Pharm World Sci
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Comparative Study
Comparison of pain management in paediatric surgical patients in two hospitals in France and Canada.
Pain management in children has improved substantially over the last few years but continues to vary widely across institutions. Our objective was to describe the evaluation and treatment of pain in paediatric patients in two hospitals (Robert Debré in Paris, France, and Sainte-Justine, Montréal, Canada) and to compare conformity with quality criteria. ⋯ This study documents differences in post-operative pain management between two paediatric hospitals. We found differences between the two hospitals regarding the frequency of pain evaluation, the use of validated tools for evaluating pain, and analgesic dosages. Continued efforts to educate prescribing physicians and other healthcare providers are needed to improve pain management in children.
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The aims of the present study were to: analyse the prevalence of polypharmacy in a group of older patients; evaluate the influence of hospital stay on the number of drugs taken; assess the most frequently prescribed pharmacological classes; identify risk factors that predisposed the patient to polypharmacy. Setting The study was carried out in the Department of Internal Medicine of a non-university general hospital. ⋯ Our study confirmed a relatively high prevalence of polypharmacy in Slovak elderly patients. Polypharmacy risk rose especially with the increased prevalence of diseases of advancing age (diabetes mellitus, heart failure, arterial hypertension, dementia and cerebrovascular diseases). The increasing numbers of medications in inpatients indicate the need for the careful re-evaluation of pharmacotherapy during the stay in hospital.