This study demonstrated that at a paediatric isolation ward the incidence of ADRs caused by unlicensed or off-label drug use was not significantly more than that caused by the licensed drug use. However, patients treated with unlicensed or off-label drugs were shown to possess a significantly increased risk for developing ADRs.

Abstract. Dormann H, Neubert A, Criegee-Rieck M, Egger T, Radespiel-Tröger M, Azaz-Livshits T, Levy M, Brune K, Hahn EG (University of ErlangenNuremberg, Germany; and Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel) Readmissions and adverse drug reactions in internal medicine: the economic impact.

In geriatric patients the incidence of ADRs is high. Computerised drug databases are a useful tool for detecting and avoiding ADRs. Our software, however, also produced a large number of signals that did not relate to actual ADRs found by the PET. The sheer number of these 'false' signals shows the need for refinement and optimisation of databases for daily clinical use.

BackgroundThe European eHealthMonitor project (eHM) developed a user-sensitive and interactive web portal for dementia care: the eHM Dementia Portal (eHM-DP). It aims to provide targeted and personalized support for informal caregivers of people with dementia in a home-based care setting. The objective of the pilot study was to obtain feedback on the eHM-DP from two user perspectives (caregivers and medical professionals), focusing on caregiver empowerment, decision aid, and the perceived benefits of the eHM-DP.MethodsThe study on the eHM-DP was conducted from March 2014 to June 2014. The methodological approach followed a user-participatory design with a total number of 42 participants. The study included caregivers of people with dementia and medical professionals (MPs) from the metropolitan region of Erlangen-Nürnberg (Bavaria, Germany). Study participants were interviewed face-to-face with semi-structured, written interviews.ResultsCaregivers indicated a high degree of perceived support by the eHM-DP and of provided decision aid. In total, 89 % of caregivers and 54 % of MPs would use the eHM-DP if access were provided. The primary benefits participants perceived were the acquisition of individualized information, computerized interaction between caregivers and MPs, empowerment in health-related decisions and comprehensive insights into the progress of the disease. Major recommendations for improving the eHM-DP encompassed: an active search functionality based on predefined terms, the implementation of a chatroom for caregivers, an upload function and alerts for MPs, as well as the overall design.ConclusionsOur study is the first to have provided new insights and results on an interactive and needs-oriented web portal, endeavouring towards empowerment and assistance in decision making for caregivers as well as MPs within the realm of caring for patients with dementia. The acceptance and willingness to use the eHM-DP emphasizes the potential of eHealth services for community-based dementia care settings.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12911-015-0182-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Computer monitoring is an effective method for improving the detection of adverse drug reactions in inpatients. The excess length of stay and costs caused by adverse drug reactions are substantial and might be considerably reduced by earlier detection.