Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Sep 2015
Is the Quebec provincial administrative database a valid source for research on chronic non-cancer pain?
The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of diagnostic codes recorded in the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) administrative database for identifying patients suffering from various types of chronic non-cancer pain. ⋯ Our study provides evidence supporting the value of the RAMQ administrative database for conducting research on certain types of chronic pain disorders including back and neck pain. Users should, however, be cautious about the limitations of this database for studying other types of chronic pain syndromes such as complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Aug 2015
Association between benzodiazepine use and exacerbations and mortality in patients with asthma: a matched case-control and survival analysis using the United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink.
To investigate the association between the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic drugs, benzodiazepines or zopiclone and the occurrence of asthma exacerbations and subsequent mortality in a cohort of asthma patients. ⋯ Benzodiazepines and zopiclone may increase the likelihood of asthma exacerbation, and benzodiazepines may also increase the likelihood of mortality following exacerbation. These data suggest that caution should be exercised when prescribing benzodiazepines to patients with asthma.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Aug 2015
Comparative StudyTrends in opioid prescribing and co-prescribing of sedative hypnotics for acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain: 2001-2010.
Characterize trends in opioid prescribing and co-prescribing of sedative hypnotics at acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain visits from 2001 to 2010. ⋯ Opioid prescribing for acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain increased from 2001 to 2010, plateauing from 2006 to 2010 for chronic pain visits. Co-prescribing of opioids and sedative hypnotics is common and may represent a target for interventions to improve the safety of opioid prescribing.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Aug 2015
ReviewPediatric post-marketing safety systems in North America: assessment of the current status.
It is critical to have pediatric post-marketing safety systems that contain enough clinical and epidemiological detail to draw regulatory, public health, and clinical conclusions. The pediatric safety surveillance workshop (PSSW), coordinated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), identified these pediatric systems as of 2010. This manuscript aims to update the information from the PSSW and look critically at the systems currently in use. ⋯ Systems reviewed in this manuscript have strengths such as clinical detail, a large enough sample size to capture rare adverse events, and/or a patient denominator internal to the database. Few systems include all of these attributes. Pediatric drug safety would be better informed by utilizing multiple systems to take advantage of their individual characteristics.