NICE Eyes on Evidence - Issue 81 February 2016

This month in Eyes on Evidence

Risk of intracranial bleeding when antidepressants are used with NSAIDs
A Korean cohort study found that use of antidepressants in combination with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was associated with an increased risk of bleeding inside the skull within 30 days of first taking the drugs together.

Early identification of dementia with IQCODE in secondary care
A Cochrane review reported that the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) test could be used to identify risk of dementia in older people presenting to secondary care, although this tool was less effective in specialist memory settings than in general hospital settings.

Smoking during pregnancy and risk of stillbirth
A meta-analysis reported that the risk of stillbirth was higher in women who smoked during pregnancy than in pregnant women who did not smoke.

Parental perceptions of child weight
A UK cross-sectional study found that around a third of parents underestimated their child’s weight and less than 1% overestimated the weight of their child.

Long working hours, stroke and coronary heart disease
A meta-analysis found that working 55 hours a week or more was associated with an increased risk of stroke and a smaller increase in the risk of coronary heart disease.

Evidence summaries from NICE’s Medicines and Prescribing Programme

NICE has recently published summaries on:

• Restless legs syndrome: Oxycodone/naloxone prolonged release
• External genital and perianal warts: green tea (Camellia sinensis) leaf extract 10% ointment
• Pregnancy: Effect of metformin on pregnancy outcomes in obese women without diabetes (EMPOWaR study)
• Obesity: liraglutide for weight loss among people with type 2 diabetes (SCALE study)

Apps survey for pharmacists
The National Information Board has asked NICE to develop a framework to evaluate health and medical apps for mobile devices. NICE has developed a short online survey for pharmacists who work in the community or primary care to understand how they use health and medical apps in their practice, and their opinions around app evaluation.