ArticleEuropean journal of clinical pharmacology2010
Drug utilisation on a preterm and neonatal intensive care unit in Germany: a prospective, cohort-based analysis.
Article in European journal of clinical pharmacology, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 92 citations in OpenAlex.
- Use of off-label and unlicenced drugs in hospitalised paediatric patients: a systematic review.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2015Pooled it
- Meropenem vs standard of care for treatment of neonatal late onset sepsis (NeoMero1): A randomised controlled trial.PloS one · 2020Trial
- Off-Label Medication Use in a Serbian Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Evaluation of potential drug-drug interactions in the neonatal intensive care unit with two different decision support software: a retrospective study.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Prescription of off-label and unlicensed medication for newborns hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit.Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo · 2023Observational
- Drug Utilisation and Off-Label Use on a German Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Cohort Study and 10-Year Comparison.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Review of Drug Utilization Studies in Neonatal Units: A Global Perspective.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Review
- Cross-sectional study of drug utilisation in a Chinese neonatal unit.The Journal of international medical research · 2020Article
- Off-label and unlicensed drug use in Ayder comprehensive specialized hospital neonatal intensive care unit.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2020Article
- Impact of preterm birth and low birth weight on medical conditions, medication use and mortality among neonates: a prospective observational cohort study.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2019Observational
- Variation of the prevalence of pediatric polypharmacy: A scoping review.Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety · 2019Article
- Pattern and extent of off-label and unlicensed drug use in neonatal intensive care units in Iran.BMC pediatrics · 2019Article
- Characteristics of prescription in 29 Level 3 Neonatal Wards over a 2-year period (2017-2018). An inventory for future research.PloS one · 2019Observational
- Two decades of off-label prescribing in children: a literature review.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2018Review
- Large differences in neonatal drug use between NICUs are common practice: time for consensus?British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2018Article
- The role of the clinical pharmacist in the NICU: a cross-sectional survey of Australian and Polish pharmacy practice.European journal of hospital pharmacy : science and practice · 2018Article
- Defining pediatric polypharmacy: A scoping review.PloS one · 2018Article
- Article
- Off-label use of antimicrobials in neonates in a tertiary children's hospital.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2017Article
- Pattern of drug use among preterm neonates: results from an Italian neonatal intensive care unit.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study aims to describe the drug use on a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at a University Children's Hospital in Germany, to investigate the licensing status of the drugs used and to conclude critical areas in neonatal intensive care to support prioritisation of future research.
methodsAn 11-month, prospective cohort study was conducted on the NICU at the University Children's Hospital Erlangen, Germany. All products prescribed during the study period were analysed whether or not the SPC contains information on term and preterm neonates.
resultsA total of 183 patients (102 male) with a mean gestational age of 33.6 weeks (minimum = 24, maximum = 42) were included. The mean length of hospitalisation was 19.4 days (minimum = 2, maximum = 167). On average, patients received 11.1 drugs (minimum = 0, maximum = 46). The majority of prescriptions were accounted for by antibiotics (n = 515), which were received by 90% of all patients, followed by CNS drugs (n = 448) and respiratory drugs (n = 306). Of all the different drugs prescribed (n = 102) only 38% had information regarding their use in patients aged less than 1 month in their SPC. Analgesics and cardiovascular drugs were prescribed frequently, but without having information for use in neonates. Seventy percent of all patients and 100% of very preterm infants received at least one of these drugs.
conclusionsTreatment strategies on a preterm intensive care unit are complex and little information is available for the drugs used. Analgesics and cardiovascular drugs are of major concern. Efforts will have to be made to conduct well-designed and powered studies in this vulnerable population.
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