Too frequent low-dose methotrexate prescriptions: multicentre quality control and quality assurance with pre- and post-analysis.

Introduction: Methotrexate is used to treat many medical conditions with medication schedules that differ widely in dosage and frequency. The high potential of erroneous too frequent low-dose methotrexate prescriptions leading to severe adverse reactions is well known; however, documentation is mainly limited to case reports. We reviewed all methotrexate prescriptions in a secondary and a tertiary care hospital to analyse the incidence of too frequent low-dose methotrexate prescriptions, and assessed the quality assurance concepts implemented.

Attitude of physicians towards automatic alerting in computerized physician order entry systems. A comparative international survey.

Objectives: To analyze the attitude of physicians towards alerting in CPOE systems in different hospitals in different countries, addressing various organizational and technical settings and the view of physicians not currently using a CPOE.

Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative questionnaire survey. We invited 2,600 physicians in eleven hospitals from nine countries to participate.

Frequency and nature of drug-drug interactions in a Swiss primary and secondary acute care hospital.

Questions Under Study: Drug-drug interactions (DDI) are considered a risk factor in medication safety and computerised alerting tools are increasingly promoted and implemented in order to detect and minimise DDI. As only little is known about the frequency and nature of DDI in hospitalised patients in Switzerland as well as about the usefulness of current alerting systems, this analysis based on a computerised medication record in a typical regional hospital setting was performed.

Methods: All inpatients with at least one drug prescription between 2006 and 2010 were included.

Understanding non-adherence in chronic heart failure: a mixed-method case study.

Objectives: Understanding non-adherence to guidelines in patients with co-morbidities by supplementing quantitative data through patient-centred qualitative research. It is hypothesised that clinical constraints and patient-related factors explain the vast proportion of non-adherence.

Design: Mixed-method case study.

Prescribing practice in a Swiss primary and secondary acute care hospital.

Questions Under Study: Little is known about the prescribing behaviour of physicians in hospitals. This analysis, using data based on Computerised Physician Order Entry (CPOE), was performed to evaluate prescription patterns, to analyse possible over-prescribing of drugs and to assess the compliance with therapy-guidelines.

Methods: Within a 12 month period, 68,133 prescriptions in three departments were analysed with respect to drug class, duration of therapy, dosage, administration route, patient's age, patient's length of stay and number of prescriptions per patient.