Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “PRESCRIPTIONS”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,747 records · Page 97Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Isotretinoin and antidepressant pharmacotherapy: a prescription sequence symmetry analysis.

BACKGROUND: Isotretinoin is indicated for the treatment of severe, recalcitrant nodular acne. Spontaneous reports have suggested a possible association between isotretinoin and depression that has not been supported by prior studies. Depression has been reported in patients with acne and is common among adolescents. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between isotretinoin use and onset of depression. METHODS: A large retrospective database study was performed through a review of pharmacy claims to evaluate the order of first-recorded isotretinoin and antidepressant dispensings in incident users. The study included 2821 patients, aged 12 to 49 years, who filled isotretinoin prescriptions between June 1, 1999, and March 31, 2000. The ratio of the number of patients who filled isotretinoin prescription first versus second was computed, with adjustment for variations in physician prescribing patterns; a ratio significantly greater than 1.0 indicates a depression-invoking relationship. Similar analyses of minocycline were performed. RESULTS: Adjusted ratios for all antidepressants and by class were not significantly greater than 1.0. Similar results were found for minocycline. CONCLUSION: The results do not support an association between the use of isotretinoin and the onset of depression.

Acne Vulgaris↗
PubMed2006

Medicare prescription drug coverage: consumer information and preferences.

We investigate prescription drug use, and information and enrollment intentions for the new Medicare Part D drug insurance program, using a sample of Medicare-eligible subjects surveyed before open enrollment began for this program. We find that, despite the complexity of competing plans offered by private insurers under Part D, a majority of the Medicare population had information on this program and a substantial majority planned to enroll. We find that virtually all elderly, even those with no current prescription drug use, can expect to benefit from enrollment in a Part D Standard plan at the low premiums available in the current market. However, there is a significant risk that many eligible seniors, particularly low-income elderly with poor health or cognitive impairment, will make poor enrollment and plan choices.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Clinician validation of Poison Control Center (PCC) intentional exposure cases involving prescription opioids.

Poison Control Center (PCC) cases involving intentional ingestion, injection or inhalation of prescription opioids are a potentially valuable source of information on the abuse and misuse of these products. This study sought to validate PCC classifications of prescription opioid intentional exposure cases against clinical diagnostic criteria. 4,321 cases were reviewed. PCC-clinician concordance was good to excellent for Withdrawal, Abuse, and Suicide (kappa statistics: 0.73, 0.53, 0.48, respectively), but poor for Misuse and Intentional Unknown (Specific motive not known). Interrater reliability among clinicians was good (weighted kappa range: 0.56-0.68). Results demonstrate the degree of compatibility between PCC and standard nosologic classifications.

Drug Evaluation, Preclinical↗
PubMed2005

Factors affecting trust in on-line prescription drug information and impact of trust on behavior following exposure to DTC advertising.

Despite growing concerns about the quality and accuracy of Internet-based prescription drug information, there has been very little empirical research on consumers' perceptions of the trustworthiness of on-line drug information. In this article, we report on a study modeled after that of Menon, Deshpande, Perri, and Zinkhan (2002) in Health Marketing Quarterly that reexamines how key demographic, predispositional, and media factors are associated with consumer trust in on-line prescription drug information and the impact of trust in on-line drug information on ad-promoted behavior following exposure to direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. Four major findings are reported: (1) on-line drug information is not highly trusted; (2) trust in on-line drug information is not differentially affected by consumer demographic or predispositional characteristics; (3) trust in the traditional media of DTC advertising is predictive of trust in on-line drug information; and (4) trust in on-line drug information is associated directly with specific types of ad-promoted behavior following exposure to DTC advertising. Implications and recommendations are offered based on the results.

Advertising↗
PubMed2003

Security issues in the electronic transmission of prescriptions.

The UK government has stated within its plan of reform for the National Health Service that a secure system for the Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions will be available by 2004. The objectives of this paper are to highlight the significant barriers faced in securing an ETP system, to provide a critical analysis of the security mechanisms in the models currently being piloted and to suggest an alternative revised model which overcomes the identified deficiencies and security hurdles. To identify the significant security issues relevant to the adoption of ETP, the authors have combined their analysis of present prescription processing practice with their knowledge of computer security. The authors identify and describe how the issues of patient confidentiality, authorization, identity authentication, audit, scalability, availability and reliability are significant barriers to the adoption of ETP, particularly if they effect ease of use. The paper's contribution to the field of ETP is to suggest solutions to each of the identified security issues and to combine the solutions together in a revised and developed model.

Computer Security↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A descriptive analysis of asthma-related medical services and prescription utilization among recipients in a Medicaid program.

One objective of the Healthy People 2010 initiative calls for the establishment of a surveillance system to track asthma illness and management in at least 25 states. Our objective was to report patterns of asthma-related medical services and pharmacotherapy use among recipients of Texas Medicaid. Texas Medicaid medical services and prescription administrative claims data dated between January 1 and December 31, 2000, for recipients between 6 and 64 years of age enrolled in a fee-for-service plan were extracted. Rates of recipients with asthma, rates of asthma-related medical services use, and patterns of pharmacotherapy use were reported. There were 31,509 recipients identified with asthma at a rate of 22.8 per 1000. Children under 15 years of age, males, and blacks had the highest rates of asthma, as well as asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations compared with other demographic groups. Hispanics accounted for the largest proportion of ethnic groups but had the lowest rate of asthma compared with whites and blacks. The rate of ED visits and hospitalizations among children was more than twice the rate among adults. Blacks had more than twice the rate of ED visits and nearly double the rate of hospitalizations for asthma compared with other ethnic groups. Roughly 56% of the recipients had a claim for an inhaled anti-inflammatory medication. However, it appeared that recipients were using short-acting beta-agonists more frequently than inhaled corticosteroids. Use of medical services and prescription medications for asthma varied greatly on the basis of recipient demographic factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Antibiotic prescription in primary health care: clinical and economic perspectives (Catalonia, Spain).

OBJECTIVE: To quantify clinical inappropriateness of antibiotic prescription and its costs in primary health care. METHODS: 2470 cases of infectious disease during 1998 were analysed. RESULTS: Of all cases, 69.9% did not require antibiotic treatment. Global clinical inappropriateness amounted to 43.7%, rising to 56.7% with the introduction of economic criteria. Treatment unnecessary but antibiotic provided (27.9%) represented the most important category. Costs of inappropriateness reached 68.4% of the estimated total cost. CONCLUSION: Appropriate antibiotic use should be focused on reducing antibiotic prescription when not indicated and restraining the use of penicillins maintaining restrictive and adequate health policies, and also achieving co-responsibility from the general population.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Written simulation of patient-doctor encounters. 3. Comparison of the performance in the simulation with prescription and referral data in reality.

The performance of 19 general practitioners in a written simulation of patient-doctor encounters was compared with real data on prescription and referral from 'sick-fund' patients. Two issues were studied: the amounts of certain drugs prescribed (analgesics and antirheumatics; hypnotics/sedatives and tranquillizers; neuroleptics and antidepressants) and the number of referrals to specialists. In the simulation, experts assessed the 'risk of unnecessary harm to the patient' induced by the therapeutic procedures of these general practitioners, as described previously. A close correlation was found between the ratings of the risk of unnecessary harm in the simulation and the prescription and referral data in reality for general practitioners who were consistently generous or frugal in prescribing the above drugs and referring the patients to specialists. The tentative conclusion is that the written simulation with its rating procedure discriminates reliably between general practitioners who induce less risk of unnecessary harm from those who are likely to cause harm to the patient.

Analgesics↗
PubMed1989

Quality of instructions on prescription drug labels: effects on memory and comprehension in young and old adults.

We examined both comprehension of and memory for information on prescription labels as a function of age, memory load, and study time across three experiments with young and old adults. We found that older adults consistently manifested poorer recall of prescription information than young adults; age effects occurred even when participants received unlimited study time; and both young and old adults had substantial difficulty comprehending drug information as it is presented from a pharmacy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Rationality of drug prescriptions in rural health centres in Burkina Faso.

The objective of this study is to investigate the quality of drug prescriptions in nine health centres of three districts in rural Burkina Faso. 313 outpatient consultations were studied by methods of guided observation. Additionally interviews were held with the health care workers involved in the study. A total of 793 drugs prescribed by 15 health care workers during the observation period and 2815 prescribed drugs copied from the patient register were analyzed. An average of 2.3 drugs were prescribed per visit. 88.0% of the prescribed drugs were on the essential drug list. 88.4% were indicated according to the national treatment guidelines. 79.4% had a correct dosage. The study revealed serious deficiencies in drug prescribing that could not be detected by assessing selected quantitative drug-use indicators as recommended by the WHO. In two-thirds of the cases the patients received no information on how long the drug had to be taken. Errors in dosage occurred significantly more often in children under 5 years. The combined analysis of choice and dosage of drugs showed that 59.3% of all the patients received a correct prescription. Seven out of 21 pregnant women received drugs contraindicated in pregnancy. We conclude that assessment of quantitative drug-use indicators alone does not suffice in identifying specific needs for improvement in treatment quality. We recommend that prescribing for children under 5 and for pregnant women should be targeted in future interventions and that the lay-out, content and distribution of treatment guidelines must be improved.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2003

Socioeconomic factors and prescription of antibiotics in 0- to 2-year-old Danish children.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to examine the impact of socioeconomic factors on the use of systemic antibiotics during the first 2 years of life. METHODS: This was a population-based cohort study of 5024 Danish children born in 1997. The study was conducted by linking records drawn from public administrative registries. The main predictor variables were mother's education level, household income and cohabitation status. The outcome was the number of antibiotic courses (0, 1-5, > or =6) during the first 2 years of life. RESULTS: A total of 3273 children (65.1%) received 1-5 antibiotic courses, and 337 (6.7%) received > or =6 courses of antibiotics during the first 2 years of life. The risk of receiving > or =6 courses of antibiotics was increased in children of mothers with a low educational level (< or =10 years) compared with vocational education [OR 1.3 (95% CI 1.0-1.7)]. Children of mothers with a higher education >4 years had a reduced risk of receiving > or =6 courses [OR 0.3 (95% CI 0.1-0.7)]. Children from high-income families had a reduced risk (not statistically significant) of receiving antibiotics, compared with children from middle-income families [1-5 and > or =6 courses: adjusted OR 0.6 (95% CI 0.3-1.2)]. Children of single mothers had an increased risk of receiving antibiotics, particularly if the child did not attend day care. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic factors have some impact on antibiotic prescription in young children. Children of mothers with only basic schooling were at highest risk of receiving multiple prescriptions, whereas children of mothers with a high education, and/or high household income, had the lowest risk.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2003

Preliminary evidence of health care provider support for naloxone prescription as overdose fatality prevention strategy in New York City.

Preliminary research suggests that naloxone (Narcan), a short-acting opiate antagonist, could be provided by prescription or distribution to heroin users to reduce the likelihood of fatality from overdose. We conducted a random postal survey of 1100 prescription-authorized health care providers in New York City to determine willingness to prescribe naloxone to patients at risk of an opiate overdose. Among 363 nurse practitioners, physicians, and physician assistants responding, 33.4% would consider prescribing naloxone, and 29.4% were unsure. This preliminary study suggests that a substantial number of New York City health care providers would prescribe naloxone for opiate overdose prevention.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2004

Can prescription refill feedback to physicians improve patient adherence?

BACKGROUND: Although adherence to long-term drug therapy is an important issue, the means to facilitate its assessment and improvement in clinical practice remain a challenge. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of prescription refill feedback and adherence education provided to primary care physicians. METHODS: We provided 83 resident and attending physicians at a university-based general internal medicine practice with refill adherence reports on each of 340 diabetic patients. An educational session on adherence assessment and improvement techniques was held, and all physicians received a written outline on this topic. Physician attitude toward the intervention and 6-month change in refill adherence (doses filled/doses prescribed) of their patient panels were assessed. A nonrandomized comparison group of patients receiving hypertension medications for whom the physicians did not receive feedback was also evaluated. RESULTS: The overall improvement in mean refill adherence was not significant (83.9% vs 86.0%, P=0.18). The educational session was attended by 53% of the physicians. The patient refill adherence of physicians attending the educational session improved by 5.0% (P<0.0009) with no significant change among patients of physicians not attending the session. There was no adherence change among patients for whom physicians did not receive refill feedback data, regardless of educational session attendance. CONCLUSIONS: Patients of physicians that received refill feedback and attended an educational session improved their refill adherence. After replication of these results in a randomized trial, broad implementation of this approach could have substantial impact from a public health perspective, given the ubiquity of prescription claims data.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1990

Preferred hearing aid gain in everyday use after prescriptive fitting.

The insertion gain preferred by a group of 26 moderately hearing-impaired, elderly hearing-aid users was investigated in everyday listening situations. The subjects used monaural behind-the-ear aids, carefully fitted according to a prescription formula of the half-gain type, validated and used at National Acoustic Laboratories, Australia. The fitting was checked with real-ear measurements of insertion gain and reviewed at one or more follow-up sessions. The subjects were strictly instructed to try the recommended volume control setting before reporting which setting they preferred. The prescription significantly over-estimated preferred gain by about 7 dB. No correlation could be detected between prescribed versus preferred gain differences and the amount of previous hearing-aid use or the degree of subjective hearing problems.

Aged↗
PubMed1975

An examination of the effect of market demographic and competitive characteristics on gross margins of prescription drugs.

This study was carried out to determine the influence of selected demographic and competitive market factors on community pharmacy operations. Data were collected from a panel of pharmacies located in large mid-western city. A sample of 300 prescriptions was obtained from each of the panel pharmacies. From the prescriptions, the gross margins and the addresses of the patrons were determined. A profile of the demographic and competitive factors was determined. Eight research hypotheses were tested. The variables were subjected to regression analysis with per cent markup and dollar markup-on-retail being the dependent variables in each case. The simple regression analysis did reflect a significant relationship between select competitive variables and per cent markup. The stepwise regressions indicated a significant relationship between all demographic and competitive market factors and per cent markup. No significant relationships were found in the simple regression treatment of a dollar markup and the market variables. The stepwise regression routine yielded a nonsignificant relationship between dollar markup and all market variables except income and education. It can be concluded that pricing in this market is reflective of both demographic and competitive market factors of the trading area.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1982

A survey of patients' receipt of prescription drug information.

A nationwide telephone survey of 1,223 individuals investigated the nature and source of information provided to patients regarding prescription drugs. About half of the respondents said that they had received information from their doctor about the purpose and directions for use for their most recent prescription. Only a few people (11 per cent) said that they had been informed about the drug's side effects and 19 per cent said that they had been told nothing by their doctor. Most (72 per cent) related that nothing had been said to them at the pharmacy. Written information (stickers on the medicine container, leaflets or brochures) were said to be infrequently provided at the pharmacy. About 12 per cent of the respondents said they had expected they might get a drug side effect, but only 9 per cent said that they had experienced one. The most frequently cited action in response to side effects was to consult the physician (40 per cent); however, a sizeable percentage of people stopped the medicine completely or temporarily (36 per cent) or kept on taking the drug as prescribed (32 per cent).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Influence of simple computerized feedback on prescription charges in an ambulatory clinic. A randomized clinical trial.

Pharmaceuticals account for a significant portion of health care costs and are an important target for attempts at cost reductions. While many techniques have been shown effective, most are resource-intensive, have demonstrated fatigue after the intervention is ceased, and have been directed at specific items rather than total charges. The authors designed a computerized program to feed back prescription charges. The intervention is easy to execute, inexpensive, and can be maintained indefinitely. The intervention was performed in a randomized, prospective, controlled trial with the medical residents of a large county hospital. The goal was to reduce total prescribing charges and produce a meaningful financial result. The intervention reduced the mean charge for a prescription by 6.7% (P less than 0.025), but with a long latent period and minimal impact on resident knowledge of drug charges. Significant differences were seen only at the end of the study. The program was viewed positively by the residents. The low cost of the intervention yielded a benefit-to-cost ratio in excess of 50:1. Because of computerization and ongoing patient and resident randomization at the study hospital, added costs of this randomized trial in terms of computer time and research assistance were less than $1,000.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2002

Heart rate prescriptions from performance and anthropometrical characteristics.

PURPOSE: Heart rate (HR) is widely used to adjust exercise intensity in aerobic training. Training HR recommendations are calculated often from simple equations. Because at lactate steady state (LASS) may be an intensity of exercise eliciting similar objective measures of intensity and similar subjective measures of metabolism, it is an appropriate intensity upon which to base aerobic-training prescription. The purpose of this research was to develop regression equations using age and other easily accessible characteristics to estimate the HR associated with LASS (HRLASS). METHODS: The data of 7397 healthy subjects (age >or= 10 yr; 5044 male, 2353 female) with different training habits were analyzed. All participants were tested in an incremental exercise test on the treadmill until subjective exhaustion. The LASS was determined by the concept of blood lactate at the "lactate threshold" plus a net increase of 1.5 mmol.L-1. The interdependence of further characteristics was tested by stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Age alone did not allow a precise prediction of lass=hText>HRLASS (r = 0.645 for all participants), regardless of adjustment by sex, training state, body mass, or performance characteristics using ANCOVA. Resting HR (HRrest) decreased steeply within the second life decade but not with further advancing age. The best discrete lactate-independent predictor for HRLASS was HRmax (r = 0.798). Inclusion of age and weight in the model resulted in only a small improvement of the prediction (r = 0.826). Other anthropometrical characteristics could not improve the model further. CONCLUSIONS: The use of age alone seems too imprecise for exactly driven aerobic training prescriptions. A minor improvement can be achieved in this objective by use of HRmax supplemented by age using a multiple regression model.

Adolescent↗