Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Oct 2012
Measuring online endorsement of prescription opioids abuse: an integrative methodology.
The ability to track prescription opioid abusers' endorsement of compounds may be valuable in forecasting abuser's preferences. We developed a metric, referred to as the Endorsement Ratio (ERo), to explore the feasibility of quantifying the sentiment expressed by opioid abusers who post online about prescription opioid products. ⋯ This study expands existing Internet monitoring approaches by developing a metric to estimate the endorsement of specific prescription opioid compounds as viewed through the lens of Internet communities. Route of administration must be taken into account when examining preferences of drug abusers for various products. This study did not assess whether the novel metric is valid with respect to classification of abuse rates of different drugs. Further studies examining external validation studies are warranted.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Oct 2012
Comorbidities in an asthma population 8-29 years old: a study from the Norwegian Prescription Database.
To examine the occurrence of chronic diseases and antimicrobial treatment in an asthma population 8-29 years old, compared with the general population. ⋯ An excess occurrence of comorbidities was found in the population with asthma. A majority of people with asthma had one additional chronic disease, and few had more than one.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Sep 2012
Off-label antidepressant use in children and adolescents compared with young adults: extent and level of evidence.
To estimate the degree of, and level of evidence supporting, off-label antidepressant (AD) prescribing for children and adolescents compared with young adults. ⋯ Pediatric off-label AD prescribing occurs frequently without a strong evidence base, highlighting a need to generate additional evidence to ensure safe and effective use.
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Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf · Sep 2012
Comparative StudyPrescribing quality for older people in Norwegian nursing homes and home nursing services using multidose dispensed drugs.
To examine and compare the quality of drug prescribing for older patients in nursing homes and home nursing services. ⋯ There are significant differences in the quality of drug prescribing in nursing homes compared with home nursing services. Explanations as to why these differences exist need to be further explored.