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Off-Label Medication Use in the Inpatient Palliative Care Unit
| Content Provider | Scilit |
|---|---|
| Author | Kwon, Jung Hye Kim, Min Ji Bruera, Sebastian Park, Minjeong Bruera, Eduardo Hui, David |
| Copyright Year | 2017 |
| Description | Journal: Journal of pain and symptom management Context Although off-label medications are frequently prescribed in palliative care, there are no published studies examining their use in the U.S. Objectives We examined the frequency of off-label medication use in cancer patients admitted to an acute palliative care unit (APCU). Methods This prospective observational study enrolled consecutive patients with advanced cancer admitted to the APCU of a tertiary care cancer center. We collected data on all prescription events, including indications for use, from admission to discharge. Off-label use was checked against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration–approved indications. Results Among the 201 patients, median survival was 10 days (95% CI 7–13), and 85 (42%) patients died in the APCU. We documented 6276 prescription events, and 2199 (35%) were off-label. Among off-label prescriptions, central nervous system agents (n = 1606, 73%), hormones and synthetic substitutes (n = 302, 14%), and autonomic drugs (n = 183, 8%) were most commonly prescribed. Haloperidol (n = 720, 33%), chlorpromazine (n = 292, 13%), dexamethasone (n = 280, 13%), glycopyrrolate (n = 175, 8%), hydromorphone (n = 161, 7%), and morphine (n = 156, 7%) were most frequently prescribed off-label. The most common indications for off-label prescribing were delirium (n = 783, 36%) and dyspnea (n = 449, 20%). Seventy percent of all off-label prescription events had strong evidence supporting use, and 19% of prescription events had moderate or weak evidence for use. Conclusion One-third of prescription events in the APCU were off-label, with majority of off-label use having a strong level of supporting evidence. Our findings highlight the need for more research in key areas such as delirium and dyspnea management. |
| Related Links | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5841461/pdf http://www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S088539241730180X/pdf |
| Ending Page | 54 |
| Page Count | 9 |
| Starting Page | 46 |
| ISSN | 08853924 |
| e-ISSN | 18736513 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2017.03.014 |
| Journal | Journal of pain and symptom management |
| Issue Number | 1 |
| Volume Number | 54 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV |
| Publisher Date | 2017-05-04 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Journal: Journal of pain and symptom management Emergency Medicine Drug Prescriptions Unlabeled Indication |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
| Subject | Nursing Neurology (clinical) Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine |
