BACKGROUND Multimorbidity is increasing in aging populations with a corresponding increase in polypharmacy as well as inappropriate prescribing. Depending on definitions, 25-50 % of patients aged 75 years or older are exposed to at least five drugs. Evidence is increasing that polypharmacy, even when guidelines advise the prescribing of each drug individually, can potentially cause more harm th...

OBJECTIVES To examine the relationships among physician-parent communication practices, physicians' perceptions of parental expectations for antibiotic treatment, and inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for viral upper respiratory tract infections. DESIGN Cross-sectional study of pediatric encounters motivated by cold symptoms between October 1, 2000, and June 30, 2001. Each encounter was vi...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has campaigned to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for more than 20 years, yet antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory tract infections, which generally do not require antibiotic treatment, have decreased only modestly for children and not at all for adults.1,2 Physicians are aware of the problem of resistance to antibiotics, but ...

BACKGROUND Proton pump inhibitors have numerous important side effects, yet they are prescribed for outpatients who do not have recognized indications. Less is known with respect to prescribing for inpatients. OBJECTIVE To determine the rate of inappropriate prescribing of protein pump inhibitors and to assess reasons why they are prescribed. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS The study was a retrospe...

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE Increasing attention is being paid to inappropriate medication prescribing for the elderly. A growing body of studies have detected a prevalence of inappropriate prescribing ranging from 12% to 40% worldwide, including Regione Emilia-Romagna, Italy. To improve quality of prescribing, a multi-phase pilot project in the Local Health Unit (LHU) of Parma, Regione Emilia-...

OBJECTIVES To describe the role patient expectations play in general practitioners (GPs) antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections (URTI). METHODS Concurrent explanatory mixed methods approach using a cross-sectional survey and semistructured interviews. SETTINGS Primary care GPs in Australia. PARTICIPANTS 584 GPs (response rate of 23.6%) completed the cross-sectional ...

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...

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 prescribing for older people is a complex process and can elevate the risk of inappropriate prescribing, with potentially severe consequences. With a growing ageing population, strategies to improve prescribing in care homes are essential. Our aim was to review systematically the effects of interventions to optimise prescribing in care homes. METHOD databases searched were MEDLINE,...