smoking than non-medical college students of similar age, which may be associated with medical professional education.

Do coxibs reduce prescription of gastroprotective agents? Results of a record linkage study

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Violante Andrea

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Coxibs are claimed to be cost-effective drugs and reduced prescription of gastroprotective agents is assumed to be one of their major benefits. Real life prescription of these drugs may be substantially different than that considered in pharmacoeconomic analyses or claimed by drug companies, yet. Our objective was to evaluate whether coxibs were associated with reduced prescription of gastro-protective agents (GPAs, specifically proton pump inhibitors, H2 blockers and misoprostol compared to non selective NSAIDs. Methods A record-linkage study was performed using 2001 outpatient prescription data from the province of Modena (about 632,000 inhabitants, in Northern Italy. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio of GPA prescription for coxib and non-selective NSAID adult users (> 14 years. Three categories of users were further investigated: "acute", "chronic and "incident or new". Main outcome measures were same-day co-prescription and 30 days prescription of GPAs in coxibs and non selective NSAIDs users. To limit selection bias, data were adjusted for age, sex, DDD of coxibs and non selective NSAIDs received during 2001, DDD of GPAs and (for non-incident users DDD of NSAIDs received during the previous 4 years Results Same day co-prescription rates were similar considering the overall population and "acute" users. Chronic coxibs users instead showed higher co-prescription rates than chronic NSAIDs users (OR = 1.2, p Conclusion Assumptions made in pharmacoeconomic analyses on coxibs (lower GPA prescription associated with coxibs use may be overly optimistic. Claims made through cost-effectiveness data should be carefully interpreted, and mechanisms for attributing drug prices revised accordingly.

E-prescription as a tool for improving services and the financial viability of healthcare systems: the case of the Greek national e-prescription system.

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Pangalos, G; Sfyroeras, V; Pagkalos, I

2014-01-01

E-prescription systems can help improve patient service, safety and quality of care. They can also help achieve better compliance for the patients and better alignment with the guidelines for the practitioners. The recently implemented national e-prescription system in Greece already covers approximately 85% of all prescriptions prescribed in Greece today (approximately 5.5 million per month). The system has not only contributed already in significant changes towards improving services and better monitoring and planning of public health, but also substantially helped to contain unnecessary expenditure related to medication use and improve transparency and administrative control. Such issues have gained increasing importance not only for Greece but also for many other national healthcare systems that have to cope with the continuous rise of medication expenditure. Our implementation has, therefore, shown that besides their importance for improving services, national e-prescription systems can also provide a valuable tool for better utilisation of resources and for containing unnecessary healthcare costs, thus contributing to the improvement of the financial stability and viability of the overall healthcare system.

Aspersiones de calcio en la concentración nutrimental de hoja, cáscara y fruto de aguacate 'hass'

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J. Herrera-Basurto

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Con la finalidad de estudiar el efecto del Ca(NO32, se realizaron aspersiones foliares precosecha en árboles de aguacate cv. Hass con concentraciones de 0, 0.3 y 0.5 %, cada quince días a partir de la segunda quincena de septiembre del 2003 hasta principios de enero del 2004, con un total de 11 aplicaciones. Se evaluó la concentración nutrimental en hoja, cáscara y pulpa. Los resultados indicaron que no hubo incremento de la concentración para N, P, K, Ca y Mg en hoja, cáscara y pulpa durante el primer año de evaluación; concluyéndose que en el segundo año se presentó un incremento de Ca en cáscara y pulpa, más no en hoja, dejando evidencia de un efecto residual.

Factors Associated With the Prophylactic Prescription of a Bowel Regimen to Prevent Opioid-Induced Constipation.

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Chen, Nancy Y; Nguyen, Eugene; Schrager, Sheree M; Russell, Christopher J

2016-11-01

Identify factors associated with the prophylactic prescription of a bowel regimen with an inpatient opioid prescription. This was a retrospective cohort study from June 1, 2013, to October 31, 2014 of pediatric inpatients prescribed an oral or intravenous opioid on the general medical/surgical floors. We identified patients with or without a prophylactic prescription of a bowel regimen. We obtained patient demographics, prescriber training level and service and used multivariate logistic regression to analyze the factors associated with prophylactic bowel regimen and opioid prescription. Of the 6682 encounters that met study criteria, only 966 (14.5%) encounters had prophylactic prescriptions. Patient factors associated with prophylactic prescription include increasing age (per year; odds ratio [OR] = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-1.07) and sickle cell diagnosis (OR = 3.19, 95% CI 2.08-4.91). Medication factors associated with prophylactic prescription include a scheduled opioid prescription (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.46-2.1) and a prescription for oxycodone (OR = 3.59, 95% CI 2.57-5.00) or morphine (OR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.39-2.44), compared with acetaminophen-hydrocodone. Compared with medical providers, surgeons were less likely (OR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.35-0.53) and pain service providers were more likely to prescribe a prophylactic bowel regimen (OR = 4.12, 95% CI 3.13-5.43). More than 85% of inpatient opioid prescriptions did not receive a prophylactic bowel regimen. Future research should examine factors (eg, clinical decision support tools) to increase prophylactic prescription of bowel regimens with opioids for populations found to have lower rates. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Ensuring safe access to medication for palliative care while preventing prescription drug abuse: innovations for American inner cities, rural areas, and communities overwhelmed by addiction.

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Francoeur, Richard B

2011-01-01

This article proposes and develops novel components of community-oriented programs for creating and affording access to safe medication dispensing centers in existing retail pharmacies and in permanent or travelling pharmacy clinics that are guarded by assigned or off-duty police officers. Pharmacists at these centers would work with police, medical providers, social workers, hospital administrators, and other professionals in: planning and overseeing the safe storage of controlled substance medications in off-site community safe-deposit boxes; strengthening communication and cooperation with the prescribing medical provider; assisting the prescribing medical provider in patient monitoring (checking the state prescription registry, providing pill counts and urine samples); expanding access to lower-cost, and in some cases, abuse-resistant formulations of controlled substance medications; improving transportation access for underserved patients and caregivers to obtain prescriptions; and integrating community agencies and social networks as resources for patient support and monitoring. Novel components of two related community-oriented programs, which may be hosted outside of safe medication dispensing centers, are also suggested and described: (1) developing medication purchasing cooperatives (ie, to help patients, families, and health institutions afford the costs of medications, including tamper-or abuse-resistant/deterrent drug formulations); and (2) expanding the role of inner-city methadone maintenance treatment programs in palliative care (ie, to provide additional patient monitoring from a second treatment team focusing on narcotics addiction, and potentially, to serve as an untapped source of opioid medication for pain that is less subject to abuse, misuse, or diversion).

Validity of the Prescriber Information in the Danish National Prescription Registry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Lotte; Valentin, Julie; Gesser, Katarina Margareta

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to measure the validity of the prescriber information recorded in the Danish National Prescription Registry (DNPR). The prescriber information recorded in the pharmacies' electronic dispensing system was considered to represent the prescriber information recorded...... in the DNPR. Further, the problem of validity of the prescriber information pertains only to non-electronic prescriptions, as these are manually entered into the dispensing system. The recorded prescriber information was thus validated against information from a total of 2,000 non-electronic prescriptions...... at five Danish community pharmacies. The validity of the recorded prescriber information was measured at the level of the individual prescriber and the prescriber type, respectively. The proportion of non-electronic prescriptions with incorrect registrations was 22.4% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 20...

CREATING AND AUDITING A NEW ELECTRONIC CONTINUOUS INFUSION PRESCRIPTION CHART FOR A PAEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE UNIT.

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Siu, Emily; Sadasivam, Kalaimaran; Christiansen, Nanna

2016-09-01

Prescription errors, including continuous infusion prescriptions are one major source of concern in the paediatric population. Evidence suggests that use of an electronic or web-based calculator could minimise these errors. In our paediatric critical care unit (PCCU) we have created an electronic continuous infusion prescription chart to target errors in this area and conducted an audit to assess its effect on error reduction. To create an electronic continuous infusion prescription chart and audit its effect on prescription errors. Similar electronic continuous infusion prescription charts were evaluated. A Choice of electronic formats were considered and excel was chosen for its simplicity and flexibility. The choice of medications to be included, dilution method, and dosage range was agreed between PCCU consultant, pharmacy and nursing staff. Formulas for calculating each medication infusion was created and validated for different age and weight ranges by at least 2 PCCU trained pharmacists, accounting for capping at certain age and weight bands as appropriate for the medication. These were programmed into the spreadsheet for automatic calculation using inputted age and weight for the selected medications. Continuous infusion prescriptions were audited 6 months before and after implementation in April 2015 of this electronic chart. Parameters audited include medication dose, infusion rate, concentration, route, legibility, and missing or incorrect patient details. A trial period of 4 weeks preceded implementation. The electronic continuous infusion prescription form was created and used on PCCU. Hand written prescriptions had higher error rate (30.7%) as compared to electronic charts (0.7%) with a p-value <0.002. No errors were found in electronic prescriptions in regards to dose, volume and rate calculation. The use of an electronic continuous infusion prescription chart has been successfully set up and used on PCCU. Its use has significantly reduced continuous

Evaluating the Impact of Prescription Fill Rates on Risk Stratification Model Performance.

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Chang, Hsien-Yen; Richards, Thomas M; Shermock, Kenneth M; Elder Dalpoas, Stacy; J Kan, Hong; Alexander, G Caleb; Weiner, Jonathan P; Kharrazi, Hadi

2017-12-01

Risk adjustment models are traditionally derived from administrative claims. Prescription fill rates-extracted by comparing electronic health record prescriptions and pharmacy claims fills-represent a novel measure of medication adherence and may improve the performance of risk adjustment models. We evaluated the impact of prescription fill rates on claims-based risk adjustment models in predicting both concurrent and prospective costs and utilization. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 43,097 primary care patients from HealthPartners network between 2011 and 2012. Diagnosis and/or pharmacy claims of 2011 were used to build 3 base models using the Johns Hopkins ACG system, in addition to demographics. Model performances were compared before and after adding 3 types of prescription fill rates: primary 0-7 days, primary 0-30 days, and overall. Overall fill rates utilized all ordered prescriptions from electronic health record while primary fill rates excluded refill orders. The overall, primary 0-7, and 0-30 days fill rates were 72.30%, 59.82%, and 67.33%. The fill rates were similar between sexes but varied across different medication classifications, whereas the youngest had the highest rate. Adding fill rates modestly improved the performance of all models in explaining medical costs (improving concurrent R by 1.15% to 2.07%), followed by total costs (0.58% to 1.43%), and pharmacy costs (0.07% to 0.65%). The impact was greater for concurrent costs compared with prospective costs. Base models without diagnosis information showed the highest improvement using prescription fill rates. Prescription fill rates can modestly enhance claims-based risk prediction models; however, population-level improvements in predicting utilization are limited.

Patient-perceived content and formatting expectations for prescription container labeling.

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Kebodeaux, Clark D; Peters, Golden L; Kindermann, Heather A; Hurd, Peter D; Berry, Tricia M

2016-01-01

The objectives of the study were to identify patient expectations for prescription label content and formatting and to explore how United States Pharmacopeia Chapter 17 Standards for prescription container labeling meet patient expectations. Focus group. St. Louis, Missouri, in July and August 2014. Patients 18 years and older who were taking at least 2 chronic prescription medications and managing their medications independently. Qualitative themes. Not applicable. Five focus groups (17 total participants) were conducted in St. Louis in 2014. Focus groups were audio-recorded and consent was obtained from the participants. The audio files were professionally transcribed. Atlas.ti software (version 7.5.3) was used to analyze the transcript data, which were then coded to identify key themes. To ensure consistency of interpretation, a constant comparative analytic framework approach was used. Analysis produced 6 themes related to patient perceptions and expectations of prescription label content and formatting: importance of drug name, dose, and directions; lack of side effects on the label; improved organization and larger font size; using the color red; lack of familiarity with auxiliary labels; and the importance of pharmacy information. Themes focused on how patients use prescription labels and the relative value of different aspects of prescription container labeling. Patient-perceived prescription content and formatting expectations for prescription container labeling were generally consistent with published USP Chapter 17 guidelines. The importance of pharmacy phone numbers, white space, and highlighting were noteworthy. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alcohol and prescription drug safety in older adults

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Zanjani F

2013-02-01

whereby pharmacists disseminate prescription drug safety information to older adults in order to improve healthy prescription drug and alcohol behavior and reduce medical and health costs associated with interactions between alcohol and prescription drugs.Keywords: aging, alcohol, drug, pharmacist, prescription drugs, safety

Psychotropic medicine prescriptions in Italian youths: a multiregional study.

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Piovani, Daniele; Clavenna, Antonio; Cartabia, Massimo; Bonati, Maurizio

2016-03-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the trend of paediatric psychotropic drug prescriptions in Italy. Data sources were regional, outpatient prescription databases. Seven Italian regions, covering 50 % of the Italian population, provided data from 2006 to 2011. Prevalence and incidence of prescriptions by age and gender were evaluated for psychotropic, antidepressant, antipsychotic, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) medications. The hospital admission rate for psychiatric conditions was calculated, also at the local health unit (LHU) level. The presence of trends in prescription prevalence and incidence during the 6 year period was assessed. Finally, the correlation between prevalence, prescription, hospital admission rates, latitude, longitude, and average annual income at the LHU level was also investigated. In 2011, 8834 youths received at least one psychotropic drug prescription, with a prevalence of 1.76 ‰ (95 % CI 1.72-1.80). The incidence of new psychotropic drug users was 1.03 ‰ (1.00-1.06). The prevalence of antidepressants was 1.02 ‰ (0.99-1.04), while that of antipsychotics was 0.70 ‰ (0.68-0.72), and that of ADHD medications 0.19 ‰ (0.18-0.21). The psychotropic drug prevalence increased with increasing age. Males were more exposed to psychotropic drugs than females (AUC0-17 male/female = 1.23). Antipsychotics were the most prescribed psychotropic drugs in males, while antidepressants were in females. Between-region prevalence ranged from 1.56 to 2.17 ‰. The overall prevalence of psychotropic drug from 2006 to 2011 was stable (χ(t)2 ≤ 0.001, p = 0.97). No correlation was found between prevalence and the variables investigated. Psychotropic drug prescription was very limited and stable. No geographical patterns were found.

Prescription drug overdose: between patients and their doctors

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Ling W

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Walter Ling,1 Li-Tzy Wu21Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science, Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; 2Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USAPrescription drug overdoses, mainly involving prescription opioids, have reached epidemic proportions in the United States over the past 20 years.1,2 Since 2003, prescription opioids have been involved in more drug-related overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. Among patients who were prescribed opioids, an estimated 20% were prescribed high doses of opioids by either single or multiple physicians, and these patients appeared to account for the majority of prescription opioid-related overdoses.1,3,4 The increase in prescription overdose deaths has coincided with a major increase in prescription opioid sales.2 The prescribing practices of some physicians are often believed to have contributed in part to the increase in these overdose deaths. In a recently published perspective, Anna Lembke speculated on why doctors prescribe opioids to known prescription opioid abusers.5 Her article raises a timely and troubling issue for all of us interested in this area of medicine. Lembke identifies the root of the problem to lie in the changing societal attitude towards pain and suffering, the ever-growing availability of opioid medications, the regulatory requirements promulgated, and the perceived shift in the role of the medical professional in this context. Central to her argument is that physicians must now practice according to a set of externally imposed expectations of patients, payers, and regulators, putting the prescriber in the position of being "damned if you do and damned if you don’t". If Lembke is right, the physician now prescribes not according to what he or she wants to do, but according to what he or she must do. The result, at one extreme, is the patient acting as their

A complete non-perturbative renormalization prescription for quasi-PDFs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alexandrou, Constantia [Cyprus Univ., Nicosia (Cyprus). Dept. of Physics; The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia (Cyprus); Cichy, Krzysztof [Frankfurt Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik; Adam Mickiewicz Univ., Poznan (Poland). Faculty of Physics; Constantinou, Martha [Temple Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States). Dept. of Physics; Hadjiyiannakou, Kyriakos [The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia (Cyprus); Jansen, Karl; Steffens, Fernanda [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC; Panagopoulos, Haralambos [Cyprus Univ., Nicosia (Cyprus). Dept. of Physics; Collaboration: European Twisted Mass Collaboration

2017-06-15

In this work we present, for the first time, the non-perturbative renormalization for the unpolarized, helicity and transversity quasi-PDFs, in an RI{sup '} scheme. The proposed prescription addresses simultaneously all aspects of renormalization: logarithmic divergences, finite renormalization as well as the linear divergence which is present in the matrix elements of fermion operators with Wilson lines. Furthermore, for the case of the unpolarized quasi-PDF, we describe how to eliminate the unwanted mixing with the twist-3 scalar operator. We utilize perturbation theory for the one-loop conversion factor that brings the renormalization functions to the MS-scheme at a scale of 2 GeV. We also explain how to improve the estimates on the renormalization functions by eliminating lattice artifacts. The latter can be computed in one-loop perturbation theory and to all orders in the lattice spacing. We apply the methodology for the renormalization to an ensemble of twisted mass fermions with N{sub f}=2+1+1 dynamical quarks, and a pion mass of around 375 MeV.

An automated technique to identify potential inappropriate traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions.

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Yang, Hsuan-Chia; Iqbal, Usman; Nguyen, Phung Anh; Lin, Shen-Hsien; Huang, Chih-Wei; Jian, Wen-Shan; Li, Yu-Chuan

2016-04-01

Medication errors such as potential inappropriate prescriptions would induce serious adverse drug events to patients. Information technology has the ability to prevent medication errors; however, the pharmacology of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is not as clear as in western medicine. The aim of this study was to apply the appropriateness of prescription (AOP) model to identify potential inappropriate TCM prescriptions. We used the association rule of mining techniques to analyze 14.5 million prescriptions from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. The disease and TCM (DTCM) and traditional Chinese medicine-traditional Chinese medicine (TCMM) associations are computed by their co-occurrence, and the associations' strength was measured as Q-values, which often referred to as interestingness or life values. By considering the number of Q-values, the AOP model was applied to identify the inappropriate prescriptions. Afterwards, three traditional Chinese physicians evaluated 1920 prescriptions and validated the detected outcomes from the AOP model. Out of 1920 prescriptions, 97.1% of positive predictive value and 19.5% of negative predictive value were shown by the system as compared with those by experts. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the negative predictive value could improve up to 27.5% when the model's threshold changed to 0.4. We successfully applied the AOP model to automatically identify potential inappropriate TCM prescriptions. This model could be a potential TCM clinical decision support system in order to improve drug safety and quality of care. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Women and men report different behaviours in, and reasons for medication non-adherence: a nationwide Swedish survey

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Thunander Sundbom L

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of the present study was to analyse gender differences in self-reported non-adherence (NA to prescribed medication in the Swedish general population. We aimed to study unintentional and intentional NA as well as the reasons given for NA. Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to a cross-sectional, random, national sample of people aged 18-84 years in Sweden (n=7985. The response rate was 61.1% (n=4875. The questionnaire covered use of prescription drugs, NA behaviour and reasons for NA. Results: Use of prescription drugs was reported by 59.5% (n=2802 of the participants, and 66.4% (n=1860 of these participants did not adhere to the prescribed regimen. No overall gender differences in reporting NA were found. However, when analysing the various types of NA behaviour and the reasons for NA, different gender patterns emerged. Men were more likely to report forgetting [OR=0.77 (95%CI 0.65:0.92], changing the dosage [OR=0.64 (95%CI 0.52:0.79] and that they had recovered [14.3%, (OR=0.71 (95%CI 0.56:0.90] as a reason. In contrast, more women than men reported filling the prescription but not taking the drug [OR=1.25 (95%CI 1.02:1.54] and reported the development of adverse drug reactions (ADRs [OR=1.89 (95%CI 1.37:2.59] as a reason more commonly. The gender differences remained, in most cases, after controlling for confounders such as age, socioeconomic factors, medical problems and attitudes toward drugs.Conclusions: Women and men have different patterns of NA behaviour and different reasons for NA. Therefore, if adherence is to be improved, a wide knowledge of all the reasons for NA is required, along with an understanding of the impact of gender on the outcomes.

Community pharmacy and mail order cost and utilization for 90-day maintenance medication prescriptions.

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Khandelwal, Nikhil; Duncan, Ian; Rubinstein, Elan; Ahmed, Tamim; Pegus, Cheryl

2012-04-01

Pharmacy benefit management (PBM) companies promote mail order programs that typically dispense 90-day quantities of maintenance medications, marketing this feature as a key cost containment strategy to address plan sponsors' rising prescription drug expenditures. In recent years, community pharmacies have introduced 90-day programs that provide similar cost advantages, while allowing these prescriptions to be dispensed at the same pharmacies that patients frequent for 30-day quantities. To compare utilization rates and corresponding costs associated with obtaining 90-day prescriptions at community and mail order pharmacies for payers that offer equivalent benefits in different 90-day dispensing channels. We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional investigation using pharmacy claims and eligibility data from employer group clients of a large PBM between January 2008 and September 2010. We excluded the following client types: government, third-party administrators, schools, hospitals, 340B (federal drug pricing), employers in Puerto Rico, and miscellaneous clients for which the PBM provided billing services (e.g., the pharmacy's loyalty card program members). All employer groups in the sample offered 90-day community pharmacy and mail order dispensing and received benefits management services, such as formulary management and mail order pharmacy, from the PBM. We further limited the sample to employer groups that offered equivalent benefits for community pharmacy and mail order, defined as groups in which the mean and median copayments per claim for community and mail order pharmacy, by tier, differed by no more than 5%. Enrollees in the sample were required to have a minimum of 6 months of eligibility in each calendar year but were not required to have filled a prescription in any year. We evaluated pharmacy costs and utilization for a market basket of 14 frequently dispensed therapeutic classes of maintenance medications. The proportional share of claims for

[Prescription of drugs with ASMR V in patients over 65 years in a primary care ambulatory setting. Drug prescription analysis in the Midi-Pyrénées region (France)].

Science.gov (United States)

Bismuth, Serge; Chalvignac, Caroline; Bagheri, Haleh; Oustric, Stéphane

2010-12-20

In French patients over 65 years, drug intake is characterized by polytherapy, causing iatrogenic events. The general practitioner is the main actor in the follow-up and reassessment of drug prescriptions. To assess the proportion of ASMR V (Amélioration du service medical rendu - additional therapeutic benefit versus current standards) drugs [drugs producing no medical improvement] prescribed to patients over 65 years in the management of a chronic disease. In May 2009, 849 drug prescriptions were collected from 34 general practitioners in the Midi-Pyrénées region. Specialties with ASMR V were classified according to the anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) classification system. 58.8% of the prescriptions concerned female patients; 67.4% of the prescriptions contained at least one ASMR-V drug. Approximately 20% of the prescriptions in subjects over 65 years contained ASMR-V drugs. This study shows that older subjects are being prescribed a significant number of ASMR-V drugs. However, this classification combines several situations, including a product line extension, a fixed combination of preexisting drugs, an insufficient therapeutic benefit, the absence of additional therapeutic benefit versus a comparative drug, the absence of comparative study in some indications, or a less favorable benefit-risk ratio comparing to that of the reference drug.This classification includes as well the generic drugs prescribed using the international non proprietary names. This study did not analyze the influence of certain factors, such as treatment history, history of drug allergy or dose titration, which could influence the physician's decision. Following this study, it appears useful to extend this type of survey to other general practitioners in other French regions, and to analyze the reasons for prescribing ASMR-V drugs. These data would help increasing general practitioners' awareness of "proper drug use" to reduce the proportion of "inadequate" drugs prescribed to

Differences in psychotropic drug prescriptions among ethnic groups in the Netherlands.

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Wittkampf, Laura Christina; Smeets, Hugo M; Knol, Mirjam J; Geerlings, Mirjam I; Braam, Arjan W; De Wit, Niek J

2010-08-01

Psychotropic drug use in Europe and the USA has increased in the past 20 years. The rise in mental health-care use instigated a debate about possible differences in prevalence rates between different ethnic groups in the Netherlands, although the exact differences were unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether these minority groups were more or less likely than the native population to receive psychotropic drugs. A descriptive population study was conducted using the Agis Health Database, containing demographic and health-care consumption data of approximately 1.5 million inhabitants of the Netherlands. Rates of prescriptions of psychotropic drugs from 2001 to 2006 and adjusted odds ratios for psychotropic drug prescriptions among native Dutch, Turkish and Moroccan ethnic groups were calculated. These data were analysed using logistic regression, after being adjusted for age, gender and socioeconomic status. The mean year prevalence of psychotropic drug prescriptions from 2001 to 2006 was 14.0%. Except for a decrease in anxiolytic drugs, the prescriptions of psychotropic drugs increased from 2001 to 2006. These trends were the same for all of the ethnic groups considered. Among both the Moroccan and Turkish populations, there was a higher risk of antidepressant and antipsychotic drug prescriptions, and a pronounced lower risk of ADHD medication and lithium prescriptions compared to the native population. Among the Turkish population, the risk of anxiolytic drug prescriptions was greater than in the native population. Compared to the native population in the Netherlands, first- and second-generation Turkish and Moroccan immigrants had an increased risk of antidepressant and antipsychotic drug prescriptions and a decreased risk of ADHD medication and Lithium prescriptions. Further research is needed to clarify whether patients of different ethnic backgrounds with the same symptoms receive similar diagnosis and adequate treatment.

[Textual research on relationship between traditional Chinese medicine and medical prescriptions in the Sanskrit formulary Bower Manuscript excavated in Xinjiang].

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Wang, Xingyi

2015-05-01

This paper introduces the Bower Manuscript in Sanskrit written on birch bark excavated in Xinjiang, which was bought in Kuqa by a British India army lieutenant Bower, hence its title. Then, it was researched, annotated, and published in 7 volumes by a German British lieutenant and orientalist Honer. The first three volumes are devoted to medical prescriptions. It is first verified that its "Dazi Xiangye San" is the "Dujuan Dachen San" in Tibetan medicine. By comparing it with other traditional medical systems, such as Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian, and Uyghur medical systems, we found that Bower Manuscript is closer to Tibetan medicine and Mongolian medicine, while it has less relation with Chinese medicine and Uyghur medicine. However, it also exerts some influence on TCM.

General practice variation in spirometry testing among patients receiving first-time prescriptions for medication targeting obstructive lung disease in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koefoed, Mette M; Søndergaard, Jens; Christensen, René dePont

2013-01-01

Spirometry testing is essential to confirm an obstructive lung disease, but studies have reported that a large proportion of patients diagnosed with COPD or asthma have no history of spirometry testing. Also, it has been shown that many patients are prescribed medication for obstructive lung...... disease without a relevant diagnosis or spirometry test registered. General practice characteristics have been reported to influence diagnosis and management of several chronic diseases. However, these findings are inconsistent, and it is uncertain whether practice characteristics influence spirometry...... testing among patients receiving medication for obstructive lung disease. The aim of this study was therefore to examine if practice characteristics are associated with spirometry testing among patients receiving first-time prescriptions for medication targeting obstructive lung disease....

Prescription writing practices in a rural tertiary care hospital in Western Maharashtra, India

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Vaishali D Phalke

2011-01-01

Full Text Available BackgroundPrescription is a written order from physician to pharmacistwhich contains name of drug, its dose and its method ofdispensing and advice over consuming it. The frequency ofdrug prescription errors is high. Prescribing errorcontributes significantly towards adverse drug events. Thepresent study was undertaken to understand the currentprescription writing practices and to detect the commonerrors in them at a tertiary health care centre situated in arural area of Western Maharashtra, India.MethodA cross sectional study was conducted at a tertiary levelhospital located at a rural area of Maharashtra state, Indiaduring October 2009-March 2010. 499 prescriptions comingto medical store during period of one month wereconsidered for data analysis. Important informationregarding the patient, doctor, drug and the generaldescription of the prescription were obtained.ResultsAll the prescriptions were on the hospital pad. A significantnumber of the prescriptions (n=88, 17.6% were written inillegible handwriting and not easily readable. The name, ageand sex of the patient were mentioned is majority of theprescriptions. All the prescriptions (100% failed todemonstrate the presence of address, height and weight ofthe patient. Only the brand name of the drugs wasmentioned in all the prescriptions with none of them havingthe generic name. The strength, quantity and route ofadministration of the drug were found on 73.1%, 65.3% and75.2% prescriptions.ConclusionThere are widespread errors in prescription writing by thedoctors. Educational intervention programs and use ofcomputer can substantially contribute in the lowering ofsuch errors. A short course on prescription writing beforethe medical student enters the clinical field and strictmonitoring by the administrative authorities may also helpalleviate the problem.Word count: 2980Tables: 2

Prescription History of Emergency Department Patients Prescribed Opioids

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Jason A Hoppe

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: To use Colorado’s prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP to describe the recent opioid prescription history of patients discharged from our emergency department (ED with a prescription for opioid pain medications.Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 300 adult ED patients who received an opioid prescription. We abstracted prescription histories for the six months prior to the ED visit from the PDMP, and abstracted clinical and demographic variables from the chart.Results: There were 5,379 ED visits during the study month, 3,732 of which were discharged. Providers wrote 1,165 prescriptions for opioid analgesics to 1,124/3,732 (30% of the patients. Median age was 36 years. Thirty-nine percent were male. Patients were 46% Caucasian, 26% African American, 22% Hispanic, 2% Asian and 4% other. These were similar to our overall ED population. There was substantial variability in the number of prescriptions, prescribers and total number of pills. A majority (205/296 of patients had zero or one prescription. The 90th percentile for number of prescriptions was seven, while the 10th percentile was zero. Patients in the highest decile tended to be older, with a higher proportion of Caucasians and females. Patients in the lowest decile resembled the general ED population. The most common diagnoses associated with opioid prescriptions were abdominal pain (11.5%, cold/flu symptoms (9.5%, back pain (5.4%, flank pain (5.0% and motor vehicle crash (4.7%.Conclusion: Substantial variability exists in the opioid prescription histories of ED patients, but a majority received zero or one prescription in the preceding six months. The top decile of patients averaged more than two prescriptions per month over the six months prior to ED visit, written by more than 6 different prescribers. There was a trend toward these patients being older, Caucasian and female. [West J Emerg Med. 2013;14(3:247–252.

A smart-card-enabled privacy preserving E-prescription system.

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Yang, Yanjiang; Han, Xiaoxi; Bao, Feng; Deng, Robert H

2004-03-01

Within the overall context of protection of health care information, privacy of prescription data needs special treatment. First, the involvement of diverse parties, especially nonmedical parties in the process of drug prescription complicates the protection of prescription data. Second, both patients and doctors have privacy stakes in prescription, and their privacy should be equally protected. Third, the following facts determine that prescription should not be processed in a truly anonymous manner: certain involved parties conduct useful research on the basis of aggregation of prescription data that are linkable with respect to either the patients or the doctors; prescription data has to be identifiable in some extreme circumstances, e.g., under the court order for inspection and assign liability. In this paper, we propose an e-prescription system to address issues pertaining to the privacy protection in the process of drug prescription. In our system, patients' smart cards play an important role. For one thing, the smart cards are implemented to be portable repositories carrying up-to-date personal medical records and insurance information, providing doctors instant data access crucial to the process of diagnosis and prescription. For the other, with the secret signing key being stored inside, the smart card enables the patient to sign electronically the prescription pad, declaring his acceptance of the prescription. To make the system more realistic, we identify the needs for a patient to delegate his signing capability to other people so as to protect the privacy of information housed on his card. A strong proxy signature scheme achieving technologically mutual agreements on the delegation is proposed to implement the delegation functionality.

Adolescent context of exposure to prescription opioids and substance use disorder symptoms at age 35: A national longitudinal study

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McCabe, Sean Esteban; Veliz, Philip; Schulenberg, John E.

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the association of context of prescription opioid exposure (i.e., medical and/or nonmedical) in adolescence with the subsequent risk of nonmedical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) and substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms at age 35. Multiple cohorts of nationally representative probability samples of U.S. high school seniors (n = 4072) were surveyed via self-administered questionnaires and followed longitudinally from adolescence (modal age 18, graduating classes 1976–1996) to age 35 (1993–2013). Main outcome measures were past-year NMUPO and SUD symptoms. The medical and nonmedical use of prescription opioids during adolescence was significantly associated with NMUPO at age 35. Relative to no prescription opioid exposure, medical use of prescription opioids without any history of NMUPO during adolescence was not associated with SUD symptoms at age 35. In contrast, compared with no prescription opioid exposure during adolescence, the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) associated with SUD symptoms at age 35 were greater among those with a history of both medical use of prescription opioids and NMUPO during adolescence, AOR = 1.49 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13–1.97); and among those who reported NMUPO only, AOR = 2.61 (95% CI, 1.88–3.61). The findings indicate medical use of prescription opioids without any history of NMUPO in adolescence is not associated with SUD symptoms at age 35 while any NMUPO in adolescence predicts SUD symptoms at age 35. Screening instruments and preventative intervention programs to reduce NMUPO and SUDs must account for the context associated with prescription opioid exposure during adolescence. PMID:27227693

General practice variation in spirometry testing among patients receiving first-time prescriptions for medication targeting obstructive lung disease in Denmark: a population-based observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Koefoed, Mette M; Søndergaard, Jens; Christensen, René dePont; Jarbøl, Dorte E

2013-08-07

Spirometry testing is essential to confirm an obstructive lung disease, but studies have reported that a large proportion of patients diagnosed with COPD or asthma have no history of spirometry testing. Also, it has been shown that many patients are prescribed medication for obstructive lung disease without a relevant diagnosis or spirometry test registered. General practice characteristics have been reported to influence diagnosis and management of several chronic diseases. However, these findings are inconsistent, and it is uncertain whether practice characteristics influence spirometry testing among patients receiving medication for obstructive lung disease. The aim of this study was therefore to examine if practice characteristics are associated with spirometry testing among patients receiving first-time prescriptions for medication targeting obstructive lung disease. A national register-based cohort study was performed. All patients over 18 years receiving first-time prescriptions for medication targeting obstructive lung disease in 2008 were identified and detailed patient-specific data on sociodemographic status and spirometry tests were extracted. Information on practice characteristics like number of doctors, number of patients per doctor, training practice status, as well as age and gender of the general practitioners was linked to each medication user. Partnership practices had a higher odds ratio (OR) of performing spirometry compared with single-handed practices (OR 1.24, CI 1.09-1.40). We found a significant association between increasing general practitioner age and decreasing spirometry testing. This tendency was most pronounced among partnership practices, where doctors over 65 years had the lowest odds of spirometry testing (OR 0.25, CI 0.10-0.61). Training practice status was significantly associated with spirometry testing among single-handed practices (OR 1.40, CI 1.10-1.79). Some of the variation in spirometry testing among patients receiving

[Mining analysis on composition and medication of menstruation prescriptions in Fu Qingzhu's Obstetrics and Gynecology].

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Zhu, Jia-qing; Che, Yu-xia

2015-04-01

In this paper, menstruation prescriptions were selected from "Fu Qingzhu's Obstetrics and Gynecology" and analyzed by using GRI algorithm, correlation analysis, hierarchical clustering method through SPSS, Clementine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) inheritance auxiliary systems, in order to screen out 15 menopathy prescriptions, which involve 45 traditional Chinese medicine herbs. In the study, blood-tonifying and qi-tonifying herbs were found to be frequent in the prescriptions. The most frequent single herb was white paeony root, accounting for 9.6% in the total number of prescriptions; The most frequent herb pairs were white paeony root-radix rehmanniae preparata and paeony root-angelica sinensis. Among Fu Shan's menopathy prescriptions, 61 herbal pairs showed a correlation coefficient exceeding 0.05, which evolved into 16 pairs of core combinations. The analysis showed that menopathy prescriptions in volume 1 of "Fu Qingzhu's Obstetrics and Gynecology" focused on tonic traditional Chinese medicines involving liver, spleen and kidney and were adjusted according to changes in qi, blood, cold, hot and wet, which could provide a specific reference for further studies on Fu Shan's academic thoughts and traditional Chinese medicine clinical treatment of menopathy.

Recent trends in the dispensing of 90-day-supply prescriptions at retail pharmacies: implications for improved convenience and access.

Science.gov (United States)

Liberman, Joshua N; Girdish, Charmaine

2011-03-01

Mail-service pharmacies offer consumers the convenience of prescriptions filled with a 90-day supply of medication. Unlike mail-service pharmacies, retail pharmacies traditionally dispensed maintenance medication prescriptions with a 30-day supply. However, the retail landscape changed in May 2008 with Walmart's announcement of an extension of its $4 Prescription Program to include 90-day-supply prescriptions. To evaluate recent changes in access to and use of 90-day-supply maintenance medications dispensed via retail pharmacy. As of the first quarter of 2007, the proportion of retail-dispensed maintenance medications with a 90-day supply (compared with all maintenance prescriptions dispensed) among Medicare Part D plans, self-insured employers, and private health plans was 5.1%, 5.1%, and 5.0%, respectively. As of December 2009, this ratio had risen to 8.0% for Medicare plans and 8.1% for commercial health plans; the ratio among employers had risen more modestly to 6.1%. Of particular interest and importance, the proportion increased similarly for brand and for generic medications. There has been substantial growth in 90-day prescriptions dispensed via retail pharmacy, a trend that is likely to continue as more insurance providers adopt compatible benefit designs. It is important to continue monitoring these trends and to identify opportunities to rigorously evaluate their impact on medication adherence and healthcare costs.

Utilization and Costs of Compounded Medications for Commercially Insured Patients, 2012-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

McPherson, Timothy; Fontane, Patrick; Iyengar, Reethi; Henderson, Rochelle

2016-02-01

claims for compounded medications increased by 34.2% during the same period, from 486,886 to 653,360. PUPY utilization remained unchanged at 2 prescriptions from 2012 to 2013. The most commonly compounded drugs were similar for all adult age groups and represented therapies typically indicated for chronic pain or hormone replacement therapy. The average ingredient cost for compounded medications increased by 130.3% from 2012 to 2013, from $308.49 to $710.36. The average ingredient cost for these users' non-compounded prescriptions increased only 7.7%, from $148.75 to $160.20. For comparison, the average ingredient cost for all prescription users' claims was $81.50 in 2012 and increased by 3.8% to $84.57 in 2013. Compound users represented 1.4% of eligible members in 2013. The average ingredient cost for compound users' compounded prescriptions ($710.36) was greater than for noncompounded prescriptions ($160.20). The 1-year increase in average compounded prescription costs (130.3%) was also greater than for noncompounded prescriptions (7.7%). Although prevalence of compound users and the PUPY utilization for compounded prescriptions increased only slightly between 2012 and 2013, the mean and median cost of compounded medications increased dramatically during this time. Text mining revealed that drug combinations characteristic of topical pain formulations were among the most frequently compounded medications for adults.

Off-label prescriptions in diabetic foot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luís Jesuíno de Oliveira Andrade

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Prescription of a drug outside of the indications for which it was originally approved by regulators is internationally known as "off-label" prescription. We describe off-label treatments for the diabetic foot reported in international scientific literature. This is a qualitative and descriptive bibliographical review based on the results of a search of the Medline international database. The criteria for review were publication between January 1985 and November 2013, and the MeSH (Medical Subject Heading keywords "off-label use" OR "off-label" OR "off-label prescribing" plus "diabetic foot" were input on the search form. Nine studies were selected that contained information about off-label treatments for the diabetic foot. We conclude that the practice of off-label prescribing has potential benefits. In some situations an off-label prescription is the only treatment available for patients, either because a more targeted drug does not exist, or because other methods of treatment are ineffective or unavailable due to patient intolerance.

Usage of emergency contraception between medical related and non-medical related students.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Khalid, A K

2009-04-01

Teenagers and young adultshave the most risk of unplanned pregnancy, due to lack of awareness to see a family planning provider after unprotected sexual intercourse. In addition, nearly one in five physicians is reluctant to provide information regarding Emergency Contraception (EC) to women and this may contribute to their lack of awareness. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the use of EC between medical related students compared to non-medical related students. Data collection was done using questionnaires distributed among students in University College Cork (UCC). 93% of medically related students were aware of EC compared to only 73.5% of non-medically related students. Medical related students also were more aware about the mechanism of action and detailed knowledge of EC compared to the non-medical students. This study has proven that medically related students have more detailed knowledge regarding EC compared to non-medical related students. However, there was no significant difference noted regarding the attitude and practice between the two groups.

Stability in Effects of gamma-Irradiated Chinese Medicinal Prescriptions on Protection of Mice from Radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Jung-Ah; Kim Sung-Ho

2000-01-01

The radioprotective effects of irradiated medicinal plants on biological system were studied to apply the irradiation technology for hygienic purpose that is usually performed by chemical preservatives. We previously reported that the three Chinese medicinal prescriptions, Si-Wu-Tang, Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang and San-Ling-Bai-Shu-San, showed radioprotective effects in mice. In these experiments, to investigate the difference in radioprotective effects between irradiated (10 kGy) and non-irradiated medicinal plants, mice were administered with the irradiated or non-irradiated prescriptions and then the mice were exposed to gamma-rays with low and high dosage. Non-exposed mice were also prepared as a control. The effects of prescriptions on the jejunal crypt survival, endogenous spleen colony formation, and apoptosis of jejunal crypt cells in mice were investigated after exposure. All of the prescriptions showed the protective effects of the jejunal crypt (p0.05) and the adminstration of the prescriptions increased the formation of endogenous spleen colony (p0.05) and reduced the frequency of radiation-induced apoptosis (p0.05). No significant difference in effects between irradiated and non-irradiated prescreption on the parameters was found in mice administered with each prescription before exposure to gamma-rays. In non-exposed mice, there were no different findings in the parameters between irradiated and non-irradiated prescription

[Summary of Hui prescriptions for treating cough].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wen-jin; Liu, Yue; Zhang, Xin-hui

2015-02-01

In this study, by using the method of literature research, 35 prescriptions related to asthma therapy has been screened out from Hui medicine through collecting the ancient and modern literature. A comparison of fragrant medicine between the name in Arab and Chinese herbal medicine is done. The countif function in Microsoft Excel 2007 is used to get the prescriptions of the drug on the frequency statistics, summarizing the common drugs of Hui medicine for asthma are Pinellia, almond, white sugar, walnut. According to the commonly used drugs, the pathogeny and treatment principle about Hui medicine for asthma is preliminarily inferred combining literature research and the related Hui medical theory. In this study, those prescriptions have been classified into 21 cases which are effective and can be used in medical therapy according to the relevant literatures with the development of the Hui people in their long process of formation of the unique diet culture, 14 useful and convenient Halal diet therapies are made up according to the indications, therapies, party name and composition. Halal diet and "medicine and food" herbs are preliminarily analyzed and summarized, which can be convenient for the people to reduce pains through the diet and improve health awareness.

Audit of carbapenem prescriptions comparing 2 assessment periods.

Science.gov (United States)

Lefébure, A; Papy, E; Rioux, C; Diamantis, S; Armand-Lefèvre, L; Longuet, P; Lescure, F X; Wolff, M; Arnaud, P; Lucet, J C

2015-07-01

The emergence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae has resulted in the increase of carbapenem prescriptions. The objective of our study was to determine the appropriateness of carbapenem prescriptions from initiation to reassessment of treatment, between 2009 and 2011. A questionnaire drafted by infectious diseases specialists (IDS) and microbiologists was used to collect clinical and microbiological data concerning carbapenem prescriptions in 2009 and 2011. An IDS then compared the results to assess carbapenem prescription compliance with our hospital's local recommendations. Seventy-one prescriptions were included in 2009 and 32 in 2011. The carbapenem treatment had been most frequently probabilistic to treat nosocomial infections. The microbiological data revealed that the number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections had increased between 2009 and 2011, especially infections involving ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. At treatment reassessment, in 2009 and 2011, 15 (21%) and 12 (38%) carbapenem prescriptions were appropriate and continued. Overall, when comparing the 2 periods, prescriptions complied with local guidelines from initiation to reassessment of treatment without any statistically significant difference (68% in 2009 and 75% in 2011). Our study results showed that MDR infections had increased and especially infections due to ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae; this was consistent with epidemiological data. We also proved that most carbapenem prescriptions were compliant with recommendations. The increased mobile IDS interventions in medical and surgical departments helped reach this rate of compliance. Carbapenem stewardship may be promoted even in a difficult epidemiological context, especially with IDS interventions for the duration of treatment or at treatment reassessment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Comparison of medication reconciliation and medication review: errors and clinical importance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjeldbak-Olesen, Mette; Danielsen, Anja Gadsbølle; Tomsen, Dorthe Vilstrup

2013-01-01

in the patient record and the EMS. 15% of the discrepancies were potentially serious or fatal, 62% were potentially significant and 23% were potentially non-significant. A total of 129 DRPs were identified by medication review, 1.7 per patient. The most frequent DRPs were sub therapeutic dosage, inappropriate......Introduction: The objective of this study was to compare medication reconciliation and medication review based on number, type and severity of discrepancies and drug-re­lated problems (DRPs), denoted errors. Material and methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at the Department...... of Cardiology, Hillerød Hos­pital. Medication reconciliation compared the prescriptions in patient records, an electronic medication system (EMS) and in discharge summaries (DS). The medication review was based on the EMS. The two methods were performed on the same data material. To assess the clinical...

The appropriateness of a proton pump inhibitor prescription.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Moran, N

2014-11-01

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are one of the most commonly prescribed groups of drug in Ireland, at great expense to the Irish healthcare executive. This study aims to evaluate the appropriateness of PPI prescriptions on admission and discharge in a tertiary referral hospital. All non-elective admissions in the Emergency Department in one week were included in the study. 102 patients in total were included, with 36 (35.4%) treated with a PPI on admission. Of these, only 3 (8.3%) had a clear indication noted as per current NICE guidelines. 18 new in-hospital PPI prescriptions were documented. 11 (61%) of which were present on discharge prescriptions. Continuing PPI prescription on discharge into the community may be inappropriate, costly and potentially harmful. Brief interventions aimed at reducing inappropriate PPI prescriptions have been shown to be effective at reducing the cost and potential harm of unnecessary treatment.

Correlation between the use of 'over-the-counter' medicines and adherence in elderly patients on multiple medications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Charlotte; Harbig, Philipp; Barat, Ishay

2014-01-01

(herbal medicines, dietary supplements, or non-prescribed drugs) was elicited during home visit interviews. Prescription drug adherence was determined by pill counts. A patient was categorised as non-adherent if the mean adherence rate for all drugs consumed was ... to be adherent than were non-users (odds ratio 0.41; 95 % confidence interval 0.18–0.91). Sensitivity analyses where adherence was defined different show no relationship between adherence and use of OTC medicine. Furthermore, separate analyses of herbal medicines, dietary supplements, or non-prescribed drugs did...... not correlate with adherence to prescriptions. Conclusion Amongst elderly patients on multiple medications a positive relationship was found between the overall use of OTC medicines and adherence to prescription drugs, in contrast to none when adherence were defined different or herbal medicines, dietary...

Can antibiotic prescriptions in respiratory tract infections be improved? A cluster-randomized educational intervention in general practice – The Prescription Peer Academic Detailing (Rx-PAD Study [NCT00272155

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rognstad Sture

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background More than half of all antibiotic prescriptions in general practice are issued for respiratory tract infections (RTIs, despite convincing evidence that many of these infections are caused by viruses. Frequent misuse of antimicrobial agents is of great global health concern, as we face an emerging worldwide threat of bacterial antibiotic resistance. There is an increasing need to identify determinants and patterns of antibiotic prescribing, in order to identify where clinical practice can be improved. Methods/Design Approximately 80 peer continuing medical education (CME groups in southern Norway will be recruited to a cluster randomized trial. Participating groups will be randomized either to an intervention- or a control group. A multifaceted intervention has been tailored, where key components are educational outreach visits to the CME-groups, work-shops, audit and feedback. Prescription Peer Academic Detailers (Rx-PADs, who are trained GPs, will conduct the educational outreach visits. During these visits, evidence-based recommendations of antibiotic prescriptions for RTIs will be presented and software will be handed out for installation in participants PCs, enabling collection of prescription data. These data will subsequently be linked to corresponding data from the Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD. Individual feedback reports will be sent all participating GPs during and one year after the intervention. Main outcomes are baseline proportion of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions for RTIs and change in prescription patterns compared to baseline one year after the initiation of the tailored pedagogic intervention. Discussion Improvement of prescription patterns in medical practice is a challenging task. A thorough evaluation of guidelines for antibiotic treatment in RTIs may impose important benefits, whereas inappropriate prescribing entails substantial costs, as well as undesirable consequences like development

The Dilemma of Irrational Antibiotic and Corticosteroid Prescription in Iran: How Much It Can Affect the Medicine Expenditures?

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Parisa Mehdizadeh

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In recent years the high cost of medicines and the lack of it were one of the major problems in developing countries that despite numerous efforts to solve the root causes of this problem, the issue remains, unfortunately. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of antibiotics and corticosteroids prescription on the medicines expenditures. This was descriptive-analytical study that conducted to assess the function of medical expenditures through prescription letters and analysis the factors affecting medicine expenditures. We used the data of 91,994,667 selected prescription letters that were collected by the Ministry of the Health and Medical Education (MOHME throughout the country in the year 2011 which was analyzed through a logarithmic regression model and OLS estimator. The average number of prescription items in each prescription letter were varied from 2.7 to 3.6, and the average price of each letter was varied from 30223 to 69986 Rials. Between 39 to 61 percent of prescription letters containing antibiotic items and between 15 and 35% of them contain corticosteroids. Also, the impact of antibiotic and corticosteroid prescriptions on the average expenditure of prescription letters were -1.4 and 0.032 respectively. Excessive and irrational prescribing had the greatest impact on medicine expenditures. On the other hand, the expenditure of prescription letters had the negative elasticity to antibiotics prescription and relatively inelastic for corticosteroids. So, raising the price of medications to reduce the use of them could not play a successful role in a control policy.

The Dilemma of Irrational Antibiotic and Corticosteroid Prescription in Iran: How Much It Can Affect the Medicine Expenditures?

Science.gov (United States)

Mehdizadeh, Parisa; Dopeykar, Nooredin; Meskarpour-Amiri, Mohammad; Zekri, Hediyeh; Salesi, Mahmoud

2017-10-01

In recent years the high cost of medicines and the lack of it were one of the major problems in developing countries that despite numerous efforts to solve the root causes of this problem, the issue remains, unfortunately. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of antibiotics and corticosteroids prescription on the medicines expenditures. This was descriptive-analytical study that conducted to assess the function of medical expenditures through prescription letters and analysis the factors affecting medicine expenditures. We used the data of 91,994,667 selected prescription letters that were collected by the Ministry of the Health and Medical Education (MOHME) throughout the country in the year 2011 which was analyzed through a logarithmic regression model and OLS estimator. The average number of prescription items in each prescription letter were varied from 2.7 to 3.6, and the average price of each letter was varied from 30223 to 69986 Rials. Between 39 to 61 percent of prescription letters containing antibiotic items and between 15 and 35% of them contain corticosteroids. Also, the impact of antibiotic and corticosteroid prescriptions on the average expenditure of prescription letters were -1.4 and 0.032 respectively. Excessive and irrational prescribing had the greatest impact on medicine expenditures. On the other hand, the expenditure of prescription letters had the negative elasticity to antibiotics prescription and relatively inelastic for corticosteroids. So, raising the price of medications to reduce the use of them could not play a successful role in a control policy.

Communicating doses of pediatric liquid medicines to parents/caregivers: a comparison of written dosing directions on prescriptions with labels applied by dispensed pharmacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Rita; Blustein, Leona; Kuffner, Ed; Davis, Lisa

2014-03-01

To identify and compare volumetric measures used by healthcare providers in communicating dosing instructions for pediatric liquid prescriptions to parents/caregivers. Dosing instructions were retrospectively reviewed for the 10 most frequently prescribed liquid medications dispensed from 4 community pharmacies for patients aged ≤ 12 years during a 3-month period. Volumetric measures on original prescriptions (ie, milliliters, teaspoons) were compared with those utilized by the pharmacist on the pharmacy label dispensed to the parent/caregiver. Of 649 prescriptions and corresponding pharmacy labels evaluated, 68% of prescriptions and 62% of pharmacy labels communicated dosing in milliliters, 24% of prescriptions and 29% of pharmacy labels communicated dosing in teaspoonfuls, 7% of prescriptions and 0% of pharmacy labels communicated dosing in other measures (ie, milligrams, cubic centimeters, "dose"), and 25% of dispensed pharmacy labels did not reflect units as written in the prescription. Volumetric measures utilized by healthcare professionals in dosing instructions for prescription pediatric oral liquid medications are not consistent. Healthcare professionals and parents/caregivers should be educated on safe dosing practices for liquid pediatric medications. Generalizability to the larger pediatric population may vary depending on pharmacy chain, location, and medications evaluated. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

The exercise prescription for enhancing overall health of midlife and older women.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodward, Miriam J; Lu, Chi Wei; Levandowski, Richard; Kostis, John; Bachmann, Gloria

2015-09-01

For midlife and older women, this period of their life is associated with an increase in risk factors for the development of chronic medical conditions. Data confirms the importance of regular exercise for both prevention and management of cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases, unwanted weight gain, worsening metabolic profile and osteoporosis. However, in most clinical practices, midlife and older women patients are not offered specific exercise guidance. This review assessed the current environment of what exercise advice is being offered to women at clinical encounters and suggests ways of incorporating an exercise prescription into clinical practice. A PubMed review of the literature from the past 20 years was conducted. A universal template for an exercise prescription for aging women does not exist. Globally, there are scant programs that offer exercise advice and interventions to patients at the end of clinical encounters. Although most aging women know the benefits of engaging in a regular exercise program, many do not establish a regular routine. By the clinician offering an exercise prescription, this not only reinforces the importance of exercise but also provides simple guidelines on how women can commence an exercise routine in their life. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Knowledge of drug prescription in dentistry students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guzmán-Álvarez R

2012-06-01

Full Text Available R Guzmán-Álvarezv,1 M Medeiros,2,3 LI Reyes Lagunes,4 AE Campos-Sepúlveda11Pharmacology Department, UNAM School of Medicine and Dentistry, Mexico City, 2Pharmacology Clinical Seminar, UNAM School of Medicine, Mexico City, 3Medical Sciences Department, Mexico Federico Gómez Children's Hospital, Mexico City, 4Measuring and Evaluation Unit, UNAM School of Psychology, Mexico City, MexicoBackground: Students in schools of dentistry attend to patients with illnesses, and often prescribe medication. Because students are still learning, they are influenced by a variety of factors: the different teaching approaches of the professors at the clinics and in the pharmacology course, fellow students, and even the information provided by the pharmaceutical industry.Objectives: The aim of this pilot study was to assess the prescription knowledge and common mistakes in fourth-year students at the School of Dentistry at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.Methods: In March 2010, a survey was conducted among 66 fourth-year students at the School of Dentistry, applying a previously validated questionnaire consisting of six open-ended questions The following factors were assessed: the most frequent illness requiring dental prescription; the most prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics; the most frequent errors; sources of information used for prescribing drugs; and whether the students knew and followed the World Health Organization Guide to Good Prescribing.Results: The most frequent response for each question was considered the most significant. The most common reason for prescribing medication was infection (n = 37, 56%, followed by pain (n = 24, 38%; the most used painkillers were ibuprofen and acetaminophen at equal levels (n = 25, 37.8%, followed by ketorolac (n = 7, 10.6%, naproxen (n = 6, 9.1%, diclofenac (n = 2, 3%, and aspirin (n = 1, 1.5%; the most widely prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin (n = 52, 78

Prescription drugs: issues of cost, coverage, and quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Copeland, C

1999-04-01

This Issue Brief closely examines expenditures on prescription drugs, and discusses their potential to substitute for other types of health care services. In addition, it describes employer coverage of prescription drugs, direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs, and potential legislation affecting the prescription drug market. Prescription drug expenditures grew at double-digit rates during almost every year since 1980, accelerating to 14.1 percent in 1997. In contrast, total national health expenditures, hospital service expenditures, and physician service expenditures growth rates decreased from approximately 13 percent in 1980 to less than 5 percent in 1997. Private insurance payments for prescription drugs increased 17.7 percent in 1997, after growing 22.1 percent in 1995 and 18.3 percent in 1996. This growth in prescription drug payments compares with 4 percent or less overall annual growth in private insurance payments for each of those three years. From 1993 to 1997, the overwhelming majority of the increases in expenditures on prescription drugs were attributable to increased volume, mix, and availability of pharmaceutical products. In 1997, these factors accounted for more than 80 percent of the growth in prescription drug expenditures. A leading explanation for the sharp growth in drug expenditures is that prescription drugs are a substitute for other forms of health care. While it is difficult to determine the extent to which this substitution occurs, various studies have associated cost savings with the use of pharmaceutical products in treating specific diseases. Evidence suggests that more appropriate utilization of prescription drugs has the potential to lower total expenditures and improve the quality of care. Also, some studies indicate the U.S. health care system needs to improve the way patients use and physicians prescribe current medications. Prescription drug plans offered by employers are likely to undergo changes to ensure that

Analysis of prescription database extracted from standard textbooks of traditional Dai medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chuang; Chongsuvivatwong, Virasakdi; Keawpradub, Niwat; Lin, Yanfang

2012-08-29

Traditional Dai Medicine (TDM) is one of the four major ethnomedicine of China. In 2007 a group of experts produced a set of seven Dai medical textbooks on this subject. The first two were selected as the main data source to analyse well recognized prescriptions. To quantify patterns of prescriptions, common ingredients, indications and usages of TDM. A relational database linking the prescriptions, ingredients, herb names, indications, and usages was set up. Frequency of pattern of combination and common ingredients were tabulated. A total of 200 prescriptions and 402 herbs were compiled. Prescriptions based on "wind" disorders, a detoxification theory that most commonly deals with symptoms of digestive system diseases, accounted for over one third of all prescriptions. The major methods of preparations mostly used roots and whole herbs. The information extracted from the relational database may be useful for understanding symptomatic treatments. Antidote and detoxification theory deserves further research.

A review of countries' pharmacist-patient communication legal requirements on prescription medications and alignment with practice: Comparison of Nordic countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Svensberg, Karin; Sporrong, Sofia Kälvemark; Björnsdottir, Ingunn

2015-01-01

Pharmacist-patient communication around prescription medications can optimize treatment outcomes. Society's expectations of pharmacist-patient communication around medications can be expressed in legislation, economic incentives, and authority control. In this study, the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden provide the legislative examples and can be used as a platform to discuss how society's expectations, professional visions, and practice are aligning. The overall aim of this study was to describe society's expectations of pharmacist-patient communication around medications as expressed by the state in Nordic legislation, economic incentives and authority control. Additionally, this study describes how the states govern Nordic pharmacists in different pharmacy systems. A legal review was performed using online legislative databases. Regulating authorities were contacted to gather supplementary information. Thereafter, a qualitative document analysis was conducted. The Nordic countries regulate staff-patient communication by using broad laws. The legislation's main focus during dispensing is information on the use of medications, but also generic substitution and pricing. Pharmacies should have internal routines for this in place. Pharmacists' obligation to keep a journal on advice given during dispensing is ambiguously regulated. The economic incentives for communication on prescription medication during dispensing are included in the general pharmacy mark-up. Today's authority control focuses on the pharmacy management and appears to primarily evaluate structure indicators of communication, for example, if there is a routine method of counseling available. Various countries throughout the world differ in their requirements for pharmacy staff to communicate on the use of medicines during dispensing. The Nordic countries all require such communication, which aligns with professional visions. Regardless of the pharmacy system, the

Nonmedical prescription drug use among US young adults by educational attainment.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, Silvia S; Kim, June H; Chen, Lian-Yu; Levin, Deysia; Keyes, Katherine M; Cerdá, Magdalena; Storr, Carla L

2015-05-01

Little is known about nonmedical use of prescription drugs among non-college-attending young adults in the United States. Data were drawn from 36,781 young adults (ages 18-22 years) from the 2008-2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health public use files. The adjusted main effects for current educational attainment, along with its interaction with gender and race/ethnicity, were considered. Compared to those attending college, non-college-attending young adults with at least and less than a HS degree had a higher prevalence of past-year nonmedical use of prescription opioids [NMUPO 13.1 and 13.2 %, respectively, vs. 11.3 %, adjusted odds ratios (aORs) 1.21 (1.11-1.33) and 1.25 (1.12-1.40)], yet lower prevalence of prescription stimulant use. Among users, regardless of drug type, non-college-attending youth were more likely to have past-year disorder secondary to use [e.g., NMUPO 17.4 and 19.1 %, respectively, vs. 11.7 %, aORs 1.55 (1.22-1.98) and 1.75 (1.35-2.28)]. Educational attainment interacted with gender and race: (1) among nonmedical users of prescription opioids, females who completed high school but were not enrolled in college had a significantly greater risk of opioid disorder (compared to female college students) than the same comparison for men; and (2) the risk for nonmedical use of prescription opioids was negligible across educational attainment groups for Hispanics, which was significantly different than the increased risk shown for non-Hispanic whites. There is a need for young adult prevention and intervention programs to target nonmedical prescription drug use beyond college campuses.

A microcomputer system for prescription, calculation, verification and recording of radiotherapy treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrey, D.; Smith, C.W.; Belcher, R.A.; Harding, T.; Sutherland, W.H.

1982-01-01

The design of a microcomputer system for the reduction of mistakes in radiotherapy is described. The system covers prescription entry, prescription and treatment calculations, and verification and recording of the treatment set-up. A telecobalt unit was interfaced to the system and in the first 12 months 400 patients have been prescribed and 5000 treatment fields verified. The prescription is entered by the medical officer using an interactive program and this prescription provides the reference for verifying the treatment set-up. The program allows amendments to the prescription to be made easily during the treatment course. The treatment parameters verified are field size, wedge and treatment time. The system uses bar-codes for patient and field identification. A reduction in the number of mistakes has been achieved and future developments are discussed. (author)

Identification of documented medication non-adherence in physician notes.

Science.gov (United States)

Turchin, Alexander; Wheeler, Holly I; Labreche, Matthew; Chu, Julia T; Pendergrass, Merri L; Einbinder, Jonathan S; Einbinder, Jonathan Seth

2008-11-06

Medication non-adherence is common and the physicians awareness of it may be an important factor in clinical decision making. Few sources of data on physician awareness of medication non-adherence are available. We have designed an algorithm to identify documentation of medication non-adherence in the text of physician notes. The algorithm recognizes eight semantic classes of documentation of medication non-adherence. We evaluated the algorithm against manual ratings of 200 randomly selected notes of hypertensive patients. The algorithm detected 89% of the notes with documented medication non-adherence with specificity of 84.7% and positive predictive value of 80.2%. In a larger dataset of 1,000 documents, notes that documented medication non-adherence were more likely to report significantly elevated systolic (15.3% vs. 9.0%; p = 0.002) and diastolic (4.1% vs. 1.9%; p = 0.03) blood pressure. This novel clinically validated tool expands the range of information on medication non-adherence available to researchers.

The application characteristics of Zhongjing external prescription medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui Zhao

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: To explore the application characteristics of Zhongjing prescription topical Chinese medicine. Methods: in this paper, according to the dosage form, Zhongjing topical agent will be divided into suppository, smoked lotion, apply is scattered, plug nasal powder four categories. Through an analysis on its books, records, and clinical applications, we are able to sum up the application characteristics of the zhongjing agent for external use. Results: in the clinical medicine, topical Zhongjing prescription cure of the disease has a long history of the role, through the analysis of Zhongjing topical prescription whole thinking, dialectical thinking, and thinking and characteristics of treatment technology that has the characteristics of topical drugs, dosage form differentiation flexible, external treatment for internal diseases, both inside and outside. Conclusion: topical medicine not only in the clinical treatment effect is good, and to inherit and develop Zhang Zhongjing thought of medicine, medical practice, law, strengthen Zhong Jing prescription and medicine, to enrich TCM clinical diagnosis and treatment methods to improve the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine clinics provide high standards of service for patients.

[Analysis on traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions treating cancer-related anorexia syndrome based on grey system theory combined with multivariate analysis method and discovery of new prescriptions].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Song-Lin; Chen, Cong; Zhu, Hui; Li, Jing; Pang, Yan

2016-01-01

Cancer-related anorexia syndrome (CACS) is one of the main causes for death at present as well as a syndrome seriously harming patients' quality of life, treatment effect and survival time. In current clinical researches, there are fewer reports about empirical traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescriptions and patent prescriptions treating CACS, and prescription rules are rarely analyzed in a systematic manner. As the hidden rules are not excavated, it is hard to have an innovative discovery and knowledge of clinical medication. In this paper, the grey screening method combined with the multivariate statistical method was used to build the ″CACS prescriptions database″. Based on the database, totally 359 prescriptions were selected, the frequency of herbs in prescription was determined, and commonly combined drugs were evolved into 4 new prescriptions for different syndromes. Prescriptions of TCM in treatment of CACS gave priority to benefiting qi for strengthening spleen, also laid emphasis on replenishing kidney essence, dispersing stagnated liver-qi and dispersing lung-qi. Moreover, interdependence and mutual promotion of yin and yang should be taken into account to reflect TCM's holism and theory for treatment based on syndrome differentiation. The grey screening method, as a valuable traditional Chinese medicine research-supporting method, can be used to subjectively and objectively analyze prescription rules; and the new prescriptions can provide reference for the clinical use of TCM for treating CACS and the drug development. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Evaluating the Impact of Sample Medication on Subsequent Patient Adherence.

Science.gov (United States)

Pringle, Janice L; Aldridge, Arnie; Kearney, Shannon M; Grasso, Kim; Radack, John; Hogue, Susan; Manolis, Chronis

2016-11-01

Medication nonadherence is problematic throughout health care practice. Patient nonadherence is a result of several factors, such as financial issues, confusion about the medication, or concerns about possible side effects. Efforts to improve adherence have been implemented, but new strategies are needed to ensure that patients fill their medication prescriptions and adhere to their prescribed use. To investigate whether providing patients with a free 30-day supply of medication at the point of care via a dispensing kiosk-a secure, computerized cabinet placed in the prescriber's office-that provides sample medication and educational materials had a measurable impact on adherence and health care cost. The study sample consisted of patients drawn from the electronic health records of a large health care provider who were prescribed medications to treat diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. The comparison groups included a treatment group of patients who each received a 30-day generic sample of medication and a control group of patients who did not receive a sample. The study outcome was primary medication non-adherence (PMN), defined as whether a patient filled a prescription within 90, 180, or 365 days of prescribing. Only patients receiving a prescription for the first time were considered; patients on a medication before receipt of the sample were dropped. Postprescription medication adherence (PPMA), measured as proportion of days covered (PDC) and proportion of days covered ≥ 80% (PDC80), was also examined. Propensity score methods and multivariate regression models were used to examine the outcomes and group differences. Costs to the patient before and after the prescription were also analyzed. Key informant interviews were conducted with physicians, and qualitative analyses were performed. Patients who received a 30-day generic medication sample had a higher probability of filling a first prescription within 90 days (72.2% for treatment patients vs. 37

[Delegation of medical responsibilities to non-medical personnel. Options and limits from a legal viewpoint].

Science.gov (United States)

Ulsenheimer, K

2009-05-01

Increasing specialization and growing mechanization in medicine have strongly supported the transfer of originally medical responsibilities to non-medical personnel. The enormous pressure of costs as a result of limited financial resources in the health system make the delegation of previously medical functions to cheaper non-medical ancillary staff expedient and the sometimes obvious lack of physicians also gains importance by the delegation of many activities away from medical staff. In the German health system there is no legal norm which clearly and definitively describes the field of activity of a medical doctor. Fundamental for a reform of the areas of responsibility between physicians and non-medical personnel is a terminological differentiation between instruction-dependent, subordinate, non-independent assistance and the delegation of medical responsibilities which are transferred to non-medical personnel for independent and self-determined completion under the supervision and control of a physician. The inclination towards risk of medical activities, the need of protection of the patient and the intellectual prerequisites required for carrying out the necessary measures define the limitations for the delegation of medical responsibilities to non-medical ancillary staff. These criteria demarcate by expert assessment the exclusively medical field of activity in a sufficiently exact and convincing manner.

Sexual Orientation and College Students' Reasons for Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Dagirmanjian, Faedra R; McDaniel, Anne E; Shadick, Richard

2017-07-03

Nonmedical use of prescription pain medications, sedatives, and stimulants is a well-documented problem among college students. Research has indicated that students who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual are at elevated risk. However, little is known about students' reasons for use. (1) To replicate findings that sexual minority students report higher nonmedical use than heterosexual students, moving from a campus-specific to a multicampus sample and (2) to test for an association between sexual orientation and reasons for use. The 2015 College Prescription Drug Study surveyed 3389 students from nine 4-year public and private colleges and universities across the United States using an anonymous online survey. Measures assessed demographic information, prevalence of nonmedical use, frequency of use, where the drugs were obtained, reasons for use, and consequences of use. Stepwise logistic regression models were used to determine if sexual orientation predicted use. Chi-square tests of independence were also used to analyze prevalence of use by demographics as well as to assess differences in reasons for use by sexual orientation. Sexual minority students were significantly more likely than heterosexual students to nonmedically use any prescription drug, pain medications, and sedatives. Sexual minority students were also more likely to select that they used pain medications to relieve anxiety, enhance social interactions, and to feel better. Conclusions/Importance: Although sexual minority students are more likely to report nonmedical use, students overall use prescription medications for similar reasons, with the exception of painkillers. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.

A model of the prescription-pharmaceutical sales process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Stros

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors in marketing most relevant to achieving pharmaceutical sales success and their interrelations, as well as providing a prescription-pharmaceuticals sales process model. This will enable scholars to obtain a better understanding of the marketing process for prescription pharmaceuticals, as well as enabling marketers to apply more efficient marketing approaches. The study uses a unique data set, combining primary data and secondary data from the Swiss prescription-pharmaceuticals market. The data is analysed using a multiple-regression based model. A multi-level data structure is found, suggesting that factors concerning the specific brand and also the pharmaceutical substance itself are relevant to sales success. It is revealed that the factors most relevant to sales success are: order of market entry, perceived product-quality, average price, and marketing expenditures, leading to practical recommendations for scholars and marketing professionals. The study focuses only on the Swiss prescription-pharmaceuticals market, investigating five medical drug classes. The assumption is made that these results can be generalised to similar markets and drug classes. The study develops a conceptual prescription-pharmaceuticals sales-process model; offers practical guidelines and a good basis for further scholarly research are provided; and identifies several research gaps by giving proposals for future research.

Phytotherapy in Germany : Its Role in Self-Medication and in Medical Prescribing

OpenAIRE

LUTZ, HEIDE; Pharmaceutical Biology, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Tuebingen

1996-01-01

This paper gives a review of the present state of herbal medicine in Germany. Phytotherapeutic drugs (herbal remedies) are of considerable importance in Germany, both in self-medication and in medical prescriptions. They represent approx. 5.4% of the prescriptions by medical doctors, and 10% of the entire domestic drug market. The Federal Health Office of the German Ministry of Health has officially evaluated the efficacy and safety of approx. 300 medicinal plants used in Germany; their evalu...

Sharing prescription medicines: results of a survey of community pharmacy clients in Auckland, New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Gascoyne, Alexandra; Beyene, Kebede; Stewart, Joanna; Aspden, Trudi; Sheridan, Janie

2014-12-01

The practice of medication sharing, the lending (giving) or borrowing (taking) of prescription medicines, has been reported increasingly in the literature. This study aimed to investigate prescription medication sharing practices among adults in Auckland, New Zealand. Community pharmacies in Auckland. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in ten community pharmacies in Auckland during March, 2012. Clients were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire to assess their medication sharing practices. Proportion of respondents reporting lending or borrowing; information provided or received. Of all participants (N = 642), 25.5% reported borrowing, and 24.1% reported lending prescribed medicines in the past year. Furthermore, 14.8% of participants reported ever giving a child's prescribed medicine to another child in their care, and 49.8% reported having leftover prescription medicines at home. Of those who borrowed medicines (n = 164), 56.1% received written medication instructions from the lender, and of the lenders (n = 155), 47.1% provided verbal instructions with the lent medicines. The sharing of prescription medicines in Auckland appears to be similar to that reported in other developed countries, and it is now clear that information provision while sharing does not always occur. Approaches to reduce harm resulting from sharing medicines should be explored.

Estimating the completeness of physician billing claims for diabetes case ascertainment using population-based prescription drug data.

Science.gov (United States)

Lix, L M; Kuwornu, J P; Kroeker, K; Kephart, G; Sikdar, K C; Smith, M; Quan, H

2016-03-01

Changes in physician reimbursement policies may hinder the collection of billing claims in administrative data; this can result in biased estimates of disease prevalence and incidence. However, the magnitude of data loss is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to estimate completeness of capture of disease cases for Manitoba physicians paid by fee-for-service (FFS) and non-fee-for-service (NFFS) methods. Manitoba's administrative data were used to identify a cohort (≥ 20 years) with a new diabetes medication between 1 April, 2007, and 31 March, 2009. Cohort members were classified by payment method of the prescribing physician (i.e. FFS vs. NFFS). The cohort was then classified as missing or not missing a diabetes diagnosis using physician claims and hospital records. Then, χ2 statistics were used to test for differences in the characteristics of the two groups. The cohort consisted of 12 394 individuals; 86.4% had a prescription for a diabetes medication from an FFS physician. A total of 1172 physicians (81.8% FFS) prescribed these medications for the cohort. Cohort members with a prescription from an FFS physician were older and more likely to reside in the urban Winnipeg health region than those with a prescription from a NFFS physician. A greater percentage of NFFS physicians' cases were missing a diabetes diagnosis (18.7%vs. 14.9% for FFS physicians). The results suggest minimal loss of physician claims associated with remuneration policies in Manitoba. This method of assessing data completeness could be applied to other chronic diseases and jurisdictions to estimate completeness.

Get the Facts: Prescription Drug Abuse on College Campuses

Science.gov (United States)

... say it all comes down to intention and motivation (FDA, 2010). Someone is misusing a prescription medication ... advisors, coaches and health care providers ask the right questions and intervene early. • Ease nervousness in social ...

Evaluation of prescription pattern and patients' opinion on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Conclusion: Primary healthcare attendees were satisfied with medication costs affordability and accessibility of PHC to abode but expressed dissatisfaction with follow-up of care and courtesy of workers. Also, inappropriate prescriptions characterized by polypharmacy and overuse of antibiotics were common underscoring ...

General practitioners' views on (long-term) prescription and use of problematic and potentially inappropriate medication for oldest-old patients-A qualitative interview study with GPs (CIM-TRIAD study).

Science.gov (United States)

Pohontsch, Nadine Janis; Heser, Kathrin; Löffler, Antje; Haenisch, Britta; Parker, Debora; Luck, Tobias; Riedel-Heller, Steffi G; Maier, Wolfgang; Jessen, Frank; Scherer, Martin

2017-02-17

Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) is defined as medication with uncertain therapeutic effects and/or potential adverse drug reactions outweighing the clinical benefits. The prescription rate of PIM for oldest-old patients is high despite the existence of lists of PIM (e.g. the PRISCUS list) and efforts to raise awareness. This study aims at identifying general practitioners' views on PIM and aspects affecting the (long-term) use of PIM. As part of the CIM-TRIAD study, we conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews with 47 general practitioners, discussing 25 patients with and 22 without PIM (according to the PRISCUS list). The interview guideline included generic and patient-specific questions. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. We content analyzed the interviews using deductive and inductive category development. The majority of the general practitioners were not aware of the PRISCUS list. Agents deemed potentially inappropriate from the general practitioners' point of view and the PRISCUS list are not completely superimposable. General practitioners named their criteria to identify appropriate medication for elderly patients (e.g. renal function, cognitive state) and emphasized the importance of monitoring. We identified prescription- (e.g. benzodiazepines on alternative private prescription), medication- (e.g. subjective perception that PIM has no alternative), general practitioner- (e.g. general practitioner relies on specialists), patient- (e.g. "demanding high-user", positive subjective benefit-risk-ratio) and system-related aspects (e.g. specialists lacking holistic view, interface problems) related to the (long term) use of PIM. While the PRISCUS list does not seem to play a decisive role in general practice, general practitioners are well aware of risks associated with PIM. Our study identifies some starting points for a safer handling of PIM, e.g. stronger dissemination of the PRISCUS list, better compensation of

Analysis of prescription database extracted from standard textbooks of traditional Dai medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Chuang

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Traditional Dai Medicine (TDM is one of the four major ethnomedicine of China. In 2007 a group of experts produced a set of seven Dai medical textbooks on this subject. The first two were selected as the main data source to analyse well recognized prescriptions. Objective To quantify patterns of prescriptions, common ingredients, indications and usages of TDM. Methods A relational database linking the prescriptions, ingredients, herb names, indications, and usages was set up. Frequency of pattern of combination and common ingredients were tabulated. Results A total of 200 prescriptions and 402 herbs were compiled. Prescriptions based on "wind" disorders, a detoxification theory that most commonly deals with symptoms of digestive system diseases, accounted for over one third of all prescriptions. The major methods of preparations mostly used roots and whole herbs. Conclusion The information extracted from the relational database may be useful for understanding symptomatic treatments. Antidote and detoxification theory deserves further research.

75 FR 33312 - Indexing Structured Product Labeling for Human Prescription Drug and Biological Products; Request...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-11

...] Indexing Structured Product Labeling for Human Prescription Drug and Biological Products; Request for... Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) are indexing certain categories of information in product labeling for use as terms to search repositories of approved prescription medical product structured product...

Monetary Value of a Prescription Assistance Program Service in a Rural Family Medicine Clinic

Science.gov (United States)

Whitley, Heather P.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To quantify the monetary value of medications provided to rural Alabamians through provision of pharmaceutical manufacturer-sponsored prescription assistance programs (PAPs) provided by a clinical pharmacist in a private Black Belt family medicine clinic during 2007 and 2008. Methods: Patients struggling to afford prescription medications…

[Non-antiretroviral drugs uses among HIV-infected persons receiving antiretroviral therapy in Senegal: Costs and factors associated with prescription].

Science.gov (United States)

Diouf, A; Youbong, T J; Maynart, M; Ndoye, M; Diéye, F L; Ndiaye, N A; Koita-Fall, M B; Ndiaye, B; Seydi, M

2017-08-01

In addition to antiretroviral therapy, non-antiretroviral drugs are necessary for the appropriate care of people living with HIV. The costs of such drugs are totally or partially supported by the people living with HIV. We aimed to evaluate the overall costs, the costs supported by the people living with HIV and factors associated with the prescription of non-antiretroviral drugs in people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in Senegal. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 331 people living with HIV who initiated antiretroviral therapy between 2009 and 2011 and followed until March 2012. The costs of non-antiretroviral drugs were those of the national pharmacy for essential drugs; otherwise they were the lowest costs in the private pharmacies. Associated factors were identified through a logistic regression model. The study population was 61 % female. At baseline, 39 % of patients were classified at WHO clinical stage 3 and 40 % at WHO clinical stage 4. Median age, body mass index and CD4 cells count were 41 years, 18kg/m 2  and 93 cells/μL, respectively. After a mean duration of 11.4 months of antiretroviral therapy, 85 % of patients received at least one prescription for a non-antiretroviral drug. Over the entire study period, the most frequently prescribed non-antiretroviral drugs were cotrimoxazole (78.9 % of patients), iron (33.2 %), vitamins (21.1 %) and antibiotics (19.6 %). The mean cost per patient was 34 Euros and the mean cost supported per patient was 14 Euros. The most expensive drugs per treated patient were antihypertensives (168 Euros), anti-ulcer agents (12 Euros), vitamins (8.5 Euros) and antihistamines (7 Euros). The prescription for a non-antiretroviral drug was associated with advanced clinical stage (WHO clinical stage 3/4 versus stage 1/2): OR=2.25; 95 % CI=1.11-4.57 and viral type (HIV-2 versus HIV-1/HIV-1+HIV-2): OR=0.36; 95 % CI=0.14-0.89. Non-antiretroviral drugs are frequently prescribed to

The Conundrum of Online Prescription Drug Promotion Comment on "Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters".

Science.gov (United States)

Wanasika, Isaac

2016-03-26

This commentary discusses pertinent issues from Hyosun Kim's paper on online prescription drug promotion. The study is well-designed and the findings highlight some of the consequences of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) decision to deregulate online advertising of prescription drugs. While Kim's findings confirm some of the early concerns, they also provide a perspective of implementation challenges in the ever-changing technological environment. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

[Prescribing medication in 2013: legal aspects].

Science.gov (United States)

Berland-Benhaïm, C; Bartoli, C; Karsenty, G; Piercecchi-Marti, M-D

2013-11-01

To describe the legal framework of medicine prescription in France in 2013. With the assistance of lawyer and forensic pathologist, consultation (legifrance.gouv.fr), analysis, summary of French laws and rules surrounding drugs prescriptions to humans for medical purpose. Free medicine prescription is an essential feature of a doctor's action. To prescribe involve his responsibility at 3 levels: deontological, civilian and penal. Aim of the rules of medicine prescription is to preserve patient's safety and health. Doctors are encouraged to refer to recommendations and peer-reviewed publication every time the prescriptions go out of the case planned by law. Knowledge and respect of medicine prescription legal rules is essential for a good quality practice. Medical societies have a major role to improve medicine use among practitioners. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Particle creation and non-equilibrium thermodynamical prescription of dark fluids for universe bounded by an event horizon

OpenAIRE

Saha, Subhajit; Biswas, Atreyee; Chakraborty, Subenoy

2015-01-01

In the present work, flat FRW model of the universe is considered to be an isolated open thermodynamical system where non-equilibrium prescription has been studied using the mechanism of particle creation. In the perspective of recent observational evidences, the matter distribution in the universe is assumed to be dominated by dark matter and dark energy. The dark matter is chosen as dust while for dark energy, the following choices are considered: (i) Perfect fluid with constant equation of...

Preventing Prescription Drug Misuse in Work Settings: Efficacy of a Brief Intervention in Health Consciousness.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, Gale; Neeper, Michael; Linde, Brittany; Bennett, Joel

2017-07-06

It is becoming more commonplace for employees to use prescription medication outside of intended use. Opioid and other prescription misuse has implications for the health and productivity of workers. Easy-to-access webinars that help employees learn about alternatives to prescription use may decrease risk. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of an interactive but brief health consciousness and prescription drug intervention for a diverse sample of employees and show effectiveness via both Internet-delivered webinar and classroom delivery. Employees from a variety of workplaces filled out pre- and post-questionnaires upon completion of a one-hour long intervention. A total of 114 participants completed the pre- and post-questionnaires. Results showed that, compared with before the training, participants reported significantly more knowledge about prescription drug misuse and alternatives to prescription drug use after the training (t 113 =7.91, P<.001). Moreover, the medium of presentation (ie, face-to-face vs webinar) did not significantly impact effectiveness of the training (F 1,98 =1.15, P=.29). In both webinar and classroom formats, participants gained knowledge about alternatives to prescription drug use. This intervention appears to be beneficial to employees and assists in the awareness of prescription drug use in general and in the workplace. ©Gale Lucas, Michael Neeper, Brittany Linde, Joel Bennett. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 06.07.2017.

Health status, geriatric syndromes and prescription of oral anticoagulant therapy in elderly medical inpatients with atrial fibrillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bo, Mario; Sciarrillo, Irene; Maggiani, Guido; Falcone, Yolanda; Iacovino, Marina; Grisoglio, Enrica; Fonte, Gianfranco; Grosjean, Simon; Gaita, Fiorenzo

2017-03-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of geriatric syndromes among older medical inpatients with atrial fibrillation, and their association with use of vitamin K antagonists. A retrospective study of patients aged ≥65 years discharged with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation from the Acute Geriatric Ward was carried out. Stroke and bleeding risk were evaluated according to the CHA 2 DS 2 -VASC and HAS-BLED scores. Comorbidity, cognitive status, functional autonomy and contraindications to vitamin K antagonists were also considered. Atrial fibrillation was documented in 1078 of 3650 patients (29.5%, mean age 83.4 ± 6.6 years, 60.3% women). Contraindications to vitamin K antagonists were documented in 24.9% of patients. Prescription of vitamin K antagonists at discharge was 37.8% and 47.9%, in the overall sample and in those without contraindications, respectively. In the overall sample, prescription of vitamin K antagonists was associated with younger age, permanent/persistent atrial fibrillation, home discharge, less comorbidity, higher hemoglobin levels, better functional independence, known atrial fibrillation at admission and lower HAS-BLED score. Among patients without contraindications to vitamin K antagonists, their use at discharge was independently associated with younger age, permanent/persistent atrial fibrillation, home discharge, higher hemoglobin levels and CHA2DS2-VASC score, better functional autonomy, and greater number of drugs. We showed a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation among older medical inpatients, who have a poor health status and a high prevalence of geriatric syndromes. Vitamin K antagonists were prescribed in less than half of the patients; underuse was mainly accounted for by a high prevalence of comorbidities/contraindications, poor health status and limited functional autonomy. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 416-423. © 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.

A prescription for n-dimensional Vierbeins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bokhari, A.H.; Qadir, A.

1982-06-01

Recent developments in supergravity have brought the n-dimensional Vierbein formalism into prominence. Here we provide a prescription for writing down a Vierbein given an arbitrary (in general non-diagonal) metric tensor in a Riemannian or pseudo-Riemannian space. (author)

Substance use - prescription drugs

Science.gov (United States)

Substance use disorder - prescription drugs; Substance abuse - prescription drugs; Drug abuse - prescription drugs; Drug use - prescription drugs; Narcotics - substance use; Opioid - substance use; Sedative - substance ...

Consumer attitudes and factors related to prescription switching decisions in multitier copayment drug benefit plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganther-Urmie, Julie M; Nair, Kavita V; Valuck, Robert; McCollum, Marianne; Lewis, Sonya J; Turpin, Robin S

2004-03-01

To examine patient attitudes related to formulary medications and medication-related decision making in multitier copayment prescription drug plans. A cross-sectional retrospective analysis. Data were collected via mail survey from a random sample of 25,008 members of a managed care organization. The selected members were enrolled in a variety of 2- and 3-tier copayment plans and were taking prescription medication to treat 1 or more of 5 chronic disease states. Most respondents did not believe that formulary drugs were safer or more effective than nonformulary drugs, but 39.7% thought that formulary drugs were relatively less expensive. Most respondents appeared willing to consider switching from a nonformulary drug to a formulary drug with a lower copayment. The percent of respondents who reported they would be very unlikely or unlikely to switch was only 15.3% for a new prescription and 24.2% for a refill prescription. Medication efficacy and physician opinion were important factors in plan members' switching decisions. Cost was an important factor for some members, but older plan members were less likely to report that cost was important. Multitier plan members generally believed that drugs are placed on the formulary for reasons of cost rather than safety or efficacy. Most plan members were receptive to switching from a nonformulary to a formulary medication, but financial incentives alone may not convince some plan members to make the switch.

Role of Religiosity in Psychological Well-Being Among Medical and Non-medical Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Saleem, Shemaila; Saleem, Tamkeen

2017-08-01

Religion has been generally considered as a protective factor for the psychological health of the people. As many studies have publicized a high prevalence of psychological morbidities among the medical students during their academic stages of medical schools, it is significant to investigate whether religiosity functions as a protective factor, to explore religiosity as a predictor of psychological well-being in a sample of medical students, and to compare the results of medical students as well as non-medical students with respect to religiosity and psychological well-being. The study is carried out in Federal Medical and Dental College and International Islamic University, Islamabad. The present study examined a sample of 120 medical students from Federal Medical and Dental College and 120 non-medical students from International Islamic University, Islamabad. Purposive sampling was used. The respondents completed religious orientation scale and scale of psychological well-being scale along with a demographic data sheet. In order to measure the study variables, linear regression and t test were used. The findings revealed that religiosity is a strong predictor of psychological well-being. Extrinsic and intrinsic religiosity predicts psychological well-being among the students. The results indicated a significant difference in psychological well-being between medical and non-medical students. No significant difference was found in religiosity of medical and non-medical students. The gender differences in religiosity and psychological well-being were found to be insignificant. The results emphasize that psychological well-being is prophesied by religiosity. The present research suggests further investigations and also endows with trends for psychological evaluation, development of religious beliefs, and interventions for augmenting psychological well-being among the medical students.

Potentially inappropriate medication prescribed to elderly outpatients at a general medicine unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine Grützmann Faustino

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To establish the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications prescribed for elderly patients, to identify the most commonly involved drugs, and to investigate whether age, sex and number of medications were related with the prescription of these drugs. Methods: Prescriptions for 1,800 elderly patients (≥ 60 years were gathered from a database. These prescriptions were written by general physicians at a tertiary level university hospital in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, from February to May 2008. Only one prescription per patient was considered. The prescriptions were classified according to sex and age (60-69, 70-79 and ≥ 80. The Beers criteria (2003 version were used to evaluate potentially inappropriate medications. Results: Most of the sample comprised women (66.6% with a mean age of 71.3 years. The mean prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication prescriptions was 37.6%. The 60-69 age group presented the highest prevalence (49.9%. The most frequently prescribed potentially inappropriate medications to women were carisoprodol, amitriptyline, and fluoxetine; amitriptyline, carisoprodol, fluoxetine and clonidine were prescribed more often to men. The female sex (p<0.001; OR=2.0 and number of medications prescribed (p<0.001 were associated with prescription of potentially inappropriate medications. The chance of having a prescription of these drugs was lower among patients aged over 80 years (OR=0.7. The mean number of prescribed medications for both sexes and all age groups was 7.1. The mean number of medications per patient was higher among females (p<0.001; this result was not age-dependent (p=0.285. Conclusion: The prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications was similar to previously reported values in the literature and was correlated with the female sex. The chance of having a potentially inappropriate medication prescription was lower among patients aged over 80 years. The chance of having a

Pattern of non-communicable diseases among medical admissions ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Medical admissions due to non-communicable diseases were carefully selected and analyzed. There were 1853 cases of various non-communicable diseases out of a total medical admission of 3294 constituting 56.2% of total medical admissions. Diseases of the cardiovascular, endocrine and renal systems were the most ...

Incidence and cost of medications dispensed despite electronic medical record discontinuation.

Science.gov (United States)

Baranowski, Patrick J; Peterson, Kristin L; Statz-Paynter, Jamie L; Zorek, Joseph A

2015-01-01

To determine the incidence and cost of medications dispensed despite discontinuation (MDDD) of the medications in the electronic medical record within an integrated health care organization. Dean Health System, with medical clinics and pharmacies linked by an electronic medical record, and a shared health plan and pharmacy benefits management company. Pharmacist-led quality improvement project using retrospective chart review. Electronic medical records, pharmacy records, and prescription claims data from patients 18 years of age or older who had a prescription filled for a chronic condition from June 2012 to August 2013 and submitted a claim through the Dean Health Plan were aggregated and cross-referenced to identify MDDD. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize demographics and MDDD incidence. Fisher's exact test and independent samples t tests were used to compare MDDD and non-MDDD groups. Wholesale acquisition cost was applied to each MDDD event. 7,406 patients met inclusion criteria. For 223 (3%) patients with MDDD, 253 independent events were identified. In terms of frequency per category, antihypertensive agents topped the list, followed, in descending order, by anticonvulsants, antilipemics, antidiabetics, and anticoagulants. Nine medications accounted for 59% (150 of 253) of all MDDD events; these included (again in descending order): gabapentin, atorvastatin, simvastatin, hydrochlorothiazide, lisinopril, warfarin, furosemide, metformin, and metoprolol. Mail-service pharmacies accounted for the highest incidence (5.3%) of MDDD, followed by mass merchandisers (4.6%) and small chains (3.9%). The total cost attributable to MDDD was $9,397.74. Development of a technology-based intervention to decrease the incidence of MDDD may be warranted to improve patient safety and decrease health care costs.

Experience of Psychotropic Medication -An Interview Study of Persons with Psychosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bülow, Per; Andersson, Gunnel; Denhov, Anne; Topor, Alain

2016-11-01

Psychotropic drugs, particularly antipsychotic types, are a cornerstone of the treatment of people with psychosis. Despite numerous studies showing that drug treatment with psychotropic drugs initially alleviates psychiatric symptoms, the proportion of people with mental health problems and symptoms that do not follow doctors' prescriptions, thus exhibiting so-called non-adherence, is considerable. Non-adherence is predominantly seen as a clinical feature and as a patient characteristic that is especially due to patients' poor understanding that they are ill. There is also a widespread notion that non-adherence is of great disadvantage to the patient. This article is based on interviews with 19 persons diagnosed with psychosis. It challenges the notion of patients being either adherent or non-adherent to the doctor's orders. The findings show that persons with psychosis are active agents when it comes to adjusting medication. The interviewees created their own strategies to gain power over treatment with psychotropic drugs. The most common strategies were to adjust the doses or take breaks of varying lengths from the medication. These deviations from prescriptions were important to conceal, not only from their own psychiatrists, but from all psychiatric staff.

Design of a RESTful web information system for drug prescription and administration.

Science.gov (United States)

Bianchi, Lorenzo; Paganelli, Federica; Pettenati, Maria Chiara; Turchi, Stefano; Ciofi, Lucia; Iadanza, Ernesto; Giuli, Dino

2014-05-01

Drug prescription and administration processes strongly impact on the occurrence of risks in medical settings for they can be sources of adverse drug events (ADEs). A properly engineered use of information and communication technologies has proven to be a promising approach to reduce these risks. In this study, we propose PHARMA, a web information system which supports healthcare staff in the secure cooperative execution of drug prescription, transcription and registration tasks. PHARMA allows the easy sharing and management of documents containing drug-related information (i.e., drug prescriptions, medical reports, screening), which is often inconsistent and scattered across different information systems and heterogeneous organization domains (e.g., departments, other hospital facilities). PHARMA enables users to access such information in a consistent and secure way, through the adoption of REST and web-oriented design paradigms and protocols. We describe the implementation of the PHARMA prototype, and we discuss the results of the usability evaluation that we carried out with the staff of a hospital in Florence, Italy.

Strategies Used by Adults to Reduce Their Prescription Drug Costs

Science.gov (United States)

... data from the 2011 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Keywords: National Health Interview Survey, alternative therapies, medication ... to cost ( 9 ) that are not measured in NHIS. Definitions Strategies for reducing prescription drug costs : Based ...

Prescription audit in a paediatric sickle cell clinic in South-West ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

where approximately 75% of the global 300,000 births of affected children ... occlusive crisis is the most common symptom of SCD and ... High rate of antibiotic prescription, low use of opioid analgesics and non- prescription of prophylactic penicillin/ pneumococcal ... records of ten patients to identify potential problems. Two.

Continued Statin Prescriptions After Adverse Reactions and Patient Outcomes: A Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Huabing; Plutzky, Jorge; Shubina, Maria; Turchin, Alexander

2017-08-15

Many patients discontinue statin treatment, often after having a possible adverse reaction. The risks and benefits of continued statin therapy after an adverse reaction are not known. To examine the relationship between continuation of statin therapy (any prescription within 12 months after an adverse reaction) and clinical outcomes. Retrospective cohort study. Primary care practices affiliated with 2 academic medical centers. Patients with a presumed adverse reaction to a statin between 2000 and 2011. Information on adverse reactions to statins was obtained from structured electronic medical record data or natural-language processing of narrative provider notes. The primary composite outcome was time to a cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction or stroke) or death. Most (81%) of the adverse reactions to statins were identified from the text of electronic provider notes. Among 28 266 study patients, 19 989 (70.7%) continued receiving statin prescriptions after the adverse reaction. Four years after the presumed adverse event, the cumulative incidence of the composite primary outcome was 12.2% for patients with continued statin prescriptions, compared with 13.9% for those without them (difference, 1.7% [95% CI, 0.8% to 2.7%]; P statin was prescribed after the adverse reaction, 2014 (26.5%) had a documented adverse reaction to the second statin, but 1696 (84.2%) of those patients continued receiving statin prescriptions. The risk for recurrent adverse reactions to statins could not be established for the entire sample. It was also not possible to determine whether patients actually took the statins. Continued statin prescriptions after an adverse reaction were associated with a lower incidence of death and cardiovascular events. Chinese National Key Program of Clinical Science, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Young Scientific Research Fund of Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Dispensing patterns of prescription-only antiobesity preparations in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Ilse Truter

Outcome measures: Number of patients by age and gender, prescribing frequency and cost of antiobesity prescriptions, ... Lifestyle modifications are the first-line of treatment for obesity, .... received, but it was a neutral code and not an identity or medical ..... disorders and migraines.1 The FDA had approved the combination.

Effects of preferred-exercise prescription compared to usual exercise prescription on outcomes for people with non-specific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial [ACTRN12608000524392

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keating Jennifer L

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP has become a significant problem due to high healthcare utilization, rising costs of care and perceived limitations of effectiveness of many current treatments. Systematic reviews have repeatedly concluded that, on average across participants, exercise for NSCLBP appears effective in decreasing pain and improving function. Not all people with NSCLBP benefit from exercise programs and it would assist care-providers and care-seekers if factors that impact on program effectiveness and success were identified. Methods and design The study will be a randomised controlled trial comparing an exercise rehabilitation program informed by a participant preferences questionnaire compared to a program without this guideline for patients with chronic low back pain. A sample of 150 patients will be recruited in Melbourne, Australia through community-based healthcare clinics that provide supervised exercise rehabilitation programs for people with non-specific chronic low back pain. Clinicians will be randomly assigned to exercise preferences questionnaire or no questionnaire and participants will be allocated in a concealed manner. A qualitative focus group study of exercise instructor feedback about the exercise preferences instrument will be embedded in the research design. Two qualitative focus group studies will also be conducted for participants in the intervention and the control groups to obtain feedback about participants' experiences of the two types of exercise programs. The primary outcomes will be functional ability, pain, fear avoidance, exercise adherence. Discussion This trial will evaluate the effectiveness of individualised exercise prescription compared to usual exercise prescription for NSCLP and, using feedback following the trial, refine the exercise preferences questionnaire.

Estimating the completeness of physician billing claims for diabetes case ascertainment using population-based prescription drug data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. M. Lix

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Changes in physician reimbursement policies may hinder the collection of billing claims in administrative data; this can result in biased estimates of disease prevalence and incidence. However, the magnitude of data loss is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to estimate completeness of capture of disease cases for Manitoba physicians paid by fee-for-service (FFS and non-fee-for-service (NFFS methods. Methods: Manitoba’s administrative data were used to identify a cohort (Z 20 years with a new diabetes medication between 1 April, 2007, and 31 March, 2009. Cohort members were classified by payment method of the prescribing physician (i.e. FFS vs. NFFS. The cohort was then classified as missing or not missing a diabetes diagnosis using physician claims and hospital records. Then, w2 statistics were used to test for differences in the characteristics of the two groups. Results: The cohort consisted of 12 394 individuals; 86.4% had a prescription for a diabetes medication from an FFS physician. A total of 1172 physicians (81.8% FFS prescribed these medications for the cohort. Cohort members with a prescription from an FFS physician were older and more likely to reside in the urban Winnipeg health region than those with a prescription from a NFFS physician. A greater percentage of NFFS physicians’ cases were missing a diabetes diagnosis (18.7%vs. 14.9%for FFS physicians. Conclusion: The results suggest minimal loss of physician claims associated with remuneration policies in Manitoba. This method of assessing data completeness could be applied to other chronic diseases and jurisdictions to estimate completeness.

Factors associated with primary care prescription of opioids for joint pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, D J; Bedson, J; Blagojevic-Burwell, M; Jordan, K P; van der Windt, D

2013-02-01

Opioids are commonly prescribed in primary care and can offer pain relief but may also have adverse effects. Little is known about the characteristics of people likely to receive an opioid prescription in primary care. The aim is to identify what factors are associated with primary care prescribing of high-strength analgesics in a community sample of older people with joint pain. A prospective two-stage postal survey completed at baseline and 3-year follow-up in a population aged 50 and over registered with eight general practitioner (GP) practices in North Staffordshire (North Staffordshire Osteoarthritis Project cohorts) linked with data from medical records. Participants were selected who reported joint pain in one or more joints at baseline. Outcome measures were the number of prescriptions for high-strength pain medication (opioids) in the following 3 years. Socio-demographic and health status factors associated with prescription were assessed using a zero-inflated Poisson model. 873 (19%) people were prescribed opioids (out of 4652 providing complete data) ranging from 1 to 76 prescriptions over 3 years. Baseline factors significantly associated with increased rates of prescription were younger age group [65-74 group: incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.26 (1.18-1.35)], male gender [IRR = 1.17 (1.12-1.23)], severe joint pain [IRR = 1.19 (1.12-1.26)] poor physical function [IRR = 0.99 (0.99-0.99)] and lower frequency of alcohol consumption [once/twice a year: IRR = 1.13 (1.06-1.21), never: IRR = 1.14 (1.06-1.22)]. Restricting the analysis to those without prior prescriptions for strong opioids showed similar results. Poor physical function and participation restrictions were strongly associated with prescriptions of stronger opioids in addition to several socio-demographic and lifestyle factors. Given the uncertainties over the effectiveness and risks of opioid use, future research could investigate decision making of GPs, exploring reasons for prescribing them. �

High rate of systemic corticosteroid prescription among outpatient visits for psoriasis: A population-based epidemiological study using the Korean National Health Insurance database.

Science.gov (United States)

Eun, Sang Jun; Jang, Sihyeok; Lee, Jin Yong; Do, Young Kyung; Jo, Seong Jin

2017-09-01

The use of systemic corticosteroids (SC) for the treatment of psoriasis is not recommended according to textbooks and guidelines. In clinical practise, however, many physicians frequently prescribe SC for patients with psoriasis. To determine the magnitude of SC prescription for outpatients with psoriasis in Korea and identify factors associated with the use of SC, we used the 2010-2014 nationwide claims data of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of Korea. In frequency analysis for the full scale of prescribed SC, oral methylprednisolone was the most frequently prescribed SC, followed by dexamethasone and betamethasone injections. The prescription rate of SC was 26.4% in outpatient visit episodes for psoriasis. The prescription rate of SC was higher in older patients, Medical Aid recipients, patients who visited office-based physician practices and hospitals, and patients living in non-metropolitan areas. In multiple logistic regression analyses, the older age group and smaller health-care institutions were more associated with the SC prescription. In conclusion, SC were widely prescribed for patients with psoriasis in Korea despite the current guidelines. Both patients' individual and institutional characteristics were associated with the SC prescription. © 2017 Japanese Dermatological Association.