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Biomedical subjects

R S Summers

Publications and source records attributed to R S Summers.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Drug prescribing for TPN patients at a teaching hospital serving a developing community.

Drug prescribing for TPN patients at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital was investigated as part of a larger retrospective survey of TPN products and practices. The medical records of 45 patients who received parenteral nutrition over the period April-August 1985 were examined. Relevant information was transcribed onto survey forms, classified and analysed. The major defined complaints were gastrointestinal (50%) and perinatal (34.5%). Twelve patients had more than one major complaint. Seventy-three per cent of the patients were admitted to paediatric wards and over 24% to (adult) surgical wards. There was one medical patient in the group. The only drug categories that were prescribed in more than 10% of cases were antimicrobial agents (64.9%) and analgesics (10.4%). The most frequently used individual drugs were gentamicin (17.5%), penicillin G (14.3%), piperacillin (17%) and aminophylline (11%). The implications of this pattern of drug use for TPN patient monitoring are discussed.

Aminophylline↗
PubMed1986

Drug prescribing in paediatrics at a teaching hospital serving a developing community.

Drug prescribing for paediatric inpatients at a teaching hospital serving a developing community was investigated. A list of 695 patient record numbers was randomly generated from the 7637 children admitted over the period examined (9.1%). Prescribed drugs were computer-categorized and counted. Antibacterials (30.0%), vitamins, iron preparations and dietary supplements (20.0%), electrolytes (18.8%), analgesics (12.2%) and respiratory drugs (7.1%) comprised the most frequently-prescribed groups. The main (admitting) diagnoses of the sample were also classified. Infective diseases (42.0%), respiratory conditions (18.2%), perinatal disorders (14.9%) and nutritional deficiencies (9.9%) predominated. Data for individual drugs in the four dominant drug groups are presented. The margins between the top one or two drugs and the others in each therapeutic category are notable. Few drugs are extensively used. They include ampicillin, paracetamol, multivitamin syrup and Darrow's preparations. The implications of this picture in therapeutics are discussed.

Africa, Southern↗
PubMed1986

The effect of a specialist clinic with pharmacist involvement on the management of epilepsy in paediatric patients.

At the request of the consultant, a pharmacist attended the paediatric out-patient neurology clinic held at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital, from June 1984. After 6 months of this 'team' approach, its effect on patient care was evaluated. The study consisted of a retrospective survey of approximately 100 patient-visits before and after the establishment of the specialist clinic. Patient medication details and frequency of fits were analysed by a microcomputer. There was an increase in the number of patients seen per session. The results also showed that polypharmacy, dosing frequency and average dose per day were reduced under the new arrangement, whilst disease control, i.e. fit frequency, was no worse. The overall result has been to rationalize and improve anticonvulsant drug therapy at this clinic.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed1985

Drug utilization in internal medicine wards at a teaching hospital serving a developing community.

Drug utilization, i.e. prescribing, was investigated in four general internal medicine wards at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital, the main teaching hospital for the Medical University of Southern Africa. Survey forms for computer processing were designed to cover important patient parameters (including diagnosis) and to classify drugs into the most frequently used therapeutic groups. There were 154 patients in the survey which took place over a 2-week period in July 1983. Analysis of the diagnosis data showed that cardiovascular disorders (34,4% of the total) and infectious and parasitic diseases (29,2%) predominated. Data for drugs prescribed revealed a preponderance of anti-infective agents (29,7%), diuretics (12,0%), cardiovascular preparations (10,5%) and respiratory medicines (8,1%). The predominant two disease groups and four drug groups were subjected to further analysis. Detailed results which cover specific disease entities and individual drugs are presented. A clear picture of the respective disease patterns and drugs prescribed has emerged. The implications are discussed with reference to the population which the hospital serves, therapeutic needs and medical education.

Anti-Infective Agents↗
PubMed1984

Treating gonococcal urethritis in men: oral amoxycillin potentiated by clavulanate compared with intramuscular procaine penicillin.

In a study of 121 men with uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis, 64 were treated orally with a single dose of 3 g amoxycillin and 250 mg of the specific beta-lactamase inhibitor, clavulanic acid, and 57 with a single intramuscular injection of 2.4 MU procaine penicillin. After seven days, six (9.4%) patients treated with amoxycillin and clavulanic acid were still culture positive for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, compared with 26.3% of those treated with procaine penicillin.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1983

Topical administration of medications in the lungs.

A survey has been carried out in Zimbabwe to gain information on pharmacist attitudes and current practice involving patient education in the use of medications for topical administration in the lung. The results of the survey indicated that although there was awareness of patient misuse of the administration devices, most pharmacists did not commonly demonstrate administration techniques to their patients; demonstrations when carried out were predominantly by hospital pharmacists. Few pharmacists were aware of the availability of placebo devices for patient education. Most pharmacists agreed, however, that they would become involved in patient instruction on administration techniques if placebo devices were made available to them. These placebo units, they felt, should be supplied free of charge by the manufacturing companies. Most pharmacists felt that, at present, their patients did not fully understand and were not practising correct administration techniques and therefore required tuition in these matters. The present survey was a pilot study for a larger survey to be carried out in Northern Ireland.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1980

Physical and dissolution characteristics and bio-availability of five brands of digoxin tablets.

Five brands of digoxin were investigated and compared for physical and dissolution characteristics and bio-availability. The dissolution characteristics, which are regarded as a measure of bio-availability in the case of digoxin, were investigated with a spectrofluorimeter. Significant differences were found among the five brands. Only one brand met all the various criteria that were investigated.

Biological Availability↗