ArticlePloS one2022
Sociodemographic variation in prescriptions dispensed in early pregnancy in Northern Ireland 2010-2016.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Estimating the Prevalence of Prescribed Medication Use in Pregnancy with a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Drug safety · 2026Pooled it
- Medication use from conception to the first antenatal appointment: agreement between maternal self-report to midwife and prescribing records in Northern Ireland in 2011-2016.International journal of population data science · 2025Article
- Social inequalities in childhood asthma.The World Allergy Organization journal · 2024Review
- Data sources on COVID-19 infection and vaccination in pregnancy on the island of Ireland: strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for future pandemic preparedness.HRB open research · 2024Article
- Data Resource Profile: The Enhanced Prescribing Database (EPD) in Northern Ireland.International journal of population data science · 2023Article
- Opportunities and challenges of pharmacovigilance in special populations: a narrative review of the literature.Therapeutic advances in drug safety · 2023Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimTo establish the prevalence of prescriptions dispensed in early pregnancy by maternal age and area deprivation, for women who gave birth in Northern Ireland (NI) 2011-2016. STUDY
designPopulation-based linked cohort study.
methodsThe NI Maternity System (NIMATS) database was used to identify all births to resident mothers in NI between 2011 and 2016. Prescriptions dispensed between the last menstrual period (LMP) and the first antenatal care visit (mean 10.7 weeks) (2010-2016) were extracted from the Enhanced Prescribing Database (EPD) which records all prescriptions dispensed by pharmacists in NI. EPD data were linked to NIMATS using the mother's Health and Care Number. Maternal deprivation based on the NI Multiple Deprivation Measure 2017 was linked using the mother's postcode.
resultsThe cohort included 139,687 pregnancies resulting in live or stillbirths to 106,206 women. A medication was dispensed in 63.5% of pregnancies, and in 48.7% of pregnancies excluding supplements (vitamins, iron, and folic acid). Folic acid was the most commonly dispensed medication (33.1%). Excluding supplements, the mean number of medications was 1.1, with 4.2% having ≥5 medications. The most common non-supplement medications were antibiotics (13.1%), antiemetics (8.7%), analgesics (6.9%), hormonal medications (6.9%) and antidepressants (6.1%). Younger women (<20 years) had more antibiotics while older women (40+ years) had more antidepressants, cardiovascular, antihypertensives, anticoagulant medications and thyroxine. The proportion of women living in the most deprived areas with prescriptions for antidepressants, sedatives, tranquilisers, analgesics, and anti-epileptic medications was double the proportion of women with these medications in the least deprived areas.
conclusionHalf of all pregnant women in NI were dispensed a non-supplement medication between LMP and the first antenatal care visit. Younger and older mothers and those living in the most deprived areas were more likely to have medications dispensed. More antidepressants were dispensed in areas of social deprivation.
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