Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Jul 2013
Association of potentially inappropriate medication use with patient and prescriber characteristics in Medicare Part D.
The use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in older people is associated with increased risk of adverse drug events and hospitalization. This study aimed to determine the contribution of primary prescribers to variation in PIM use. ⋯ PIM use was prevalent in Part D beneficiaries and varied among individual primary care prescribers. The association of PIM use with increasing numbers of prescribers suggests the need to reduce fragmentation of care to reduce inappropriate prescribing.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Jul 2013
High use of health services in patients with suboptimal asthma drug regimens: a population-based assessment in British Columbia, Canada.
Despite numerous clinical guidelines on asthma management, patients often receive suboptimal drug therapy. This study identified patients who received suboptimal regimens according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma in a complete population (residents of British Columbia, Canada) and determined the association between patients' regimens and utilization of healthcare services. ⋯ Suboptimal regimens are associated with significantly high usage of health services. Identifying patients with suboptimal regimens and improving their medication management in accordance with asthma clinical guidelines are likely to result in lower health service utilization.