• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.207-212
• /
• 2016

Objective: Prescription rate of dabigatran and rivaroxaban, which are the direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), has increased. We have analyzed the prescription trend and medication use of dabigatran and rivaroxaban in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Methods: It was retrospectively studied from September 2012 to April 2014 using the electronic medical records and the progress notes. Patients with NVAF (n=424) were evaluated on the medication use, prescribing preferences, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and the availability of prescription reimbursement of dabigatran (n=210) and rivaroxaban (n=214). Results: Dabigatran was prescribed higher than rivaroxaban (23.3% versus 7.5%, p<0.001) in the neurology department, but rivaroxaban was prescribed higher compared to dabigatran in the cardiology department (87.4% versus 74.3%, p<0.001). Dabigatran was prescribed more than rivaroxaban in high risk patients with CHADS2 score ${\geq}3$ (44.3% versus 31.3%, p=0.006). Dabigatran patients seemed to have more ADRs than patients with rivaroxaban (25.2% versus 11.2%, p<0.001), but no serious thrombotic events and bleeding were found. Only 35.6% (n=151) were eligible for prescription reimbursement by the National Health Insurance (NHI). Bridging therapy (86, 31.5%) and direct-current cardioversion (57, 20.2%) were main reasons of ineligibility for reimbursement. Conclusion: Prescription preferences were present in choosing either dabigatran or rivaroxaban for patients with NVAF. Inpatient protocols and procedures considering patient-factors in NVAF need to be developed.

• Herbal Formula Science
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.23-42
• /
• 2010

This report describes 90 prescriptions related to the use of Platycodi Radix main blended from Dongeuibogam. The following conclusions were reached through investigations on the prescriptions that use Platycodi Radix as a key component. Prescriptions that Platycodi Radix was taken as a monarch drug are utilized for 30 therapeutic purposes, for example, cough disease, throat disease, abscess and pus, and wind disease. In particular, 12.1% of prescriptions appear in the chapter of cough, and 9.9% of those appear in the chapter of throat, and each 8.8% of those appear in the chapter of abscess and of wind disease. Prescriptions that utilize Platycodi Radix as the main ingredient are used in the treatment of cough disease, throat disease and abscess, and they are also used for treating 74 different types of disease. The prescriptions are compounded with Platycodi Radix as a monarch drug are related to exogenous agents such as wind-cold pathogen, wind-heat pathogen, epidemic diseases, and endogenous agents such as seven emotions, and non-endo-exopathogenic factors like excessive labor, deficiency of Qi and blood, phlegm-mass, phlegm-fire, ect. The dosage of Platycodi Radix is 2pun(about 0.75g) to 1nyang(about 37.5g), however 1don (about 3.75g) has been taken the most for clinical application. We can find out that according to herbs or prescriptions blended with it self, Platycodi Radix makes a variety of functions to penetrate lung stagnancy and remove phlegm, relieve throat pain and get rid of pus, and regulate Qi flow. And Gamgiltang is the most useful base prescription which used the Platycodi Radix as the main component.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.185-189
• /
• 2023

Purpose: Limited research has been conducted on the prevalence of non-medical opioid use (NMOU) in Korean cancer patients who have received prescription opioids (PO). This study aimed to identify the potential proportion of NMOU in cancer patients who had been prescribed opioids in Korea. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on 14,728 patients who underwent cancer-related treatment between January 2009 and December 2019, using electronically collected data from a tertiary hospital in Korea. Information regarding the type and duration of opioid use was gathered. A detailed review of medical charts was carried out, focusing on patients who had been prescribed opioids for over 60 days beyond a 12-month period following the completion of their cancer treatment (long-term PO users). Results: Out of the 5,587 patients who were prescribed PO and followed up for at least 12 months, 13 cases of NMOU were identified, representing 0.23% of the patient population. Among the 204 long-term PO users, the rate was 6.37% (13/204). The most commonly misused opioids were oxycodone and fentanyl. For the group confirmed to have NMOU, the median duration of prescription was 1,327 days in total. Of the 13 patients diagnosed with NMOU, 9 reported withdrawal symptoms, 3 exhibited craving behavior for opioids, and 1 experienced both symptoms. Conclusion: This study found that 0.23% of cancer patients who had been prescribed opioids in Korea demonstrated NMOU. Despite this relatively low rate, careful monitoring is necessary to minimize the risk of NMOU in this population, especially among long-term PO users.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.14
• /
• pp.6055-6059
• /
• 2015

Background: Medication policy development in Thailand is continually promoting rational drug use. Letrozole, an endocrine therapy drug, is usually prescribed for post-menopausal status early and advanced stage breast cancer. After Ministry of Public Health announced Letrozole as compulsory licensed drug in 2009, more breast cancer patients can access to this drug at low cost especially those within universal coverage schemes. To ensure that Letrozole is rationally prescribed, the drug utilization study was conducted. Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the appropriate use of Letrozole in breast cancer and the relationship between appropriate use and health benefit schemes. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study to evaluate use of Letrozole in breast cancer patients was performed for six months between January - June 2010 in seven regional cancer hospitals, Thailand. All prescriptions of Letrozole were identified from pharmacy dispensing databases and prescription papers. A medical record review was also performed to evaluate appropriate use referring to the drug use evaluation criteria. The approved criterion of this study was referred from the guideline of Thai National Formulary version 2010. Results: There were 681 prescriptions of Letrozole for 254 breast cancer patients with an average age of $58.6{\pm}10.0years$. The patients in universal coverage scheme (UCS), civil servant medication benefit scheme (CSMBS) and social security scheme (SSS) were 77.7%, 18.5% and 8.7% respectively. 10.6% were prescribed Letrozole for the first time. Letrozole were prescribed by oncologists (82.8%). The average number of tablets per prescription was $58{\pm}10$. Calcium supplements were prescribed concomitant with Letrozole for 19.4%. To assess drug use evaluation criteria, 45 prescriptions were excluded because of uncompleted clinical data, 636 prescriptions were evaluated. The study showed 86 prescriptions (13.5%) with inappropriate use including 6 (0.9%) not prescribed for estrogen receptor (ER) and/or progesterone receptor (PR) positive, 31 (4.9%) not prescribed for post-menopausal and 49 (7.7%) not prescribed for an appropriate duration. Appropriate use percentages in different health benefit schemes were similar, 85.7% of CSMBS, 86.4% of SSS and 86.7% of UCS. The relationship between health benefit scheme and appropriate use of Letrozole was not significantly different, ${\chi}^2$ (2, N = 636) = 0.081, p > 0.05. Conclusions: The study showed inappropriate use in breast cancer patients because of non-compliance with duration, menopausal status and hormone receptor requirements. To prescribe appropriate indication did not referred to the appropriate practice along the treatment. Drug use evaluation proved very useful for detecting the sign of inappropriate use and allows immediate feedback to the stakeholder for developing medication policy in the future. Importantly, there was no significantly difference in appropriate use of Letrozole across health benefit schemes.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.138-144
• /
• 2015

Objective: It is to evaluate the drug interaction monitoring program as a pilot project to develop a pharmaceutical care model in a medical intensive care unit and to analyze the influencing factors of drug interactions. Method: Electronic medical records were retrospectively investigated for 116 patients who had been hospitalized in a medical intensive care unit from October to December in 2014. The prevalence of adverse reaction with risk rating higher than 'D' was investigated by Lexi-$Comp^{(R)}$ Online database. The factors related with potential drug interaction and with treatment outcomes were analyzed. Results: The number of patients with a potential interaction of drug combination was 92 (79.3%). Average ages, the length of stay in the intensive care unit and the numbers of prescription drugs showed significant differences between drug interaction group and non-drug interaction group. Opioids (14.4%), antibiotics (7.2%), and diuretics (7.2%) were most responsible drug classes for drug interactions and the individual medications included furosemide (6.4%), tramadol (4.9%), and remifentanil (4.5%). There were 950 cases with a risk rating of 'C' (84.6%), 142 cases with a risk rating of 'D' (12.6%), and 31 cases with a risk rating of 'X' (avoid combination) (2.8%). The factors affecting drug interactions were the number of drugs prescribed (p < 0.0001) and the length of stay at intensive care unit (p < 0.01). The patients in intensive care unit showed a high incidence of adverse reactions related to potential drug interaction. Therefore, drug interaction monitoring program as a one of pharmaceutical care services was successfully piloted and it showed to prevent adverse reaction and to improve therapeutic outcomes. Conclusion: Active participation of a pharmacist in the drug management at the intensive care unit should be considered.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.119-131
• /
• 2024

There are growing concerns regarding the safety of long-term treatment with opioids of patients with chronic non-cancer pain. In 2017, the Korean Pain Society (KPS) developed guidelines for opioid prescriptions for chronic non-cancer pain to guide physicians to prescribe opioids effectively and safely. Since then, investigations have provided updated data regarding opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain and have focused on initial dosing schedules, reassessment follow-ups, recommended dosage thresholds considering the risk-benefit ratio, dose-reducing schedules for tapering and discontinuation, adverse effects, and inadvertent problems resulting from inappropriate application of the previous guidelines. Herein, we have updated the previous KPS guidelines based on a comprehensive literature review and consensus development following discussions among experts affiliated with the Committee on Hospice and Palliative Care in the KPS. These guidelines may assist physicians in prescribing opioids for chronic non-cancer pain in adult outpatient settings, but should not to be regarded as an inflexible standard. Clinical judgements by the attending physician and patient-centered decisions should always be prioritized.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.9-13
• /
• 2006

Patient counseling is emerging as one of the most important roles of community pharmacists because the information on the standard labeling for the prescription drug is not sufficient to ensure the correct use of the drug. However, excessive workload of the community pharmacists in Korea discourages the provision of the effective patient counseling. The use of auxiliary label may be an efficient tool to help patients correctly use the prescription drug in this situation. As a preliminary study to encourage the use of auxiliary label, we have performed a survey analysis of familiarity and willingness of community pharmacists to use the auxiliary label. About three quarters of the participating community pharmacists have heard of the auxiliary label, however, there was not a single pharmacist who uses the label. Furthermore, only one fifth of the participating pharmacists were willing to use the label if they have to purchase. Therefore, it is recommended that governmental and non-profit organizations such as Korean Pharmaceutical Association educate community pharmacists regarding usefulness of the auxiliary label with focus on enhancing patient compliance and constrainment of healthcare expense.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.88-98
• /
• 2017

To prevent toxicity from both robax platinum (methocarbamol, ibuprofen) and robaxacet (methocarbomol, acetaminophen), separately, we used stretches and naproxen as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to compare each effectiveness. This study used the United States Forces Korea Prescription form (Annex A-Over-The-Counter Prescription) and Alice Rich's Pain scale with robax platinum, robaxacet including narproxen. The IBM SPSS statics version 24 was used to calculate the data. The combined methocarbamol 500 mg, acetaminophen 325 mg tablet, and ibuprofen 200 mg (or naproxen) tablet can work as well as the combined methocarbamol 500 mg tablet with acetaminophen 325 mg tablet with stretches. Both methods were successful in managing pain. The drug combination of methocarbamol 500 mg, acetaminophen 325 mg and ibuprofen 200 mg tablets yielded similar benefits as the methocarbamol 500 mg and acetaminophen 325 mg tablets paired with physical stretching exercises regarding managing overall pain.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.178-184
• /
• 2022

Background: Migraine is one of the leading causes of poor quality of life and disability, and migraine incidences in pediatrics are increasing. Proper medication is important for the preventive and acute treatment of migraine. This study aimed to identify the current status of prescribed medication in pediatric patients with migraine. Methods: We used data from a sample of pediatric patients from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA-PPS-2018) and analyzed the status of prescription drugs and frequency of visits to medical institutions with migraine diagnoses in pediatric patients. Results: A total of 12,228 pediatric patients diagnosed with migraine during 2018 were analyzed. Among these patients, 7,170 (58.64%) were girls and 9,510 (77.77%) were adolescents. Additionally, 9,157 patients (74.89%) received acute treatment, and 592 patients (4.84%) received combination therapy with analgesics and triptans. Acetaminophen for acute treatment and flunarizine for preventive treatment were the most commonly prescribed. In most children and adolescents, acute treatment drugs were prescribed for less than 14 days. Conclusion: Analgesics, such as acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, were prescribed frequently for acute treatment in pediatric patients with migraine. The drug prescription duration was within the recommended range, indicating a low risk of overdose. For preventive treatment, clinically studied medication for pediatric patients with migraine was used.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.49-76
• /
• 2006

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of a computerized review program which was introduced in August 1, 2003, using claims data for acute respiratory infection related diseases. National Health Insurance (NHI) claims data on respiratory infection related diseases before and after the introduction, with six month intervals respectively, were used for the analysis. Clinic was the unit of observation, and clinics with only one physician whose specialty was internal medicine, pediatrics, otorhinolaryngology and family medicine and clinics with a general practitioner were selected. The final sample had 7,637 clinics in total. Indices used to measure practice pattern was prescription rates of antibiotics, prescription rates of injection drug per visit, treatment costs per claim, and total costs per claim. Changes in the number of claims for major disease categories and upcoding index for disease categories were used to measure claiming behavior. Data were analysed using descriptive analysis, t-test for indices changes before and after the introduction, analysis of variance (ANOVA) for practice pattern change for major disease categories, and multiple regression analysis to identify whether new system influenced on provider' practice patterns or not. Prescription of antibiotics, prescription rates of injection drug, treatment costs per claim, and total costs per claim decreased significantly. Results from multiple regression analysis showed that a computerized review system had effects on all the indices measuring behavior. Introduction of the new system had the spillover effects on the provider's behavior in the related disease categories in addition to the effects in the target diseases, but the magnitude of the effects were bigger among the target diseases. Rates of claims for computerized review over total claims for respiratory diseases significantly decreased after the introduction of a computerized review system and rates of claims for non target diseases increased, which was also statistically significant. Distribution of the number of claims by disease categories after the introduction of a computerized review system changed so as to increase the costs per claims. Analysis of upcoding index showed index for 'other acute lower respiratory infection (J20-22)', which was included in the review target, decreased and 'otitis media (H65, H66)', which was not included in the review target, increase. Factors affecting provider's practice patterns should be taken into consideration when policies on claims review method and behavior changes. It is critical to include strategies to decrease the variations among providers.