European journal of clinical pharmacology
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Eur. J. Clin. Pharmacol. · Aug 2016
Multicenter StudyPro re nata (as needed) medication in nursing homes: the longer you stay, the more you get?
Injudicious pro re nata (PRN) or as needed prescribing can lead to polypharmacy, potentially harmful drug interactions and total drug doses exceeding the maximum recommended. Despite the known risks and the widespread administration, there is a paucity of current research examining the use of PRN drugs in nursing homes. Therefore, we examined characteristics of PRN drug use and potential predictors in nursing homes. ⋯ The high prevalence of PRN medication should be taken into account when considering polypharmacy and inappropriate drug prescribing or using screening tools like the STOPP/START (screening tool of older persons' potentially inappropriate prescriptions/screening tool to alert doctors to right) criteria in nursing homes. Physicians should regularly reconsider the need of each PRN drug on the medication schedule. Moreover, the high prevalence of PRN medication and the association with length of stay highlights the importance of an accurate documentation.
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Eur. J. Clin. Pharmacol. · Aug 2016
Persistent analgesic use and the association with chronic pain and other risk factors in the population-a longitudinal study from the Tromsø Study and the Norwegian Prescription Database.
Analgesics are commonly used drugs. The long-term effectiveness is mostly unproven, while the risk of several serious adverse effects is well established. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of persistent analgesic use and the association with chronic pain and sociodemographic and comorbid risk factors. ⋯ This study showed a relatively low prevalence of persistent analgesic use and that the majority of persons reporting chronic pain do not use analgesics persistently.