Development and validation of the INappropriate solid oral dosaGE form modification aSsessmenT (INGEST) Algorithm using data of patients with medication dysphagia from a neurology ward and nursing home in Singapore.

Objectives: This study aims to develop and validate a novel implicit tool to assist clinicians in resource-limited settings to promptly assess suitability for modification of solid oral dosage forms (SODFs) during medication prescribing, review and/or administration for patients with dysphagia.

Design: Literature review and a group discussion were conducted to elicit items for the construction of the INappropriate solid oral dosaGE form modification aSsessmenT (INGEST) algorithm. For its validation, inter-rater reliability among three independent users was evaluated.

An evaluation of the completeness of drug-drug interaction-related information in package inserts.

Purpose: The project aimed to evaluate the completeness of drug-drug interaction (DDI)-related information in package inserts (PIs) and develop a systematic approach to conduct the evaluation.

Methods: DDI-related information in the branded PIs of statins, macrolides, protease inhibitors and selected drugs of narrow therapeutic index (DNTI) were evaluated against the criteria distilled from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labelling recommendation guidance document. Decision trees were crafted and employed in the evaluation process.

Characterisation and outcomes of adult patients with paracetamol overdose presenting to a tertiary hospital in Singapore.

Introduction: Paracetamol is the most common pharmaceutical agent implicated in toxic exposure in Singapore. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of paracetamol overdose in the adult population managed at a tertiary healthcare facility in Singapore.

Methods: Medical records of adult patients hospitalised with a diagnosis of paracetamol overdose at National University Hospital, Singapore, over a three-year period from January 2011 to December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed.

Pentoxifylline-Induced Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report.

Pentoxifylline-induced thrombocytopenia is rare, and information is lacking about its presentation. We describe a 72-year-old Chinese male who developed thrombocytopenia after initiation of pentoxifylline for the treatment of chronic lower limb ischemia due to peripheral artery disease. Venous thromboembolism had been ruled out with an ultrasound.

Erythema multiforme secondary to dimenhydrinate in a patient with previous similar reactions to pamabrom.

Objective: To report a case of erythema multiforme secondary to dimenhydrinate and pamabrom cross-sensitivity.

Case Summary: A 22-year-old Chinese female presented with a complaint of lip mucosal ulceration with necrosis and stomatitis, worsening over the past 24 hours and associated with reduced oral intake and incomplete opening of the mouth. Presentation was accompanied by a generalized rash and genital mucosal involvement.

Identification and evaluation of pharmacists' commonly used drug information sources.

Background: Given the rate at which new medications are introduced to the market, as well as the diversity of existing drugs, pharmacists frequently need to consult drug information (DI) sources. Currently, there is a lack of information about pharmacists' needs for and sources of DI in Singapore.

Objective: To examine where practicing pharmacists in Singapore usually obtain DI and how useful and satisfactory the source is to pharmacists and to determine the kind of drug-related questions pharmacists usually receive.

A cost analysis of Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT): an Asian perspective.

The concept of Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) is relatively new in Asia. This study compared the actual costs and outcomes of care involving OPAT with conventional inpatient-only care at a university hospital in Singapore. Actual costs were obtained for selected patients enrolled in OPAT after 1 January 2005 and these costs were directly compared with those of age-, gender- and diagnosis-matched patients managed as inpatients only prior to the availability of OPAT in the preceding 12 months.

Factors affecting therapeutic compliance: A review from the patient's perspective.

Objective: To explore and evaluate the most common factors causing therapeutic non-compliance.

Methods: A qualitative review was undertaken by a literature search of the Medline database from 1970 to 2005 to identify studies evaluating the factors contributing to therapeutic non-compliance.

Results: A total of 102 articles was retrieved and used in the review from the 2095 articles identified by the literature review process.

Acetylcysteine treatment for non-acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of intravenous acetylcysteine in the treatment of non-acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure (ALF).

Data Sources: A search of MEDLINE (1966-March 2003), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-2003), and Cochrane Library (2003, issue 3) databases was conducted, using the search terms acetylcysteine, non-acetaminophen-induced hepatic failure, liver failure, intravenous, and treatment.

Data Synthesis: All of the studies found were small and do not provide conclusive evidence that acetylcysteine benefits this subgroup of patients.

Hemolysis as a potential complication of acetaminophen overdose in a patient with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.

A 21-year-old Chinese man who took an overdose of acetaminophen was hospitalized. His medical history was significant for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. On admission, physical examination was unremarkable and laboratory results were within normal limits.