Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25443768›Full record

ArticleAtencion primaria

[Drug prescriptions study in the outpatient setting: assessment of off-label uses in children].

Encarnación Blanco-Reina, M Auxiliadora Vega-Jiménez, Ricardo Ocaña-Riola, Elisa Isabel Márquez-Romero, Inmaculada Bellido-Estévez

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Atencion primaria. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Observational
  2. Observational
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Encarnación Blanco-ReinaDepartamento de Farmacología y Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, España. Electronic address: eblanco@uma.es.
M Auxiliadora Vega-JiménezCentro de Salud «La Victoria», Distrito Sanitario de Málaga, Málaga, España.
Ricardo Ocaña-RiolaEscuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Granada, España.
Elisa Isabel Márquez-RomeroDispositivo de Cuidados Críticos y Urgencias, Distrito Sanitario de Málaga, Departamento de Farmacología y Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, España.
Inmaculada Bellido-EstévezDepartamento de Farmacología y Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Málaga, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Málaga, España.
Universidad de Málaga · ESAndalusian School of Public Health · ESHospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria · ESInstituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga · ES

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveto evaluate the prescription profile and to assess the off-label and unlicensed uses of medicines among non-hospitalised pediatric patients.

designcross-sectional study.

settingpediatric units in two urban health centers and general emergency room (Hospital Materno-Infantil, Málaga). MAIN MEASUREMENTS: sociodemographics variables, reasons for consultation and information about therapeutic medications. The classification of prescriptions was established according to information requirements contained in the Summary of Products Characteristics (SPC).

resultsA total of 388 children were included (a subsample of 105 treated in the emergency room). Four hundred sixty-two prescriptions (involving 74 different active ingredients) were evaluated. Each infant received and average of 1,7 drugs (95% CI: 1,6-1,9). The most prescribed medicines were ibuprofen, paracetamol, amoxicillin-clavulanate and budesonide. The therapeutic group with the greatest variety of drugs was the respiratory group. 27,4% (95% CI: 23,5-31) of prescriptions were off-label and the main cause was different age (60%; 95% CI: 54,1-63), followed by different dose (21,5%; 95% CI: 18-25), different indication (12%; 95% CI: 9,2-15) and different route of administration (7%; 95% CI: 5,4-10).

conclusionsThe rate of off-label uses presents intermediate figures. Around one third of the paediatric outpatients in our sample are exposed to at least one off-label or unlicensed prescription. We should, however, point out that such usage is based on scant official, quality information, although it is not necessarily incorrect. Evidence-based medicine should be encouraged to improve drug therapy in children, as well as following the rules on drugs in special situations.

Indexed as

AdolescentAmbulatory CareChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesEmergency Service, HospitalFemaleHumansInfantMaleOff-Label UsePrimary Health CareAtención primariaChildrenNiñosOff-labelOff-label usePrescripciones fuera de ficha técnicaPrimary careUnlicensed

Identifiers

PMID25443768
PMCPMC6983703
OpenAlexW2135655857

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.