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Drug Safety
Published in: Drug Safety 6/2015

01-06-2015 | Systematic Review

Harmonizing Post-Market Surveillance of Prescription Drug Misuse: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies Using Routinely Collected Data (2000–2013)

Authors: Bianca Blanch, Nicholas A. Buckley, Leigh Mellish, Andrew H. Dawson, Paul S. Haber, Sallie-Anne Pearson

Published in: Drug Safety | Issue 6/2015

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Abstract

Background

Prescription drug misuse is a growing public health concern globally. Routinely collected data provide a valuable tool for quantifying prescription drug misuse.

Objective

To synthesize the global literature investigating prescription drug misuse utilizing routinely collected, person-level prescription/dispensing data to examine reported measures, documented extent of misuse and associated factors.

Methods

The MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, MEDLINE In Process, Scopus citations and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant articles published between 1 January 2000 and 31 July 2013. A total of 10,803 abstracts were screened and 281 full-text manuscripts were retrieved. Fifty-two peer-reviewed, English-language manuscripts met our inclusion criteria—an aim/method investigating prescription drug misuse in adults and a measure of misuse derived exclusively from prescription/dispensing data.

Results

Four proxies of prescription drug misuse were commonly used across studies: number of prescribers, number of dispensing pharmacies, early refills and volume of drugs dispensed. Overall, 89 unique measures of misuse were identified across the 52 studies, reflecting the heterogeneity in how measures are constructed: single or composite; different thresholds, cohort definitions and time period of assessment. Consequently, it was not possible to make definitive comparisons about the extent (range reported 0.01–93.5 %), variations and factors associated with prescription drug misuse.

Conclusions

Routine data collections are relatively consistent across jurisdictions. Despite the heterogeneity of the current literature, our review identifies the capacity to develop universally accepted metrics of misuse applied to a core set of variables in prescription/dispensing claims. Our timely recommendations have the potential to unify the global research field and increase the capacity for routine surveillance of prescription drug misuse.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Harmonizing Post-Market Surveillance of Prescription Drug Misuse: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies Using Routinely Collected Data (2000–2013)
Authors
Bianca Blanch
Nicholas A. Buckley
Leigh Mellish
Andrew H. Dawson
Paul S. Haber
Sallie-Anne Pearson
Publication date
01-06-2015
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Published in
Drug Safety / Issue 6/2015
Print ISSN: 0114-5916
Electronic ISSN: 1179-1942
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40264-015-0294-8

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