Satisfaction With Medication Reconciliation Completed by Pharmacy Technicians in an Emergency Department.

PURPOSE: To survey advanced nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, physicians, and resident physicians involved with collecting and reconciling medication histories in the emergency department (ED) to measure their satisfaction with the current process involving pharmacy technicians. METHODS: Two sites within a large health system with pharmacy technician-driven medication reconciliation processes asked health care professionals to complete a survey of 20 multiple-choice questions. The data collected determined resources used and barriers faced when collecting medication histories, satisfaction before and after the involvement of pharmacy technicians in the ED, and the impact technology may have on this process in the future. RESULTS: Of 144 health care providers surveyed, 69.4% reported collecting medication histories through patient interviews. The most common barrier reported was the lack of time (44%) to spend on this step. After implementing the pharmacy technician-driven program, satisfaction with health care providers' required time improved from 18.8% to 68.9%. Similarly, satisfaction with the accuracy of medication histories improved from 40.3% to 75.4%. When asked about the use of technology if available, 65.2% of respondents reported they would almost always use technology. However, 61.6% of respondents preferred investing health care resources in adding more pharmacy technicians in the ED rather than adding technology. CONCLUSION: Pharmacy technicians have positively impacted the medication reconciliation process at the sites surveyed. Health care professionals report greater satisfaction with their time demands and perceived accuracy of medication histories, giving them more time to focus on other patient care tasks. Those surveyed reported interest in using technology to collect medication histories if it was available, but they would prefer more pharmacy technicians to assist with the process.

A Comparison of Medication Histories Obtained by a Pharmacy Technician Versus Nurses in the Emergency Department.

PURPOSE: To compare the medication history error rate of the emergency department (ED) pharmacy technician with that of nursing staff and to describe the workflow environment. METHODS: Fifty medication histories performed by an ED nurse followed by the pharmacy technician were evaluated for discrepancies (RN-PT group). A separate 50 medication histories performed by the pharmacy technician and observed with necessary intervention by the ED pharmacist were evaluated for discrepancies (PT-RPh group). Discrepancies were totaled and categorized by type of error and therapeutic category of the medication. The workflow description was obtained by observation and staff interview. RESULTS: A total of 474 medications in the RN-PT group and 521 in the PT-RPh group were evaluated. Nurses made at least one error in all 50 medication histories (100%), compared to 18 medication histories for the pharmacy technician (36%). In the RN-PT group, 408 medications had at least one error, corresponding to an accuracy rate of 14% for nurses. In the PT-RPh group, 30 medications had an error, corresponding to an accuracy rate of 94.4% for the pharmacy technician (P < 0.0001). The most common error made by nurses was a missing medication (n = 109), while the most common error for the pharmacy technician was a wrong medication frequency (n = 19). The most common drug class with documented errors for ED nurses was cardiovascular medications (n = 100), while the pharmacy technician made the most errors in gastrointestinal medications (n = 11). CONCLUSION: Medication histories obtained by the pharmacy technician were significantly more accurate than those obtained by nurses in the emergency department.

Adductor Canal Block With Bupivacaine Liposome Versus Ropivacaine Pain Ball for Pain Control in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate postoperative pain control following total knee arthroplasty is important in patient recovery. Adductor canal block (ACB) is a novel method to deliver anesthesia. There are currently no studies using bupivacaine liposome with ACB while also taking into account cost. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and cost of using bupivacaine liposome to ropivacaine pain ball (RPB) for postsurgical pain control in total knee replacement surgery. The primary efficacy endpoint is mean pain score. Secondary endpoints include opioid and nonopioid pain medication consumption and cost per patient case. METHODS: This was a retrospective, matched cohort study with data collected from electronic medical records from February 2013 to June 2014. Mean pain score was measured by the 11-point Visual Analogue Scale over a 72-hour period. Cost analysis was also done looking at medication, direct, indirect, and total cost per patient case. RESULTS: Mean pain score over the 72 hours was 3.24 in the bupivacaine liposome group compared with 3.83 in the RPB group (P < 0.001). Lower mean pain scores were found in the bupivacaine liposome group during the first 36-hour interval postsurgery (3.1 vs 4.0, respectively, P < 0.001). Mean total cost was $20,919.53 with bupivacaine liposome versus $22,574.17 with RPB (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Liposomal bupivacaine demonstrated statistically significant impact in pain control in the first 36 hours, but by the end of the 72-hour interval, it was comparable to RPB in postoperative pain management. Using bupivacaine liposome did provide direct and total cost savings compared with RPB.

Practice Guideline Development, Grading, and Assessment.

Published clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are abundant and more easily accessible than ever because of advances in technology and communication and the widespread use of electronic medical literature. To make educated therapy recommendations based on published guidelines, it is important for clinicians to understand the process of guideline development and to be familiar with the resources used to assess guidelines. To do this, clinicians must know the commonly used systems for grading guideline recommendations and for evaluating guideline quality. By increasing their understanding of guideline development, grading, and evaluation processes, clinicians can appropriately use guidelines and provide the highest level of patient care.

Emerging Therapies for Peanut Allergy.

Peanut allergy (PA) is a food allergy that causes an IgE-mediated type I hypersensitivity reaction. PA has become an increasing public health burden, with 2% of American children reported to have this condition in 2010. Current guidelines recommend allergen avoidance, patient education, and administration of H1 antihistamines, ß2-agonists, or epinephrine based on the severity of reaction. In this review article, emerging therapies for PA are evaluated for their potential role in treating PA. Oral, epicutaneous, and sublingual immunotherapies have completed clinical trials with promising efficacy. In particular, Palforzia (AR101) is an oral immunotherapy that received Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approval in January 2020 and Viaskin Peanut is an epicutaneous immunotherapy with an anticipated FDA decision date by August 5, 2020. Furthermore, adjuvant combinations with either probiotics or anti-IgE receptor antagonists have shown an improved efficacy and safety profile compared to oral immunotherapy alone. However, immunotherapy-induced adverse reaction rates are high due to the risks associated with intentional allergen exposure. These results suggest that peanut immunotherapy has a promising role in the treatment of PA, although further studies are needed before its incorporation into standard of care.

A Dive Into Oliceridine and Its Novel Mechanism of Action.

The current state of the opioid epidemic has revealed the need of utilizing proper pain management, especially in the postoperative setting where there is overuse of potent analgesics. However, the adequate treatment of pain is necessary to reduce mortality and cost of burden while increasing recovery and improving quality of life. Treatment of pain can be difficult to standardize as the guidelines from the American Pain Society discuss the importance of tailoring treatment options based on a patient's sensitivities and risk factors. An effective fast-acting analgesic with adequate potency and few adverse events is the key to alleviating acute pain. Oliceridine (Olinvyk®, Trevena Inc., Chesterbrook, USA) is a novel G protein-biased µ-opioid receptor agonist designed to decrease opioid-related adverse events (ORAEs) compared to conventional opioids. This article discusses oliceridine's novel mechanism of action and current place in therapy. After a literature search on clinicaltrials.gov, three clinical trials were analyzed to understand the safety and efficacy of oliceridine. These trials demonstrated a comparable efficacy to morphine with a decreased risk for serious adverse events. However, further studies need to be conducted to evaluate the true safety impact of oliceridine compared to conventional opioids.

Effects of Pharmacist-Conducted Medication Reconciliation at Discharge on 30-Day Readmission Rates of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

PURPOSE: To analyze effect of pharmacist-conducted medication reconciliation on 30-day readmission rates in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and identify common medication errors among patient with readmissions. METHODS: Pharmacists were educated on discharge medication reconciliation for patients with COPD. A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients who underwent pharmacist-conducted discharge medication reconciliation to determine 30-day readmissions. Medication errors analyzed included medication omissions and dose or frequency errors. Previously collected internal research without pharmacist-conducted medication reconciliation served as the control. RESULTS: There were 65 patients in the control group and 50 in the intervention group. About 25% of patients in the control group and 26% of patients in the intervention group had any cause readmissions within 30 days of discharge (P = .87). Both the control and the intervention group had similar COPD-related readmissions of 12.3% and 12.6%, respectively. Medication dose or frequency errors consisted of 68.9% and 46.7% of total errors in the control and the intervention groups, respectively. Long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) or long-acting beta 2-agonist (LABA) were the most common drug classes to be incorrectly dosed or omitted at discharge. In the intervention group, 30 errors were identified. Due to inability to coordinate discharges, pharmacists intervened on 13 errors, 7 of which were accepted by the prescriber. CONCLUSION: Pharmacist-conducted medication reconciliation at discharge did not affect 30-day readmission rates of patients with COPD. Confounding factors included a small sample size, passive pharmacist education, and discharge issues. The most common medication errors at discharge were dosing or frequency errors of LABAs or LAMAs.

Evaluation of the use of chlorpromazine for agitation in pediatric patients.

INTRODUCTION: Chlorpromazine is a first-generation antipsychotic used for behavioral problems in pediatric patients. However, other therapies may demonstrate both improved outcomes and fewer side effects. Within our institution, chlorpromazine has been the standard medication used for treatment of pediatric agitation. The study objective was to evaluate the appropriateness of chlorpromazine use (including efficacy, appropriate dosing, drug interactions, and tolerability) to optimize the treatment of pediatric agitation. METHODS: Data regarding drug interactions, patient behavior, dosing, and side effects was collected for each patient administered chlorpromazine from January 2019 through June 2019. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics assessing the incidence of drug-drug interactions (DDIs), incidences of inefficacy, inappropriate dosing, and side effects. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients and 130 administrations of oral or intramuscular chlorpromazine were evaluated. Of these administrations, 49 (38%) resulted in a DDI. Eighteen (14%) administrations were ineffective for managing symptoms of agitation. Eleven (8%) administrations were dosed inappropriately, and 46 (35%) administrations resulted in side effects possibly caused by chlorpromazine. DISCUSSION: Results from this study demonstrate opportunities for improvement in patient care due to instances of drug interactions, inefficacy, inappropriate dosing, and side effects with the use of chlorpromazine.

Inadvertent iatrogenic insulin detemir 1000 units overdose in a hospitalised patient.

A 69-year-old woman with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus was admitted in the hospital for the management of urosepsis. Patient was overdosed with detemir insulin 1000 units inadvertently. Care provider was confused with volume and dose of the insulin by using insulin vial. Blood sugars were monitored closely every 30 min-1 hour for 24 hours. Patient was treated with dextrose 5% and 10% continuous infusion; and hydrocortisone 75 mg every 6 hours for 24 hours. The lowest blood sugar reached was 142 mg/dL (7.9 mmo/L). Patient did not develop hypoglycaemia. Proper safety measures and mandatory nurse education about administration of insulin were implemented to prevent future occurrences.

Evaluation of studies on extended versus standard infusion of beta-lactam antibiotics.

PURPOSE: To summarize the current literature on the use and clinical efficacy of extended-infusion (EI) beta-lactam antibiotics, including piperacillin-tazobactam, meropenem, and cefepime. SUMMARY: Gram-negative infections are a serious concern among hospitalized patients and require innovative pharmacokinetic dosing strategies to achieve clinical success, especially as the emergence of resistant gram-negative pathogens has outpaced the development of new antibiotics. Beta-lactam antibiotics exhibit time-dependent activity, which means that optimal efficacy is achieved when free drug concentrations stay above the minimum inhibitory concentration for an extended duration of the recommended dosage interval. EI piperacillin-tazobactam therapy has demonstrated improved clinical outcomes and decrease mortality in critically ill patients with gram-negative infections, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. EI meropenem has shown higher therapeutic success rates for patients with febrile neutropenia and shorter intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) with a reduction in ventilator days in patients with multidrug-resistant ventilator-associated pneumonia. However, a larger study showed no difference in clinical outcomes between standard-infusion and EI meropenem. EI cefepime has been associated with decreased mortality and shorter ICU LOS in patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. Common challenges associated with EI beta-lactam antibiotics include Y-site incompatibilities, lack of intravenous access, and tubing residuals. It is important to note that factors such as diverse patient populations and study methodology, along with various antibiotic dose regimens, may have contributed to conflicting data on EI beta-lactam therapy. CONCLUSION: Based on most published literature, there appears to be a favorable trend toward use of EI beta-lactam therapy in clinical practice, particularly in critically ill patients with gram-negative infections.

Evaluation of Risk Versus Benefit Information in Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) Prescription Drug Television Advertisements.

BACKGROUND: The FDA's Presenting Risk Information draft guidance from May 2009 states that the time of risk versus benefit is a factor taken into consideration when evaluating audio and video direct-to-consumer (DTC) broadcasts. The objective of the study is to evaluate the proportion of risk narration on television (TV) advertisements in comparison to the actual proportion of serious adverse effects findings across select therapeutic areas. METHODS: The study reviews prescription drug TV advertisements between the years 2010 and 2015 separated by therapeutic class. Indicators to assess risk versus benefit are as follows: total benefit time, total risk time, total ad time, percentage proportion of risk, and number of serious adverse effects (SAEs) listed in the package insert. The objective is establishing proportion of risk-to-benefit narration across therapeutic areas and the proportion of risk narration compared to the number of SAEs in the package insert. These outcomes will reflect whether TV advertisements abide by the "fair balance" rule and if the time spent on risk narrations is proportional to the number of SAEs across therapeutic areas. RESULTS: An analysis of risk versus benefit showed that there was a vast range of percentage differences in risk versus benefit narration across the products selected. The majority of the products narrated showed a 40% to 60% risk-to-benefit ratio. Six out of the 10 products evaluated communicated applicable black box warnings. There was variability among the SAE percentages presented between products. CONCLUSION: Lack of consistency exists between risks versus benefit proportions among different drug products.

A Review of the Safety and Efficacy of Vaccines as Prophylaxis for Clostridium difficile Infections.

This review aims to evaluate the literature on the safety and efficacy of novel toxoid vaccines for the prophylaxis of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in healthy adults. Literature searches for clinical trials were performed through MEDLINE, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Web of Science using the keywords bacterial vaccines, Clostridium difficile, and vaccine. English-language clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and/or safety of Clostridium difficile toxoid vaccines that were completed and had results posted on ClinicalTrials.gov or in a published journal article were included. Six clinical trials were included. The vaccines were associated with mild self-reported adverse reactions, most commonly injection site reactions and flu-like symptoms, and minimal serious adverse events. Five clinical trials found marked increases in antibody production in vaccinated participants following each dose of the vaccine. Clinical trials evaluating C. difficile toxoid vaccines have shown them to be well tolerated and relatively safe. Surrogate markers of efficacy (seroconversion and geometric mean antibody levels) have shown significant immune responses to a vaccination series in healthy adults, indicating that they have the potential to be used as prophylaxis for CDI. However, more research is needed to determine the clinical benefits of the vaccines.

Adverse effect profile comparison of pain regimens with and without intravenous acetaminophen in total hip and knee arthroplasty patients.

BACKGROUND: The use of adjunct, non-opioid agents is integral for pain control following total hip and knee arthroplasty. Literature comparing safety profiles of intravenous acetaminophen versus opioids is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a difference in frequency and type of adverse effects between intravenous acetaminophen-treated and non-intravenous acetaminophen-treated patients. Primary safety endpoints included any adverse effect noted in the electronic medical record post-surgically. Secondary endpoints included changes in laboratory values, vital signs, and pain scores. METHODS: This is a retrospective, matched, cohort study with data collected from electronic medical records. Adverse effects were collected from progress notes, nursing notes, and post-operative notes. Mean pain score was measured by the 11-point visual analog scale over a 72-h period. RESULTS: A total of 609 patients who underwent a total hip or knee replacement were included. In all, 406 patients were treated with intravenous acetaminophen, and 203 patients received medication management without intravenous acetaminophen. More patients treated with intravenous acetaminophen experienced an adverse effect compared to patients who did not receive intravenous acetaminophen (91.63% versus 84.73%; p = 0.012). Mean cumulative acetaminophen exposure was similar in the intravenous acetaminophen group (7704.89 ± 2558.6 versus 7260.1 ± 3016.09 mg; p = 0.07). Mean opioid use was similar in the intravenous acetaminophen group as compared to the non-intravenous acetaminophen group (209.61 ± 555.09 versus 163.89 ± 232.44 mg; p = 0.152). Significantly higher mean pain scores were found in the intravenous acetaminophen group during the 72-h post-surgery period as compared with non-intravenous acetaminophen-treated patients. CONCLUSION: The increased utilization of intravenous acetaminophen in multimodal pain management did not result in an improved safety or tolerability profile or reduced opioid utilization in orthopedic patients.

Treatment of brodifacoum overdose with prothrombin complex concentrate.

PURPOSE: A case of brodifacoum overdose and its treatment with prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) are reported. SUMMARY: A 44-year-old Caucasian woman weighing 62 kg arrived at the emergency department with a chief complaint of lower left leg pain for two days. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen revealed perihepatic fluid collection (likely a hematoma), a small-bowel intramural hematoma, and blood in the paracolic gutter. A CT scan of the patient's left foot showed soft tissue swelling without evidence of fracture or dislocation. The patient was diagnosed with left extremity compartment syndrome secondary to hematoma and trauma. The patient had a history of depression and anxiety and eventually admitted to ingesting large doses of brodifacoum the week prior with suicidal intentions. The patient was treated with phytonadione 20 mg i.v., 1 unit of fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and 1 unit of packed red blood cells. Laboratory test values measured in the intensive care unit revealed an International Normalized Ratio (INR) of 15, a prothrombin time of >120 seconds, and a partial prothromboplastin time of >180 seconds. After consulting with a local poison center, phytonadione 50 mg i.v., PCC 3100 units, and 4 units of FFP were immediately administered to reverse the patient's coagulopathy. The dose of oral phytonadione was lowered based on INR stability. Once the coagulopathy was stabilized, the patient was transferred to an inpatient psychiatric facility on phytonadione 10 mg daily orally to maintain a stable INR. CONCLUSION: A 44-year-old woman who intentionally ingested brodifacoum was successfully treated with phytonadione, PCC, and FFP.

Pilot and Revision of a Basal-Bolus Dosing Guideline for the Management of Hyperglycemia in Noncritically Ill Adult Patients.

The use of basal-bolus insulin (BBI) regimens for the treatment of inpatient hyperglycemia has become standard of care. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a newly piloted dosing guideline and utilize the results to adjust it prior to its implementation hospital-wide. This was an institutional review board approved, prospective, and multiphase study. An interdisciplinary team was developed and created a dosing guideline, which was followed by a 3-month, single-unit pilot of the guideline in noncritically ill adult patients. The resulting data were used to revise the guideline. Forty-three patients were included. There was a significant decrease in median blood glucose (BG) with use of the guideline (219 mg/dL [162-281] vs 190 mg/dL [136-246], P < .05) in patients not utilizing it. There was also a significant increase in the number of values within the target range of 70 to 180 mg/dL (30.2% vs 41.4%, P < .05). Moreover, there was comparable hypoglycemia before and after the intervention (1.6% vs 2.4%, P = .51). Based on these results, the dosing factor used for the total daily dose of insulin was increased in certain populations. Use of a BBI dosing guideline is safe and effective in decreasing BG values in noncritically ill patients at our institution.