Issue: Suboptimal prescribing results in the “under-use, overuse and inappropriate use of medications”1 and means patients may not be receiving the beneficial drug therapy that they need. This can lead to preventable drugrelated hospitalizations and increased costs to patients and the health care system. As medication experts, pharmacists are ideally positioned to play a positive role in multid...

INTRODUCTION The increase in resistance of many pathogens to currently available antibiotics has been recognized as life-threatening problem. The development of drug resistance is promoted by irrational prescribing behavior. Inappropriate use of antibiotics is attributed by over-prescription, inadequate dosage and use for non-bacterial infections. The purpose of this study was to assess antibio...

1. van der Stelt CA, Vermeulen Windsant‐van den Tweel AM, Egberts AC, van den Bemt PM, Leendertse AJ, Hermens WA, et al. The association between potentially inappropriate prescribing and medication‐related hospital admissions in older patients: A nested case control study. Drug Saf 2016;39:79‐87. 2. Hamilton HJ, Gallagher PF, O’Mahony D. Inappropriate prescribing and adverse drug events in olde...

BACKGROUND Medication for elderly patients is often complex and problematic. Several criteria for classifying inappropriate prescribing exist. In 2010, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare published the document "Indicators of appropriate drug therapy in the elderly" as a guideline for improving prescribing for the elderly. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess trends in t...

OBJECTIVE To describe the development of evidence-based electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) triggers and treatment algorithms for potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) for older adults. DESIGN Literature review, expert panel and focus group. SETTING Primary care with access to e-prescribing systems. PARTICIPANTS Primary care physicians using e-prescribing systems receiving medic...

The effects of introducing a hospital formulary alone and with active intervention were compared prospectively with regard to drug costs and the quality of prescribing. Intervention comprised feedback on prescribing habits, peer comparison, and information on drugs. Aspects of prescribing that were not subjected to intervention did not alter. In the year in which intervention occurred generic p...

P roblems related to polypharmacy are most often associated with the elderly. It appears, however, that the number of medications prescribed per se, has only a weak influence on the health of the elderly. The phenomena of adverse drug events are found more frequently in the older population. Such terms as “inappropriate prescribing” or “potentially inappropriate prescriptions” and “adverse reac...

OBJECTIVES Cases of antimicrobial resistance are increasing, partly due to inappropriate prescribing practices by dentists. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prescribing practices and knowledge of dentists with regards to antibiotics. Moreover, this study aimed to determine whether the prescriptions comply with the recommended guidelines and whether clinical audit can alter the p...