![](/images/graphics-bg.png)
Issues around the Prescription of Half Tablets in Northern Switzerland: The Irrational Case of Quetiapine
Joint Authors
Allemann, Samuel S.
Bornand, Delia
Hug, Balthasar
Hersberger, Kurt E.
Arnet, Isabelle
Source
Issue
Vol. 2015, Issue 2015 (31 Dec. 2015), pp.1-8, 8 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2015-10-11
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
8
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Background.
Prescription of fragmented tablets is useful for individualisation of dose but includes several drawbacks.
Although without score lines, the antipsychotic drug quetiapine was in 2011 the most often prescribed 1/2 tablet in discharge prescriptions at the University Hospital in Basel (USB, 671 beds).
We aimed at analysing the prescription patterns of split tablets in general and of quetiapine in particular in Switzerland.
Methods.
All orders of community pharmacies for unit-of-use soft pouch blisters placed at Medifilm AG, the leader company in Switzerland for repackaging into pouch blisters, were analysed.
Results.
Out of 4,784,999 tablets that were repacked in 2012 in unit-of-use pouch blisters, 8.5% were fragmented, mostly in half (87.6%), and were predominantly psycholeptics (pipamperone 15.8%).
Prescription of half quetiapine appears to be a Basel specificity (highest rates of fragments and half quetiapine).
Conclusions.
Prescription of fragmented tablet is frequent.
It represents a safety issue for the patient, and a pharmaceutical care issue for the pharmacist.
In ambulatory care, the patient’s cognitive and physical capacities must be clarified, suitability of the splitting of the tablet must be checked, appropriate aids must be offered, like a pill-splitting device in order to improve accuracy, and safe use of the drug must be ensured.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Allemann, Samuel S.& Bornand, Delia& Hug, Balthasar& Hersberger, Kurt E.& Arnet, Isabelle. 2015. Issues around the Prescription of Half Tablets in Northern Switzerland: The Irrational Case of Quetiapine. BioMed Research International،Vol. 2015, no. 2015, pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1056081
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Allemann, Samuel S.…[et al.]. Issues around the Prescription of Half Tablets in Northern Switzerland: The Irrational Case of Quetiapine. BioMed Research International No. 2015 (2015), pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1056081
American Medical Association (AMA)
Allemann, Samuel S.& Bornand, Delia& Hug, Balthasar& Hersberger, Kurt E.& Arnet, Isabelle. Issues around the Prescription of Half Tablets in Northern Switzerland: The Irrational Case of Quetiapine. BioMed Research International. 2015. Vol. 2015, no. 2015, pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1056081
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1056081