Background: Reflux occurs in 50% of healthy infants at some point. This is most often a physiological condition and does not require drug treatment. Various studies have shown that the use of drugs affecting gastric acidity (DAGAs) in infants is increasing. This entails disadvantages such as unnecessary exposure of infants to medication and their side effects and a higher cost to society. Objective: To get an image of the current practice in Flanders regarding diagnosis and treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) in infants and the associated use of DAGAs. To this end, we determined both parents’ and health care providers’ experiences and perceptions about these treatments. Method: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in April and May 2019. We developed a questionnaire for parents and three different questionnaires for health care providers (HCPs), including midwives, general practitioners, paediatricians and community pharmacists (CPs). The questionnaire for parents was only available through an online platform. HCPs were questioned face-to-face and through an online platform. Results: This study made clear that the counselling of children with GORD is multidisciplinary as the median number of counselling HCPs is 3 (interquartile range (IQR) = 2–4). 63% of the included 251 parents also seek support through online forums and groups. 60% of parents report that no physical tests were performed before DAGAs were prescribed and 39% of parents additionally state they perceived no effect of the prescribed DAGAs. Although parents reported to understand HCPs well (average score 7.4/10), satisfaction with care and information provision was scored lower (between 4.8 and 6.1/10). On the other hand, 234 HCPs answered the questionnaire, of which 89 midwives, 78 community pharmacists and 67 physicians. Only 45 HCPs indicate that guidelines to diagnose or treat GORD are clear. Physicians confirm they perform very little physical testing before starting DAGAs. Provided nonmedical measures to patients are largely in line with the European guidelines, however perceived effectiveness is moderate. Conclusion: Parents are in need for more information about tests, nutrition and (non)medical measures. HCPs on the other hand are in need for clear guidelines on diagnosing and treating GORD.

Many guidelines offer recommendations to support the continuation of breastfeeding and the choice of medication when a mother undergoes a surgical procedure. The aim of this study is to investigate health care providers’ (HCPs) current practices and knowledge about peri-surgical medication and practices in breastfeeding women. We performed a cross-sectional study in Flanders (Belgium) assessing demographics, beliefs about breastfeeding and its health benefits, current practices concerning breastfeeding women undergoing (surgical) procedures and specific knowledge about the use of medication during breastfeeding. Two hundred and ninety-one (291) participants completed the online questionnaire. Many participants considered their knowledge about breastfeeding to be good, and almost all participants acknowledged the superiority of breastfeeding and the importance of its continuation. Very few participants were, however, familiar with the available protocols concerning surgical procedures in breastfeeding women. Less than half of the participants routinely advised the recommended practices to protect breastfeeding. For most of the peri-surgical medication, participants needed to look-up information about the compatibility with breastfeeding. We conclude that there is a knowledge gap and recommend the development of a comprehensive guideline as well as implementation of this information in basic and post-academic training.

Objectives Alcohol and medication use are increasingly prevalent in the older population. Concurrent use of alcohol and alcohol-interactive (AI) medication can lead to significant adverse consequences. Methods Three reference works were used to create an explicit list of drug substances for which information about the interaction with alcohol was available in at least one of them. Additional information was extracted from the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). The first aim was to generate a list of 256 substances with standardized advice regarding the concurrent use of each drug with alcohol. The second aim was to observe the prevalence of potential drug–alcohol-interactions. The list was applied to a database containing information about alcohol and medication use of 1,016 community-dwelling older patients (≥70 years) with polypharmacy. Results About half of the sample population reported to consume alcohol at least once a week. Around 22% were classified as frequent drinkers (5–7 days/week) and 11% as heavier drinkers (>7 units/week). Ninety-three percent alcohol consumers in our sample took at least one chronic drug that potentially interacts with alcohol and 42% used at least one chronic drug for which alcohol use is considered contraindicated. Conclusions We developed an explicit list of potentially drug–alcohol-interactions in older adults, with standardized handling advice. We observed that prevalence of potential drug–alcohol-interactions is substantial in community-dwelling older patients with polypharmacy.

Objectives Alcohol and medication use are increasingly prevalent in the older population. Concurrent use of alcohol and alcohol-interactive (AI) medication can lead to significant adverse consequences. Methods Three reference works were used to create an explicit list of drug substances for which information about the interaction with alcohol was available in at least one of them. Additional information was extracted from the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). The first aim was to generate a list of 256 substances with standardized advice regarding the concurrent use of each drug with alcohol. The second aim was to observe the prevalence of potential drug–alcohol-interactions. The list was applied to a database containing information about alcohol and medication use of 1,016 community-dwelling older patients (≥70 years) with polypharmacy. Results About half of the sample population reported to consume alcohol at least once a week. Around 22% were classified as frequent drinkers (5–7 days/week) and 11% as heavier drinkers (>7 units/week). Ninety-three percent alcohol consumers in our sample took at least one chronic drug that potentially interacts with alcohol and 42% used at least one chronic drug for which alcohol use is considered contraindicated. Conclusions We developed an explicit list of potentially drug–alcohol-interactions in older adults, with standardized handling advice. We observed that prevalence of potential drug–alcohol-interactions is substantial in community-dwelling older patients with polypharmacy.