Aimee Simone, Assistant Editor

The rate of prescription of codeine to children in emergency departments for injuries and cough and upper respiratory infection remained the same from 2001 through 2010 despite guidelines recommending against its use for these conditions.

Patients who took anti-anxiety or hypnotic drugs had a markedly increased risk of death, which became even more marked with increased consumption of the medications or longer use, a new study finds.

By tracking the number of times Wikipedia articles on influenza and other health-related topics were read, researchers were able to produce accurate estimates of influenza activity in near real-time.

A report finds that childhood vaccinations, boosted by the Vaccines for Children program, will prevent 322 million illnesses and 21 million hospitalizations throughout the lives of children born in the last 2 decades.

The agency's proposal would lead to regulation of e-cigarettes as well as other currently unregulated tobacco products, such as cigars, pipe tobacco, nicotine gels, and waterpipe or hookah tobacco.

Blood pressure and cholesterol control improved in stroke patients who had a monthly visit with either a pharmacist or nurse, but those who saw a pharmacist had significantly greater improvements.

Medication therapy management by phone reduced hospitalizations in home health care patients with the lowest baseline risk of hospitalization but not overall, according to the results of a new study.

Use of a barcode-assisted medication administration system led to a significant increase in overall medication accuracy in most hospital settings, according to the results of a new study.

After an unprecedented drop in medication spending in 2012, the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics finds that per capita use and overall spending on medications in the United States increased in 2013.

By offering quick and convenient tests for diseases such as influenza, HIV, and hepatitis C, community pharmacies could help improve prevention and treatment.

Almost half of teenagers who had recurring headaches were prescribed opioid painkillers, with those who received care in emergency departments even more likely to receive the drugs, a new study finds.

Patients in the WellTransitions program, in which pharmacists help patients transition from hospital to home, were 46% less likely to experience an unplanned hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge.

Patients who self-monitored their international normalized ratio weekly achieved significantly better control than those who did so less frequently, but all home monitoring patients performed well, according to a new study.

A new study finds that 73% of children who developed Clostridium difficile infection were prescribed antibiotics in the 12 weeks prior to diagnosis, and 71% of cases were community-associated.

New study finds that use of azithromycin and levofloxacin are associated with significantly increased risk of death and serious arrhythmia, backing up a safety warning issued by the FDA in March 2013.

Patients who received the antiviral medications within 2 days of symptom onset had particularly reduced rates of death compared with those who received them later or not at all, a meta-analysis finds.

Social media is no longer strictly personal. As the technology continues to evolve, health care professionals are becoming more involved online to help advance their careers and their practice.

Supermarket pharmacies match patient service offerings of chain drug stores and can offer pharmacists a fulfilling, patient-centered career.

The portion of emergency department visits that led to an opioid prescription increased almost 50% between 2001 and 2010 while the portion of visits that were for painful conditions barely increased.

Children whose mothers used acetaminophen during pregnancy had an increased risk for behavioral problems related to ADHD, but experts advise that more research is required to investigate the association.

Research from the United Kingdom suggests that getting the influenza vaccine, especially early in the flu season, significantly reduces one's risk of stroke.

Elderly patients who take antihypertensive medications appear to have an elevated risk of serious falls, especially if they have previously been injured in a fall, but experts caution that the risk-benefit calculus of taking antihypertensives must be considered on an individual basis.

The portion of adults using ADHD medications increased 53.4% from 2008 through 2012, compared with 18.9% among children, according to a report from Express Scripts.

Getting childhood vaccinations according to the recommended schedule appears to reduce the risk of hospitalization for infections, according to the results of a Danish study.

A pair of new studies looks at the effect of care from a multidisciplinary team of providers and use of a smartphone app on asthma adherence in young patients.

A CDC report also finds that reducing the rate of broad-spectrum antibiotic use in hospitalized patients could have a substantial impact on the rate of Clostridium difficile infection.

Medicare patients who were prescribed opioids by multiple providers were more likely to be hospitalized due to adverse effects, but researchers note that pharmacists can help fix the problem.

A Danish study finds that vaccination against the human papillomavirus is associated with reduced rates of precancerous cervical lesions in young women.

Data from California indicate that there have been more severe flu cases this season than in any season since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, and two-thirds of severe cases have occurred in those aged 41 to 64.

Despite limited evidence on whether use of opioid painkillers during pregnancy is safe, a new study finds that approximately 1 in 7 women is exposed to the medications during pregnancy.