Archives of disease in childhood
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Editorial Comment
Paediatric primary care in Europe: variation between countries.
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This study compared the availability and the licensing status of analgesic drugs marketed in three European countries (Italy, France and the UK) and evaluated the evidence on safety and efficacy in the paediatric population of the drugs reported in the European Medicines Evaluation (EMA) document "Assessment of Pediatric Needs: Pain" (2005). Ten of 17 drugs reported in the EMA document were marketed with a paediatric licence in all three countries but with wide differences concerning age groups. ⋯ Access to, and the rational use, of drugs to prevent or control pain and its functional consequences pose a considerable challenge. There is a pressing need for further research and clinical development in the assessment and management of pain in children.
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Multicenter Study
Drug approval processes in Australian Paediatric Hospitals.
To describe and evaluate the decision-making processes for drug approval in Australian paediatric hospitals. ⋯ Most drug submissions in tertiary paediatric hospitals are approved; however, workload, drug expenditure and individual-patient use schemes vary considerably. Duplication of effort occurs, and few committees are resourced sufficiently given their terms of reference.
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To describe current practice during stabilisation of children presenting with critical illness to the district general hospital (DGH), preceding retrieval to intensive care. ⋯ DGH staff appropriately performs the majority of initial stabilisation procedures in critically ill children prior to retrieval. This practice has not changed significantly for the past 4 years, attesting to the crucial role played by district hospital staff in a centralised model of paediatric intensive care.