Hospitalisations related to administration errors of psychotropic drugs: a nationwide retrospective study between 1998 and 2019 in Australia

Objectives: Medication administration error occurs when there is a discrepancy between what the patient received or was planned to receive and what the doctor originally intended. The aim of this study was to examine the trends in hospitalisation related to administration errors of psychotropic drugs in Australia.Materials and Methods: This was a secular trend analysis study that examined the hospitalisation pattern for medication administration errors of psychotropic drugs in Australia between 1998 and 2019. Data on medication administration errors of psychotropic drugs was obtained from The National Hospital Morbidity Database. We analysed the variation in hospitalisation rates using the Pearson chi-square test for independence.Results: Hospitalisation rates related to administration errors of psychotropic drugs increased by 8.3% [from 36.22 (95% CI 35.36—37.08) in 1998 to 39.21 (95% CI 38.44—39.98) in 2019 per 100,000 persons, p < 0.05]. Overnight-stay hospital admission patients accounted for 70.3% of the total number of episodes. Rates of same-day hospitalisation increased by 12.3% [from 10.35 (95% CI 9.90—10.81) in 1998 to 11.63 (95% CI 11.21—12.05) in 2019 per 100,000 persons]. Rates of overnight-stay hospital admission increased by 1.8% [from 25.86 (95% CI 25.13—26.59) in 1998 to 26.34 (95% CI 25.71—26.97) in 2019 per 100,000 persons]. Other and unspecified antidepressants (selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) were the most common reason for hospitalisation accounting for 36.6% of the total number of hospitalisation episodes. Females accounted for 111,029 hospitalisation episodes, representing 63.2% of all hospitalisation episodes. The age group 20–39 years accounted for nearly half (48.6%) of the total number of episodes.Conclusion: Psychotropic drug administration error is a regular cause of hospitalization in Australia. Hospitalizations usually required overnight stays. The majority of hospitalizations were in persons aged 20–39 years, which is concerning and warrants further investigation. Future studies should examine the risk factors for hospitalization related to psychiatric drug administration errors

Perceived Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) and Fear toward COVID-19 among Patients with Diabetes Attending Primary Healthcare Centers in Kuwait

Objectives: To assess perceived fear and to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitude, and prevention practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 infection among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) attending primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in Kuwait. This will help evaluate gaps and provide appropriate support to limit the spread of COVID-19 infection in high-risk patients. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire. All patients aged 18 years or older attending for follow-up or newly diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes were eligible to participate in the study. Patients waiting for their regular follow-up appointments at the PHCs were invited verbally to take part in the study. The study excluded patients under the age of 18 and those with significant cognitive or physical impairment that might interfere with independent self-care behavior. The questionnaire included 57 items. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 294 questionnaires were distributed to patients at PHCs in three health districts (Hawally, Capital, and Farwaniya) in Kuwait; 251 patients agreed to participate in the study, yielding a response rate of 85.4%. The study showed that most patients had moderate knowledge (71.1%) of COVID-19. The majority of correctly responded questions were about the mode of COVID-19 transmission, the most common clinical presentations, and at-risk people. On the other hand, 83.7% (n = 210) identified common cold symptoms (stuffy nose, runny nose, and sneezing) as COVID-19 symptoms. More than half of the patients (n = 146, 58.2%) were unable to identify uncommon COVID-19 symptoms, such as diarrhea and skin rash or discoloration. Most patients had a positive attitude (90.9%) and good prevention practices (83.6%). The overall fear score of the participating patients was 21.6 ± 6.5 (61.7%). Conclusions: Regardless of the positive attitude and good preventive practices of the patients, they had moderate knowledge levels about COVID-19. This indicates that there are significant knowledge gaps that still need to be filled. Different strategies can be used for this purpose, such as social media and public information campaigns. Supporting psychological well-being is vital for at-risk patients during a pandemic

Trends in hospital admissions for mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders in England and Wales between 1999 and 2019 : an ecological study

Objectives: To investigate the trends in hospital admissions for mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders (MBNDs) in England and Wales. Methods: This is an ecological study using the Hospital Episode Statistics database in England and the Patient Episode Database for Wales. Hospital admission data was collected for the period between April 1999 and March 2019. Results: The most common type of hospital admission was for mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use, which accounted for 26.6%. The admission rate among males increased by 8.1% [from 479.59 (95% CI 476.90–482.27) in 1999 to 518.30 (95% CI 515.71–520.90) in 2019 per 1000 persons; p < 0.001]. The admission rate among females increased by 0.3% [from 451.45 (95% CI 448.91–453.99) in 1999 to 452.77 (95% CI 450.37–455.17) in 2019 per 1000 persons; p = 0.547]. The 15–59 years’ age group accounted for 65.1% of the entire number of such hospital admissions, followed by the 75 years and above age group, with 19.0%. Conclusion: We observed an obvious variation in MBNDs influenced by age and gender. Observational studies are needed to identify other factors associated with increased hospital admission rates related to MBNDs, specifically among the young population (aged 15–59 years) and males

An ecological analysis of hospitalization patterns for diseases of the nervous system in England and Wales over the last 20 years

Objectives: This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the hospitalization pattern of nervous system diseases from 1999 to 2019. Methods: This is ecological research based on data from the Hospital Episode Statistics database in England and the Patient Episode Database in Wales, both of which are publicly available. Data on hospital admissions were collected between April 1999 and March 2019. Diagnostic codes (G00–G09: inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, G10–G14: systemic atrophies primarily affecting the central nervous system, G20–G26: extrapyramidal and movement disorders, G30–G32: other degenerative diseases of the nervous system, G35–G37: demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, G40–G47: episodic and paroxysmal disorders, G50–G59: nerve, nerve root and plexus disorders, G60–G65: polyneuropathies and other disorders of the peripheral nervous system, G70–G73: diseases of myoneural junction and muscle, G80–G83: cerebral palsy and other paralytic syndromes, and G89–G99: other disorders of the nervous system) from the tenth edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) were used to identify hospital admissions. A Poisson model was used to examine the trend in hospital admissions. Results: During the study period, hospital admission rate increased by 73.5% (from 474.44 (95% CI 472.58–476.31) in 1999 to 823.37 (95% CI 821.07–825.66) in 2019 per 100,000 persons, trend test, p < 0.01). The most prevalent diseases of the nervous system hospital admissions causes were episodic and paroxysmal disorders, nerve, nerve root, and plexus disorders, and demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system which accounted for 37.4%, 22.1%, and 9.3%, respectively. Hospital admission rate between females increased by 79.1% (from 495.92 (95% CI 493.25–498.58) in 1999 to 888.33 (95% CI 884.97–891.68) in 2019 per 100,000 persons). Hospital admission rate between males was increased by 67.5% (from 451.88 (95% CI 449.28–454.49) in 1999 to 756.82 (95% CI 753.69–759.96) in 2019 per 100,000 persons). Conclusion: In the United Kingdom, hospital admissions for diseases of the nervous system are on the rise. Future research is needed to identify high-risk groups and suggest effective interventions to reduce the prevalence of these disorders

Attitudes and perceptions towards hypoglycaemia in patients with diabetes mellitus: A multinational cross-sectional study.

BackgroundPreventing hypoglycaemia is an essential component of diabetes self-management that is affected by patients' attitudes and perceptions. This study aimed to explore the hypoglycaemia problem-solving ability of patients who have diabetes mellitus and factors that determine their attitudes and perceptions towards their previous events.MethodologyA cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2017 and May 2018 in three Arab countries (Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) in patients with diabetes mellitus, who were prescribed antidiabetic therapy and had experienced hypoglycaemic events in the past six months. The Hypoglycaemia Problem-Solving Scale was used in this study. This scale contains two subscales, problem orientation (six questions) and problem-solving skills (eighteen questions), using a five-point Likert scale (range 0-4). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify predictors of hypoglycaemia problem-solving abilities.ResultsA total of 895 patients participated in this study from the three countries (300 in Jordan, 302 in Saudi Arabia, and 293 in Kuwait). The average age of the patients was 53.5 years (standard deviation = 13.7) and 52.4% (n = 469) were males. Patients had moderate overall problem-solving ability with a median score of 63.00 (interquartile range = 13.00). Patients' problem-solving skills score (68.1%) was better than their problem-orientation skills score (58.3%). The highest sub-scale scores were for detection control, setting problem-solving goals, and evaluating strategies, 75.0%. The lowest sub-scale score was for problem-solving perception and immediate management, 50.0%. Older age, being educated, being married, having T2DM, prescribed insulin therapy, and not having been admitted to hospital for hypoglycaemia were important predictors of patients' problem-solving ability (p ConclusionsHealthcare professionals are advised to provide more education to patients on how to self-manage hypoglycaemic events. Specifically, they should focus on the overall problem-solving perception of hypoglycaemia and its immediate management

Hospital admissions due to ischemic heart diseases and prescriptions of cardiovascular diseases medications in England and Wales in the past two decades

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the trend of ischemic heart disease (IHD) admission and the prescriptions of IHD medications in England and Wales. Methods: A secular trends study was conducted during the period of 1999 to 2019. We extracted hospital admission data for patients from all age groups from the Hospital Episode Statistics database in England and the Patient Episode Database for Wales. Prescriptions of IHD medications were extracted from the Prescription Cost Analysis database from 2004 to 2019. The chi-squared test was used to assess the difference between the admission rates and the difference between IHD medication prescription rates. The trends in IHD-related hospital admission and IHD-related medication prescription were assessed using a Poisson model. The correlation between hospital admissions for IHD and its IHD medication-related prescriptions was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Our study detected a significant increase in the rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) medication prescriptions in England and Wales, representing a rise in the CVD medications prescription rate of 41.8% (from 539,334.95 (95% CI = 539,286.30–539,383.59) in 2004 to 764,584.55 (95% CI = 764,545.55–764,623.56) in 2019 prescriptions per 100,000 persons), with a mean increase of 2.8% per year during the past 15 years. This increase was connected with a reduction in the IHD hospital admission rate by 15.4% (from 838.50 (95% CI = 836.05–840.94) in 2004 to 709.78 (95% CI = 707.65–711.92) in 2019 per 100,000 persons, trend test, p < 0.01), with a mean decrease of 1.02% per year during the past 15 years and by 5% (from 747.43 (95% CI = 745.09–749.77) in 1999 to 709.78 (95% CI = 707.65–711.92) in 2019 per 100,000 persons, trend test, p < 0.01) with a mean decrease of 0.25% per year during the past two decades in England and Wales. Conclusion: The rate of hospitalisation due to IHD has decreased in England and Wales during the past two decades. Hospitalisation due to IHD was strongly and negatively correlated with the increase in the rates of dispensing of IHD-related medications. Other factors contributing to this decline could be the increase in controlling IHD risk factors during the past few years. Future studies exploring other risk factors that are associated with IHD hospitalisation are warranted