Comparison of community and hospital pharmacists' attitudes and behaviors on medication error disclosure to the patient: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine pharmacists' attitudes and behaviors on medication errors and their disclosure and to compare community and hospital pharmacists on such views. METHODS: An online questionnaire was developed from previous studies on physicians' disclosure of errors. Questionnaire items included demographics, environment, personal experiences, and attitudes on medication errors and the disclosure process. An invitation to participate along with the link to the questionnaire was electronically distributed to members of two Illinois pharmacy associations. A follow-up reminder was sent 4 weeks after the original message. Data were collected for 3 months, and statistical analyses were performed with the use of IBM SPSS version 22.0. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 23.3% (n = 422). The average employed respondent was a 51-year-old white woman with a BS Pharmacy degree working in a hospital pharmacy as a clinical staff member. Regardless of practice settings, pharmacist respondents agreed that medication errors were inevitable and that a disclosure process is necessary. Respondents from community and hospital settings were further analyzed to assess any differences. Community pharmacist respondents were more likely to agree that medication errors were inevitable and that pharmacists should address the patient's emotions when disclosing an error. Community pharmacist respondents were also more likely to agree that the health care professional most closely involved with the error should disclose the error to the patient and thought that it was the pharmacists' responsibility to disclose the error. Hospital pharmacist respondents were more likely to agree that it was important to include all details in a disclosure process and more likely to disagree on putting a "positive spin" on the event. CONCLUSION: Regardless of practice setting, responding pharmacists generally agreed that errors should be disclosed to patients. There were, however, significant differences in their attitudes and behaviors depending on their particular practice setting.

Monoclonal antibodies for treating COVID-19.

Bamlanivimab and casirivimab-imdevimab are novel virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies authorized to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in outpatients at risk for progression to severe disease. Treatment early in the disease may show efficacy in reducing progression to severe disease, although safety and efficacy data are limited. They are not authorized for hospitalized patients with more advanced disease.

Primary hepatic marginal zone B cell lymphoma : a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Primary hepatic lymphoma (PHL) is a very rare malignancy, and constitutes about 0.016 % of all cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and is often misdiagnosed. The optimal therapy is still unclear and the outcomes are uncertain. Among PHLs, a primary hepatic low-grade marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) is extremely rare. METHODS: We present a case of primary hepatic lymphoma (MALT lymphoma) treated with surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy. A 38-year-old Korean man, who was diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B 20 years ago, was admitted for liver biopsy after liver lesions were detected on follow-up computed tomography scan (CT). Liver biopsy revealed the diagnosis of marginal zone B-cell malignant lymphoma (MALT lymphoma). The preoperative clinical staging was IE, given that no additional foci of lymphoma were found anywhere else in the body. The patient underwent left hemihepatectomy. Subsequently, the patient received two cycles of CHOP (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone) regimen. RESULTS: After 15 months of follow-up, the patient is alive and well without any evidence of disease recurrence. CONCLUSION: Although the prognosis is variable, good response to early surgery combined with postoperative chemotherapy can be achieved in strictly selected patients.