Stroke risk after transient ischemic attack in a Norwegian prospective cohort.

Background: Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a risk factor of stroke. Modern treatment regimens and changing risk factors in the population justify new estimates of stroke risk after TIA, and evaluation of the recommended ABCD stroke risk score.

Methods: From October, 2012, to July, 2014, we performed a prospective, multicenter study in Central Norway, enrolling patients with a TIA within the previous 2 weeks.

An Experimental Comparison of a Co-Design Visualizing Personal Drug Information and Patient Information Leaflets: Usability Aspects.

Providing patients with specific information about their own drugs can reduce unintentional misuse and improve compliance. Searching for information is time-consuming when information is not personalized and is written using medical vocabulary that is difficult for patients to understand. In this study we explored patient information needs regarding visualizing of drug information and interrelationships by conducting a total of four co-design workshops with patients, other users and pharmacists.

Discrepancies in drug histories at admission to gastrointestinal surgery, internal medicine and geriatric hospital wards in Central Norway: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To compare discrepancies in drug histories among patients acutely admitted to different hospital wards, classify the discrepancies according to their potential clinical impact and identify appropriate selection criteria for patients that should be subject to a detailed drug history at admission.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Two gastrointestinal surgery wards and one geriatric ward at St Olav's University Hospital in Trondheim and two general internal medicine wards at Ålesund Hospital in Ålesund, Norway.

Medication reconciliation of patients with hip fracture by clinical pharmacists.

Objective: Medication reconciliation is a strategy for reducing medication discrepancies and improving patient safety. Transitions through different levels of care contribute to medication discrepancies caused by lack of communication. In October 2011, St Olav's Hospital initiated a fast-track model for patients with hip fractures, where clinical pharmacists (CPs) are a part of a multidisciplinary team.

Treatment non-adherence in pseudo-refractory epilepsy.

Non-adherence to antiepileptic drug treatment strongly affects the outcome of epilepsy and is frequently clinically unrecognized. This review addresses current knowledge on medication-taking behavior in people with epilepsy, as well as the importance of tailoring interventions to the individual patterns of non-adherence. Non-adherence can be categorized as non-initiation, poor execution (accidental or intentional) or non-persistence and are related to clinical characteristics and health care barriers.

Multidose drug dispensing and discrepancies between medication records.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate whether implementation of multidose drug dispensing (MDD) for elderly outpatients is associated with a change in the number of discrepancies in the medication record at the general practitioners (GPs) and at the community home-care services.

Methods: A controlled follow-up study with paired design of patients' medication records was performed during implementation of MDD. Medication records from the home care units and from the GPs were reviewed, and the discrepancies were noted.

Lamotrigine in children and adolescents: the impact of age on its serum concentrations and on the extent of drug interactions.

Objective: To investigate the impact of age and co-treatment with other drugs on the serum concentrations of lamotrigine in children and adolescents.

Methods: A review of routine serum concentration measurements of lamotrigine performed in our laboratory yielded a total of 744 serum samples from 296 subjects (110 males, 186 females, age: 2-19 years) suitable for statistical analysis. The primary outcome variable was the dose-corrected lamotrigine serum concentration, expressed as the lamotrigine concentration/dose (C/D) ratio.

Drug interactions between lamotrigine and psychoactive drugs: evidence from a therapeutic drug monitoring service.

We present a systematic study on the interaction potential of lamotrigine, with focus on psychoactive drugs. A review of routine serum concentration measurements of lamotrigine performed in our laboratory yielded a total of 1733 serum samples from 829 patients (530 women, 299 men) suitable for statistical analysis. Main results for the whole study population were (median; interquartile range in parentheses): dose, 200 (100-300) mg; serum concentration, 2.