GPs' awareness of pregnancy:trends and association with hazardous medication use

BACKGROUND: GPs have been shown to be important providers of medical care during pregnancy, however, little evidence exists on their awareness of pregnancy when prescribing medication to women. AIM: To assess GPs' awareness of pregnancy and its association with prescribing medication with potential safety risks. DESIGN AND SETTING: Population-based study using confirmed pregnancy records linked to GP records from the PHARMO Perinatal Research Network. METHOD: GPs' awareness of pregnancy, defined as the presence of a pregnancy confirmation in the GP information system during pregnancy, was assessed from 2004 to 2020. GP prescriptions of medication with potential safety risks were selected during pregnancy and its association with GPs' awareness of pregnancy was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: A pregnancy confirmation was present in the GP records for 48% (n = 67 496/140 976) of selected pregnancies, increasing from 28% (n = 34/121) in 2004 to 63% in 2020 (n = 5763/9124). During 3% (n = 4489/140 976) of all pregnancies, the GP prescribed highly hazardous medication with teratogenic effects that should have been (temporarily) avoided. Pregnancy was GP confirmed for only 13% (n = 585/4489) at the first occurrence of such a prescription. Comparative analyses showed that women without a pregnancy confirmation were 59% more likely to be prescribed this highly hazardous medication (odds ratio [OR] 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.49 to 1.70) compared with those with a confirmed pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Results of this study indicate a potential issue with GP awareness about pregnancy status at the time medication with potential safety risks is prescribed. Although pregnancy registration by GPs improved over the years, inadequate use still seems to be made of the available information systems for appropriate drug surveillance.</p

An evaluation of exact matching and propensity score methods as applied in a comparative effectiveness study of inhaled corticosteroids in asthma

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Dupuytren's contracture: a retrospective database analysis to determine hospitalizations in the Netherlands

Background: Dupuytren's contracture is a condition of the palmar fascia involving contractures of the fascia and skin in the hand. Current treatment for Dupuytren's contracture is mainly limited to surgery. In the Netherlands, little is known about the prevalence of Dupuytren's contracture. In this study we determined the prevalence of patients with a hospitalization for Dupuytren's contracture in the Netherlands and characterized their (re)hospitalizations. Methods. From the PHARMO database, which consists of multiple observational databases linked on a patient level, all patients hospitalized for Dupuytren's contracture between 2004 and 2007 were included in the source population (ICD-9-CM code 728.6). Numbers from this source population were used to provide estimates of hospitalizations for Dupuytren's contracture in the Netherlands. Patients with a medical history in the PHARMO database of at least 12 months before their hospitalization were included in the study cohort and followed until end of data collection, death, or end of study period, whichever occurred first. Type of admission, length of stay, recorded procedures, treating specialty, number of rehospitalizations for Dupuytren's contracture, and time to first rehospitalization were assessed. Results: Of 3, 126 patients included in the source population, 3, 040 were included in the study population. The overall prevalence of patients with a hospitalization for Dupuytren'

The risk of new onset heart failure associated with dopamine agonist use in Parkinson's disease

The aim of present study was to investigate the risk of heart failure associated with dopamine agonist use in patients with Parkinson's disease. The data sources of this study were four different population-based, healthcare databases in United Kingdom, Italy and Netherlands. A case control study nested within a cohort of Parkinson's disease patients who were new users of either dopamine agonist or levodopa was conducted. Incident cases of heart failure were identified and validated, using Framingham criteria. Controls were matched to cases on age, gender and database. To estimate the risk of newly diagnosed heart failure with ergot and non-ergot derived dopamine agonists, as compared to levodopa, odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated through conditional logistic regression. In the cohort of 25,459 Parkinson's disease patients (11,151 new users of dopamine agonists, 14,308 new users of levodopa), 518 incident heart failure cases were identified during follow-up. Compared to levodopa, no increased risk of heart failure was found for ergot dopamine agonists (odds ratio: 1.03; 95% confidence interval: 0.69-1.55). Among non-ergot dopamine agonists, only pramipexole was associated with an increased risk of heart failure (odds ratio: 1.61; 95%confidence interval: 1.09-2.38), especially in the first three months of therapy (odds ratio: 3.06; 95% confidence interval: 1.74-5.39) and in patients aged 80 years and older (odds ratio: 3.30; 95% confidence interval: 1.62-7.13). The results of this study indicate that ergot dopamine agonist use in Parkinson's disease patients was not associated with an increased risk of newly diagnosed heart failure. Among non-ergot dopamine agonists, we observed a statistically significant association between pramipexole use and heart failure, especially during the first months of therapy and in very old patients

Optimising the care for older persons with complex chronic conditions in home care and nursing homes: design and protocol of I-CARE4OLD, an observational study using real-world data

Introduction In ageing societies, the number of older adults with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) is rapidly increasing. Care for older persons with CCCs is challenging, due to interactions between multiple conditions and their treatments. In home care and nursing homes, where most older persons with CCCs receive care, professionals often lack appropriate decision support suitable and sufficient to address the medical and functional complexity of persons with CCCs. This EU-funded project aims to develop decision support systems using high-quality, internationally standardised, routine care data to support better prognostication of health trajectories and treatment impact among older persons with CCCs.Methods and analysis Real-world data from older persons aged ≥60 years in home care and nursing homes, based on routinely performed comprehensive geriatric assessments using interRAI systems collected in the past 20 years, will be linked with administrative repositories on mortality and care use. These include potentially up to 51 million care recipients from eight countries: Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Canada, USA, Hong Kong and New Zealand. Prognostic algorithms will be developed and validated to better predict various health outcomes. In addition, the modifying impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions will be examined. A variety of analytical methods will be used, including techniques from the field of artificial intelligence such as machine learning. Based on the results, decision support tools will be developed and pilot tested among health professionals working in home care and nursing homes.Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by authorised medical ethical committees in each of the participating countries, and will comply with both local and EU legislation. Study findings will be shared with relevant stakeholders, including publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international meetings