Use of intravenous proton-pump inhibitors in a teaching hospital practice

BEHIND THE PROTON PUMP INHIBITOR PRESCRIPTION: AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY ON PHYSICIAN PRACTICES AND KNOWLEDGE

BACKGROUND

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely prescribed worldwide, often resulting in their overuse. Consequently, it is essential to identify the likely causes of this overuse to facilitate their appropriate prescription.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess physician prescribing patterns, their knowledge of PPIs, and factors affecting their knowledge.

METHODS

An online survey was conducted among Latin American and Spanish physicians, collecting the following data: professional information, patterns of PPI usage, familiarity with published evidence, and the management approach in three hypothetical case-scenarios. Participant knowledge was categorized as sufficient or insufficient based on the results of the case scenarios. Subsequently, subgroup analysis was performed based on physician training level, years in practice, specialty, and time since the last PPI literature review.

RESULTS

A total of 371 physicians participated in the survey. Thirty-eight percent frequently prescribe PPIs, primarily for prophylactic purposes (57.9%). Eighty percent were unfamiliar with PPI deprescribing strategies, and 54.4% rarely reviewed the ongoing indication of patients taking a PPI. Sixty-four percent demonstrated sufficient knowledge in the case-scenarios. A significant association was observed between specialty type (medical vs surgical: 69.4% vs 46.8%, P<0.001), the timing of the PPI indication literature review (<5 years vs >5 years: 71.4% vs 58.7%, P=0.010), and sufficient knowledge.

CONCLUSION

While most participants prescribed PPIs regularly and for prophylaxis purposes, the majority were unfamiliar with deprescribing strategies and rarely reviewed ongoing indications. Sufficient knowledge is correlated with recent literature reviews and medical specialty affiliation.

BACKGROUND

• The study aims to evaluate physician prescribing patterns, assess their knowledge of proton pump inhibitors, and identify factors influencing their knowledge.

BACKGROUND

• An online survey of Latin American and Spanish physicians assessed proton pump inhibitor usage patterns and case-scenario responses, categorizing knowledge, and conducting subgroup analysis based on training, experience, specialty, and literature review timing.

BACKGROUND

• Thirty-eight percent of surveyed physicians commonly prescribed proton pump inhibitors, and among them, 80% were unfamiliar with deprescribing strategies, with 54.4% rarely reviewing ongoing indications.

BACKGROUND

• Sufficient knowledge was correlated with recent literature reviews and medical specialty affiliations.

The Pattern of Intravenous Proton-Pump Inhibitor Utilization at an Academic Medical Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Objective:

This study was designed to evaluate the extent of inappropriate utilization of intravenous proton-pump inhibitors (IV-PPIs) and its financial burden in a Middle Eastern tertiary care university hospital.

Methods:

This was an observational, retrospective, cross-sectional study carried out in King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. During a study period of 6 consecutive weeks, all hospitalized adult patients (age ≥18) who received IV-PPI selected and mapped with their indications. The patient indications analyzed in comparison with the appropriate indications developed based on the evidence from published literature and guidelines.

Findings:

A total of 347 patients were identified, with a mean age of 51.5 years, of which 51.9% were male. Of all the patients who received IV-PPIs, 251 (72.3%), 66 (19%), and 30 (8.7%) received for stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP), peptic ulcer disease (PUD) or gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERDs), and upper gastrointestinal bleeding, respectively. Overall, only 110 (31.7%) of the 347 patients received IV-PPIs appropriately. The patients with SUP showed the highest percentage of inappropriate use of IV-PPI (80.59%) compared to PUD/GERD (19%). The total cost of inappropriate prescription of IV-PPI was 585,167 Saudi Riyal (SAR) (156,044 USD).

Conclusion:

There is a high tendency of IV-PPI's inappropriate prescription in our hospital setting. This large-scale inappropriate prescription of IV-PPI in the hospital setting not only may lead to increased financial burden but also expose patients to number of undesired effects.

Attitude and knowledge of Saudi community pharmacists towards use of proton pump inhibitors

Introduction

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) effectively suppress acid secretion and play an important role in peptic ulcer disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease. There is a real concern about the overutilization of PPIs, which will lead to significant high cost and undesirable outcomes. Despite that most of PPIs are classified as prescribed medications, yet most of their users take them without prescription in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, it was important to understand community pharmacists practice in dealing with PPIs and to evaluate their despising pattern of these medications.

Method

A cross-sectional survey-based study that was carried out between September and December 2017. The survey intended to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of CPs towards use of proton pump inhibitors and was built as an online survey.

Results

The results of this study showed that almost all CPs prescribe anti-ulcer drugs for their patients. Most of the participants (68.4%) have prescribed PPI for acute gastritis (68.4%), prophylaxis for stress ulcers (17.7%) and stress ulcer (11.1%). 54.9 percent of the participants recommend using acid suppression drugs for 1 to 2 weeks when they prescribe them to their patients. Thirty-two percent of the respondents had reported adverse events with PPIs. The study showed a significant association between length of work experience in community pharmacy and reporting adverse events.

Conclusion

Community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia usually recommend and prescribe PPIs to their patients. Most of them have some knowledge on PPIs indications and side effects. Managing OTC PPI use in the community pharmacy setting is necessary to promote both patient and medication safety.

Potential costs of inappropriate use of proton pump inhibitors

BACKGROUND

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly overused in hospitalized patients. The objectives of this study were to determine the extent of their inappropriate initiation in patients with low risk for gastrointestinal hemorrhage, factors associated with their continuation on discharge and potential cost of this trend.

METHODS

Retrospective examination of patients with low risk for gastrointestinal hemorrhage admitted to a tertiary-care teaching hospital over a 3-month period who received esomeprazole. The following information was collected: age, gender, PPI status (de novo or continued) and admitting diagnoses. Additional information collected from the de novo subgroup included indication for PPI, number of days on PPI and continuation of the drug on discharge. The cost of the medication was obtained from pharmacy records.

RESULTS

Four hundred nine patients were admitted during the study period and 204 (49.9%) received PPI de novo. Among these, 155 patients (76%) had an inappropriate indication for PPI. Of these, 62 (40%) patients were continued on PPI on discharge. Older age was a significant predictor of continuation of PPI at discharge. The estimated cost of the inpatient and outpatient inappropriate use of PPI was $12,272 and $59,272, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

PPIs are overused in the majority of hospitalized patients with low risk for gastrointestinal bleeding and this practice gets perpetuated at discharge, especially in older patients. The cost of this phenomenon is alarming.

Unexplained abdominal pain as a driver for inappropriate therapeutics: an audit on the use of intravenous proton pump inhibitors

Background. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are currently the most effective agents for acid-related disorders. However, studies show that 25–75% of patients receiving intravenous PPIs had no appropriate justification, indicating high rates of inappropriate prescribing.

Objective. To examine the appropriate use of intravenous PPIs in accordance with guidelines and the efficacy of a prescribing awareness intervention at an Asian teaching institution.

Setting. Prospective audit in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia.

Method. Every 4th intravenous PPI prescription received in the pharmacy was screened against hospital guidelines. Interventions for incorrect indication/dose/duration were performed. Patients’ demographic data, medical history and the use of intravenous PPI were collected. Included were all adult inpatients prescribed intravenous PPI.

Main Outcome Measure. Proportion of appropriate IV PPI prescriptions.

Results. Data for 106 patients were collected. Most patients were male [65(61.3%)], Chinese [50(47.2%)], with mean age ± SD = 60.3 ± 18.0 years. Most intravenous PPI prescriptions were initiated by junior doctors from the surgical [47(44.3%)] and medical [42(39.6%)] departments. Only 50/106(47.2%) patients had upper gastrointestinal endoscopy/surgery performed to verify the source of bleeding. Unexplained abdominal pain [81(76.4%)] was the main driver for prescribing intravenous PPIs empirically, out of which 73(68.9%) were for suspected upper gastrointestinal bleed. Overall, intravenous PPI was found to be inappropriately prescribed in 56(52.8%) patients for indication, dose or duration. Interventions on the use of intravenous PPI were most effective when performed by senior doctors (100%), followed by clinical pharmacists (50%), and inpatient pharmacists (37.5%, p = 0.027).

Conclusion. Inappropriate intravenous PPI usage is still prevalent despite the enforcement of hospital guidelines. The promotion of prescribing awareness and evidence-based prescribing through education of medical staff could result in more judicious use of intravenous PPI and dose-optimization.

Attitude and Knowledge of Indian Emergency Care Residents towards Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors

Objective. Several studies carried out in developed countries have reported disproportionately high usage of acid suppressive drugs, especially proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). However, systematic assessment of attitude and practices of health care providers towards the use of these drugs in developing countries is lacking. In this study, we assessed the knowledge, attitude, and preferences of resident doctors posted in the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in North India, towards the use of PPIs. Methods. A questionnaire based survey was carried out. Results. Fifty resident doctors responded to the questionnaire. Thirty-six percent reported prescribing acid suppressive drugs for majority of their patients, while 12% prescribed them to almost all patients they attended. Acute gastritis was the most common indication for prescribing PPI/H₂ blockers (50%). The majority of respondents (92%) regarded PPIs as their first choice in acid suppressive agents and 58% administered it through intravenous route. Knowledge about PPI related adverse effects was low. Conclusions. Emergency care residents in India also tend to overuse PPIs in a manner similar to their counterparts in developed countries. Specific measures may be helpful in preventing such practices.

Profilaxia das úlceras associadas ao estresse

INTRODUÇÃO: As úlceras da mucosa gastroduodenal que aparecem após graves insultos têm sido chamadas de úlceras associadas ao estresse ou, mais genericamente, de "doença mucosa associada ao estresse" (DMAE). São conhecidas desde a Antiguidade e apesar de relacionarem-se com altos índices de morbidade e mortalidade, esquemas de profilaxia no intuito de minimizar seus riscos, só foram introduzidos recentemente. Os inibidores da bomba de prótons têm desempenhado papel importante nesse cenário. MÉTODOS: O presente artigo é uma breve revisão sobre seu uso dentro do contexto clínico da profilaxia do sangramento gastrointestinal relacionado ao estresse.

Clinical and cost impact of intravenous proton pump inhibitor use in non-ICU patients

AIM: To assess the appropriateness of the indication and route of administration of proton-pump-inhibitors (PPIs) and their associated cost impact.

METHODS: Data collection was performed prospectively during a 6-mo period on 340 patients who received omeprazole intravenously during their hospital stay in non-intensive care floors. Updated guidelines were used to assess the appropriateness of the indication and route of administration.

RESULTS: Complete data collection was available for 286 patients which were used to assess intravenous (IV) PPIs utilization. Around 88% of patients were receiving PPIs for claimed stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) indication; of which, only 17% met the guideline criteria for SUP indication, 14% met the criteria for non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs-induced ulcer prophylaxis, while the remaining 69% were identified as having an unjustified indication for PPI use. The initiation of IV PPIs was appropriate in 55% of patients. Half of these patients were candidates for switching to the oral dosage form during their hospitalization, while only 36.7% of these patients were actually switched. The inappropriate initiation of PPIs via the IV route was more likely to take place on the medical floor than the surgical floor (53% vs 36%, P = 0.003). The cost analysis associated with the appropriateness of the indication for PPI use as well as the route of administration of PPI revealed a possible saving of up to $17 732.5 and $14 571, respectively.

CONCLUSION: This study highlights the over-utilization of IV PPIs in non-intensive care unit patients. Restriction of IV PPI use for justified indications and route of administration is recommended.