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Es ist davon auszugehen, dass ein relevanter Teil in der Fachinformation erwähnten Nebenwirkungen nichts mit der getesteten Substanz zu tun hat, sondern als «Hintergrundrauschen» zu interpretieren ist, und dass auch heute noch wichtige Nebenwirkungen weiterhin systematisch verpasst werden und somit nicht in der Fachinformation auftauchen.

Objectives To provide estimates of the prevalence of chronic conditions in Swiss primary care. Methods In total, 175 general practitioners (GP) or pediatricians (PED) reporting to the Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network collected morbidity data. Results In 26,853 patient contacts, mean (± SD) age was 55.8 ± 21.6 or 6.1 ± 5.7 years (in GPs vs. PEDs, respectively) and 47% were males. In GP patients, median Thurgau Morbidity Index was 2 (IQR 1–3). The median numbers of chronic conditions and permanently used prescribed drugs were 2 (0–5) and 2 (1–4), respectively; in PEDs medians were 0. Out of all patients, 16.7 and 7.0% of the PED patients were hospitalized during the previous year; patients cared by family/proxies or community nurses were hospitalized significantly more often than patients living in homes (50.1 vs. 35.4%, OR 1.41, p

Objectives To describe the type, frequency, seasonal and regional distribution of medication incidents in primary care in Switzerland and to elucidate possible risk factors for medication incidents. Design Prospective surveillance study. Setting Swiss primary healthcare, Swiss Sentinel Surveillance Network. Participants Patients with drug treatment who experienced any erroneous event related to the medication process and interfering with normal treatment course, as judged by their physician. The 180 physicians in the study were general practitioners or paediatricians participating in the Swiss Federal Sentinel reporting system in 2015. Outcomes Primary: medication incidents; secondary: potential risk factors like age, gender, polymedication, morbidity, care-dependency, previous hospitalisation. Results The mean rates of detected medication incidents were 2.07 per general practitioner per year (46.5 per 1 00 000 contacts) and 0.15 per paediatrician per year (2.8 per 1 00 000 contacts), respectively. The following factors were associated with medication incidents (OR, 95% CI): higher age 1.004 per year (1.001; 1.006), care by community nurse 1.458 (1.025; 2.073) and care by an institution 1.802 (1.399; 2.323), chronic conditions 1.052 (1.029; 1.075) per condition, medications 1.052 (1.030; 1.074) per medication, as well as Thurgau Morbidity Index for stage 4: 1.292 (1.004; 1.662), stage 5: 1.420 (1.078; 1.868) and stage 6: 1.680 (1.178; 2.396), respectively. Most cases were linked to an incorrect dosage for a given patient, while prescription of an erroneous medication was the second most common error. Conclusions Medication incidents are common in adult primary care, whereas they rarely occur in paediatrics. Older and multimorbid patients are at a particularly high risk for medication incidents. Reasons for medication incidents are diverse but often seem to be linked to communication problems.

Purpose: Existing drug safety systems with phase II and III studies and post-marketing surveillance by principle do not allow for the recognition of an important class of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). ADRs that are resistant to being detected reliably may a) appear as if they are age-related chronic diseases, which also manifest themselves in a high degree without drug treatment, b) arise in "old” drugs, c) arise during long-term application, and d) arise with the administration to frail and aged populations. Conclusions: "Silent” and multi-factorial health problems evolving from long-term drug treatment must therefore be addressed with a systematic search strategy, as a third track along with the phase II and III studies and spontaneous reporting systems which still exist

Knowledge of spider bites in Central Europe derives mainly from anecdotal case presentations; therefore we aimed to collect cases systematically. From June 2011 to November 2012 we prospectively collected 17 cases of alleged spider bites, and together with two spontaneous notifications later on, our database totaled 19 cases. Among them, eight cases could be verified. The causative species were: Cheiracanthium punctorium (3), Zoropsis spinimana (2), Amaurobius ferox, Tegenaria atrica and Malthonica ferruginea (1 each). Clinical presentation was generally mild, with the exception of Cheiracanthium punctorium, and patients recovered fully without sequelae. In Switzerland, spider bites generally have a benign clinical course, which is characterised by minor effects, with rapid and complete recovery. Since only verified spider bites can be regarded as spider bites, in the case of clinically important arachnidism, the spider should be sent to an expert for identification. Our study may help to diminish spider fear and reassure people who have experienced a bite. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01355744).

The prevalence of exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) has mainly been investigated in marathoners and Ironman triathletes. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of EAH in male ultraendurance athletes in other disciplines, such as ultraswimming, ultracycling, and ultramarathon running.Observational field study."Marathon Swim" in Lake Zurich, the "Swiss Cycling Marathon," the "Swiss Bike Masters," the "100-km Lauf Biel," and the "Swiss Jura Marathon."Fifteen ultraswimmers, 28 ultra-road cyclists, 37 ultra-mountain bikers, 95 ultramarathoners, and 25 mountain ultramarathoners.Changes in body mass, plasma sodium, urinary specific gravity, and hematocrit were measured. The athletes recorded their intake of fluids.Two swimmers (13%), 3 road cyclists (10.7%), no mountain bikers (0%), 5 ultramarathoners (5%), and 2 mountain ultramarathoners (8%) developed EAH. In the mountain bikers (r = -0.41) and the 100-km ultramarathoners (r = -0.52), fluid intake was significantly and negatively related to race time. In the mountain ultramarathoners, fluid consumption increased during the race.The prevalence of EAH was no higher in ultraendurance athletes compared with existing reports on marathoners and Ironman triathletes. Of the 200 investigated ultraendurance athletes, 12 finishers (6%) developed EAH.

Principles Bone and joint problems in Parkinson's disease (PD) are manifold: decreased mobility, abnormal posture, as well as the risk of falling may cause both acute and chronic damage to the musculoskeletal system. In patients with Parkinson's disease, postural instability and falls are frequently observed. The aim of the study was to review the literature with respect to the bone health and risk of fractures in these patients. Methods We conducted a review on bone health in patients with Parkinson's disease. Results There is evidence that patients with PD have an increased risk of fractures, especially of the hip, due to the elevated risk of falling. While rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability (but not tremor) predict falls, fractures also correlate with bone mineral density, which is generally lowered in this group of patients as compared to age- and sex-matched controls. Typically PD patients have "high turnover osteoporosis" due to several causes. Conclusions Any newly diagnosed patient with PD should be evaluated for the risk of falling and osteoporosis and routinely be supplemented with vitamin D. In the case of osteoporosis, blood samples for detecting underlying and treatable conditions should be taken and bisphosphonates administered to the patient. It is unclear whether drugs typically used for PD provoke or worsen osteoporosis. Nevertheless, every long-term medication should undergo safety studies to demonstrate lack of negative interference with bone metabolism. Drug admission authorities should demand these data when registering new substances or when renewing old admissions.

Background Few studies have investigated whether patients and physicians differ in their attitudes regarding placebo interventions in medical practice. Aim To compare the proportions of patients and physicians who would accept therapies that do not work through specific pharmacological or physiological action but by enhancing self-healing capacities and by exploiting contextual factors. Design of study Survey of a random sample of GPs and patients consecutively attending in primary care practices. Setting Four hundred and seventy-seven patients and 300 GPs from primary care practices of the Canton Zurich of Switzerland were approached. Method Two questionnaires on responders9 attitudes regarding non-specific therapies. Results The response rates were 87% for patients and 79% for GPs. Eighty-seven per cent of patients and 97% of GPs thought that physical complaints can get better by believing in the effectiveness of the therapy. Overall there was more support for placebo interventions among patients than among GPs, yet 90% of the physicians admitted to actively proposing treatments intended to take advantage of non-specific effects. Seventy per cent of the patients wanted to be explicitly informed when receiving a non-specific intervention, whereas physicians thought this was the case for only 33% of their patients. Fifty-four per cent of patients would be disappointed when learning they had unknowingly been treated with pure placebo (‘sugar pill’), while only 44% would feel that way after treatment with impure placebo (for example, herbal medicine). Conclusion GPs rather underestimate the openness of their patients to non-specific therapies. However, patients want to be appropriately informed. Developing specific professional standards could help physicians to harness the ‘power of the placebo’, while remaining authentic and credible.

Placebo-ähnliche Therapien werden in der Praxis häufig verordnet. Sie sind zu verantworten, wenn sie von adäquater Information begleitet sind. Eine bewusste Täuschung oder eine übertriebene Schilderung eines Nutzensist jedoch nicht zulässig.

BACKGROUND/RATIONALE: Patient safety is a major concern in healthcare systems worldwide. Although most safety research has been conducted in the inpatient setting, evidence indicates that medical errors and adverse events are a threat to patients in the primary care setting as well. Since information about the frequency and outcomes of safety incidents in primary care is required, the goals of this study are to describe the type, frequency, seasonal and regional distribution of medication incidents in primary care in Switzerland and to elucidate possible risk factors for medication incidents. Label="METHODS AND ANALYSIS" ="METHODS"/>