CONTEXT Narcotics are frequently prescribed in the Emergency Department (ED) and are increasingly abused. Prescription monitoring programs affect prescribing by Emergency Physicians (EPs), yet little is known on how EPs interpret prescription records. OBJECTIVE To assess how EPs interpret prescription narcotic history for patients in the ED with painful conditions. DESIGN/MAIN Outcome Measure...

BACKGROUND Adherence to prescribing guidelines varies between primary health care units. The aim of the present study was to investigate correlations between characteristics of primary health care units and adherence to prescribing objectives for rational drug use with focus on drug information from the pharmaceutical industry. METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed in all 25 primary h...

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...

Personal or P-drug selection teaches students to use impartial, objective information to make prescribing decisions. It is an important exercise recommended to reduce irrational prescribing and improve the prescribing behaviour of healthcare professionals. The exercise of P-drug selection has not been widely implemented in health professions schools in South Asia. This article describes the aut...

Electronic prescribing and computerized drug management can improve the safety, quality and cost-effectiveness of prescribing. However, if the problems that lead to avoidable adverse events are not addressed by information technology, there is a risk of making considerable investment without the expected return of error reduction and improved patient safety. Improving the safety of prescribing ...

drug utilization evaluation (due) is an effective program to identify variability in drug use and to support interventions that will improve patient outcomes. the appropriate use of enoxaparin, a low molecular weight heparin (lmwh), which is widely used as curative or preventive treatment of thromboembolic disorders was assessed in the study. a prospective due was carried out at masih daneshvar...

BACKGROUND Inappropriate medication use in elderly patients has been linked to a large share of adverse drug reactions and to excess health care utilization. METHODS Trends in the prevalence of potentially inappropriate drug prescribing at ambulatory care visits by elderly persons from 1995 to 2000 were examined with data from office-based physicians in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Su...