Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Root Extract During Pregnancy: A Clinical Feasibility Study.

There is almost no experience with concentrated ginger extracts during pregnancy. The purpose of this trial was to include 50 pregnant women in a clinical feasibility study with EXT.GR10, a 10 × concentrated ethanolic extract of ginger root.

Development of a tool to assess the completeness of drug information sources for health care professionals: A Delphi study.

The aim of this study was to create a standard set of essential drug information items as a tool to assess the completeness of any type of drug information source, regardless of its length, using a Delphi consensus panel of European health care professionals. A compilation of drug-related information items was performed by searching several resources for health care professionals and a final list of 162 items was obtained. Fifty-seven experts in drug information from 23 different European countries were invited to participate in a three-round Delphi technique to obtain consensus on items considered essential and non-essential content of information.

Impact of training on pharmacists' counseling of patients starting antidepressant therapy.

Objective: To measure the impact of a one-day depression-related training program on pharmacists' counseling of unannounced "mystery shoppers" (MS) starting antidepressant therapy.

Methods: Clustered RCT pharmacies; intervention group pharmacists received communication skills training related to depression (n=21); control pharmacists did not (n=19). Eight months after training, the 40 community pharmacies were visited by MS with a first prescription for antidepressants.

Information on antidepressants for psychiatric inpatients: the divide between patient needs and professional practice.

Background: Medicine information is an integral part of patient care and a patient right. In particular, patients with a mental health diagnosis have a need for information on medicines.

Objective: This study aims to describe the current practice on information provision on antidepressants to inpatients in psychiatric hospitals.

A depression training session with consumer educators to reduce stigmatizing views and improve pharmacists' depression care attitudes and practices.

Objective: To measure the impact of a depression training day for pharmacists that included a 75-minute session with a consumer educator.

Design: The training day included interactive lectures on depression; the effects and side effects of and indications for the use of antidepressants; adherence issues; non-drug treatment options for depression; and basic skills in communication. Pharmacists also participated in a session with a consumer educator and in counseling exercises that included role playing.

Differentiated information on antidepressants at hospital discharge: a hypothesis-generating study.

Objectives: This hypothesis-generating study examined the clinical, humanistic and economic impact of providing differentiated medication information depending on the patient's information desire as compared with undifferentiated information to patients with a major depressive episode at hospital discharge.

Methods: A longitudinal multi-centre study with quasi-experimental design comprised two experimental groups ((un)differentiated antidepressant information) and one 'no information' group. Patients were followed up for 1 year assessing adherence, economic outcomes (i.

Preventing COPD exacerbations with macrolides: a review and budget impact analysis.

Long-term treatment with macrolides has recently been shown to reduce COPD exacerbations in doses lower than bactericidal doses. This article aims to critically review the international literature relating to the long-term effectiveness and safety of macrolides and to estimate the budget impact of preventing exacerbations with azithromycin in Belgium. Controlled clinical studies focusing on the prevention of COPD exacerbations with long-term macrolide treatment were identified in PubMed, EMBASE, Controlled Trials Registry of the Cochrane Library, and Social Science and Citation Index.

Length of stay after reaching clinical stability drives hospital costs associated with adult community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has a considerable clinical and economic impact. The aim of this study was to identify drivers of hospital costs associated with CAP in 2 Belgian hospitals. Specifically, the influence of patient characteristics, quality indicators, and other treatment aspects on hospital costs was explored.

Pharmaceutical care for people with depression: Belgian pharmacists' attitudes and perceived barriers.

Background: In the past three decades, the role of pharmacists has evolved toward working with other health professionals and the public in a patient-centered model of practice, which is called pharmaceutical care. This model has been implemented for most physical illnesses but in relation to mental health, pharmacists' role is still evolving.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate pharmacists' attitudes, current practice, perceived barriers and training needs concerning pharmaceutical care for people with depression.

Following up patients with depression after hospital discharge: a mixed methods approach.

Background: A medication information intervention was delivered to patients with a major depressive episode prior to psychiatric hospital discharge.

Methods: The objective of this study was to explore how patients evolved after hospital discharge and to identify factors influencing this evolution. Using a quasi-experimental longitudinal design, the quantitative analysis measured clinical (using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the somatic dimension of the Symptom Checklist 90 and recording the number of readmissions) and humanistic (using the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire) outcomes of patients via telephone contacts up to one year following discharge.

Empirical management of community-acquired pneumonia: impact of concurrent A/H1N1 influenza pandemic on guideline implementation.

Background: Guideline-concordant therapies have been proven to be associated with improved health and economic outcomes in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, actual use of CAP guidelines remains poor, but using tailored interventions looks promising. Based on local observations, we assessed the impact of low-intensity interventions to improve guideline use.

Divergent intentions to use antibiotic guidelines: a theory of planned behavior survey.

Background: To improve physicians' antimicrobial practice, it is important to identify barriers to and facilitators of guideline adherence and assess their relative importance. The theory of planned behavior permits such assessment and has been previously used for evaluating antibiotic use. According to this theory, guideline use is fueled by 3 factors: attitude, subjective norm (perceived social pressure regarding guidelines), and perceived behavioral control (PBC; perceived ability to follow the guideline).

Detecting pre-diabetes and the role of the pharmacist.

Objective: This study aims to use a pharmacoepidemiological approach to study the drug use of patients during the year prior to diabetes diagnosis (i.e. pre-diabetic patients) and control patients.

Constraints and perspectives of pharmacists counseling patients with depression at hospital discharge.

Objective Of The Study: This study aims to explore experiences, barriers and enabling factors during an antidepressant counseling study as well as to explore future initiatives.

Setting: 11 Flemish psychiatric hospitals.

Method: Focus group discussions were organized.

Discharge management for patients in Flemish psychiatric hospitals.

Rationale And Aims: At the end of the 1990 s, a case management service called 'discharge management' was implemented in Belgian psychiatric hospitals. This study aimed to describe the profile of patients receiving discharge management in Flemish psychiatric hospitals as well as to analyse the discharge management indicators of these hospitals on micro and meso level.

Methods: Ten Flemish psychiatric hospitals participated.

Cardiovascular drug use prior to diagnosis of diabetes: a pilot study in community pharmacy.

Objectives: The literature indicates that cardiovascular drug use is higher during the years prior to diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. As there are pharmaco-epidemiological and economic consequences of enhanced medication use prior to diagnosis of diabetes, there is a need for a comparative analysis of the drug-use pattern by patients with a subsequent diagnosis of diabetes and control patients. This pilot study aimed to investigate cardiovascular drug use in patients with a subsequent diagnosis of diabetes using data extracted from 200 community pharmacies in the Belgian township of Hasselt.

Continuous versus on-demand pharmacotherapy of allergic rhinitis: evidence and practice.

This review aims to compare continuous with on-demand pharmacotherapy of allergic rhinitis by focusing on pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic, safety, effectiveness, cost and cost-effectiveness considerations. A working party of experts reviewed and discussed the literature and guidelines, and conducted a qualitative analysis of the Summary of Product Characteristics of specific medicines. With respect to medicines, the working party limited itself to antihistamines, nasal corticosteroids and leukotriene antagonists.

Pathway for inpatients with depressive episode in Flemish psychiatric hospitals: a qualitative study.

Background: Within the context of a biopsychosocial model of the treatment of depressive episodes, a multidisciplinary approach is needed. Clinical pathways have been developed and implemented in hospitals to support multidisciplinary teamwork. The aim of this study is to explore current practice for the treatment of depressive episodes in Flemish psychiatric hospitals.

Evaluation of the quality of life after individualized homeopathic treatment for seasonal allergic rhinitis. A prospective, open, non-comparative study.

Background: Quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome measure in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR), a condition for which homeopathy is frequently used.

Objective: The assessment of the effect of homeopathic medical prescriptions with the Rhino-conjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) in the treatment of SAR.

Methods: A prospective, open, non-comparative study was conducted in Belgium.