Pharmacy and therapeutics committees strategy to address olmesartan safety issues at a primary care level.

Background Olmesartan, an antihypertensive drug, has been associated with a severe and potentially life-threatening sprue-like enteropathy, consisting of a serious, chronic diarrhoea and malabsorption syndrome. Treatment with this drug should be discontinued if patients develop such symptoms. Objective To retrospectively determine the reduction in olmesartan prescription following a strategy promoted by pharmacy and therapeutics committees within daily clinical practice to manage updated safety information on olmesartan. Setting Three primary healthcare centres. Method In May 2016, local pharmacy and therapeutics committees integrated by general practitioners, nursing staff and clinical pharmacists sent information about olmesartan safety issues to general practitioners, together with an individual list of their patients who were then being treated with olmesartan. Moreover, information about dose equivalents between angiotensin II receptor blockers and angiotensin II receptor blockers versus angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors was also attached. The strategy aimed to promote individual benefit/risk assessment by general practitioners of the continuation of olmesartan treatment as a means to achieving a decrease in the risk of sprue-like enteropathy. The investigation team retrospectively reviewed the clinical records. Main outcome measure Reduction of olmesartan prescription. Results Olmesartan was discontinued in 44.4% of patients (197/444) in the year after the safety alert e-mail. In their medical records general practitioners registered that, after informing about olmesartan safety warnings, in four cases (0.9%), patients reported gastrointestinal symptoms. Conclusion A multidisciplinary strategy implemented to promote individual benefit/risk assessment regarding continuation of olmesartan treatment showed an important reduction in olmesartan prescriptions 1 year later.

Effectiveness of a new one-hour blood pressure monitoring method to diagnose hypertension: a diagnostic accuracy clinical trial protocol.

INTRODUCTION: 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is the gold standard diagnostic method for hypertension, but has some shortcomings in clinical practice while clinical settings often lack sufficient devices to accommodate all patients with suspected hypertension. Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) and office blood pressure monitoring (OBPM) also have shortcomings, such as the white coat effect or a lack of accuracy. This study aims to study the validity of a new method of diagnosing hypertension consisting of monitoring blood pressure (BP) for 1 hour and comparing it with OBPM and HBPM and examining the sensitivity and specificity of this method compared with 24-hour ABPM. The patient experience will be examined in each method. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A minimum sample of 214 patients requiring a diagnostic test for hypertension from three urban primary healthcare centres will be included. Participants will undergo 24-hour ABPM, 1-hour BP measurement (1-BPM), OBPM for three consecutive weeks and HBPM. Patients will follow a random sequence to first receive 24-hour ABPM or 1-hour ABPM. Daytime 24-hour ABPM records will be compared with the other monitoring methods using the correlation coefficient and Bland Altman plots. The kappa concordance index and the sensitivity and specificity of the methods will be calculated. The patient's experience will be studied, with selected indicators of efficiency and satisfaction calculated using parametric tests. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol has been authorised by the research ethics committee of the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Ref. HCB/2014/0615): protocol details and amendments will be recorded and reported to ClinicalTrials.com. The results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed literature, and to policy makers and healthcare partners. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03147573; Pre-results.

Osteopenia en atención primaria: ¿debemos ser más rigurosos? / Osteopenia in primary health care patients: ¿do we need to be more rigorous?

Objetivo: Describir el tratamiento prescrito a mujeres osteopénicas atendidas en un centro de atención primaria urbano y el cumplimiento de las pacientes que reciben prescripción de calcio o vitamina D. Material y métodos: Estudio transversal en mujeres con osteopenia diagnosticada por densitometría ósea (DMO) entre febrero de 2005 y enero de 2006 (n=118). Comprobación en la historia clínica de: información demográfica; antecedentes de fractura, tipo; antecedentes familiares de fractura; hábito tabáquico; toma de fármacos o antecedente de enfermedad crónica relacionados con disminución de DMO; valoración/consejo dietético, valoración de exposición solar; prescripción de calcio, vitamina D y raloxifeno/bisfosfonatos; dosis diaria media de calcio y vitamina D recogida por las pacientes de la farmacia. Análisis de la prescripción de fármacos y del cumplimiento en función de las variables recogidas. Resultados: Media de edad, 61,9±9,1 años; el 90,7% posmenopáusicas. La valoración/consejo dietético se encontró en el 30,5%. La prescripción de fármacos fue: calcio, 74,6%; vitamina D, 68,6%, y raloxifeno/bisfosfonato, 16,1%. La prescripción de todos los fármacos se asoció a valores más bajos de T-score. El cumplimiento medio de las mujeres se estimó en 423,8±321,7 mg Ca/día, y 343,1±225,9 UI de vitamina D, sin relación significativa con ninguna de las variables estudiadas. Conclusiones: Se identifica una mayor prescripción de los tratamientos farmacológicos en pacientes con valores de T-score menores. El antecedente personal de fractura no se asocia a la prescripción de fármacos ni al mejor cumplimiento por las pacientes. En la historia clínica de las mujeres osteopénicas hay una falta de registro de aspectos relevantes. El cumplimiento de los suplementos de calcio y vitamina D es muy variable (AU)

Aim: To describe the treatment prescribed to osteopenic women seen at an urban primary health care centre and the treatment compliance of those patients with a prescription of calcium and/or vitamin D. Materials and method: Cross-sectional study, osteopenic women diagnosed by bone densitometry between February 2005 and January 2006 (n=121). Clinical history review: demographic information; previous clinical history of bone fracture, type of fracture; parental history of fractures; tobacco use; osteoporosis-related medication or disease; dietary and sun exposure assessment; calcium, vitamin D and raloxiphene/bisphosphonates prescription; mean daily dose of calcium and vitamin D supplements collected at the pharmacy by patients. Analysis of treatment prescription and compliance according to the information collected was performed. Results: Mean age, 61.9±9.1 years; 90.7% post-menopausic. The dietary assessment was performed in 30.5% of the women included in the study. The drug prescription was as follows: calcium 74.6%, vitamin D 68.6% and raloxiphene/bisphosphonates 16.1%. All drug prescriptions were associated with lower T-score values. The patient's compliance of calcium supplements has been calculated as mean of 423.8±321.7 mg/day, and 343.1±225.9 IU of vitamin D; with no association with any of the studied variables. Conslusions: We identified greater drug prescription in those patients with a lower T-score. The clinical history of previous fracture did not show association with drug prescription nor a better compliance. There was a lack of information about relevant issues in the clinical history of the osteopenic women included in the study. The patient's compliance of calcium and vitamin-D supplements is very variable (AU)

[Osteopenia in primary health care patients: ¿do we need to be more rigorous?]. / Osteopenia en atención primaria: ¿debemos ser más rigurosos?

AIM: To describe the treatment prescribed to osteopenic women seen at an urban primary health care centre and the treatment compliance of those patients with a prescription of calcium and/or vitamin D. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Cross-sectional study, osteopenic women diagnosed by bone densitometry between February 2005 and January 2006 (n=121). Clinical history review: demographic information; previous clinical history of bone fracture, type of fracture; parental history of fractures; tobacco use; osteoporosis-related medication or disease; dietary and sun exposure assessment; calcium, vitamin D and raloxiphene/bisphosphonates prescription; mean daily dose of calcium and vitamin D supplements collected at the pharmacy by patients. Analysis of treatment prescription and compliance according to the information collected was performed. RESULTS: Mean age, 61.9±9.1 years; 90.7% post-menopausic. The dietary assessment was performed in 30.5% of the women included in the study. The drug prescription was as follows: calcium 74.6%, vitamin D 68.6% and raloxiphene/bisphosphonates 16.1%. All drug prescriptions were associated with lower T-score values. The patient's compliance of calcium supplements has been calculated as mean of 423.8±321.7 mg/day, and 343.1±225.9 IU of vitamin D; with no association with any of the studied variables. CONCLUSIONS: We identified greater drug prescription in those patients with a lower T-score. The clinical history of previous fracture did not show association with drug prescription nor a better compliance. There was a lack of information about relevant issues in the clinical history of the osteopenic women included in the study. The patient's compliance of calcium and vitamin-D supplements is very variable.