Aims: Prescribing drug treatment for the management of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), the most severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, remains controversial. Since most manufacturers do not recommend prescribing antiemetics during pregnancy, little is known regarding which treatments are most prevalent among pregnant patients. Here, we report for the first time, evidence of actual treatments prescribed in English hospitals.

Methods: A retrospective pregnancy cohort was constructed using anonymised electronic records in the Nottingham University Hospitals Trust system for all women who delivered between January 2010 and February 2015. For women admitted to hospital for HG, medications prescribed on discharge were described and variation by maternal characteristics was assessed. Compliance with local and national HG treatment guidelines was evaluated.

Results: Of 33 567 pregnancies (among 30 439 women), the prevalence of HG was 1.7%. Among 530 HG admissions with records of discharge drugs, cyclizine was the most frequently prescribed (almost 73% of admissions). Prochlorperazine and metoclopramide were prescribed mainly in combination with other drugs; however, ondansetron was more common than metoclopramide at discharge from first and subsequent admissions. Steroids were only prescribed following readmissions. Thiamine was most frequently prescribed following readmission while high dose of folic acid was prescribed equally after first or subsequent admissions. Prescribing showed little variation by maternal age, ethnicity, weight, socioeconomic deprivation, or comorbidities.

Conclusion: Evidence that management of HG in terms of discharge medications mainly followed local and national recommendations provides reassurance within the health professional community. Wider documentation of drugs prescribed to women with HG is required to enable full assessment of whether optimal drug management is being achieved.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.13261DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

prescribed
9
prescribed women
8
women admitted
8
admitted hospital
8
hyperemesis gravidarum
8
variation maternal
8
local national
8
frequently prescribed
8
subsequent admissions
8
women
5

Similar Publications

Nitrogen doped Carbon Quantum Dots (NCQDs) have been synthesized using most economical and easiest hydrothermal process. Here, N-phenyl orthophenylenediamine and citric acid were utilised as a source of nitrogen and carbon for the preparation of NCQDs. The synthesized NCQDs were characterized using experimental techniques like UV - Vis absorption, FT-IR, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), EDX, dynamic light scattering (DLS), fluorimeter and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objective: Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4/6 inhibitors in combination with endocrine therapy (ET) significantly enhance progression-free survival and overall survival in patients diagnosed with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, they are highly expensive, and their economic impact has not been fully evaluated. This is a retrospective secondary analysis evaluating the cost effectiveness of these drugs, differentiating between medication-related and non-medication costs from a healthcare perspective.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The opioid epidemic has been a defining crisis in American health care. Many attempts to address the epidemic have focused on issues around opioid prescribing. Legislation at the state and federal levels has been passed; however, the results from these policies have been mixed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Wound management can be costly and challenging to the health services' scarce resources. Information regarding the number of wounds in a community care setting and their associated aetiology will provide nurses and nurse managers with an insight into the specific needs of these clients with wounds and highlight areas where care or services can be improved or further developed. This research aimed to establish the prevalence and aetiology of wounds, the current delivery of wound care, wound documentation and referral pathways in an Irish community care setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!