The objectives of the present study were to determine the effects of multiple targeted interventions on the level of use of quinolones and the observed rates of resistance to quinolones in Escherichia coli isolates from hospitalized patients. A bundle consisting of four interventions to improve the use of quinolones was implemented. The outcome was measured from the monthly levels of use of int...

BACKGROUND Prescription writing is one of the most important and basic skills that a doctor needs. Prescribing errors may have various detrimental consequences. Hence, the components of a prescription should be clearly written, free of drug related omission (incomplete prescription), commission (incorrect information) and integration errors, without nonofficial abbreviations, and fulfil the leg...

OBJECTIVE To assess guideline adherence of co-prescribing NSAID and gastroprotective medications for elders in general practice over time, and investigate its potential association with the electronic medical record (EMR) system brand used. METHODS We included patients 65 years and older who received NSAIDs between 2005 and 2010. Prescription data were extracted from EMR systems of GP practic...

BACKGROUND Pharmacotherapy is an effective therapeutic option for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Understanding the patterns of medication treatment is crucial for clinical practice. This study employed nationwide population-based data to elucidate the initiation and persistence of pharmacotherapy (immediate-release methylphenidate [IR-MPH], osmotic controlled-release formulati...

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 ...

OBJECTIVES To assess the legibility and completeness of handwritten prescriptions and compare with electronic prescription system for medication errors. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Handwritten prescriptions were received from clinical units of Medicine Outpatient Department (MOPD), Primary Care Clinic...

More children and working-age Americans are going without prescription drugs because of cost concerns, according to a new national study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). In 2007, one in seven Americans under age 65 reported not filling a prescription in the previous year because they couldn't afford the medication, up from one in 10 in 2003. Rising prescription drug costs ...

OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this study is to investigate household diversion of stimulant medication. Secondary objectives are to examine clinical/demographic predictors of diversion, types of formulations diverted, exposure to household diversion in the media, and storage of prescription stimulants within households. METHODS Questionnaires were completed by 180 parents of youth who w...

       The goal of this study is to identify the types of potentially inappropriate drugs prescribed by the medical specialists of Isfahan province to elderly patients. A number of 31,254 randomly selected prescriptions from medical specialists of Isfahan province were reviewed for elderly patients who were insured by the Social Security Organization. Three thousand and seven prescriptions were...

BACKGROUND Antimicrobial self-medication is common in most low and middle income countries (LMICs). However there has been no systematic review on non-prescription antimicrobial use in these settings. This review thus intended to establish the burden, risk factors and effects of antimicrobial self-medication in Low and Middle Income Countries. METHODS In 2012, we registered a systematic revie...