Development and validation of an instrument to measure the professional's knowledge of dispensing medication (CDM-51) in community pharmacies.

Medication dispensing performed without the necessary information on proper use can result in harmful effects to the individual, and therefore providing this service with quality for the users is necessary to promote the rational use of medication; however, in a developing country this activity is performed largely by unqualified people and in an inappropriate way. This study aims to develop and validate a study instrument that measures the knowledge of medication dispensing for the professionals involved in this practice (pharmacist, pharmacy technician in the pharmacy, and clerk/assistant). The study has methodological design and is characterized by the development and validation of an instrument to measure the knowledge of dispensation. A questionnaire denominated CDM-51 was elaborated and divided in two parts: the first collects the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, and the second has 51 questions to assess the knowledge construct regarding dispensation. The validity of content was realized through the evaluation by seven experts regarding the relevance and clarity of the items. A pretest and main validation study with 30 and 79 pharmacy professionals respectively, from the city of Ribeirão Preto in the Brazilian state of São Paulo were carried out, and questions presented to the respondents were corrected. The analysis of the internal consistency of the KR-20 (Kuder-Richardson) was 0.837, and validity construct evidence was found (p value: 0.001) that participants with formal education have greater knowledge of medication dispensing. This work contributes to increasing the quality of services provided by dispensing pharmacies and points out the importance of training for formal education to perform this service, thus promoting the rational use of medication.

Trastuzumab induced cardiotoxicity in HER2 positive breast cancer patients attended in a tertiary hospital.

BACKGROUND: The use of trastuzumab is associated with an increased survival rate in HER2 positive breast cancer patients. However, it is related to different levels of cardiotoxicity leading to treatment discontinuation, which can deprive patients of the benefits of this therapy. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the incidence of trastuzumab induced cardiotoxicity (TIC) and the rate of discontinuation of trastuzumab in clinical practice. Possible factors associated with TIC were also investigated. SETTING: This study was conducted in the General Hospital of the School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients without distant metastasis that started trastuzumab between 2007 and 2011 in the tertiary hospital. TIC was defined as symptomatic heart failure or a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by ≥10 % compared to the first echocardiography measurement or to <50 % at any time. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios and their respective 95 % confidence intervals for TIC associated with variables such as age, body mass index, smoking history, cardiac risks, type of surgery, presence of positive lymph nodes, chemotherapy regimen and epirubicin cumulative dose. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The incidence and factors associated with TIC and the rate of discontinuation of trastuzumab in clinical practice. RESULTS: We analyzed the records of 79 patients. TIC developed in 26 (32.9 %) patients, being the LVEF decline by ≥10 % observed in 21 (26.6 %), a decreased to <50 % in four (5.1 %) and one (1.2 %) was symptomatic without LVEF decline. Thirteen (16.4 %) patients discontinued permanently the treatment, three (3.8 %) discontinued temporarily and 10 (12.6 %) finished it without interruption. None of the covariates influenced on the incidence of TIC in this population. CONCLUSION: Although most patients finished their treatment, TIC led to trastuzumab discontinuation in a significant proportion of patients suggesting the need of a closer cardiac monitoring. None of the covariates influenced on the incidence of TIC, which can be due to the relatively small sample. Thus, larger scale studies should be conducted in order to establish which specific factors are associated with the development of TIC in order to avoid it.