International journal of clinical pharmacy
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Deprescribing is a holistic process of medication cessation that encompasses gaining a comprehensive medication list, identifying potentially inappropriate medications, deciding if the identified medication can be ceased, planning the withdrawal regimen and monitoring, support and follow-up. It is currently being investigated as a mechanism to reduce unnecessary or redundant medications. ⋯ Specifically, deprescribing may improve adherence via reducing polypharmacy, reducing the financial costs associated with medication taking, increasing the patient's medication knowledge through education, increasing patient engagement in medication management and resolution of adverse drug reactions. More research into deprescribing must be conducted to establish if these potential benefits can be realised, in addition to establishing any negative consequences.
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Patient adherence to medications has been an issue challenging healthcare professionals for decades. Adherence rates, causes of non-adherence, barriers and enablers to medication taking, interventions to promote adherence, and the impact of non-adherence on health outcomes, have been extensively studied. In light of this, the area of adherence research has progressed conceptually and practically. This special issue contains a range of articles which focus on different aspects of adherence, from standardising terminology and methods of measurement, to non-adherence in a broad range of patient populations, and to interventions to promote adherence.
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Medication errors are one of the main causes of morbidity amongst hospital inpatients. More than half of medication errors occur at 'interfaces of care', when patients are discharged or transferred to the care of another physician. Medication reconciliation is the process of reviewing patients' complete previous medication regimen, comparing it with current prescriptions, and analysing and resolving any discrepancies that the pharmacist does not believe to be intentional (unjustified discrepancies). ⋯ The rate of medication errors found in this study is low compared with other similar studies. The most common error was "incomplete prescriptions", most of them generated by the Accident and Emergency department. A computerised clinical history would help to decrease the number of reconciliation errors. Pharmacist interventions focused on medication reconciliation are well accepted by physicians, improving the quality of clinical histories and decreasing the number of medication errors that occur across transitions in patient care.
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Cancer patients are at high risk for developing sepsis. To our knowledge, there are no studies that evaluated the type of medications utilized and the associated cost in cancer patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. ⋯ In cancer patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, multiple medications are prescribed which are associated with high cost.
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Effects of L'Aquila earthquake on the prescribing pattern of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs.
Natural disasters provoke an increase in mental and medical disorders in survivors. Monitoring drug prescription changes after natural disasters can provide an indirect evaluation of trauma impact in the population. Moreover, it could be useful to both identify risk categories that require special assistance and assess possible drug abuse or misuse. ⋯ The earthquake determined a short-term increase in the use of antipsychotics (mostly haloperidol and promazine) and, to lesser extent, of antidepressants (i.e. tryciclics), especially in older women of L'Aquila.