Inappropriate Use Of Medicines Research Articles

Medicines Information and the Regulation of the Promotion of Pharmaceuticals

Many factors contribute to the inappropriate use of medicines, including not only a lack of information but also inaccurate and misleading promotional information. This review examines how the promotion of pharmaceuticals directly affects the prescribing and use of medicines. We define promotion broadly as all actions taken directly by pharmaceutical companies with the aim of enhancing product sales. We look in greater detail at promotion techniques aimed at prescribers, such as sales representatives, pharmaceutical advertisements in medical journals and use of key opinion leaders, along with the quality of information provided and the effects thereof. We also discuss promotion to the public, through direct-to-consumer advertising, and its effects. Finally, we consider initiatives to regulate promotion that come from industry, government and nongovernmental organizations.

Task shifting in health service delivery from a decision and policy makers\u2019 perspective: a case of Uganda

BackgroundDocumented evidence shows that task shifting has been practiced in Uganda to bridge the gaps in the health workers’ numbers since 1918. The objectives of this study were to provide a synthesis of the available evidence on task shifting in Uganda; to establish levels of understanding, perceptions on task shifting and acceptability from the decision and policy makers’ perspective; and to provide recommendations on the implications of task shifting for the health of the population in Ugandan and human resource management policy.MethodsThis was a qualitative study. Data collection involved review of published and unpublished literature, key informant interviews and group discussion for stakeholders in policy and decision making positions. Data was analyzed by thematic content analysis (ethical clearance number: SS 2444).ResultsTask shifting was implemented with minimal compliance to the WHO recommendations and guidelines. Uganda does not have a national policy and guidelines on task shifting. Task shifting was unacceptable to majority of policy and decision makers mainly because less-skilled health workers were perceived to be incompetent due to cases of failed minor surgery, inappropriate medicine use, overwork, and inadequate support supervision.ConclusionsTask shifting has been implemented in Uganda for a long time without policy guidance and regulation. Policy makers were not in support of task shifting because it was perceived to put patients at risk of drug abuse, development of drug resistance, and surgical complications.Evidence showed the presence of unemployed higher-skilled health workers in Uganda. They could not be absorbed into public service because of the low wage bill and lack of political commitment to do so.Less-skilled health workers were remarked to be incompetent and already overworked; yet, the support supervision and continuous medical education systems were not well resourced and effective.Hiring the existing unemployed higher-skilled health workers, fully implementing the human resource motivation and retention strategy, and enforcing the bonding policy for Government-sponsored graduates were recommended.

Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR): A case study

World Health Organization (WHO) and Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC) work with and provide technical support to more than 94 countries worldwide. Several disasters led to an awareness that drugs not only can heal but also can harm including sudden death caused by chloroform anaesthesia in 1877 and fatal hepatic necrosis due to arsenicals in 1922. In the United States a tragic mistake in the formulation of a children’s syrup in the late 1930s was the trigger for setting up the product authorization system under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Food and Drug Administration had the authority to review new drugs for safety, by scrutinizing animal studies and small human volunteer trials for any signs of serious hazards. In order to prevent unnecessary suffering by patients and to decrease the financial loss sustained by the patient due to the inappropriate or unsafe use of medicines, it is essential that a monitoring system for the safety of medicines in Country is supported by doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other health professionals in the country. The Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) and National Pharmacovigilance programme, adverse reactions should be reported on a daily basis. A case study has done on the basis of Adverse Drugs Reaction in Chandigarh. The patient was named Pratigya Choudhary, age four year six months old. Prescription of Amoxicillin and Potassium Clavulanate combination given to patient and found Jaundice after two dosages. The patient was serious to admit in Hospital. The ultimate goal of this activity is to improve the safe and rational use of medicines, thereby improving patient care and public health.

Inappropriate Use of Medication by Elderly, Polymedicated, or Multipathological Patients with Chronic Diseases.

The growth of the aging population leads to the increase of chronic diseases, of the burden of multimorbility, and of the complexity polypharmacy. The prevalence of medication errors rises in patients with polypharmacy in primary care, and this is a major concern to healthcare systems. This study reviews the published literature on the inappropriate use of medicines in order to articulate recommendations on how to reduce it in chronic patients, particularly in those who are elderly, polymedicated, or multipathological. A systematic review of articles published from January 2000 to October 2015 was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychInfo, Scopus, The Cochrane Library, and Index Medicus databases. We selected 80 studies in order to analyse the content that addressed the question under consideration. Our literature review found that half of patients know what their prescribed treatment is; that most of elderly people take five or more medications a day; that in elderly, polymedicated people, the probability of a medication error occurring is higher; that new tools have been recently developed to reduce errors; that elderly patients can understand written information but the presentation and format is an important factor; and that a high percentage of patients have remaining doubts after their visit. Thus, strategies based on the evidence should be applied in order to reduce medication errors.

Potentially inappropriate medication and hospitalization/emergency department visits among the elderly in Korea.

To investigate the association between potentially inappropriate medicine (PIM) use, defined using the American Geriatric Society (AGS) 2012 Beers criteria, and the risk of hospitalization or emergency department (ED) visits in elderly patients, and to examine the most frequently used PIMs among patients with adverse outcomes. This was a retrospective study using National Health Insurance claims data from 2010 to 2012. Elderly patients who took PIMs are compared to those who were not taking PIMs. Elderly patients (n = 79 552) who visited medical institutions in Jeju Island during 2011. Hospitalization and ED visits were evaluated according to whether the patients took PIMs during the study period. The most frequent medications used by the PIM group were also investigated. The likelihood of hospitalization was higher in older patients who took at least one PIM than in those who were not taking PIMs during the study period (odds ratio 2.25, 95% confidence interval 2.09-2.44). Patients taking PIMs were more likely to visit EDs (odds ratio 1.59, 95% confidence interval 1.50-1.67). Among patients who were hospitalized or visited EDs, 45.5% had taken at least one PIM on that day. The most commonly used PIMs included chlorpheniramine maleate, diazepam, metoclopramide HCl and diclofenac sodium. Our findings indicate that PIM use can lead to negative health consequences, providing further evidence of the inappropriateness of these medications. Thus, pharmaceutical policies regarding PIM use may need to be implemented for elderly adults in Korea.

Ineffective Health Management in Hemodialysis Patients: Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

This study analyzed the accuracy of clinical indicators of ineffective health management in hemodialysis patients. A diagnostic accuracy study was performed in 200 chronic kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis during the first half of 2015. Measures of sensitivity and specificity were calculated using latent class analysis. Ineffective health management was present in 66.28% of patients. Accurate clinical indicators included expressed nonadherence to treatment, daily life choices ineffective to achieve health goals, expression of difficulty with prescribed regimens, inappropriate use of medicines, lack of expression of willingness to control the disease, irregular attendance of dialysis sessions, and infection. Hemodialysis may trigger a set of clinical indicators that predict the presence of ineffective health management. This knowledge provides evidence to clinical practices for hemodialysis patients and contributes to the best clinical performance of nurse practitioners.

Safety Concerns on Ayurvedic Herbomineral Formulations–Myth or Reality?

Background: Ayurveda, systematically evolved science of the universe, focuses on preventing, preserving health, and curing diseases in a comprehensive way. This heritage is survived through the ages and Ministry of Ayurvedic, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) took a number of initiatives to showcase its usefulness at global levels. Exclusive and extensive use of various metals and minerals in therapeutics is an integral part in Ayurveda. But, safety and toxicity concerns in the past couple of decades opened debates in conventional community, which attempted to malign the glory of Ayurveda. Aim: The aim of this study is to review classical concepts and published researches on metallic formulations and generate evidences inferring the effectiveness and safety of Ayurveda interventions in different pathologies. Results: Classical Ayurveda texts are filled with comprehensive information pertaining to drug collection, storage and preservation methods, standards of raw materials, standard operative procedures for different dosage forms, quality control aspects for finished products, shelf life, posology, safety, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) on inappropriate use of medicines and their management, concurrent diet advices, etc., to avoid possible ill effects. It infers that the seers were well studied about good collection practices (GCPs), good storage practices (GSPs), good manufacturing processes (GMPs), therapeutic use of such formulations, good dispensing practices (GDPs), good agricultural and collection practices (GACPs), etc., and took maximum care in the management of diseases. To substantiate classical concepts, a good number of studies on herbomineral and metallic formulations have been conducted that have proven their safety and efficacy. Conclusion: It can be said that rational use of Ayurvedic formulations is well established before the period of Charaka Samhita, more than 5,000 BC. All the safety and efficacy concerns raised in the recent past are possibly some part of conspiracy that needs to be addressed systematically.

Inappropriate and Irrational Use of Medicines Prescribed to the Geriatric Patients in Pakistan

Inappropriate and Irrational Use of Medicines Prescribed to the Geriatric Patients in Pakistan

Prescribing Pattern for Skin Diseases in Dermatology OPD at Borumeda Hospital, North East, Ethiopia

Introduction: Skin diseases are the major contributors of disease burden in society. Dermatological therapy ultimate goal is achieved by administering the safest and least number of drugs. The problem gets compounded with the inappropriate and irrational use of medicines. Therefore, periodic prescription audit in the form of prescribing patterns is away to improve irrational prescription. The objective of this study to assess the prescription patterns of dermatological agents in Borumeda hospital. Method: Hospital based retrospective cross sectional study in which prescribing patterns of dermatological agents are assessed. A total of 385 samples of patient record prescription from November/1/2016 to December/30/2016, and the sample were selected by systematic random sampling technique. Sample prescriptions were reviewed using structural data collection format. The Collected data was analyzed by using SPSS version 20. Result: Regarding rout of administration, the maximum number of drugs was prescribed topically (66.2%). Topical steroids were the most commonly prescribed drugs (25.3%). Use of generic prescribing in single drug prescribing was 81.7%. The prevalence of atopic dermatitis was higher (26.3%, 20.8%) in both male and female respectively followed by scabies in male with 12.2% and Acne vulgaris (12.9%) in female. Number of drugs per prescription was higher (2.46) than WHO standard (<2). Conclusion: The current study reveals that topical corticosteroids were commonly prescribed drugs in the dermatology unit and the prescribing practice imitates incidence of polypharmacy.

Assessment of medication prescription pattern at Bole health center, Ethiopia

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;Inappropriate use of medicines becomes a common global problem. The aim of this study was to assess the drug prescription patterns at Bole health center, using some of the World Health Organization (WHO) core drug use indicators&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the current prescribing practices at the health center. A sample of 720 prescriptions was selected by using stratified random sampling method from 11,040 prescriptions written for the 5 month period from August 1- December 30, 2016. Data were collected from prescription papers filed in the pharmacy. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;The average number of drugs prescribed per encounter was 2.03. The percentage of encounters in which antibiotics prescribed was 67.36%. The proportion of drugs prescribed by generic name and from an essential drug list was 98.14% and 99.25%, respectively&lt;/span&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;The prescribing practice for antibiotic and average number of medicines per prescription shows deviation from the standard recommended by WHO. Great emphasis should be given to restrict inappropriate use of antibiotics. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Interventions to enhance effective communication during over-the-counter consultations in the community pharmacy setting: A systematic review.

Easy access to effective over-the-counter (OTC) treatments allows self-management of some conditions, however inappropriate or incorrect supply or use of OTC medicines can cause harm. Pharmacy personnel should support consumers in their health-seeking behaviour by utilising effective communication skills underpinned by clinical knowledge. To identify interventions targeted towards improving communication between consumers and pharmacy personnel during OTC consultations in the community pharmacy setting. Systematic review and narrative analysis. Databases searched were MEDLINE, EMBASE, Psycinfo, Cochrane Central Register and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for literature published between 2000 and 30 October 2014, as well as reference lists of included articles. The search was re-run on 18 January 2016 and 25 September 2017 to maximise the currency. Two reviewers independently screened retrieved articles for inclusion, assessed study quality and extracted data. Full publications of intervention studies were included. Participants were community pharmacy personnel and/or consumers involved in OTC consultations. Interventions which aimed to improve communication during OTC consultations in the community pharmacy setting were included if they involved a direct measurable communication outcome. Studies reporting attitudes and measures not quantifiable were excluded. The protocol was published on Prospero Database of Systematic Reviews. Of 4978 records identified, 11 studies met inclusion criteria. Interventions evaluated were: face-to-face training sessions (n = 10); role-plays (n = 9); a software decision making program (n = 1); and simulated patient (SP) visits followed by immediate feedback (n = 1). Outcomes were measured using: SP methodology (n = 10) and a survey (n = 1), with most (n = 10) reporting a level of improvement in some communication behaviours. Empirical evaluation of interventions using active learning techniques such as face-to-face training with role-play can improve some communication skills. However interventions that are not fully described limit the ability for replication and/or generalisability. This review identified interventions targeting pharmacy personnel. Future interventions to improve communication should consider the consumer's role in OTC consultations.

A modified Delphi study to determine the level of consensus across the European Union on the structures, processes and desired outcomes of the management of polypharmacy in older people.

BackgroundInappropriate use of multiple medicines (inappropriate polypharmacy) is a major challenge in older people with consequences of increased prevalence and severity of adverse drug reactions and interactions, and reduced medicines adherence. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of consensus amongst key stakeholders in the European Union (EU) in relation to aspects of the management of polypharmacy in older people.MethodsForty-six statements were developed on aspects of healthcare structures, processes and desired outcomes, with consensus defined at ≥ 80% agreement. Panel members were strategists (e.g. directors, leading clinicians and commissioners) from each of the 28 EU member states, with a target recruitment of five per member state. Three Delphi rounds were conducted via email, with panel members being provided with summative results and collated, anonymised comments at the commencement of Rounds 2 and 3.ResultsNinety panel members were recruited (64.3% of target), with high participation levels throughout the three Delphi rounds (91.1%, 83.3%, 72.2%). During Round 1, consensus was obtained for 27/46 statements (58.7%), with an additional two statements in Round 2 and none in Round 3. Consensus was obtained for statements relating to: potential gain arising from polypharmacy management (3/4 statements); strategic development (7/7); change management (5/7) indicator measures (4/6); legislation (0/3); awareness raising (5/5); polypharmacy reviews (5/7); and EU vision (0/7). Analysis of free text comments indicated that the vision statements were too ambitious and not achievable by the specified timeframe of 2025.ConclusionConsensus was obtained amongst key EU strategists around many aspects of polypharmacy management in older people. Notably, no consensus was achieved in relation to statements relating to the need to alter legislation in areas of healthcare delivery, remuneration and practitioner scope of practice. While the vision for the EU by 2025 was considered rather ambitious, there is great potential and clear opportunity to advance polypharmacy management throughout the EU and beyond.

Medication Practices of School Teachers in Coimbatore

Introduction Appropriate use of medicines plays an important role in clinical practice. Both the health professionals and the public need to be aware of the rational drug usage and the consequences of inappropriate or irrational use of medicines having ill effects on health. Almost half of all me

Polypharmacy: a challenge for the primary health care of the Brazilian Unified Health System.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To characterize the polypharmacy in primary health care patients and to identify its associated factors.METHODS This is a cross-sectional, exploratory, and evaluative study, part of the Pesquisa Nacional sobre Acesso, Utilização e Promoção do Uso Racional de Medicamentos – Serviços, 2015 (PNAUM – National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines – Services, 2015). The variable of interest was polypharmacy, defined as the use of five or more medicines. We sought to identify the association of sociodemographic variables and indicators of health conditions to polypharmacy. For group comparison, the Pearson’s Chi-square test was used. The association between polypharmacy and explanatory variables was evaluated by logistic regression model (p < 0.05). The quality of the adjustment was verified by Hosmer-Lemeshow test.RESULTS The prevalence of polypharmacy among medicine users was 9.4% (95%CI 7.8–12.0) in the general population and 18.1% (95%CI 13.6–22.8) in older adults above 65 years old. We found statistically significant association between polypharmacy and age above 45 years, lower self-perception of health, presence of chronic diseases, having health insurance, care in emergency services, and region of the Country. South users presented the highest chances to polypharmacy. The most used medicines were those of the cardiovascular system, being compatible with the national epidemiological profile.CONCLUSIONS Polypharmacy is a reality in the population met within the primary care of Brazilian Unified Health System and may be related to excessive or inappropriate use of medicines. The main challenge to qualify health care is to ensure that prescription of multiple medicines be appropriate and safe.

A new experimental community pharmacy internship module for undergraduate pharmacy students in western Nepal: overview and reflections

Community pharmacies in Nepal and other South Asian countries are in a mediocre state due to poor regulation and the fact that many pharmacies are run by people with insufficient training in dispensing. This has led to the inappropriate use of medicines. The problems due to poor regulation and the mediocre state of community pharmacies in South Asia encompass both academia and clinical practice. In this paper, a 2-week community pharmacy internship programme completed by 2 graduating pharmacy students of Pokhara University (a Nepalese public university) at Sankalpa Pharmacy, Pokhara, Nepal is illustrated. During the internship, they were systematically trained on store management, pharmaceutical care, counselling skills, the use of medical devices, pharmaceutical business plans, medicine information sources, and adverse drug reaction reporting. An orientation, observations and hands-on training, case presentation, discussion, and feedback from 2 senior pharmacists were used as the training method. A proper community pharmacy internship format, good pharmacy practice standards, and a better work environment for pharmacists may improve the quality of community pharmacies.

A Systematic Review of Main Factors leading to Irrational Prescription of Medicine

Context: One of the serious global problems is the irrational prescribing of medicines that can be regarded as harmful or wasteful. Inappropriate use and overuse of medicines, waste resources and therefore lead to health and economic consequences in patients. The goal of this systematic review was to identify factors associated with irrational prescriptions of medicine. Evidence Acquisition: We searched the Cochrane database of systematic reviews (via Cochrane library), PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Science Direct, BMC, Scholar Google, and SID from 1980 up to October of 2016. Results: Of the 594 papers, 26 papers were finally included. The combined results of the 26 papers indicated 24 factors for unnecessary prescriptions of medicine. Factors related to the patient were expectations, demand to prescribe, and poor medical knowledge. Factors related to the physician were inaccurate diagnosis, inadequate awareness and knowledge, low experience, information asymmetry, poor medical education, and the physician’s attitude. Factors related to the institutional and political issues were fee-for-service, out-of-pocket payment, financial incentives, insurance reimbursements, insurance coverage, medicine subside, medicine advertisement, ineffective monitoring programs, regulation on prescription, prescription supervision, clinical guidance, and medicines near-expiry dates or expired. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the irrational/unnecessary prescription of medicine was influenced by many different factors, such as patient, physician, and institution. Thus to prevent irrational/unnecessary prescription, one needs to consider all the involved factors.

Assessment of the availability and rationality of unregistered fixed dose drug combinations in Nepal: a multicenter cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe medications that are registered and available in a country are meant for the prevention and treatment of ailments and diseases. However, a lack of effective regulatory bodies and operative control mechanisms, especially in developing countries, promotes irrational and inappropriate use of medicines. This study aims to evaluate the availability and rationality of unregistered fixed-dose drug combinations (FDCs) in Nepal.MethodsA snowball sampling method with visits to 20 retail pharmacies in each of five major cities in Nepal was used to assess the availability of unregistered FDCs. To justify the rationality of the FDCs obtained from these five cities, the toolkit developed by Health Action International Asia-Pacific (HAI-AP) was used.ResultsAltogether, 41 unregistered FDCs were obtained from the five cities. Among the total 41 FDCs, a majority were anti-inflammatory/analgesic/antipyretics. A maximum of eight drugs and a minimum of two drugs per combination were present among the total 41 FDCs, with a majority in the form of tablets followed by suspensions. The cost ranges from a minimum of 3.7 Nepalese Rupees (NRs) (= USD 0.05) to a maximum of 240 NRs (= USD 3.15). None of the FDCs fulfilled all the fundamental requirements as stated in the toolkit; thus, they were categorized as ‘irrational’.ConclusionsUnregistered FDCs are available in the Nepalese pharmaceutical market. All the unregistered FDCs found in our study were ‘irrational’ as per the HAI-AP toolkit. Regulatory authorities should initiate strict monitoring and appropriate regulatory mechanisms to prohibit the use of unregistered and irrational FDCs.

Individual capacity-building approaches in a global pharmaceutical systems strengthening program: a selected review

BackgroundMedicines use related challenges such as inadequate adherence, high levels of antimicrobial resistance and preventable adverse drug reactions have underscored the need to incorporate pharmaceutical services to help achieve desired treatment outcomes, and protect patients from inappropriate use of medicines. This situation is further constrained by insufficient numbers of pharmaceutical personnel and inappropriate skill mix. Studies have addressed individual capacity building approaches of logistics, supply chain or disease specific interventions but few have documented those involving such pharmacy assistants/professionals, or health workers/professionals charged with improving access and provision of pharmaceutical services. We examined how different training modalities have been employed and adapted to meet country-specific context and needs by a global pharmaceutical systems strengthening program in collaboration with a country’s Ministry of Health and local stakeholders.MethodsStructured, content analysis of training approaches from twelve selected countries and a survey among conveniently selected trainees in Bangladesh and Ethiopia.ResultsCase-based learning, practice and feedback, and repetitive interventions such as post-training action plan, supportive supervision and mentoring approaches are effective, evidence-based training techniques. In Ethiopia and Bangladesh, over 94% of respondents indicated that they have improved or developed skills or competencies as a result of the program’s training activities. Supportive supervision structures and mentorship have been institutionalized with appropriate management structures. National authorities have been sensitized to secure funding from domestic resources or from the global fund grants for post-training follow-up initiatives. The Pharmaceutical Leadership Development Program is an effective, case-based training modality that motivates staff to develop quality-improvement interventions and solve specific challenges. Peer-to-peer learning mechanisms than traditional didactic methods was a preferred intervention among high level government officials both within country and between countries.ConclusionInterventions must involve local institutions in the design and delivery of content for both pre-service and in-service training as well as web-based methods where feasible. Such efforts would meet the changing demand in the pharmaceutical system, and promote the ownership of the human capacity development interventions. The cost-effective partnership with universities demonstrate that competency based pre-service training will prepare the future pharmaceutical workforce with a critical foundation of knowledge and skills required to meet the growing demand for patient-centered pharmaceutical services in resource-constrained countries.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with hypertension and prehypertension in a working population at high altitude in China: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundLittle information is available on the epidemiology of hypertension and prehypertension at high altitude in China, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension, prehypertension and their risk factors among Chinese working population at high altitude regions.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was performed in an occupational sample of 4198 employees aged 20–59 years on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau between May to July 2013. Information from a self-administered questionnaire, physical examinations and laboratory measurements were obtained from each participant. Multivariable analysis was performed to determine the association of various risk factors with hypertension and prehypertension.ResultsThe total crude prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension was 28.1 and 41.5%, respectively; the overall standardized prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension was 26.7 and 41.3%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression showed that age, sex, ethnicity, job position, overweight or obesity, frequent drinking, family history of hypertension, diabetes and hyperuricemia were risk factors for hypertension, and age, sex, education, job position, overweight or obesity, current smoking and family history of hypertension were risk factors for prehypertension. Among the hypertensives, 36.5% were aware of their condition, 19.4% were being treated and 6.2% had their blood pressure (BP) controlled; among the treated hypertensives, 31.9% had their BP under control.ConclusionsThere is a high prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension in the working population at high altitude in China, but with very low awareness, treatment and control rates. Workplace-based BP screening and intervention programs that aim to modify risk factors such as high BMI, tobacco use, alcohol consumption and inappropriate use of antihypertensive medicine are urgently needed.

Inappropriateness of medication prescriptions about chronic kidney disease patients without dialysis therapy in a Chinese tertiary teaching hospital.

BackgroundWith the increasing incidence rate of chronic kidney disease (CKD), inappropriate use of medicine in CKD patients is an important issue, as it may cause adverse effects in patients and progression to chronic renal failure.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to assess the frequency of inappropriate medicine use among CKD patients.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from November 1 to December 1, 2014 in a Chinese teaching tertiary hospital. All medication prescriptions for CKD patients with serum creatinine level above normal value were enrolled. The prescriptions, including unreasonable dosage, contraindicated, and cautiously used medicines in CKD patients, were evaluated and the related medications were also analyzed and classified.ResultsTwo hundred and two patients were included, and a total of 1,733 lines of medication prescriptions were evaluated. The prevalence of inappropriate medication prescriptions in CKD patients was 15.18%, of which, unreasonable dosage (n=56), contraindicated (n=46), and cautiously used medicines (n=161) accounted for 3.23%, 2.65%, and 9.29%, respectively. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient implied that there was a significant correlation between the severity of renal insufficiency and frequency of inappropriate medication prescriptions (P=0.02, r=0.056). Among the inappropriate medication prescriptions, nutraceutical and electrolytes (n=65, 24.71%), cardiovascular drugs (n=61, 23.19%), and antimicrobial drugs (n=55, 20.91%) represented the top three medicine categories in CKD patients.ConclusionThe study confirmed that inappropriate medication prescriptions were prevalent in CKD patients. Improving the quality of medication prescriptions in CKD patients is necessary.