Advanced practice nurse pharmacogenomics capacity and utilization.

BACKGROUND: Guided by Clinical Pharmacogenomic Implementation Consortium (CPIC) guidelines for >140 medications, pharmacogenomic tests inform medication selection and dosing to optimize efficacy while minimizing toxicities. PURPOSE: This study assessed pharmacogenomic self-reported curricular content, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and usage in advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with prescriptive privileges. METHODOLOGY: An online survey was administered assessing pharmacogenomic curricular content, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and usage. RESULTS: Data from 266 APRNs were analyzed. Most graduated with their highest nursing degree ∼10 years ago and reported pharmacogenomic curricular content ( n = 124, 48%). Pharmacogenomic curricular content was associated with pharmacogenomic familiarity ( p = .045) but not with knowledge confidence ( p = .615). Pharmacogenomic usage, defined as ordering a pharmacogenomic test within the past year, was low ( n = 76, 29%) and most ( n = 210, 84%) reported never using CPIC Guidelines. Advanced practice registered nurses ( n = 162) who did not anticipate ordering a pharmacogenomic test in the next year ( n = 77, 48%) indicated that they did not know what test to order. CONCLUSIONS: Deficits were identified in APRN pharmacogenomic knowledge and skills despite academic training. Most reported not ordering pharmacogenomic tests, did not know what test to order, and did not use CPIC guidelines. IMPLICATIONS: Pharmacogenomics is a quality and safety issue. Academic training did not result in practice integration and most reported capacity deficits. Recommendation for overcoming academic deficits include: (1) assessment of pharmacogenomics curricular content and faculty teaching capacity; (2) training addressing identified deficiencies; and (3) Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education policies that include pharmacogenomics in advanced pharmacology. Practicing APRN plans include on-the-job training and/or mandatory training at the time of relicensure.

The INGENIOUS trial: Impact of pharmacogenetic testing on adverse events in a pragmatic clinical trial.

Adverse drug events (ADEs) account for a significant mortality, morbidity, and cost burden. Pharmacogenetic testing has the potential to reduce ADEs and inefficacy. The objective of this INGENIOUS trial (NCT02297126) analysis was to determine whether conducting and reporting pharmacogenetic panel testing impacts ADE frequency. The trial was a pragmatic, randomized controlled clinical trial, adapted as a propensity matched analysis in individuals (N = 2612) receiving a new prescription for one or more of 26 pharmacogenetic-actionable drugs across a community safety-net and academic health system. The intervention was a pharmacogenetic testing panel for 26 drugs with dosage and selection recommendations returned to the health record. The primary outcome was occurrence of ADEs within 1 year, according to modified Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). In the propensity-matched analysis, 16.1% of individuals experienced any ADE within 1-year. Serious ADEs (CTCAE level ≥ 3) occurred in 3.2% of individuals. When combining all 26 drugs, no significant difference was observed between the pharmacogenetic testing and control arms for any ADE (Odds ratio 0.96, 95% CI: 0.78-1.18), serious ADEs (OR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.58-1.40), or mortality (OR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.28-1.21). However, sub-group analyses revealed a reduction in serious ADEs and death in individuals who underwent pharmacogenotyping for aripiprazole and serotonin or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (OR 0.34, 95% CI: 0.12-0.85). In conclusion, no change in overall ADEs was observed after pharmacogenetic testing. However, limitations incurred during INGENIOUS likely affected the results. Future studies may consider preemptive, rather than reactive, pharmacogenetic panel testing.

Evaluation of accessibility of open-source EHRs for visually impaired users.

This study investigates the accessibility of open-source electronic health record (EHR) systems for individuals who are visually impaired or blind. Ensuring the accessibility of EHRs to visually impaired users is critical for the diversity, equity, and inclusion of all users. The study used a combination of automated and manual accessibility testing with screen readers to evaluate the accessibility of three widely used open-source EHR systems. We used three popular screen readers - JAWS (Windows), NVDA (Windows), and Apple VoiceOver (OSX) to evaluate accessibility. The evaluation revealed that although each of the three EHR systems was partially accessible, there is room for improvement, particularly regarding keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility. The study concludes with recommendations for making EHR systems more inclusive for all users and more accessible.

Drug-gene and drug-drug interactions associated with tramadol and codeine therapy in the INGENIOUS trial.

Background: Tramadol and codeine are metabolized by CYP2D6 and are subject to drug-gene and drug-drug interactions. Methods: This interim analysis examined prescribing behavior and efficacy in 102 individuals prescribed tramadol or codeine while receiving pharmaco-genotyping as part of the INGENIOUS trial (NCT02297126). Results: Within 60 days of receiving tramadol or codeine, clinicians more frequently prescribed an alternative opioid in ultrarapid and poor metabolizers (odds ratio: 19.0; 95% CI: 2.8-160.4) as compared with normal or indeterminate metabolizers (p = 0.01). After adjusting the CYP2D6 activity score for drug-drug interactions, uncontrolled pain was reported more frequently in individuals with reduced CYP2D6 activity (odds ratio: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.25-0.94). Conclusion: Phenoconversion for drug-drug and drug-gene interactions is an important consideration in pharmacogenomic implementation; drug-drug interactions may obscure the potential benefits of genotyping.

Clinical Hours in Nurse Practitioner Programs Equals Clinical Competence: Fact or Misnomer?

An assumption in nursing education is that clinical experience equals competent practice. Knowing the extent of learning acquired during these experiences is important, and in graduate education, this is not always known. This study examined the nature of clinical hours that nurse practitioner students complete during practicum courses and explored activities of students when not engaged in direct patient care.

Faculty and organizational characteristics associated with informatics/health information technology adoption in DNP programs.

Nursing informatics/health information technology are key components of graduate nursing education and an accreditation requirement, yet little is known about the extent to which doctor of nursing practice (DNP) curricula include these content domains. The purpose of this descriptive study was to elicit perceptions of DNP program directors relative to (a) whether and how the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN's) Essential IV standard has been met in their DNP programs; (b) whether the Technology Informatics Guiding Educational Reform Initiative Foundation's Phase II competencies have been integrated in their programs; and (c) the faculty and organizational characteristics associated with the adoption of the AACN's Essential IV. In 2011, an electronic survey was sent to all 138 DNP program directors identified on the AACN Web site with an 81.2% response rate. Findings include variation in whether and how programs have integrated informatics/health information technology content, a lack of informatics-certified and/or master's-prepared faculty, and a perceived lack of faculty awareness of informatics curricular guidelines. DNP program director and dean awareness and support of faculty informatics education, use of informatics competency guidelines, and national policy and stimulus funding support are recommended to promote curricular inclusion and the engagement of nurses in strong informatics practices.