Validation studies of drug exposures in pregnant women

The aim of these studies was to check the quality of data collection concerning drug use during pregnancy in the Hungarian Case-Control Surveillance of Congenital Abnormalities from four different aspects. (a) The parents of non-respondent cases were visited at home to collect data, but the Ethics Committee did not allow collection of comparable data from non-respondent control women. Thus only 200 selected non-respondent controls were visited at home and questioned about drug use as part of a validation study. There was no difference in the distribution and occurrence of frequently used drugs between the respondent and non-respondent control groups. (b) Data collection was compared between the usual method of the Case-Control Surveillance and personal interview in case with congenital limb deficiencies. In general, the two methods produced similar results with respect to drug use, but the personal interview revealed a higher use of unintended contraceptive pills while the use of antenatal care logbooks in the Case-Control Surveillance showed a higher use of drugs to prevent threatened abortion and preterm delivery. (c) A check of source and completeness of drug exposure showed that about one-quarter of the drugs used during pregnancy were not recorded in the Case-Control Surveillance, and the proportion of lack of recall was about 23%. A small group of women (2.4%) did not use prescribed drugs due to the suspected teratogenic risk. (d) The teratogenic labelling of drugs deters pregnant patients from the use of prescribed drugs, or at least shortens the duration of drug intake. Thus the evaluation of drug use on the basis of medically recorded prescribed drugs and/or usual recommendations produces a bias thus it is necessary to complete it with information from the patients.     

Risk and benefit perceptions of party drug use

A cross-sectional survey of 372 regular ecstasy users was conducted to examine the benefits and risks perceived to be associated with the use of party drugs. A wide range of benefits and risks were reported across six drug types with some considered drug-specific. Commonly perceived risks included physical and psychological harms that were consistent with current harm reduction messages. Harm reduction campaigns may need to acknowledge benefits of drug use to ensure health promotion messages are considered credible and acceptable to users.     

The use of token economy to reduce illicit drug use among methadone maintenance clients

The effects of a token economy in modifying the illicit polydrug use of 97 methadone maintenance clients was investigated over a period of two and a half years. Subjects' drug-free urinalysis reports were reinforced with points which could be redeemed to obtain methadone. Each subject's daily dose level varied with the point balance. A multiple baseline analysis showed that when methadone acquisition was in part made contingent upon drug-free urinalyses, illicit drug use declined rapidly. After six months, the token economy group's urines were 14% positive for illicit drugs compared to 39% in the traditional treatment group. As time in treatment increased, illicit drug use further declined. These results suggest a more effective and practical strategy for the treatment of polydrug abusing methadone maintenance clients than has previously been available.     

Psychotropic drug intake in residents newly admitted to nursing homes

While several surveys have shown that psychotropic drugs are frequently used by nursing home residents, no studies have been performed to investigate whether the rates of drug use increase during the stay in nursing homes or whether residents have taken these drugs already before admission. Therefore, we investigated 262 residents admitted to rural and urban nursing homes in Austria for prevalence of psychotropic drug intake before admission, shortly after admission, and 6 months later. Two weeks after admission, 72.1% of the residents were being treated with psychotropics, while 6 months later 79.0% were receiving these drugs. The significantly higher rates of psychotropic drug use among the psychiatrically ill and in those suffering from sleeping problems suggest that these drugs were prescribed aptly, but residents without appropriate criteria for drug intake were often also treated with psychotropics. During 3 months before admission to nursing homes, 45.5% of the sample reported having taken psychotropics. In more than half of residents without drug intake before admission, psychotropic treatment was initiated within the first 2 weeks after admission, while during the first 6 months after admission the rate of drug use increased only slightly. This suggests that a large percentage of psychotropic intake is due to nursing home orders. Received: 20 January 1997/Final version: 21 May 1997     

国内外儿科超说明书用药近况的系统评价

目的：系统评价国内外儿童超说明书用药现状。方法：计算机检索PubMed、EMbase、CBM、CNKI和VIP数据库,纳人中、英文发表的0~18岁住院儿童超说明书用药研究,以Combieg工具评价纳入研究质量,描述性分析2011年至今全球住院/门诊和各年龄段儿童超说明书用药发生率,比较各类超说明书用药构成比。结果：共纳入16个横断面研究,国内外儿童超说明书用药研究主要集中在发达地区,不同地区发生率在9.01%~79%,不同年龄段儿童发生率不一致,超说明书用药类型主要集中在超年龄及超剂量用药方面。结论：超说明书用药在全球儿科普遍存在,不同国家发生率差异大;临床医师应当慎重考虑“超说明书用药”,加强自身素养,做好患儿知情同意,与临床药师及相关行政管理部门全力配合,以保障患儿用药安全,避免医疗风险。     

Consumer preference for personal drug information source: relationship to perceived importance of drug class

The purposes of this study were to: (1) determine consumer preferences for personal drug information sources, and (2) determine if preference for information source is affected by perceived drug importance. A telephone survey of 204 metropolitan subjects was conducted using a systematic sampling design. Pharmacists and physicians were preferred over lay sources for all drug categories. Pharmacists and physicians were preferred equally for drugs perceived of low to moderate importance, but not for drugs perceived of highest importance. Perceived drug importance, which has not been examined previously, appears to be an important factor in consumers' preference for personal drug information sources.     

Severely mentally ill consumers' perspectives on drug use

Substance use disorders have serious negative consequences for severely mentally ill (SMI) adults, but many do not receive adequate substance abuse treatment. As part of a larger project on access barriers to substance abuse treatment for SMI clients, this qualitative study examined two potential client-level barriers to treatment: minimization of drug problems and perceived acceptability of drug use to reduce psychiatric symptoms. Open-ended interviews about drug use were conducted with 24 SMI adults with substance use problems. The majority of respondents identified drug use as a major problem in their lives. Respondents were aware of the impact of drugs on psychiatric symptoms, and most believed that the negative effects of drug use outweighed any short-term benefits. Nearly all respondents believed it was not acceptable for SMI adults to use drugs except marijuana. Contrary to findings in the literature that SMI adults deny or minimize drug problems, most respondents acknowledged the seriousness of their drug use, were aware of the negative effects of drug use on their psychiatric symptoms, and endorsed abstinence as the optimal treatment goal. These findings have implications for substance abuse treatment for SMI clients, particularly interventions that emphasize education about drug use as a way to increase motivation for treatment.     

Assessing maternal perceptions of harmful effects of drug use during pregnancy

Research has shown that perceived risk is an important predictor of health behavior change. In turn, drug use risk education is a vital component of many health campaigns. In pregnant women, perceived risk studies have focused primarily on alcohol and tobacco use. Little is known about perceived risks associated with prenatal exposure to illicit drugs. The present study compared drug use attitude (DUA) in both treatment-seeking and non-treatment-seeking drug-using pregnant women as well as a comparison group of non-drug-using pregnant women. The results suggest that non-treatment-seekers are less knowledgeable about specific potential risks of perinatal substance use. In addition, compared to treatment seekers and non-users, non-treatment-seekers were more likely to endorse cutting down on drug use rather than quitting as a means of reducing harm to the developing child. Results of the present study suggest drug-using women may benefit from additional education about harmful effects of drug use.     

Psychosocial correlates of alcohol and drug use of adolescent students and adolescents in treatment

The level of substance use by adolescent students and adolescents beginning treatment for alcohol and drug problems was related differentially to perceived psychological distress, self-concept, perceived parental environment, and negative events and behaviors caused by alcohol and drug use. These measures combined with selected sociodemographic variables to predict with a high degree of accuracy the level of substance use by the respondents.     

某医院药占比管控下的合理用药情况分析

目的:分析某医院在控制药占比前后,医院药占比及合理用药的情况变化,为促进合理用药提供依据。方法:利用PDCA循环管理法,通过计划(P)、执行(D)、检查(C)、处理(A)4个环节对该院不合理用药进行控制,并整理前后药占比及辅助用药成效分析、评价。结果:医院于2018年利用PDCA模式对药占比进行管控,2017年和2018年全年药占比分别为31.81%、27.04%,同比下降4.77%,差异显著(P<0.05),较2017年各季度药占比均呈下降趋势。全年辅助药占比分别为8.56%、3.14%,同比下降5.42%,差异显著(P<0.05),各季度辅助药占比均亦呈下降趋势。对比2017年与2018年使用排名前10位的辅助药品的使用金额、使用频次及平均日费用,2018年总体情况均呈下降趋势。结论:通过PDCA循环对医院药占比进行管控成效显著,对医院的辅助用药管理及合理化用药起到明显的促进作用。     

Factors associated with recent-onset injection drug use among drug users in Pakistan

Seventy-two recent-onset injection drug users and 241 non-injection drug users were recruited in Quetta and Lahore, Pakistan, in 2003. Trained interviewers administered questionnaires regarding drug use behaviors and perceived changes in drug cost/supply. Logistic regression identified independent correlates of recent-onset injection. In Lahore, a perceived increase in drug cost was associated with higher odds of recent-onset injection, with no association in Quetta. Recent-onset injection was also associated with family history of drug use, group drug use, and sharing snorting/chasing tools. Changes in perception of the drug supply may be associated with recent-onset injection drug use. Familial/social influences were also associated with recent-onset injection, suggesting peer-led interventions could discourage transition to injection drug use.     

浅谈药剂科对医院不合理用药的药学干预

目的 了解泾县医院药剂科对不合理用药管理的药学干预效果。方法 对泾县医院2014年实施药学干预前后的药品使用数据进行比较分析,对比管理前后抗菌药物等使用指标变化,评价管理效果。结果 通过对不合理用药的持续干预,该院药品使用情况更加合理。住院病人次均药品费用三年间下降581元,下降幅度30.8%,辅助用药总费用三年间下降至1 030.1万元,辅助用药总费用占比下降15.11%,抗菌药物临床使用指标逐步优化。结论 通过药剂科对医院不合理用药的持续性干预,有效减少了病人在辅助用药上的支出,抑制了临床抗菌药物不合理使用行为。为医院临床路径工作的有序开展提供了药学支持,为新一轮公立医院医疗改革的有效落实提供了合理用药的有利环境。     

Young people's awareness of illicit drug use in the family

A sample of Scottish schoolchildren aged 14–15 (N = 1240) were asked a series of questions regarding their knowledge and experience of illicit drugs. They were asked to report on personal lifetime drug use and whether they knew of any family member who had ever used drugs. More than four in ten respondents admitted to having used an illegal drug, with a similar number admitting to awareness of drug use by another family member. There was a strong statistical relationship between respondents’ own use and drug use by all types of family members. However, although respondents who reported using drugs themselves were more likely to nominate other drug users in their family, only a small minority of respondents stated that a family member initiated them into drug use and few stated that they were aware of any problematic use. Although prior drug use by family members may not directly lead to use by young people, these data indicate that illegal drug use tends to cluster within families.