Journal of managed care pharmacy : JMCP
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic constipation (CC) are common functional gastrointestinal disorders affecting 14% and 20% of the U.S. population, respectively. Reviews of the evidence on the burden of illness associated with IBS and CC have not been comprehensive in scope and have not provided an assessment of the distribution of health care costs across categories of resource use. ⋯ The studies identified in the systematic review varied in the method used to identify patients with IBS and CC. Results were not typically reported by IBS subtype. We observed a large variation in attributable direct and indirect costs and drivers of these costs. Future research should refine burden of illness estimates to subtypes so that estimates associated with IBS-C and CC are differentiated.
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Drug shortages pose a serious challenge for health care institutions, often interfering with patient care. A common practice during a drug shortage is to select an alternate therapeutic; however, these agents often present challenges and may create safety concerns. Patient harms including adverse events and medication errors may occur. Patients may also file complaints because of drug shortages. ⋯ Medication errors and adverse events continue to occur from drug shortages, often resulting in inadequate patient care, high institutional costs, and patient complaints. Delayed care and cancelled care have been reported from shortages. Further research is necessary to better classify medication errors and adverse events during a drug shortage.