The FOBT is often used inappropriately in the hospital setting. Confounding factors, such as diet and medication use, which may lead to false positives, are often ignored. Use of the FOBT in-hospital may lead to inappropriate management of patients, increased length of stay and increased direct medical costs. Use of the FOBT should be limited to validated indications only.

No abstract

The use of anti-TNFα therapy does not seem to increase the risk of unfavorable pregnancy outcomes among women with IBD, although the optimal timing of therapy through pregnancy and the postpartum period was not assessed in this analysis. These data can help counsel patients around family planning and perinatal management.

Background. In 2012, Health Canada released a warning regarding domperidone use, based on associations with life-threatening arrhythmias and death. Objective. This study aimed to compare the appropriateness of domperidone prescribing patterns before the advisory to those afterward. Methods. Two retrospective reviews were conducted for patients prescribed domperidone during quarters in 2005 and 2012. Outcomes included appropriateness of indication, dosing regimens, monitoring of electrolytes, baseline electrocardiogram performance and characteristics, presence of left ventricular dysfunction, and coprescription of QT-prolonging medications. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. p values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results. 290 and 287 patients were analyzed in 2005 and 2012, respectively. Domperidone initiation in hospital decreased from 2005 to 2012 (71.4% versus 39.4%, p < 0.0001) as did prescriptions for nonapproved indications (84.8% versus 58.2%, p < 0.0001). In-hospital initiation predicted prescription for nonapproved indications (OR = 7.01, 95% CI 4.52–10.87, p < 0.0001). Use of domperidone as the sole GI drug predicted nonapproved indications (OR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.38–4.55, p = 0.002). Conclusions. The advisory was associated with more appropriate domperidone initiation and compliance with recommended dosages. Our study suggests the need for increased awareness of the dosing and monitoring of domperidone to ensure patient safety.