Frequency and severity of adverse drug reactions due to self-medication: a cross-sectional multicentre survey in emergency departments.

Background: Little is known about the relation of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to self-use of medications.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and severity of ADRs related to self-medication (ADR-SM) among emergency department (ED) patients and to describe their main characteristics.

Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, observational study was conducted over a period of 8 weeks (1 March to 20 April 2010), in the ED of 11 French academic hospitals.

[Self-medicating behaviours in patients admitted to a medical emergency department].

Objective: To describe the self-medicating behaviours (SMBs) in patients admitted to a tertiary care medical emergency department (ED); to study the factors associated with SMBs.

Methods: Observational cross-sectional study conducted in 2009. Included patients were interviewed about their SMBs using a standardized questionnaire.

A questionnaire to document self-medication history in adult patients visiting emergency departments.

Purpose: To develop the first questionnaire to obtain a complete medication history by documenting self-medication history in adult patients admitted to a medical emergency department (ED).

Methods: A Questionnaire to document Self-Medicating Behaviours (QSMB) was developed between January and September 2008 (reference period), tested and refined between October and December 2008, and used routinely between January and December 2009 (routine period) in a tertiary care medical ED. The rate of SMBs measured with QSMB during the routine period was compared to the SMB rate measured with a spontaneous reporting method during the reference period.