Safety Of Prescription Medications Research Articles

Parenting, health, and use of medications among college youth: The PHARMACY survey study

Prescription medication misuse represents a major public health concern, with high rates of negative consequences observed among youth. The current study examines the potential roles parents can play in mitigating youth prescription-related harm, with a particular focus on opioid and antibiotic safety. A sample of 167 students from a mid-sized college in the Northeast U.S. were surveyed on their prescription medication knowledge, comfort, and behaviors and perceptions of their parents’ behaviors. Results showed that parenting behaviors like targeted discussions on prescription medication safety (e.g., proper disposal of excess medication) were associated with greater medication-related comfort, which, in turn, was associated with safer prescription medication behaviors.

An exploration of attitudes and preferences towards medications among healthcare providers and persons with spinal cord injury/dysfunction: a qualitative comparison

Purpose To compare the attitudes and preferences of persons with spinal cord injury/dysfunction (SCI/D) and healthcare providers regarding prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, and natural health products (NHPs). Materials and methods A qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with healthcare providers (n = 32) and persons with SCI/D (n = 19) in Canada. Inductive descriptive and interpretive analyses were conducted using data display matrices and a constant comparative approach. Results Participants described differing perceptions of therapeutic benefits based on medication type, with shared attitudes about the therapeutic benefits of prescription medications and differing views about the effectiveness of NHPs. Despite the perceived effectiveness of prescription medications, persons with SCI/D preferred to avoid them due to concerns about side effects, safety, and stigma. Persons with SCI/D were often concerned about the long-term safety of prescription medications, whereas providers focused more on medication-related addictions. Participants discussed stigma relating to prescription medications, NHPs, and medicinal marijuana. Conclusion Healthcare providers and persons with SCI/D described different attitudes about and preferences for pharmacotherapeutic products, contributing to challenges in optimizing medication management. Strategies to improve medication management include shared decision-making to incorporate patient preferences into care plans and explicit discussions about long-term medication safety. Further, steps are needed to combat the stigma associated with medication use. Implications for rehabilitation Following a person-centered approach to shared decision-making, prescribers should initiate explicit conversations about patient medication preferences, short and long-term prescription medication side effects, and alternative treatment options. Regarding prescription medication safety, persons with spinal cord injury/dysfunction focused on the long term impact of medications, while providers focused on medication-related addictions, highlighting a disconnect that should be discussed during initiation, continuation, or discontinuation of a medication. Providers should be mindful of the stigma associated with taking multiple prescription medications, including medicinal marijuana, as well as the stigma associated with over-the-counter medications and natural health products. Providers could benefit from education about spinal cord injury/dysfunction-specific prescription medications and could benefit from increased education about natural health products.

Navigating monoclonal antibody use in breastfeeding women

Many neurologic diseases disproportionately affect women, particularly during their reproductive years. For many of these diseases, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are becoming widely available as a treatment option, for example, in migraine, multiple sclerosis, and myasthenia gravis. Yet, despite how common pregnancy is (latest estimates suggest that 86% of US women ages 40-44 have given birth), there is a paucity of research on the safety of prescription medications, including mAbs, during the peripartum period. In this article, we focus on the safety of mAbs during breastfeeding. We summarize how pregnancy affects the trajectory of these diseases and explore the benefit derived from mAb therapies. We posit that as neurologists, we are uniquely poised to lead the study of peripartum safety for the mAbs now on the market and provide a framework for their future study.

Development and validation of motivational messages to improve prescription medication adherence for patients with chronic health problems

ObjectivePoor adherence with prescription medications is a serious problem in health care, especially true for patients with chronic diseases. Previous strategies to promote adherence have generally not resulted in long-term improvements. This research program is designed to improve on past intervention strategies by developing evidence-based and theoretically grounded communication interventions to promote increased adherence. MethodsPhase 1 of this research program used qualitative methods to examine the uncertainties and concerns that influence medication adherence, identify messages for addressing these concerns, and develop refined motivational messages for promoting medication adherence. Phase 2 of this research program experimentally assessed chronic disease patients’ evaluations of the refined motivational messages. ResultsPhase 1 qualitative research indicated that patient concerns about their need for the prescribed medication (commitment) was the primary adherence issue, followed by concerns about side effects and the safety of prescription medications, and concerns about the medication costs. These three key issues were translated into draft motivational messages which were evaluated, validated, and refined. Phase 2 experimental research showed that exposure to motivational messages increased consumers’ intention to adhere with medication recommendations. ConclusionFollow-up intervention research is warranted to test the use of these motivational messages to promote medication adherence. Practice implicationsPharmacies and pharmacists have the potential to perform a central role in providing consumers with the relevant information they need to make responsible decisions that lead to increased adherence with prescription medication recommendations.

A bill has been introduced into the US Senate that aims to increase the safety of prescription medications,

A bill has been introduced into the US Senate that aims to increase the safety of prescription medications,

A bill has been introduced into the US Senate that aims to increase the safety of prescription medications,

A bill has been introduced into the US Senate that aims to increase the safety of prescription medications,

The Pharmacist-Physician Relationship in the Detection of Ambulatory Medication Errors

Expenditures on outpatient prescription drugs have increased enormously in the last decade. Despite this growth in expenditures, prescription medication safety in the ambulatory setting is lacking. Prior research in outpatient care has centered around the physician-patient encounter. What remains unexamined in the ambulatory care literature is the pharmacist's role as interceptor, detector, and reporter of medication errors to the physician. Data about the role, responsibilities, and expectations to inform physicians about this subject were collected from pharmacist (N = 30) and patient (N = 31) focus groups conducted between July 2002 and July 2003. Pharmacists in outpatient practices and patients were randomly selected from the state licensure database and the Jackson Metropolitan phonebook, respectively. Grounded theory provided the perspective on which data were interpreted. Data patterns were linked using key words and phrases for theme analysis. Arbitration between coders resulted in an inter-rater reliability of 0.85. : Three complementary patterns were identified from the data: 1) patients likely see multiple physicians and only one pharmacist; 2) patients are more likely to report medication errors to the pharmacist than to the physician; and 3) pharmacists are the final interceptors, detecting medication errors before they reach patients. Ambulatory pharmacists are in a privileged position to gather data regarding adverse responses to prescribed medication or incidents of medication mishaps. The failure of pharmacists to report information back to physicians is a missed opportunity to improve patient safety.