Insights into patient characteristics and documentation of the use of sedative-hypnotic/anxiolytics in primary care: a retrospective chart review study.

Background: Despite the known safety risks of long-term use of sedative-hypnotic/anxiolytic medications, there has been limited guidance for the safe and effective use of their chronic use in a primary care clinic setting. Understanding the characteristics of patients who receive sedative-hypnotic/anxiolytic medication and the clinical documentation process in primary care is the first step towards understanding the nature of the problem and will help inform future strategies for clinical research and practice.

Objectives: Characterize patients who received a sedative-hypnotic/anxiolytic prescription in primary care, and (2) gain an understanding of the clinical documentation of sedative-hypnotic/anxiolytic indication and monitoring in electronic medical records (EMR).

Quality of electronic records documenting adverse drug reactions within a hospital setting: identification of discrepancies and information completeness.

Aim: Incomplete and incorrect documentation of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can restrict prescribing choices resulting in suboptimal pharmaceutical care. This study aimed to examine the quality of information held within electronic systems in a hospital setting, to determine the preciseness of ADR documentation, and identify discrepancies where multiple electronic systems are utilised.

Method: Over a four-week period, consecutive patients admitted to the general medical ward at the study hospital had their electronic profiles reviewed.