Research Topics
The association between cardiovascular medication use and motor & cognitive decline in the elderly.
The safety and efficacy of new oral anticoagulants.
The safety and effectiveness of medication use in pregnant women and children.
The cardiac toxicity of drugs.
Pharmacoepidemiological methods can be applied to perform risk-benefit assessments in these populations to enable better drug treatment while minimizing risk. Pharmacoepidemiology bridges the gap between epidemiology and clinical pharmacology through the application of epidemiological methods to study the use and the effects of drugs in a large number of people.
My research is aimed at expanding our knowledge regarding drug treatment in special populations, namely pregnant women, children and elderly. These populations are often excluded, or dramatically under-represented, in randomized controlled trials. Data of medication effects in these populations in therefor scarce. In my research group, we utilize advanced analytical methods to evaluate the safety of medication in special populations using large electronic medical databases, ongoing cohort studies, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of drugs. Our meta-analyses employ a wide range of tools, including frequentist and Bayesian methods, network analysis, and meta-regression methods.
Previous and ongoing research using meta-analysis methods:
Major Bleeding and Hemorrhagic Stroke with Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients With Renal Failure: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials. (Raccah et al. Chest. 2016 Jun;149(6):1516-24).
Role of vasopressin and terlipressin in refractory shock compared to conventional therapy in the neonatal and pediatric population: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and trial sequential analysis. (Masarwa et al. Crit Care. 2017 Jan 5;21(1):1).
Z-drugs and risk of falls and fractures: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Study Protocol.
Keywords
Pharmacoepidemiology, clinical pharmacy, drug safety & effectiveness, drug utilization, special populations, pregnant women, children, observational studies, pharmcoepidemiological research methods and methodology.
