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NEWS FROM CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE
July 19, 2007
Cambridge Health Alliance Clinicians Offer New Research on Breastfeeding
and Medications Timed to World Breastfeeding Week
Research Alert
Study Title: Lactation Safety Recommendations and Reliability
Compared in 10 Medication Resources.
Study Summary: In this first-of-its-kind study, the authors
determined the reliability of safety recommendations for drugs used
during lactation.
Background: Discontinuation of breastfeeding is linked with
an increased risk of acute and chronic diseases in children, as
well as increased risk of maternal disease. Mothers and physicians
often depend on pharmacists for accurate drug information. Their
information is only as good as the sources available to them.
Methods: The authors analyzed the safety evaluations for
14 drugs commonly used during breastfeeding. They compared the safety
data provided by 10 frequently used medical references, which included
databases used by two retail pharmacy chains, available text references,
and electronic references.
Results: While the study found that a majority of reference
sources rely on up-to-date research when evaluating the safety of
drugs used during lactation, the authors also determined that many
drug recommendations vary significantly and are not always based
on the most current data.
Conclusions: Many medication resources rely on outdated
references, which may lead to the inappropriate discontinuation
of breastfeeding. The authors found conflicting recommendations
regarding drugs used during lactation and concluded that LactMed,
an online resource from the National Library of Medicine, was the
most reliable and accessible. If healthcare practitioners use outdated
resources when making safety recommendations to their patients,
many women may be inappropriately advised to stop breastfeeding,
thus placing their health and the health of their infants at increased
risk.
Authors: Monica Akus, PharmD, BCPS, CACP, a clinical pharmacist
at Cambridge Health Alliance and an assistant professor of pharmacy
practice at the University of Rhode Island; and Melissa Bartick,
MD, MS, a hospitalist with Cambridge Health Alliance, an instructor
in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the chair of the Massachusetts
Breastfeeding Coalition.
Journal: The Annals of Pharmacotherapy: available online
now at www.theannals.com.
Cambridge Health Alliance is a regional healthcare system
with three hospitals and more than twenty primary care practices
in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston's metro-North communities.
As a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Cambridge Health
Alliance offers medical residency/training programs and undergraduate
learning experiences in hospital and community settings. Cambridge
Health Alliance also includes the Cambridge Public Health Department,
CHA Physician's Organization (CHAPO), and Network Health, a managed
Medicaid and Commonwealth Care plan.
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