ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2024
Polypharmacy in Children with Medical Complexity: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Pediatric Palliative Care Center.
Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Increasing complexity in children with life-limiting conditions in England: an analysis of national routine data.Archives of disease in childhood · 2026Article
- Polypharmacy and adverse drug reactions among hospitalised children: determinants and clinical and economic impact in a multicentre prospective cohort and nested matched case-control study in Northwest Ethiopia.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Article
- Evolution of Clinical Fragility and Medication Burden in Children with Medical Complexity: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Assessment of Sorbitol as a Pharmaceutical Excipient in Oral Liquid Pediatric Formulations Submitted to the U.S. FDA.The AAPS journal · 2026Article
- Polypharmacy and Drug Interaction Risk in Children and Adolescents with Congenital Heart Defects: Insights from a Nationwide Survey.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Caregiver burden in children with medical complexity: an approach based on the identification of associated factors.Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo · 2026Article
- Prevalence of drug-drug interactions in children with cardiac disorders receiving off-label drugs in a single centre in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Assessment of Caregiver Burden and Burnout in Pediatric Palliative Care: A Path Toward Improving Children's Well-Being.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Improving Medication Safety Through Medication Reconciliation in Pediatric Neurology: Clinical Pharmacist Recommendations and Physician Uptake in a 13-Week Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Polypharmacy in Pediatric Palliative Care: Exploring Discrepancies Between Physicians and Pharmacists.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Pre-prescription review system improves prescription safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in pediatric outpatients: a western China study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Alpha-2 agonists for refractory neurological symptoms in pediatric palliative care: a scoping review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Review
- The role and perception of the caregiver in a specialized pediatric palliative care center in medicine preparation and administration: a survey study.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChildren with medical complexity (CMC) often require multiple medications, leading to polypharmacy, which seems to be linked to adverse effects, administration errors, and increased caregiver burden. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of polypharmacy, medication burden, off-label drug use, and associated costs.
methodsConducted at the Pediatric Palliative Care Center of Padua, Italy, from August to October 2021, this cross-sectional observational study included patients up to 23 years old with at least one prescribed drug. Data were collected from medical records and caregiver interviews. Drug costs were collected from the Italian Medicine Agency. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. For comparisons among categorical variables, the Chi-square test was used, and for those among continuous variables, the ANOVA test was used.
resultsThis study analyzed treatment regimens of 169 patients with a median age of 12.5 years (0.3-23). Polypharmacy was present in 52.7% of patients, and medication burden was observed in 44.4%, both varying significantly by primary diagnosis (
conclusionspolypharmacy and medication burden are frequent among our CMC population, with some differences according to primary diagnosis.
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