Negative outcomes associated with medication in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation who present at the emergency department.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Medication is the main treatment option for patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. However, medication can have negative effects. We aimed to detect negative outcomes associated with medication that led to patients with chronic atrial fibrillation presenting themselves to hospital emergency departments. We assessed the severity of those outcomes and comment on whether they could have been avoided. METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included all patients with chronic atrial fibrillation who attended the emergency department of our tertiary hospital. We used the Dader method to identify and evaluate the negative outcomes associated with medication through interviews with patients and scrutiny of the clinical charts. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Of the 198 eligible patients who presented at the emergency department, 134 (67·7%) did so because of negative outcomes associated with medication (41% related to necessity, 32·1% to effectiveness and 26·9% to safety); 67·9% of those negative outcomes could have been avoided. In terms of severity, 6·7% were mild, 31·3% moderate, 51·5% severe and 10·4% fatal. The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification anatomical group most frequently associated with negative outcomes was the cardiovascular system, followed by blood/blood-forming organs. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: A high percentage of patients with chronic atrial fibrillation presenting at hospital emergency departments had negative outcomes associated with medication. Some led to deaths. More than half of these were severe, and most could have been avoided.

[Compliance of prescriptions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients given upon hospital discharge]. / Adecuación de la prescripción al alta hospitalaria en pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica.

OBJECTIVE: Measure the degree of compliance of prescriptions given to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) patients upon hospital discharge by comparing them to international recommendations. Identify factors that influence the degree of compliance. Evaluate the effect of that degree of compliance on the number of COPD exacerbations. METHOD: Retrospective observational study. We selected all episodes identified as COPD in a tertiary hospital during 2006. By consulting the clinical history database, we accessed the hospital discharge report and calculated the treatment's degree of proximity to the recommendations issued in the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). For each episode, we calculated the number of exacerbations in the six following months. Descriptive, bivariate statistical analysis. RESULTS: We obtained 365 episodes. The mean degree of compliance was 82% (SD=15.9). The patient's age and the severity of the disease did not influence the degree of compliance. We observed an inverse correlation between the hospital stay and the degree of compliance (p=0.026). Discharge reports issued by the Pneumonology Department had a significantly higher degree of compliance (p<0.001). No statistically significant relationship was found between the degree of compliance and the number of exacerbations. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of compliance is high according to the GOLD recommendations. The Pneumology Department had the highest degree of compliance, and a higher degree of compliance was related to a shorter hospital stay. The treatment compliance had no effect on the number of exacerbations of the disease.

[Pharmacotherapy follow-up for patients admitted to the Internal Medicine Department of Hospital Infanta Margarita]. / Seguimiento farmacoterapéutico en pacients ingresados en el Servicio de Medicina Interna del Hospital Infanta Margarita.

INTRODUCTION: In pharmacotherapeutic follow-up a pharmacist is responsible for drug-related patient needs (DRPN) by detecting, preventing and solving medication-related problems aiming at specific results to improve patient quality of life. Drug-related problems are pharmacotherapy failures leading to failed therapeutic goals or undesirable events. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, Daders methodology for pharmacotherapeutic follow-up was used in patients admitted to the Internal Medicine Department of Hospital Infanta Margarita, Cabra-Córdoba, Spain. RESULTS: In all, 85 DRPNs (2.7 DRPNs per patient) were identified, and 36 pharmaceutical procedures were performed, with physicians accepting 92% of said procedures. Forty-nine percent of drug-related problems were related to need, 40% to effectiveness, and 11% to safety. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a pharmacist at the Internal Medicine Department allows the detection of DRPNs that are mostly related to need and effectiveness. Pharmaceutical procedures are widely accepted by medical teams.

[Drug therapy follow-up in patients admitted to a Surgery Department]. / Seguimiento del tratamiento farmacológico en pacientes ingresados en un Servicio de Cirugía.

INTRODUCTION: Patients admitted to surgery departments receive multiple drugs before, during and after surgical procedures. Anti-infectious therapy, anesthetics, anti-embolic agents, and analgesics stand out amongst others. Our objective was to implement pharmacotherapeutic follow-up as a means to detect, prevent, and solve medication-related problems (MRPs) in inpatients, and to establish consensus strategies to solve avoidable MRPs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational prospective study of 22 patients hospitalized in a Surgery Department, Hospital Infanta Margarita, Cabra (Córdoba) was conducted. Dader methodology was adapted for drug therapy follow-up in the hospital setting. RESULTS: In all, 108 MRPs were detected; 22.04% were associated with medication needs (MRP1:13.6% and MRP2: 8.5%), 40.68% with ineffectiveness (MRP3: 22.0% and MRP4: 18.6%), and 37.28% with lack of safety (MRP5: 10.2% and MRP6: 27.1%). Out of 108 MRPs found, 64 (59.3%) were avoidable; 97 pharmaceutical interventions were carried out (89.8% of cases), acting in 63 (58%) MRPs detected in cooperation with physicians, while 46 MRPs were solved (42%). We found 1 MRP in each 2.6 patients -- admission days, and 1 MRP per 4.5 patients -- admission days occurred after pharmaceutical intervention during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The use of pharmacotherapeutic follow-up in patients admitted to this department has improved the quality of health care.

[Development and validation of a patient satisfaction questionnaire on pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies]. / Desarrollo y validación de un cuestionario de satisfacción de pacientes con el seguimiento farmacoterapéutico en farmacias comunitarias.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a rapid administration questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with the pharmaceutical care (PhC) service in Spanish community pharmacies. METHODS: A semi-structured and self-administered questionnaire was designed focused on the cumulative experience of patients with the PhC service. This was reviewed by a panel of 8 experts in 2 rounds. The validation was carried out in community pharmacies that performed the PhC service and agreed to participate. All patients or their caregivers who attended a pharmacy during the study period, and who could read and write, were included. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to assess the validity as evidence of internal structure and reliability was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: A total of 8 community pharmacies belonging to 7 provinces of Spain took part and 103 questionnaires were obtained. Factor analysis revealed a single component explaining 33.6% of the total variance. We obtained a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.75. Patients additional comments expressed in 9.7% of the questionnaires were related to emphasising, and thanking for, the care provided by the PhC service. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire developed has provided evidence of content validity, internal structure validity, and reliability to assess the patient satisfaction with the PhC service in Spanish community pharmacies.