Search

Drug safety is a significant concern in many countries, as side effects (AE) and adverse drug reactions (ADR) have caused many deaths worldwide. One of the reasons is the low contribution of pharmacists in spontaneously reporting AE/ADR. This study aims to develop a questionnaire to assess factors that correlate with spontaneous reporting by pharmacists. A questionnaire pilot was tested on 30 pharmacist respondents who worked in type C hospitals in Surabaya and Sidoarjo, Indonesia. Respondents' responses were then evaluated for face validity, construct validity, and reliability. The results showed that the face validity of the questionnaire was ideal. Then, the results of the construct validity of the knowledge section using point biserial correlation showed that two items were invalid because the r-value was smaller than the r-table (r = 0.361). Then, construct validity uses the factor analysis method for psychological, environmental, and practical variables by paying attention to the Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin Measure (KMO) value, which must be greater than 0.5, the significance of the Bartlett test, which must be less than 0.05 and the factor loading value which conditions must be greater than 0.5. As a result, most of the psychological, environmental, and practical variables show valid and reliable results. However, further consideration should be given to eliminating some items that do not meet the requirements. In conclusion, this validated questionnaire can be used to obtain additional information regarding factors influencing spontaneous reporting by pharmacists.

Drug safety is a significant concern in many countries, as side effects (AE) and adverse drug reactions (ADR) have caused many deaths worldwide. One of the reasons is the low contribution of pharmacists in spontaneously reporting AE/ADR. This study aims to develop a questionnaire to assess factors that correlate with spontaneous reporting by pharmacists. A questionnaire pilot was tested on 30 pharmacist respondents who worked in type C hospitals in Surabaya and Sidoarjo, Indonesia. Respondents' responses were then evaluated for face validity, construct validity, and reliability. The results showed that the face validity of the questionnaire was ideal. Then, the results of the construct validity of the knowledge section using point biserial correlation showed that two items were invalid because the r-value was smaller than the r-table (r = 0.361). Then, construct validity uses the factor analysis method for psychological, environmental, and practical variables by paying attention to the Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin Measure (KMO) value, which must be greater than 0.5, the significance of the Bartlett test, which must be less than 0.05 and the factor loading value which conditions must be greater than 0.5. As a result, most of the psychological, environmental, and practical variables show valid and reliable results. However, further consideration should be given to eliminating some items that do not meet the requirements. In conclusion, this validated questionnaire can be used to obtain additional information regarding factors influencing spontaneous reporting by pharmacists.

Introduction: It is generally acknowledged that the ocular safety profile of intravitreal anti-VEGF drugs is acceptable, while the burden of systemic safety of these intravitreal agents is still being debated. The evaluation of the systemic safety of these drugs using real-world data (RWD), such as spontaneous reporting systems (SRS), electronic medical records (EMRs) and claims databases has several advantages, including the capture of outcomes among real-world populations over long observation periods. Nevertheless, there is a relatively small body of research exploring the post-marketing safety of these drugs. Areas covered: The aim of this scoping review is to outline and discuss some of the methodological challenges to be faced when investigating the systemic safety of intravitreal anti-VEGF drugs using different sources of RWD. Expert opinion: Such challenges include the selection of the most suitable data source, taking into account how well drug utilization is captured and whether the outcomes and covariates of interest can be captured. The strengths and limitations of some analytic methods that can be used to quantify risk, such as the intention-to-treat approach and the as-treated approach, complement each other, and using these together provides a more balanced analysis.

Background: Serious adverse reactions after immunization are rare but do occur. In very rare instances, cases with fatal outcome have been reported. These reports can have a huge impact and even more so when due to an immunization error. The aim of this study is to systematically review immunization errors with fatal outcomes in EudraVigilance. Methods: This was a case-series analysis of Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs) reporting immunization errors and a fatal outcome. To determine the level of certainty of a causal association between the immunization errors and fatal outcomes two independent reviewers assessed all ICSRs using the WHO tool “Causality assessment of an Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI)”. In accordance with the tool, the ICSRs were classified as consistent, indeterminate, inconsistent/coincidental, or unclassifiable. In addition, we estimated the contribution of reported errors to the fatal outcomes as large, moderate, small, none, or unclassifiable using a classification developed fo

Objective: Desloratadine, a third-generation antihistamine, is claimed to cause fewer central nervous system (CNS) adverse drug reactions (ADRs) than antihistamines of the first- and second-generation. While literature is inconclusive regarding the possible CNS effects, symptoms like somnolence and hallucinations are acknowledged ADRs of desloratadine, indeed suggesting some passage of this drug across the blood-brain barrier. Depression is currently not described as an ADR in the approved desloratadine product labelling. Materials and methods: In a joint signal detection workshop with the Uppsala Monitoring Centre and the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, case reports of suspected drug-ADR associations were analysed. Results: Forty-nine unique case reports of desloratadine associated with depression or depressed mood were detected in the WHO global ADR database. In these reports, the median time to onset of depression was three days. Most patients recovered after withdrawal of desloratadine, and in five patients the symptoms of depression recurred after re-administration of desloratadine. Conclusion: We hypothesize that desloratadine may enter the CNS and that it hence in rare cases may cause a clinically relevant state of depression, a relation that patients and their treating physicians should be made aware of.

Objective: Desloratadine, a third-generation antihistamine, is claimed to cause fewer central nervous system (CNS) adverse drug reactions (ADRs) than antihistamines of the first- and second-generation. While literature is inconclusive regarding the possible CNS effects, symptoms like somnolence and hallucinations are acknowledged ADRs of desloratadine, indeed suggesting some passage of this drug across the blood-brain barrier. Depression is currently not described as an ADR in the approved desloratadine product labelling. Materials and methods: In a joint signal detection workshop with the Uppsala Monitoring Centre and the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, case reports of suspected drug-ADR associations were analysed. Results: Forty-nine unique case reports of desloratadine associated with depression or depressed mood were detected in the WHO global ADR database. In these reports, the median time to onset of depression was three days. Most patients recovered after withdrawal of desloratadine, and in five patients the symptoms of depression recurred after re-administration of desloratadine. Conclusion: We hypothesize that desloratadine may enter the CNS and that it hence in rare cases may cause a clinically relevant state of depression, a relation that patients and their treating physicians should be made aware of.

Objective: Desloratadine, a third-generation antihistamine, is claimed to cause fewer central nervous system (CNS) adverse drug reactions (ADRs) than antihistamines of the first- and second-generation. While literature is inconclusive regarding the possible CNS effects, symptoms like somnolence and hallucinations are acknowledged ADRs of desloratadine, indeed suggesting some passage of this drug across the blood-brain barrier. Depression is currently not described as an ADR in the approved desloratadine product labelling. Materials and methods: In a joint signal detection workshop with the Uppsala Monitoring Centre and the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, case reports of suspected drug-ADR associations were analysed. Results: Forty-nine unique case reports of desloratadine associated with depression or depressed mood were detected in the WHO global ADR database. In these reports, the median time to onset of depression was three days. Most patients recovered after withdrawal of desloratadine, and in five patients the symptoms of depression recurred after re-administration of desloratadine. Conclusion: We hypothesize that desloratadine may enter the CNS and that it hence in rare cases may cause a clinically relevant state of depression, a relation that patients and their treating physicians should be made aware of.

Background: Among all post-marketing medication error reports submitted to EudraVigilance, vaccines are the most frequently reported medicinal products. This study aims to describe the characteristics of vaccination errors submitted to Eudravigilance between 2001 and 2016. Methods: EudraVigilance is a spontaneous reporting database for adverse events maintained by the European Medicines Agency. We extracted Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs) submitted to EudraVigilance between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2016. Reports were included for analysis if a vaccine was reported as interacting or suspect drug and at least one medication error term was listed as an adverse reaction. ICSRs were stratified by age and gender, by year of reporting, region of origin, reporter profession, seriousness of outcome, ATC, and type of error. Results: In total, 7097 ICSRs were included in the study. We observed a yearly increase in the reporting of vaccination errors, with the proportion to all vaccine ICSRs increasing from 0.4% to 4.0% between 2001 and 2016. The majority of reports was classified as serious (4248, 59.9%), but non-serious reports were increasingly reported since 2012. The mean age of patients was 24.1 years. The most frequently reported vaccines were influenza (13.5%), bacterial and viral combined (12.3%), and hepatitis vaccines (11.8%). A total of 8167 medication error terms were reported. The most frequently reported terms were “Inappropriate schedule of drug administration” (27.2%), “Incorrect route of drug administration” (12.5%) and “Drug administered to patient of inappropriate age” (10.0%). For infants and children, the error “Drug administered to patient of inappropriate age” was reported more often than for all other age categories. Discussion: Vaccination errors are increasingly submitted to EudraVigilance. Errors related to the schedule are the most common errors reported with vaccines. However, consequences of vaccination errors appear to be relatively

Objective: Desloratadine, a third-generation antihistamine, is claimed to cause fewer central nervous system (CNS) adverse drug reactions (ADRs) than antihistamines of the first- and second-generation. While literature is inconclusive regarding the possible CNS effects, symptoms like somnolence and hallucinations are acknowledged ADRs of desloratadine, indeed suggesting some passage of this drug across the blood-brain barrier. Depression is currently not described as an ADR in the approved desloratadine product labelling. Materials and methods: In a joint signal detection workshop with the Uppsala Monitoring Centre and the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, case reports of suspected drug-ADR associations were analysed. Results: Forty-nine unique case reports of desloratadine associated with depression or depressed mood were detected in the WHO global ADR database. In these reports, the median time to onset of depression was three days. Most patients recovered after withdrawal of desloratadine, and in five patients the symptoms of depression recurred after re-administration of desloratadine. Conclusion: We hypothesize that desloratadine may enter the CNS and that it hence in rare cases may cause a clinically relevant state of depression, a relation that patients and their treating physicians should be made aware of.

Objective: Desloratadine, a third-generation antihistamine, is claimed to cause fewer central nervous system (CNS) adverse drug reactions (ADRs) than antihistamines of the first- and second-generation. While literature is inconclusive regarding the possible CNS effects, symptoms like somnolence and hallucinations are acknowledged ADRs of desloratadine, indeed suggesting some passage of this drug across the blood-brain barrier. Depression is currently not described as an ADR in the approved desloratadine product labelling. Materials and methods: In a joint signal detection workshop with the Uppsala Monitoring Centre and the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb, case reports of suspected drug-ADR associations were analysed. Results: Forty-nine unique case reports of desloratadine associated with depression or depressed mood were detected in the WHO global ADR database. In these reports, the median time to onset of depression was three days. Most patients recovered after withdrawal of desloratadine, and in five patients the symptoms of depression recurred after re-administration of desloratadine. Conclusion: We hypothesize that desloratadine may enter the CNS and that it hence in rare cases may cause a clinically relevant state of depression, a relation that patients and their treating physicians should be made aware of.

Medical errors are a major source of preventable morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. Voluntary reporting systems are useful data sources that collect detailed information on the circumstances of medical errors occurring in hospitals. Identifying the characteristics of errors that frequently result in patient harm when they occur would allow investigators to prioritize among the many sources of potential errors and design targeted prevention strategies. In this paper, we use data from MEDMARX, a large anonymous and volun- tary reporting system for medication errors, to identify the combinations of error characteristics that are more likely to result in harm. To this end, we consider a Bayesian hierarchical model with crossed random effects and a flexible specification of the random effects distribution. We then provide a ranking of the errors using optimal Bayesian ranking based on their proba- bility of harm. The use of optimal Bayesian ranking accounts for the varying amount of uncertainty across the random effects estimates. Finally, we exam- ine the sensitivity of results to different specifications of the random effects distributions. The utility of flexible random effects assumptions is illustrated by empirically comparing results under several choices. We found that errors caused by mistakes in reconciling a patient’s current medication list with the medications prescribed at hospital discharge have an estimated 10.5% proba- bility of harm. These errors had the highest rate of harm of errors that occur during the prescribing stage of medication use. In addition, we found that the results are sensitive to the random effects distribution used in estimation. Thus, an approach that explores this sensitivity is important for accurately comparing the relative harm across errors.

In March 2007, a legislative amendment was issued in Sweden compelling nurses to report all suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to the national pharmacovigilance system. The aims of this study were to describe the status of ADR reporting, before and after the implementation of the legislative changes, and to describe the general characteristics of suspected ADRs reported by nurses. The Swedish pharmacovigilance system during the study period constituted six regional centres responsible for the handling of all spontaneous ADR reports within their region. In this study, we identified all individual ADR reports from 2005 and 2010, analysed in depth the ADR reports from two regional centres and collated information about the reporter and the nature of the reported ADR. From the two regional centres, a total of 898 and 1074 reports were submitted in 2005 and 2010 respectively. Nurses submitted 31 % (275 reports) of the reports in 2005 and 24 % (260 reports) in 2010. Nurses' reporting of serious ADRs was 3 % (seven reports) in 2005 and 7 % (17 reports) in 2010 with reporting of unlabelled ADRs at 4 % (11 reports) in 2005 and 17 % (45 reports) in 2010. Most of the serious and/or unlabelled reactions were related to vaccine administration (14 reports in 2005 and 36 reports in 2010). The overall ADR reporting by nurses did not appear to increase after the change in reporting legislation. The proportion of serious and/or unlabelled ADRs reported by nurses did however appear to increase during the same period. Taken together, our data suggests that further pro-active measures should be considered in order to involve nurses in the reporting of suspected ADRs.

Usled mogućih veoma ozbiljnih kliničkih posledica i velikih poteškoća pri otkrivanju i dijagnostikovanju, hepatotoksičnost lekova ili lekovima izazvano oštećenje jetre (Drug Induced Liver Injury – DILI) predstavlja veoma značajan rizik za bezbednost pacijenata i uvek aktuelan farmakoterapijski izazov za zdravstvene radnike, regulatorne agencije i farmaceutsku industriju. Iako se biljni lekovi i dijetetski suplementi (BLiDS) generalno smatraju bezbednim i imaju široku upotrebu, objavljeni pojedinačni slučajevi pojave toksičnog oštećenja jetre pri njihovoj primeni ukazuju na značaj ispitivanja hepatotoksičnog potencijala ovih proizvoda. Hepatotoksične reakcije (HR) uglavnom ostaju neidentifikovane tokom pretkliničkih i kliničkih ispitivanja i otkrivaju se tokom postmarketinškog praćenja leka (faza IV). U okviru ove disertacije istraživani su postmarketinški podaci o bezbednosti lekova i BLiDS evidentirani sistemom spontanog prijavljivanja. Primenom jasno definisnih kriterijuma izvršeno je pretraživanje dve baze bezbednosnih izveštaja o pojedinačnim slučajevima (Individual Case Safety Report – ICSR), i to: baze Svetske zdravstvene organizacije (SZO) (VigiBaseTM) i nacionalne baze Republike Srbije (baza Nacionalnog centra za farmakovigilancu - NCF). U identifikovanim slučajevima hepatotoksičnosti analizirane su dostupne informacije o prijavljenom suspektnom leku i/ili biljnoj vrsti, vrsti hepatotoksične reakcije, polu, uzrastu, upotrebi alkohola, osnovnim bolestima, istovremeno primenjivanim lekovima i/ili BLiDS, i zemlji porekla. Dobijeni su sledeći rezultati: 1) Istraživanje slučajeva lekovima izazvane hepatičke insuficijencije evidentiranih u VigiBaseTM tokom desetogodišnjeg perioda od 01.01.2000. do 31.12.2009. godine U navedenom periodu identifikovano je 6.370 slučajeva lekovima izazvane hepatičke insuficijencije (Drug Induced Hepatic Failure – DIHF) prijavljenih VigiBaseTM iz 38 zemalja. SAD su prijavile najveći broj ICSR (4.659; 73,1%). Od evropskih zemalja, najv, Due to potential for very serious clinical consequences and difficulties in detection and diagnosis, drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a highly significant safety risk for patients and ongoing pharmacotherapeutic challenge for health professionals, regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical industry. Although herbal medicines and dietary supplements are widely used and generally considered safe, individual case reports on toxic liver injury associated with their administration indicate significance of investigation on hepatotoxic potential of herbal products. Hepatotoxic reactions (HRs) are usually not identified in preclinical and clinical studies, and get detected during post-marketing surveillance (phase IV). This thesis involves research of post-marketing safety data on medicines and herbal products originating from the spontaneous reporting system. Clearly defined search criteria were applied for the investigation of two databases of individual case safety reports (ICSRs): the World Health Organization (WHO) database (VigiBaseTM) and the Serbian national database (the National Pharmacovigilance Centre - NPC database). In the identified cases of hepatotoxicity available data were analyzed with regards to suspected drug and/or herbal species, type of hepatotoxic reaction, gender, age, use of alcohol, underlying diseases, concomitant medications and/or HMDS, and reporting country. Following results were obtained: 1) Investigation of drug induced hepatic failure recorded in the VigiBaseTM during the 10-year period, from January 01, 2000 to December 31, 2009 There were 6,370 cases of drug induced hepatic failure (DIHF) reported from 38 countries to the VigiBaseTM in the analyzed period. The US reported the majority of ICSRs (4,659; 73.1%). Among the European countries, the highest number of DIHF reports was submitted by Germany (423; 6.6%) and the United Kingdom (316; 5.0%). Female gender (F) was reported in 3,237 (50.82%) cases of DIHF, whereas male gender (M) was fo

Pharmacovigilance in healthcare is essential for safe drug treatment. Spontaneous reporting is the most common source of information in the context of implementing label changes and taking a drug off the market. However, underreporting is found to be very prevalent. One way to decrease underreporting is to include different categories of healthcare professionals in such reporting and to investigate attitudes towards and incentives for reporting adverse drug reaction (ADR)s. As nurses form the largest group of health professionals, a sample of nurses were allowed and encouraged to report ADR during a 12 month period after they had received training in pharmacovigilance. A questionnaire posted to physicians and nurses investigated their knowledge and attitudes towards reporting. Spontaneous reports of torsade de pointes (TdP) and erectile dysfunction (ED) were scrutinized with respect to the reported drugs, risk factors and if the reaction was listed in the summary of product characteristics (SPC). After training, the nurses produced relevant reports and three years after the introduction of nurses in the reporting scheme, more than half of the responding nurses were aware of their role as reporters. Both nurses and physicians stated that the most important factor for reporting a suspected ADR was the severity of the ADR and an ADR arising in response to a newly approved drug. A web-based reporting system was deemed to facilitate the reporting. In spontaneous reports of TdP, citalopram was reported as a suspected drug. However, neither QT prolongations, nor TdP, were labelled in the SPC. ED was reported for all antihypertensive drugs including angiotensin II type I blockers. A positive information component (IC), assessing the disproportionality between the observed and the expected number of reports, was found indicating that ED was reported more often in association with antihypertensive drug classes, except for angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors. This thesis d

Pharmacovigilance in healthcare is essential for safe drug treatment. Spontaneous reporting is the most common source of information in the context of implementing label changes and taking a drug off the market. However, underreporting is found to be very prevalent. One way to decrease underreporting is to include different categories of healthcare professionals in such reporting and to investigate attitudes towards and incentives for reporting adverse drug reaction (ADR)s. As nurses form the largest group of health professionals, a sample of nurses were allowed and encouraged to report ADR during a 12 month period after they had received training in pharmacovigilance. A questionnaire posted to physicians and nurses investigated their knowledge and attitudes towards reporting. Spontaneous reports of torsade de pointes (TdP) and erectile dysfunction (ED) were scrutinized with respect to the reported drugs, risk factors and if the reaction was listed in the summary of product characteristics (SPC). After training, the nurses produced relevant reports and three years after the introduction of nurses in the reporting scheme, more than half of the responding nurses were aware of their role as reporters. Both nurses and physicians stated that the most important factor for reporting a suspected ADR was the severity of the ADR and an ADR arising in response to a newly approved drug. A web-based reporting system was deemed to facilitate the reporting. In spontaneous reports of TdP, citalopram was reported as a suspected drug. However, neither QT prolongations, nor TdP, were labelled in the SPC. ED was reported for all antihypertensive drugs including angiotensin II type I blockers. A positive information component (IC), assessing the disproportionality between the observed and the expected number of reports, was found indicating that ED was reported more often in association with antihypertensive drug classes, except for angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors. This thesis d

Pharmacovigilance in healthcare is essential for safe drug treatment. Spontaneous reporting is the most common source of information in the context of implementing label changes and taking a drug off the market. However, underreporting is found to be very prevalent. One way to decrease underreporting is to include different categories of healthcare professionals in such reporting and to investigate attitudes towards and incentives for reporting adverse drug reaction (ADR)s. As nurses form the largest group of health professionals, a sample of nurses were allowed and encouraged to report ADR during a 12 month period after they had received training in pharmacovigilance. A questionnaire posted to physicians and nurses investigated their knowledge and attitudes towards reporting. Spontaneous reports of torsade de pointes (TdP) and erectile dysfunction (ED) were scrutinized with respect to the reported drugs, risk factors and if the reaction was listed in the summary of product characteristics (SPC). After training, the nurses produced relevant reports and three years after the introduction of nurses in the reporting scheme, more than half of the responding nurses were aware of their role as reporters. Both nurses and physicians stated that the most important factor for reporting a suspected ADR was the severity of the ADR and an ADR arising in response to a newly approved drug. A web-based reporting system was deemed to facilitate the reporting. In spontaneous reports of TdP, citalopram was reported as a suspected drug. However, neither QT prolongations, nor TdP, were labelled in the SPC. ED was reported for all antihypertensive drugs including angiotensin II type I blockers. A positive information component (IC), assessing the disproportionality between the observed and the expected number of reports, was found indicating that ED was reported more often in association with antihypertensive drug classes, except for angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors. This thesis d

Pharmacovigilance in healthcare is essential for safe drug treatment. Spontaneous reporting is the most common source of information in the context of implementing label changes and taking a drug off the market. However, underreporting is found to be very prevalent. One way to decrease underreporting is to include different categories of healthcare professionals in such reporting and to investigate attitudes towards and incentives for reporting adverse drug reaction (ADR)s. As nurses form the largest group of health professionals, a sample of nurses were allowed and encouraged to report ADR during a 12 month period after they had received training in pharmacovigilance. A questionnaire posted to physicians and nurses investigated their knowledge and attitudes towards reporting. Spontaneous reports of torsade de pointes (TdP) and erectile dysfunction (ED) were scrutinized with respect to the reported drugs, risk factors and if the reaction was listed in the summary of product characteristics (SPC). After training, the nurses produced relevant reports and three years after the introduction of nurses in the reporting scheme, more than half of the responding nurses were aware of their role as reporters. Both nurses and physicians stated that the most important factor for reporting a suspected ADR was the severity of the ADR and an ADR arising in response to a newly approved drug. A web-based reporting system was deemed to facilitate the reporting. In spontaneous reports of TdP, citalopram was reported as a suspected drug. However, neither QT prolongations, nor TdP, were labelled in the SPC. ED was reported for all antihypertensive drugs including angiotensin II type I blockers. A positive information component (IC), assessing the disproportionality between the observed and the expected number of reports, was found indicating that ED was reported more often in association with antihypertensive drug classes, except for angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors. This thesis d

Pharmacovigilance in healthcare is essential for safe drug treatment. Spontaneous reporting is the most common source of information in the context of implementing label changes and taking a drug off the market. However, underreporting is found to be very prevalent. One way to decrease underreporting is to include different categories of healthcare professionals in such reporting and to investigate attitudes towards and incentives for reporting adverse drug reaction (ADR)s. As nurses form the largest group of health professionals, a sample of nurses were allowed and encouraged to report ADR during a 12 month period after they had received training in pharmacovigilance. A questionnaire posted to physicians and nurses investigated their knowledge and attitudes towards reporting. Spontaneous reports of torsade de pointes (TdP) and erectile dysfunction (ED) were scrutinized with respect to the reported drugs, risk factors and if the reaction was listed in the summary of product characteristics (SPC). After training, the nurses produced relevant reports and three years after the introduction of nurses in the reporting scheme, more than half of the responding nurses were aware of their role as reporters. Both nurses and physicians stated that the most important factor for reporting a suspected ADR was the severity of the ADR and an ADR arising in response to a newly approved drug. A web-based reporting system was deemed to facilitate the reporting. In spontaneous reports of TdP, citalopram was reported as a suspected drug. However, neither QT prolongations, nor TdP, were labelled in the SPC. ED was reported for all antihypertensive drugs including angiotensin II type I blockers. A positive information component (IC), assessing the disproportionality between the observed and the expected number of reports, was found indicating that ED was reported more often in association with antihypertensive drug classes, except for angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors. This thesis d

AIM: To describe spontaneously reported cases of erectile dysfunction (ED) in association with angiotensin II type I blockers (ARB) and other antihypertensive drugs. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All spontaneously reported cases of ED submitted to the Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) between 1990 and 2006, where at least one antihypertensive drug was the suspected agent, were scrutinized. Patient demographics, drug treatment and adverse reactions were recorded. Using the Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN) method, the information component (IC) was calculated. RESULTS: Among a total of 225 reports of ED, 59 involved antihypertensive drugs including ARB (9 cases) as suspected agents. A positive IC value was found indicating that ED was reported more often in association with antihypertensive drugs classes, except for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, compared with all other drugs in the database. Positive dechallenge was reported in 43 cases (72%). DISCUSSION: All classes of major antihypertensive drugs including ARB were implicated as suspected agents in cases of ED. Few risk factors were identified. The relatively high reporting of ED in association with ARB is in contrast with previous studies, suggesting that ARB have neither a positive nor any effect on ED. This discrepancy suggests that further studies are warrnted on this potential adverse reaction to ARB.

AIM: To describe spontaneously reported cases of erectile dysfunction (ED) in association with angiotensin II type I blockers (ARB) and other antihypertensive drugs. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All spontaneously reported cases of ED submitted to the Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) between 1990 and 2006, where at least one antihypertensive drug was the suspected agent, were scrutinized. Patient demographics, drug treatment and adverse reactions were recorded. Using the Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN) method, the information component (IC) was calculated. RESULTS: Among a total of 225 reports of ED, 59 involved antihypertensive drugs including ARB (9 cases) as suspected agents. A positive IC value was found indicating that ED was reported more often in association with antihypertensive drugs classes, except for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, compared with all other drugs in the database. Positive dechallenge was reported in 43 cases (72%). DISCUSSION: All classes of major antihypertensive drugs including ARB were implicated as suspected agents in cases of ED. Few risk factors were identified. The relatively high reporting of ED in association with ARB is in contrast with previous studies, suggesting that ARB have neither a positive nor any effect on ED. This discrepancy suggests that further studies are warrnted on this potential adverse reaction to ARB.

AIM: To describe spontaneously reported cases of erectile dysfunction (ED) in association with angiotensin II type I blockers (ARB) and other antihypertensive drugs. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All spontaneously reported cases of ED submitted to the Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) between 1990 and 2006, where at least one antihypertensive drug was the suspected agent, were scrutinized. Patient demographics, drug treatment and adverse reactions were recorded. Using the Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN) method, the information component (IC) was calculated. RESULTS: Among a total of 225 reports of ED, 59 involved antihypertensive drugs including ARB (9 cases) as suspected agents. A positive IC value was found indicating that ED was reported more often in association with antihypertensive drugs classes, except for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, compared with all other drugs in the database. Positive dechallenge was reported in 43 cases (72%). DISCUSSION: All classes of major antihypertensive drugs including ARB were implicated as suspected agents in cases of ED. Few risk factors were identified. The relatively high reporting of ED in association with ARB is in contrast with previous studies, suggesting that ARB have neither a positive nor any effect on ED. This discrepancy suggests that further studies are warrnted on this potential adverse reaction to ARB.

AIM: To describe spontaneously reported cases of erectile dysfunction (ED) in association with angiotensin II type I blockers (ARB) and other antihypertensive drugs. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All spontaneously reported cases of ED submitted to the Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) between 1990 and 2006, where at least one antihypertensive drug was the suspected agent, were scrutinized. Patient demographics, drug treatment and adverse reactions were recorded. Using the Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN) method, the information component (IC) was calculated. RESULTS: Among a total of 225 reports of ED, 59 involved antihypertensive drugs including ARB (9 cases) as suspected agents. A positive IC value was found indicating that ED was reported more often in association with antihypertensive drugs classes, except for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, compared with all other drugs in the database. Positive dechallenge was reported in 43 cases (72%). DISCUSSION: All classes of major antihypertensive drugs including ARB were implicated as suspected agents in cases of ED. Few risk factors were identified. The relatively high reporting of ED in association with ARB is in contrast with previous studies, suggesting that ARB have neither a positive nor any effect on ED. This discrepancy suggests that further studies are warrnted on this potential adverse reaction to ARB.

AIM: To describe spontaneously reported cases of erectile dysfunction (ED) in association with angiotensin II type I blockers (ARB) and other antihypertensive drugs. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All spontaneously reported cases of ED submitted to the Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) between 1990 and 2006, where at least one antihypertensive drug was the suspected agent, were scrutinized. Patient demographics, drug treatment and adverse reactions were recorded. Using the Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN) method, the information component (IC) was calculated. RESULTS: Among a total of 225 reports of ED, 59 involved antihypertensive drugs including ARB (9 cases) as suspected agents. A positive IC value was found indicating that ED was reported more often in association with antihypertensive drugs classes, except for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, compared with all other drugs in the database. Positive dechallenge was reported in 43 cases (72%). DISCUSSION: All classes of major antihypertensive drugs including ARB were implicated as suspected agents in cases of ED. Few risk factors were identified. The relatively high reporting of ED in association with ARB is in contrast with previous studies, suggesting that ARB have neither a positive nor any effect on ED. This discrepancy suggests that further studies are warrnted on this potential adverse reaction to ARB.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to investigate attitudes to and incentive for reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in general and towards nurses as reporters of ADRs in particular in a sample of hospital physicians. METHOD: A questionnaire was sent to 1,201 randomly selected hospital physicians. RESULTS: The main factors for the decision to report an ADR were the severity of the reaction, a reaction to a new drug, and an unusual reaction. The most important factor for refraining from reporting was that the reaction was well known. There were no significant differences between males and females or between age groups in these aspects. A majority were positive or neutral to nurses as reporters. Only 6% stated that their willingness to report ADRs would be affected in a negative way if nurses were involved in the program for reporting. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this survey showed that inclusion of hospital nurses as reporters will not decrease the reporting rate from the physicians.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to investigate attitudes to and incentive for reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in general and towards nurses as reporters of ADRs in particular in a sample of hospital physicians. METHOD: A questionnaire was sent to 1,201 randomly selected hospital physicians. RESULTS: The main factors for the decision to report an ADR were the severity of the reaction, a reaction to a new drug, and an unusual reaction. The most important factor for refraining from reporting was that the reaction was well known. There were no significant differences between males and females or between age groups in these aspects. A majority were positive or neutral to nurses as reporters. Only 6% stated that their willingness to report ADRs would be affected in a negative way if nurses were involved in the program for reporting. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this survey showed that inclusion of hospital nurses as reporters will not decrease the reporting rate from the physicians.

AIM: To describe spontaneously reported cases of torsades de pointes (TdP) in Sweden and to investigate if this adverse drug reaction (ADR) was labelled in the summary of product characteristics (SPC) for the drugs implicated. METHODS: Reported cases of TdP 1991-2006 were identified and evaluated with regard to drug use and other possible risk factor. RESULTS: Among a total of 61 788 ADRs, 88 cases of TdP were identified. In these cases, 27 different suspected drugs were implicated. Cardiac drugs were involved in most reports (74%; 65/88), with sotalol being the most frequently suspected drug (57%, 58/88). In addition to drug treatment two or more established risk factors were present in 85% of the cases (75/88). Heart disease (90%; 79/88) was the most common risk factor followed by age over 65 years (72%; 63/88) and female gender (70%; 62/88). TdP or QT prolongation were labelled in the SPC for 33% (9/27) of the drugs implicated in the 88 cases. However, supporting evidence for an association was found elsewhere in 56% (15/27) for the different drugs implicated in the reports. Although citalopram was the third most common suspected drug in the reports (10%; 9/88), TdP was not listed in the SPC. CONCLUSION: TdP is a rarely reported ADR. Several risk factors are often present. In two thirds of the drugs implicated in the reports neither TdP nor QT prolongation was labelled in the SPC. Further investigations are needed regarding the association between citalopram and TdP.

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of a small economic inducement on the rate of spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and the attitudes of general practitioners and physicians towards reporting of ADRs. METHOD: One intervention and one control county were selected for the study. Written information about the main purpose of spontaneous reporting of ADRs was personally addressed to all physicians in the two counties. The information was identical, except for the addition that during a period of 6 months two lottery tickets would be given to the receivers in the intervention area with the standard personal feedback to the reporter of the ADR. After the 6-month study period, the actual number of reported ADRs and the seriousness of the reported ADRs were assessed. To investigate the attitude towards this stimulation of reporting, a questionnaire was addressed to all physicians within the intervention area (IA). RESULTS: From the IA a total number of 57 ADR reports were received containing 62 suspected ADRs, 40% of which were assessed as serious reactions. From the control area (CA), 49 reports containing 50 suspected ADRs were received, 32% of which were assessed as serious reactions. The increase of ADR reports from the IA compared to the same time period the previous year was 59% as compared to an unchanged reporting from the CA. Of those responding to the questionnaire, 80% did not believe that a small economic bonus would be a useful tool to improve the reporting rate. CONCLUSION: A small economic inducement is associated with an increase in the reporting of suspected ADRs.

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of a small economic inducement on the rate of spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and the attitudes of general practitioners and physicians towards reporting of ADRs. METHOD: One intervention and one control county were selected for the study. Written information about the main purpose of spontaneous reporting of ADRs was personally addressed to all physicians in the two counties. The information was identical, except for the addition that during a period of 6 months two lottery tickets would be given to the receivers in the intervention area with the standard personal feedback to the reporter of the ADR. After the 6-month study period, the actual number of reported ADRs and the seriousness of the reported ADRs were assessed. To investigate the attitude towards this stimulation of reporting, a questionnaire was addressed to all physicians within the intervention area (IA). RESULTS: From the IA a total number of 57 ADR reports were received containing 62 suspected ADRs, 40% of which were assessed as serious reactions. From the control area (CA), 49 reports containing 50 suspected ADRs were received, 32% of which were assessed as serious reactions. The increase of ADR reports from the IA compared to the same time period the previous year was 59% as compared to an unchanged reporting from the CA. Of those responding to the questionnaire, 80% did not believe that a small economic bonus would be a useful tool to improve the reporting rate. CONCLUSION: A small economic inducement is associated with an increase in the reporting of suspected ADRs.

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) constitute a major problem in society and in drug therapy. They are a common cause of short-term hospitalization, prolonged hospitalization and death. Spontaneous reporting of ADRs remains one the most effective methods for detecting new and serious drug reactions. In Sweden physicians are legally required to report fatal and serious ADRs. We know from previous studies that there is a substantial degree of under-reporting of ADRs also in Sweden. Attitudes towards reporting of ADRs among physicians in the northern region of Sweden were investigated using a questionnaire. The most important factor for not reporting ADRs among physicians and general practioners in our region was that the reaction was considered to be well known. However, their attitudes could also allow for a considerable rate of under-reporting. The effect on the reporting rate when nurses received instruction and were encouraged to report ADRs was studied. During a 12-month study period, 18 ADR reports with a total number of 22 ADRs were sent in by the nurses participating in the study to test nurses as reporters of ADRs. Using the Swedish ADR database, we calculated the risk of agranulocytosis associated with the use of metamizole by using consumption data from the case records of scrutinized patients’ and stored prescriptions. Over the period from 1996 to 1999, ten cases of agranulocytosis during treatment with metamizole were reported to SADRAC. Metamizole was prescribed to 666 (19%) inpatients during the 3-month study period and 112 prescriptions were identified at the participating pharmacies. Thirty-eight percent of them indicated treatment for more than 15 days. Making certain assumptions, the calculated risk of agranulocytosis was one out of every 31 000 inpatients and one out of every 1400 outpatients. The degree of under-reporting of serious ADRs was studied in five hospitals. More than 1300 case records were scrutinized and among these we found 107 cases that

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) constitute a major problem in society and in drug therapy. They are a common cause of short-term hospitalization, prolonged hospitalization and death. Spontaneous reporting of ADRs remains one the most effective methods for detecting new and serious drug reactions. In Sweden physicians are legally required to report fatal and serious ADRs. We know from previous studies that there is a substantial degree of under-reporting of ADRs also in Sweden. Attitudes towards reporting of ADRs among physicians in the northern region of Sweden were investigated using a questionnaire. The most important factor for not reporting ADRs among physicians and general practioners in our region was that the reaction was considered to be well known. However, their attitudes could also allow for a considerable rate of under-reporting. The effect on the reporting rate when nurses received instruction and were encouraged to report ADRs was studied. During a 12-month study period, 18 ADR reports with a total number of 22 ADRs were sent in by the nurses participating in the study to test nurses as reporters of ADRs. Using the Swedish ADR database, we calculated the risk of agranulocytosis associated with the use of metamizole by using consumption data from the case records of scrutinized patients’ and stored prescriptions. Over the period from 1996 to 1999, ten cases of agranulocytosis during treatment with metamizole were reported to SADRAC. Metamizole was prescribed to 666 (19%) inpatients during the 3-month study period and 112 prescriptions were identified at the participating pharmacies. Thirty-eight percent of them indicated treatment for more than 15 days. Making certain assumptions, the calculated risk of agranulocytosis was one out of every 31 000 inpatients and one out of every 1400 outpatients. The degree of under-reporting of serious ADRs was studied in five hospitals. More than 1300 case records were scrutinized and among these we found 107 cases that

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) constitute a major problem in society and in drug therapy. They are a common cause of short-term hospitalization, prolonged hospitalization and death. Spontaneous reporting of ADRs remains one the most effective methods for detecting new and serious drug reactions. In Sweden physicians are legally required to report fatal and serious ADRs. We know from previous studies that there is a substantial degree of under-reporting of ADRs also in Sweden. Attitudes towards reporting of ADRs among physicians in the northern region of Sweden were investigated using a questionnaire. The most important factor for not reporting ADRs among physicians and general practioners in our region was that the reaction was considered to be well known. However, their attitudes could also allow for a considerable rate of under-reporting. The effect on the reporting rate when nurses received instruction and were encouraged to report ADRs was studied. During a 12-month study period, 18 ADR reports with a total number of 22 ADRs were sent in by the nurses participating in the study to test nurses as reporters of ADRs. Using the Swedish ADR database, we calculated the risk of agranulocytosis associated with the use of metamizole by using consumption data from the case records of scrutinized patients’ and stored prescriptions. Over the period from 1996 to 1999, ten cases of agranulocytosis during treatment with metamizole were reported to SADRAC. Metamizole was prescribed to 666 (19%) inpatients during the 3-month study period and 112 prescriptions were identified at the participating pharmacies. Thirty-eight percent of them indicated treatment for more than 15 days. Making certain assumptions, the calculated risk of agranulocytosis was one out of every 31 000 inpatients and one out of every 1400 outpatients. The degree of under-reporting of serious ADRs was studied in five hospitals. More than 1300 case records were scrutinized and among these we found 107 cases that

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) constitute a major problem in society and in drug therapy. They are a common cause of short-term hospitalization, prolonged hospitalization and death. Spontaneous reporting of ADRs remains one the most effective methods for detecting new and serious drug reactions. In Sweden physicians are legally required to report fatal and serious ADRs. We know from previous studies that there is a substantial degree of under-reporting of ADRs also in Sweden. Attitudes towards reporting of ADRs among physicians in the northern region of Sweden were investigated using a questionnaire. The most important factor for not reporting ADRs among physicians and general practioners in our region was that the reaction was considered to be well known. However, their attitudes could also allow for a considerable rate of under-reporting. The effect on the reporting rate when nurses received instruction and were encouraged to report ADRs was studied. During a 12-month study period, 18 ADR reports with a total number of 22 ADRs were sent in by the nurses participating in the study to test nurses as reporters of ADRs. Using the Swedish ADR database, we calculated the risk of agranulocytosis associated with the use of metamizole by using consumption data from the case records of scrutinized patients’ and stored prescriptions. Over the period from 1996 to 1999, ten cases of agranulocytosis during treatment with metamizole were reported to SADRAC. Metamizole was prescribed to 666 (19%) inpatients during the 3-month study period and 112 prescriptions were identified at the participating pharmacies. Thirty-eight percent of them indicated treatment for more than 15 days. Making certain assumptions, the calculated risk of agranulocytosis was one out of every 31 000 inpatients and one out of every 1400 outpatients. The degree of under-reporting of serious ADRs was studied in five hospitals. More than 1300 case records were scrutinized and among these we found 107 cases that

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) constitute a major problem in society and in drug therapy. They are a common cause of short-term hospitalization, prolonged hospitalization and death. Spontaneous reporting of ADRs remains one the most effective methods for detecting new and serious drug reactions. In Sweden physicians are legally required to report fatal and serious ADRs. We know from previous studies that there is a substantial degree of under-reporting of ADRs also in Sweden. Attitudes towards reporting of ADRs among physicians in the northern region of Sweden were investigated using a questionnaire. The most important factor for not reporting ADRs among physicians and general practioners in our region was that the reaction was considered to be well known. However, their attitudes could also allow for a considerable rate of under-reporting. The effect on the reporting rate when nurses received instruction and were encouraged to report ADRs was studied. During a 12-month study period, 18 ADR reports with a total number of 22 ADRs were sent in by the nurses participating in the study to test nurses as reporters of ADRs. Using the Swedish ADR database, we calculated the risk of agranulocytosis associated with the use of metamizole by using consumption data from the case records of scrutinized patients’ and stored prescriptions. Over the period from 1996 to 1999, ten cases of agranulocytosis during treatment with metamizole were reported to SADRAC. Metamizole was prescribed to 666 (19%) inpatients during the 3-month study period and 112 prescriptions were identified at the participating pharmacies. Thirty-eight percent of them indicated treatment for more than 15 days. Making certain assumptions, the calculated risk of agranulocytosis was one out of every 31 000 inpatients and one out of every 1400 outpatients. The degree of under-reporting of serious ADRs was studied in five hospitals. More than 1300 case records were scrutinized and among these we found 107 cases that

INTRODUCTION: Adverse drug reactions (ADR) constitute a major problem, both from a medical point of view and as an economical burden. Spontaneous reporting of ADRs is one of the methods for post marketing surveillance of drug safety. Under-reporting can also provide an important obstacle to rapid and relevant signal detection. AIM: To investigate the rate of under-reporting serious ADRs of selected ICD 10 diagnoses. METHOD: In order to investigate the under-reporting rate we investigated at five hospitals within the county of Norrbotten in Sweden the total number of diagnosed cases during a period of 5 years (1996-2000) with the following diagnoses: cerebral haemorrhage (I 61.0-I 61.9), pulmonary embolism (I 26.0 and I 26.9), embolism or thrombosis (I 74.0-I 74.9), phlebititis, thrombophlebitits or venous thrombosis (I 80.0-I 80.3, I 80.8 and I 80.9) and portal vein thrombosis and other thrombosis or emboli (I 82.0-I 82.3, I 82.8 and I 82.9). The identity of these patients was obtained through a database search. The patients' case records were then scrutinized by a specially trained nurse and the drugs used at the time of the event were noted. An assessment of the possibility of an ADR was performed using standard WHO causality criteria. Later, database search in the Swedish ADR registry was performed in order to investigate whether these suspected ADRs had been reported to the national authority in Sweden or not. RESULTS: In total 1349 case records were found and scrutinized. Of these, 107 patients had received drugs that could have been a probable or possible cause to the diagnoses. Of these 92 cases had not been reported and only 15 patients were found in the database, giving an overall under-reporting rate of all ADRs of 86%. The most commonly occurring diagnoses were cerebral haemorrhage followed by venous thrombosis, 545 and 468 respectively. Among those cases that should have been reported according to the existing rules for spontaneous reporting of suspected

The WHO database contains more than 2.8 million case reports of suspected adverse drug reactions reported from 70 countries worldwide since 1968. The Uppsala Monitoring Centre maintains and analyses this database for new signals on behalf of the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring. A goal of the Programme is to detect signals, where a signal is defined as "Reported information on a possible causal relationship between an adverse event and a drug, the relationship being unknown or incompletely documented previously." The analysis of such a large amount of data on a case by case basis is impossible with the resources available. Therefore a quantitative, data mining procedure has been developed to improve the focus of the clinical signal detection process. The method used, is referred to as the BCPNN (Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network). This not only assists in the early detection of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) but also further analysis of such signals. The method uses Bayesian statistical principles to quantify apparent dependencies in the data set. This quantifies the degree to which a specific drug- ADR combination is different from a background (in this case the WHO database). The measure of disproportionality used, is referred to as the Information Component (IC) because of its' origins in Information Theory. A confidence interval is calculated for the IC of each combination. A neural network approach allows all drug-ADR combinations in the database to be analysed in an automated manner. Evaluations of the effectiveness of the BCPNN in signal detection are described. To compare how a drug association compares in unexpectedness to related drugs, which might be used for the same clinical indication, the method is extended to consideration of groups of drugs. The benefits and limitations of this approach are discussed with examples of known group effects (ACE inhibitors - coughing and antihistamines - heart rate and rhythm disorders.) An ex

The WHO database contains more than 2.8 million case reports of suspected adverse drug reactions reported from 70 countries worldwide since 1968. The Uppsala Monitoring Centre maintains and analyses this database for new signals on behalf of the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring. A goal of the Programme is to detect signals, where a signal is defined as "Reported information on a possible causal relationship between an adverse event and a drug, the relationship being unknown or incompletely documented previously." The analysis of such a large amount of data on a case by case basis is impossible with the resources available. Therefore a quantitative, data mining procedure has been developed to improve the focus of the clinical signal detection process. The method used, is referred to as the BCPNN (Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network). This not only assists in the early detection of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) but also further analysis of such signals. The method uses Bayesian statistical principles to quantify apparent dependencies in the data set. This quantifies the degree to which a specific drug- ADR combination is different from a background (in this case the WHO database). The measure of disproportionality used, is referred to as the Information Component (IC) because of its' origins in Information Theory. A confidence interval is calculated for the IC of each combination. A neural network approach allows all drug-ADR combinations in the database to be analysed in an automated manner. Evaluations of the effectiveness of the BCPNN in signal detection are described. To compare how a drug association compares in unexpectedness to related drugs, which might be used for the same clinical indication, the method is extended to consideration of groups of drugs. The benefits and limitations of this approach are discussed with examples of known group effects (ACE inhibitors - coughing and antihistamines - heart rate and rhythm disorders.) An ex

The WHO database contains more than 2.8 million case reports of suspected adverse drug reactions reported from 70 countries worldwide since 1968. The Uppsala Monitoring Centre maintains and analyses this database for new signals on behalf of the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring. A goal of the Programme is to detect signals, where a signal is defined as "Reported information on a possible causal relationship between an adverse event and a drug, the relationship being unknown or incompletely documented previously." The analysis of such a large amount of data on a case by case basis is impossible with the resources available. Therefore a quantitative, data mining procedure has been developed to improve the focus of the clinical signal detection process. The method used, is referred to as the BCPNN (Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network). This not only assists in the early detection of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) but also further analysis of such signals. The method uses Bayesian statistical principles to quantify apparent dependencies in the data set. This quantifies the degree to which a specific drug- ADR combination is different from a background (in this case the WHO database). The measure of disproportionality used, is referred to as the Information Component (IC) because of its' origins in Information Theory. A confidence interval is calculated for the IC of each combination. A neural network approach allows all drug-ADR combinations in the database to be analysed in an automated manner. Evaluations of the effectiveness of the BCPNN in signal detection are described. To compare how a drug association compares in unexpectedness to related drugs, which might be used for the same clinical indication, the method is extended to consideration of groups of drugs. The benefits and limitations of this approach are discussed with examples of known group effects (ACE inhibitors - coughing and antihistamines - heart rate and rhythm disorders.) An ex

The WHO database contains more than 2.8 million case reports of suspected adverse drug reactions reported from 70 countries worldwide since 1968. The Uppsala Monitoring Centre maintains and analyses this database for new signals on behalf of the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring. A goal of the Programme is to detect signals, where a signal is defined as "Reported information on a possible causal relationship between an adverse event and a drug, the relationship being unknown or incompletely documented previously." The analysis of such a large amount of data on a case by case basis is impossible with the resources available. Therefore a quantitative, data mining procedure has been developed to improve the focus of the clinical signal detection process. The method used, is referred to as the BCPNN (Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network). This not only assists in the early detection of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) but also further analysis of such signals. The method uses Bayesian statistical principles to quantify apparent dependencies in the data set. This quantifies the degree to which a specific drug- ADR combination is different from a background (in this case the WHO database). The measure of disproportionality used, is referred to as the Information Component (IC) because of its' origins in Information Theory. A confidence interval is calculated for the IC of each combination. A neural network approach allows all drug-ADR combinations in the database to be analysed in an automated manner. Evaluations of the effectiveness of the BCPNN in signal detection are described. To compare how a drug association compares in unexpectedness to related drugs, which might be used for the same clinical indication, the method is extended to consideration of groups of drugs. The benefits and limitations of this approach are discussed with examples of known group effects (ACE inhibitors - coughing and antihistamines - heart rate and rhythm disorders.) An ex

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) remains one of the most effective methods to detect new and serious drug reactions. However, it is well known that there is a high degree of under-reporting. OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out as an attempt to improve and increase the reporting of ADRs by investigating the utility of nurses reporting in addition to physicians, as usual. METHODS: During a 12-month study period, nurses working at two departments of geriatric medicine in northern Sweden received special instruction regarding drugs and ADRs, ADR reporting and special aspects of ADRs in elderly people. The reports from the nurses were scrutinized concerning the seriousness of the reaction, reported drugs and type of reaction (type A or B). All nurses working at the two departments (117) were eligible to report but in practice only those attending the teaching sessions did so. A comparison with historical reporting and with reporting from other geriatric departments in Sweden was also carried out. At the end of the study all participating nurses received a questionnaire aimed at investigating their attitudes towards ADR reporting. RESULTS: After the 12-month study period 18 ADR reports involving 22 reactions had been received. Seven of these were assessed as serious reactions. All of the reactions were of type A. In comparison, during the corresponding time period from the study clinics during the preceding year, only two reports were registered. During the study period only 15 reports were registered from the other 50 geriatric departments in Sweden. CONCLUSION: Even though the total number of ADR reports was small, our data indicate a substantial increase in the reporting rate. This indicates that instructed and interested nurses could play an important role in detecting and reporting suspected ADRs.