Assessment of characteristics associated with pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis use in hospitalized patients: a cohort study of 10,016 patients.

The aim of the study was to evaluate patient characteristics associated with pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis (PTP) use/nonuse in a general tertiary hospital cohort. Eligible patients were classified according to venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk category by trained nurses. Either standard or low-molecular weight heparin was recommended to intermediate or high-risk VTE patients.

[Errors in hospital prescriptions of high-alert medications].

Objective: Medication errors are currently a worldwide public health issue and it is one of the most serious prescription errors. The objective of the study was to evaluate the practice of prescribing high-alert medications and its association with the prevalence of medication errors in hospital settings.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted including 4,026 prescription order forms of high-alert medications.

Managing suspected venous thromboembolism in a mixed primary and secondary care setting using standard clinical assessment and D-dimer in a noninvasive diagnostic strategy.

Venous thromboembolism is a potentially lethal disease if not properly treated. Noninvasive strategies have become an attractive clinical option for effective diagnosis. There has been controversy, however, regarding the use of standard clinical rules in a primary care setting.

[Aedes aegypti infestation and occurrence of dengue in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil].

Objective: To assess the association between the proportion of buildings positive for Aedes aegypti larvae measured by means of building infestation rate and dengue incidence rate.

Methods: Autochthonous dengue cases were selected and building infestation rates assessed in the coverage areas of health districts in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, from October 1997 to May 2001. After grouping building infestation rates according to their distribution in quartiles, mean dengue incidence rates (for the month following the building infestation assessment) were compared using ANOVA.