[Opioid use and misuse among patients at the emergency department].

Objective: To determine the prevalence of use and misuse of prescription opioids among patients at Dutch emergency departments (EDs).

Design: Cross-sectional multicenter study.

Method: This study was performed at three EDs in the Nijmegen-Arnhem region.

The prevalence of prescription opioid use and misuse among emergency department patients in The Netherlands.

Rationale: Prescription opioid use and misuse have increased rapidly in many Western countries in the past decade. Patients (mis)using opioids are at risk of presenting to the emergency department (ED) with opioid-related problems. European data concerning prescription opioid (mis)use among the ED population is lacking.

Real-World Adverse Effects of Capecitabine Toxicity in an Elderly Population.

Background: Few studies have assessed the safety and effectiveness of the numerous available chemotherapeutic therapies for geriatric oncology patients. Most safety studies are conducted in large trials, and there is some uncertainty surrounding whether the results would be the same in typical daily use.

Objective: This retrospective study aims to assess the adverse effects of real-world capecitabine use in elderly patients.

Tetrahydrocannabinol for neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To study the efficacy and safety of low-dose oral tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the treatment of dementia-related neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS).

Methods: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients with dementia and clinically relevant NPS were randomly assigned to receive THC 1.

Neuropsychiatric adverse events of varenicline: a systematic review of published reports.

Introduction: Over the past years, the impact of varenicline in patients with mental illness has been debated as serious neuropsychiatric adverse events (AEs) have been reported with varenicline use.

Aim: To identify and summarize published case reports of neuropsychiatric AEs ascribed to varenicline and to determine potential risk factors for these AEs.

Methods: A literature search of MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PsychInfo database was conducted for case reports concerning the neuropsychiatric AEs of varenicline published in English from 2006 (approval year by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board) to January 1, 2012.

Targeting outpatient drug safety: recommendations of the Dutch HARM-Wrestling Task Force.

Background: Two Dutch observational studies (HARM [Hospital Admissions Related to Medication] and IPCI [Integrated Primary Care Information]) have shown that approximately 5% of all unplanned hospital admissions are associated with adverse drug events (ADEs), of which 40-46% are potentially preventable. These studies prompted the initiation of a Dutch multidisciplinary task force, which was assigned to reduce the number of prescriber-related hospital admissions related to medications (HARMs) in a quick-win way.

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify the most relevant ADEs and to develop a limited number of recommendations for concrete interventions, which should be feasible and relatively easy to convert into computerized drug safety alerts.

[Intentional paracetamol intoxication in children].

As paracetamol is widely used and easily available acetaminophen auto-intoxication is frequently seen. In the majority of patients no complications will occur, but in a small group it may lead to liver damage and death. Children are less susceptible to complications than adults.

A composite screening tool for medication reviews of outpatients: general issues with specific examples.

Regular performance of medication reviews is prominent among methods that have been advocated to reduce the extent and seriousness of drug-related problems, such as adverse drug reactions, drug-disease interactions, drug-drug interactions, drug ineffectiveness and cost ineffectiveness. Several screening tools have been developed to guide practising healthcare professionals and researchers in reviewing the medication patterns of elderly patients; however, each of these tools has its own limitations. This review discusses a wide range of general prescription-, treatment- and patient-related issues that should be taken into account when reviewing medication patterns by implicit screening.