Effect and associated factors of a clinical pharmacy model in the incidence of medication errors (EACPharModel) in the Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe: study protocol for a stepped wedge randomized controlled trial (NCT03338725).

BACKGROUND: According to WHO, medication error (ME) is a subject that requires attention at all levels of care to reduce severe and preventable damage related to medication use. Clinical pharmacy practice standards have been proposed around the world so that the pharmacist, as part of a multidisciplinary health team, can help improve patient safety; however, further evidence derived from adequate studies is needed to demonstrate this. This study aims to assess the effect of a clinical pharmacy practice model (CPPM) in preventing MEs associated with the medication use process. METHODS: A prospective, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized, controlled trial with a duration of 14 months will be performed to compare the effect of a CPPM along with the usual care process of patients in the Pablo Tobón Uribe Hospital (Medellin, Colombia). The study is designed as a cluster-randomized controlled trial, involving five hospital wards (clusters) and 720 patients. Medical wards are allocated to interventions using a stepped-wedge design. Clusters are initially assigned to the control group. After a 2-month observation period, hospital clusters were randomly allocated to the intervention group. Study outcomes will be assessed at baseline and at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 months after randomization. The primary outcome will be to assess the effect of a CPPM on the incidence of medication errors associated with the medication use process. Drug-related problems and factors that contribute to the occurrence of MEs will be assessed as secondary outcomes. Statistical analyses will be performed using a mixed model, with the treatment group and time as fixed effects and the clustering structure as a random effect. Statistical analysis will be performed using Pearson chi-square tests and Student's t-tests, and a P value < 0.05 will be considered statistically significant. DISCUSSION: As far as we know, this is the first stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized, controlled trial designed to assess the change of a CPPM on the incidence of medication errors in a hospital in Colombia, and it could generate valuable information about a standardized and patient-centered clinical pharmacy model to improve the safety of inpatient care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03338725. Registered on 9 November 2017. The first patient was randomized on 2 February 2018. PROTOCOL VERSION: 0010112018JG.

Free software to analyse the clinical relevance of drug interactions with antiretroviral agents (SIMARV®) in patients with HIV/AIDS.

BACKGROUND: Highly active antiretroviral therapy has extended the expected lifespan of patients with HIV/AIDS. However, the therapeutic benefits of some drugs used simultaneously with highly active antiretroviral therapy may be adversely affected by drug interactions. OBJECTIVE: The goal was to design and develop a free software to facilitate analysis, assessment, and clinical decision making according to the clinical relevance of drug interactions in patients with HIV/AIDS. METHODS: A comprehensive Medline/PubMed database search of drug interactions was performed. Articles that recognized any drug interactions in HIV disease were selected. The publications accessed were limited to human studies in English or Spanish, with full texts retrieved. Drug interactions were analyzed, assessed, and grouped into four levels of clinical relevance according to gravity and probability. Software to systematize the information regarding drug interactions and their clinical relevance was designed and developed. RESULTS: Overall, 952 different references were retrieved and 446 selected; in addition, 67 articles were selected from the citation lists of identified articles. A total of 2119 pairs of drug interactions were identified; of this group, 2006 (94.7%) were drug-drug interactions, 1982 (93.5%) had an identified pharmacokinetic mechanism, and 1409 (66.5%) were mediated by enzyme inhibition. In terms of clinical relevance, 1285 (60.6%) drug interactions were clinically significant in patients with HIV (levels 1 and 2). With this information, a software program that facilitates identification and assessment of the clinical relevance of antiretroviral drug interactions (SIMARV®) was developed. CONCLUSIONS: A free software package with information on 2119 pairs of antiretroviral drug interactions was designed and developed that could facilitate analysis, assessment, and clinical decision making according to the clinical relevance of drug interactions in patients with HIV/AIDS.

[Hypolipidemic agents drug interactions: approach to establish and assess its clinical significance. Structured review]. / Interacciones medicamentosas de agentes hipolipemiantes: aproximación para establecer y valorar su relevancia clínica. Revisión estructurada.

OBJECTIVE: To carry out a structures review of drug interactions of hypolipidemic drugs and to assess their clinical relevance. METHOD: Structured review of drug interactions of hypolipidemic drugs in humans through PubMed/Medline of published articles, without language restrictions and with full text access until June 30th of 2012. The following Mesh terms were used: Drug Interactions, Lipid Regulating Agents, Herb-Drug Interactions, Food-Drug Interactions y Hypolipidemic Agents (Pharmacological Action). The information was completed with those articles considered to be relevant. Finally, a method was used to assess the clinical relevance of the interaction, based on the likelihood of occurrence and the severity of the effect of the interaction. RESULTS: 849 publications were gathered, of which 243 references were selected, among which 189 interactions were identified. Thirty-three of them were considered of very high risk (level 1) and 42 of high risk (level 2), basically associated to increased risk for rhabdomyolisis. Enzymatic inhibition of CYP450 was the most common mechanism for these interactions. CONCLUSIONS: Of the interactions identified in patients on hypolipidemic drugs, 60.3% (128/189) are clinically relevant (very high or high risk), mainly associated to the occurrence of rhabdomyolisis. Most of these interactions are attributed to simultaneous use of CYP3A4 inhibitors. Therefore, statins metabolized through CYP3A4 (simvastatin, lovastatin and atorvastatin) are the ones with the highest number of clinically relevant interactions.

Objetivo: Realizar una revisión estructurada sobre interacciones medicamentosas de los hipolipemiantes y valorar su relevancia clínica. Método: Revisión estructurada de interacciones medicamentosas con hipolipemiantes en humanos, en PubMed/Medline de artículos publicados sin restricción de idioma, con acceso a texto completo hasta junio 30 de 2012. La búsqueda se realizó con los siguientes terminos Mesh: Drug Interactions, Lipid Regulating Agents, Herb-Drug Interactions, Food-Drug Interactions y Hypolipidemic Agents (Pharmacological Action). La información se complementó con artículos considerados importantes. Por último, se utilizó un método para evaluar la relevancia clínica de la interacción, basado en la probabilidad de ocurrencia y en la gravedad del efecto de la interacción. Resultados: Se obtuvieron 849 publicaciones, de las cuales se seleccionaron 243 referencias, en las los que se identificaron 189 interacciones. De ellas 33 fueron valoradas como de riesgo muy alto (nivel 1) y 42 de riesgo alto (nivel 2), asociadas fundamentalmente al aumento del riesgo de rabdomiólisis. La inhibición enzimática de la CYP450 fue el mecanismo más común de las interacciones. Conclusiones. En los pacientes en tratamiento con hipolipemiantes, de las interacciones identificadas 60,3% (128/189) son clínicamente relevantes (riesgo muy alto o alto), asociadas principalmente a la aparición de rabdomiólisis. La mayoría de dichas interacciones son atribuidas al uso simultáneo de reconocidos inhibidores de la CYP3A4. Por ello, las estatinas metabolizadas por la CYP3A4 (simvastatina, lovastatina y atorvastatina) son las que más interacciones de relevancia clínica presentan.

[Approach to establishing and evaluating clinical relevance of drug interactions in HIV patients: 2009 update]. / Aproximación para establecer y evaluar la relevancia clínica de las interacciones medicamentosas en pacientes infectados con virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana: actualización 2009.

OBJECTIVE: To update information on drug interactions in patients with HIV/AIDS. METHOD: PubMed was used to review English and Spanish articles published between 1 July 2007 and 30 April 2009 on antiretroviral drug interactions in humans. The search included a review of interactions between commonly-used medications in patients with HIV/AIDS and references from articles considered to be relevant. RESULTS: 52 new interactions were identified having to do with CYP3A4 metabolism and competition for intestinal absorption. New pharmacokinetic interactions were identified for medications that were already on the market, and we report interactions for drugs that were recently introduced: Tipranavir, Fosamprenavir, Darunavir, Raltegravir, Maraviroc and Etravirine. CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence of 52 new interactions between medications using metabolic routes in the CYP450 enzymatic system, and an explanation is given for others in the intestinal absorption process.

Application of the SCORE and Wilson-Grundy methods for the assessment of cardiovascular risk in community pharmacies.

BACKGROUND: The assessment and follow-up of patients with risk factors, or with cardiovascular disease (CVD), involves estimating and monitoring their CVD risk (CVDR). There are different opinions about the most appropriate method for this. OBJECTIVE: To compare the SCORE system and the Wilson-Grundy system (based on Framingham's study). METHODS: A descriptive, observational study over 15 days in six pharmacies, with patients aged between 25 and 74 years, and with a prescription for medications related to hypertension, dyslipidaemia, CVD prevention or type-2 diabetes. Results of patients' absolute CVDR were assessed and compared using the SCORE system and the Wilson-Grundy method, adapted for Spain. The Chi-square test was used to compare proportions, and the Student t-test was used to compare mean values, including odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). RESULT: A total of 257 patients [165 women, 92 men; mean (SD) age, 60.9 (10.8) years; percentage of previous medical history of hypertension (70.0%), dyslipidaemia (42.4%), type-2 diabetes (19.5%) and CVD (22.6%)] participated. With the CVDR assessed with SCORE, the distribution was as follows: low 35.8%, intermediate 21.0% and high 43.2%. The corresponding values using the Wilson-Grundy system was low 60.7%, intermediate 8.2% and high 31.1%. CONCLUSION: The cardiovascular risk of patients that attend community pharmacies with prescriptions for cardiovascular medications is significantly higher when assessed using the SCORE system than with the Wilson-Grundy method.

[Approach to evaluating the clinical relevance of drug interactions in HIV-infected patients]. / Interacciones medicamentosas en pacientes infectados con el VIH: aprocimación para establecer y evaluar su relevancia clínica.

OBJECTIVE: To systematize information about drug interactions in HIV/AIDS, and to test a proposal to identify and evaluate drug interactions considered clinically relevant highlight those associated to pharmacokinetic mechanism. METHOD: We performed a MEDLINE search of the literature published in English and Spanish from January 1995 to June 2007 on antiretroviral drug interactions in humans. Search terms were drug interactions and antiretroviral agents (or drugs) in title/abstract field. So, we searched for clinically relevant drug interactions of specific drugs commonly administered to patients with HIV, and we reviewed references cited in relevant articles. Finally, we followed a proposal to evaluate and use the clinical relevance complemented with a classification based on severity and probability of its occurrence. RESULTS: A total of 378 articles were achieved, among then we acquire the full text of 296. We presented the type and mechanism of drug interactions in HIV-infected patients. We evaluate and use the clinical relevance of drug interactions. Among pharmacokinetic interactions considered clinically relevant, approximately to 80% was related to changes in systemic clearance [due to induction or inhibition of systemic metabolic activity of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4)]; and 15% with changes in bioavailability [(due to changes in gastrointestinal pH, presystemic metabolism or activity of the glicoprotein -P (Gp-P)]. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with HIV/AIDS, most of the pharmacokinetic interactions of clinical relevance are attributed to inhibition or induction of hepatic systemic metabolic activity, mainly of CYP3A4.