If it's not one thing, it's another...
Incorrect Information In PDR Could Affect Overdose Management
WESTPORT, Feb 07 (Reuters) - Physicians who rely on the Physicians' Desk
Reference (PDR) for overdose management advice may be using deficient
information that could lead to "unnecessary morbidity or mortality," report
researchers in the February issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
The researchers at the University of California surveyed physicians who
called the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Poison Control Center during 1
month, to determine their use of the PDR for overdose information. They
found that 50% of the physicians did so in the preceding 12 months.
The investigators also compared PDR overdose treatment recommendations with
five current major toxicology references. They report that "[o]f the 20 PDR
entries [studied], 16 (80%) had at least one deficiency, and 5 (25%) had two
or more deficiencies. Thirteen (65%) omitted an indicated specific
treatment, three (15%) recommended contraindicated treatments, and four
(20%) advised ineffective treatments with potential for harm." Specifically,
the researchers note that the Elavil entry remains unchanged since 1973, and
the Sinequan entry since 1977.
"We did find quite serious discrepancies between toxicologic management and
the guidelines given in the PDR," one of the authors, Dr. Walter H. Mullen,
told Reuters Health. "I think there are two things that can be done by the
FDA. First, they can eliminate that section [on overdose management in the
drug labeling guidelines] if there's difficulty keeping it up-to-date, or
alternatively, they can have some periodic update of the management
guidelines to reflect current standards. The point of the article is to
alert physicians that the information in the PDR may not be as accurate as
we'd like and perhaps it's not, at this time, the best reference for
overdose management."
Ann Emerg Med 1997;29:255-261.
-Westport Newsroom 203 221 7648
Margaret Tuchman (55yrs, Dx 1980)- NJ-08540
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