Sabine Ruths - MD, PhD, associate professor

Section for General Practice,
Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care,
University of Bergen
Kalfarveien 31, N-5018 Bergen, Norway

Tel +47 55 58 61 29
Fax +47 55 58 61 30
E-mail: Sabine.Ruths@isf.uib.no

• 1983 Medical Degree (MD), University of Groningen, The Netherlands.

• 2004 Dr.med. / PhD, University of Bergen

• 2006 Approved specialist in General Practice.

• 1983-1985 Internship at Deventer Hospital, The Netherlands.

• 1985-1986 Resident at Depts of Internal Medicine, Surgery, and Gynecology & Obstetrics, Leeuwarden Medical Centre, The Netherlands.

• 1987-1988 Research fellow at Clinical Immunology Laboratory, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

• 1989 Resident at the Dept of Surgery, Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital, Bergen.

• 1990 Internship at the municipality of Kvinnherad.

• 1990-1995 General practitioner in Øystese, Bergen and Os.

• 1994-2000 Nursing home physician, Os sykehjem (part time).

• 1999-2004 Research fellow at Section of Geriatric Medicine, University of Bergen (part time).

• 2001 Visiting research fellow at Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia (3 months).

• 2004-2005 Associate Professor, Section for Geriatrics, Dept of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen (part-time).

• 2005 - Associate Professor, Section for General Practice, Dept of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen (part-time).

• 2005 - General practitioner, Os legesenter (part-time).

• 2006 - Researcher at the Research Unit for General Practice in Bergen.

• 2004 - Board member of the Norwegian Drug Utilisation Research Group

• 2006 - Member of the Norwegian Committee on Research in General Practice

• 2006 - Vice member of the Pharmacovigilance Advisory Board

• Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association: Tidsskrift for Den norske lægeforening

• Scand J Prim Health Care

• British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology

• Journals of gerontology

• Norsk legemiddelhåndbok

• Medical students, University of Bergen: Drug prescribing, dementia, heart failure, evidence based medicine

• Medical doctors and other health personnel: Nursing home medicine, geriatric prescribing

• Pharmacoepidemiology

• Drug-related problems in the elderly, including nursing home patients

• Drug utilisation quality in nursing homes. The Bergen District Nursing Home (BEDNURS) study. Dept of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Bergen 2004.

• Ruths S, Driedijk PC, Weening RS, Out TA. ELISA procedures for the measurement of IgG subclass antibodies to bacterial antigens. J Immunol Methods 1991; 140:67-78.

• Ruths S, Straand J, Nygaard HA, Hodneland F. Drug treatment of heart failure - do nursing home patients deserve better? Scand J Prim Health Care 2000; 18:226-31.

• Nygaard HA, Naik M, Ruths S. Mental svikt hos sykehjemspasienter. Tidsskr Nor Lægeforen 2000; 120:3113-6.

• Ruths S, Straand J, Nygaard HA. Psychotropic drug use in nursing homes - diagnostic indications and variations between institutions. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2001; 57:523-8.

• Ruths S. Mat og medisin går ikke alltid godt i lag. Geronius 2001; 3:2.

• Ruths S, Straand J, Nygaard HA. Multidisciplinary medication review in nursing home residents: what are the most significant drug-related problems? The Bergen District Nursing Home (BEDNURS) study. Qual Saf Health Care 2003; 12:176-80.

• Nygaard HA, Ruths S. Missing the diagnosis: senile dementia in patients admitted to nursing homes. Scan J Prim Health Care 2003; 21:148-52.

• Nygaard HA, Naik M, Ruths S, Straand J. Nursing-home residents and their drug use: a comparison between mentally intact and mentally impaired residents. The Bergen District Nursing Home (BEDNURS) Study. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2003; 59:463-9.

• Ruths S. Fall og falltendens hos gamle. I Hunskår S. Allmennmedisin. 2003. Oslo: Gyldendal, 128-31.

• Nygaard HA, Naik M, Ruths S, Krüger K. Clinically important renal impairment in various groups of old persons. Scand J Prim Health Care 2004; 22:152-6.

• Ruths S, Straand J, Nygaard HA, Bjorvatn B, Pallesen S. Impact of antipsychotic withdrawal on behavior and sleep/wake activity in demented nursing home residents. The Bergen District Nursing Home (BEDNURS) Study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2004; 52:1737-43.

• Nygaard HA, Naik M, Ruths S, Straand J. Not less but different: psychotropic drug utilization trends in Norwegian nursing homes during a 12-year period. The Bergen District Nursing Home (BEDNURS) Study. Aging Clin Exp Res 2004; 16: 277-82.

• Ruths S. Nytteverdien av skjermede enheter for demente. Tidsskr Nor Lægeforen 2005; 125: 1191-4.

• Ruths S. Straand J. Antipsykotiske midler for uro ved demens - medisinsk behandling eller kjemisk atferdsregulering? Tidsskr Nor Lægeforen 2005; 125: 1672-5.

• Saltvedt I, Spigset O, Ruths S, Fayers P, Kaasa S, Sletvold O. Patterns of drug prescription in a geriatric evaluation and management unit as compared with the general medical wards: a randomised study. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 2005;61: 921-8.