Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · May 2016
Changes in the medical management of patients on opioid analgesics following a diagnosis of substance abuse.
When providers recognize that patients are abusing prescription drugs, review of the drugs they are prescribed and attempts to treat the substance use disorder are warranted. However, little is known about whether prescribing patterns change following such a diagnosis. ⋯ Prescribing to people who abuse drugs changes little after their abuse is documented. Actions such as tapering opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions, maximizing alternative treatments for pain, and greater use of medication-assisted treatment such as buprenorphine could help reduce risk in this population. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · May 2016
The extent and correlates of community-based pharmaceutical opioid utilisation in Australia.
There has been concern regarding the increasing use of opioids and related harm. We present data on opioid utilisation across Australia and consider sociodemographic factors that may affect utilisation rates. ⋯ Substantial geographic variation in opioid utilisation was identified, with areas outside of major cities having higher rates of utilisation of all types of opioids. Prescription monitoring and best practice interventions aimed at improving opioid use need to have a particular focus on areas outside of major cities. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Apr 2016
Validation of a coding algorithm for intra-abdominal surgeries and adhesion-related complications in an electronic medical records database.
Epidemiological data on adhesion-related complications following intra-abdominal surgery are limited. We tested the accuracy of recording of these surgeries and complications within The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a primary care database within the UK. ⋯ Surgical procedures, SBO, and adhesiolysis can be accurately identified within THIN using diagnostic codes. THIN represents a new tool for assessing patient-specific risk factors for adhesion-related complications and long-term outcomes.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Mar 2016
Hip/femur fractures associated with the use of benzodiazepines (anxiolytics, hypnotics and related drugs): a methodological approach to assess consistencies across databases from the PROTECT-EU project.
Results from observational studies may be inconsistent because of variations in methodological and clinical factors that may be intrinsically related to the database (DB) where the study is performed. ⋯ Applying similar study methods to different populations and DBs showed an increased risk of HFF in BZDs users but differed in the magnitude of the risk, which may be because of inherent differences between DBs.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Feb 2016
Preadmission use of renin-angiotensin blockers and rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm: a nationwide, population-based study.
Rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA) is associated with high mortality. Use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) has been suggested to reduce the risk of rAAA. This nationwide, combined case-control and follow-up study aims to examine the possible impact of preadmission renin-angiotensin system blockade on the risk of rAAA and case fatality following rAAA. ⋯ Use of renin-angiotensin system blockade was not associated with a lower risk of rAAA or lower case fatality following rAAA.