Emergency pediatric patients and use of the pediatric assessment triangle tool (PAT): a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a scoping review of the evidence for the use of the Pediatric Assessment Triangle (PAT) tool in emergency pediatric patients, in hospital and prehospital settings. We focused on the psychometric properties of the PAT, the reported impact, the setting and circumstances for tool implementation in clinical practice, and the evidence on teaching the PAT. METHODS: We followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and registered the review protocol. We searched MEDLINE, PubMed Central, the Cochrane Library, Epistemonikos, Scopus, CINAHL, Grey literature report, Lens.org, and the web pages of selected emergency pediatrics organizations in August 2022. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data from eligible articles. RESULTS: Fifty-five publications were included. The evidence suggests that the PAT is a valid tool for prioritizing emergency pediatric patients, guiding the selection of interventions to be undertaken, and determining the level of care needed for the patient in both hospital and prehospital settings. The PAT is reported to be fast, practical, and useful potentially impacting overcrowded and understaff emergency services. Results highlighted the importance of instruction prior using the tool. The PAT is included in several curricula and textbooks about emergency pediatric care. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review suggests there is a growing volume of evidence on the use of the PAT to assess pediatric emergency patients, some of which might be amenable to a systematic review. Our review identified research gaps that may guide the planning of future research projects. Further research is warranted on the psychometric properties of the PAT to provide evidence on the tool's quality and usefulness. The simplicity and accuracy of the tool should be considered in addressing the current healthcare shortages and overcrowding in emergency services. REVIEW REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework; 2022. https://osf.io/vkd5h/.

Uptake of pharmacist recommendations by patients after discharge: Implementation study of a patient-centered medicines review service.

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medicine use is common in older people, resulting in harm increased by lack of patient-centred care. Hospital clinical pharmacy services may reduce such harm, particularly prevalent at transitions of care. An implementation program to achieve such services can be a complex long-term process. OBJECTIVES: To describe an implementation program and discuss its application in the development of a patient-centred discharge medicine review service; to assess service impact on older patients and their caregivers. METHOD: An implementation program was begun in 2006. To assess program effectiveness, 100 patients were recruited for follow-up after discharge from a private hospital between July 2019 and March 2020. There were no exclusion criteria other than age less than 65 years. Medicine review and education were provided for each patient/caregiver by a clinical pharmacist, including recommendations for future management, written in lay language. Patients were asked to consult their general practitioner to discuss those recommendations important to them. Patients were followed-up after discharge. RESULTS: Of 368 recommendations made, 351 (95%) were actioned by patients, resulting in 284 (77% of those actioned) being implemented, and 206 regularly taken medicines (19.7 % of all regular medicines) deprescribed. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a patient-centred medicine review discharge service resulted in patient-reported reduction in potentially inappropriate medicine use and hospital funding of this service. This study was registered retrospectively on 12th July 2022 with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN21156862, https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN21156862 .

A qualitative exploration of the barriers and facilitators affecting ethnic minority patient groups when accessing medicine review services: Perspectives of healthcare professionals.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare inequalities and ethnicity are closely related. Evidence has demonstrated that patients from ethnic minority groups are more likely to report a long-term illness than their white counterparts; yet, in some cases, minority groups have reported poorer adherence to prescribed medicines and may be less likely to access medicine services. Knowledge of the barriers and facilitators that impact ethnic minority access to medicine services is required to ensure that services are fit for purpose to meet and support the needs of all. METHODS: Semistructured interviews with healthcare professionals were conducted between October and December 2020, using telephone and video call-based software. Perspectives on barriers and facilitators were discussed. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Reflexive thematic analysis enabled the development of themes. QSR NVivo (Version 12) facilitated data management. Ethical approval was obtained from the Newcastle University Faculty of Medical Sciences Ethics Committee. RESULTS: Eighteen healthcare professionals were interviewed across primary, secondary and tertiary care settings; their roles spanned medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. Three themes were developed from the data regarding the perceived barriers and facilitators affecting access to medicine services for ethnic minority patients. These centred around patient expectations of health services; appreciating cultural stigma and acceptance of certain health conditions; and individually addressing communication and language needs. CONCLUSION: This study provides much-needed evidence relating to the barriers and facilitators impacting minority ethnic communities when seeking medicine support. The results of this study have important implications for the delivery of person-centred care. Involving patients and practitioners in coproduction approaches could enable the design and delivery of culturally sensitive and accessible medicine services. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) group at Newcastle University had extensive input in the design and concept of this study before the research was undertaken. Throughout the work, a patient champion (Harpreet Guraya) had input in the project by ensuring that the study was conducted, and the findings were reported, with cultural sensitivity.

Research Progress on Forensic Molecular Phenotyping in the Age of Precision Medicine.

ABSTRACT: With the development of new technologies, such as whole genome sequencing and big data, many countries have constructed large cohorts as strategic resources for precision medicine study. Related studies have significantly promoted research progress in many fields, such as medicine and biology, creating the genetic testing industry. In the forensic field, characterization technologies for features, such as biogeographic ancestry, genetic genealogy and physical appearance have emerged and developed rapidly. Compared with traditional forensic DNA technology, the new technology can search for characteristics and provide clues, quickly becoming an important means to solve difficult cases such as cold cases and accumulated cases. This paper briefly reviews the current status of the construction of large cohorts at home and abroad, and the research progress of forensic molecular phenotyping in the context of precision medicine in the context of precision medicine.

Ramulus Mori (Sangzhi) alkaloids tablets for diabetes mellitus: A regulatory perspective.

The reform of the review and approval system for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) continues to advance with the introduction of a new registration classification and the establishment of a review and approval evidence system. This new registration process established a novel review and approval evidence system, which combines the TCM theory, human use experience and clinical trials. Ramulus Mori (Sangzhi) alkaloids Tablets are a brand new drug. It is the first botanical natural hypoglycemic drug, and a new model of TCM review and approval evidence system has gradually been developed through contemporary research. In this paper, we discuss the registration process of new Chinese medicine drugs under the "three integrated review and approval system", retrace the development process of Mulberry alkaloid tablets, and discuss the opportunities and challenges encountered under the "three integrated" evidence system to provide feasible strategies and reference models for the development of Chinese medicine and the development of botanical drugs in the world.

Exploring the value of a multidisciplinary-led medication review for elderly individuals at a long-term care facility performed by four different health-care professions in an equal and closely integrated collaboration.

Background: The increasing population of elderly individuals had led to an increasing number of polypharmacy patients. Polypharmacy increases the risk of adverse drug reactions and hospitalization. One means to combat polypharmacy involves performing medication reviews, which can be conducted by different methods and stakeholders. Objective: The study objective was to explore the value of involving different health-care professions in medication reviews at an equal and closely integrated collaborative physical meeting for elderly individuals at a long-term care facility. A specific focus was to explore the contributions and opinions of the different health-care professionals regarding the medication review process. Materials and Methods: A single case study was applied to perform an in-depth study of a group of health-care professionals performing medication reviews in collaboration. Hence, the study was performed in two settings: 1) the practical execution of medication reviews at a long-term care facility in an interprofessional team and 2) qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted to explore the forms of work done by different professional groups in performing an interdisciplinary medication review. Results: Forty-nine residents from a long-term care facility were included in the study and were offered a medication review. In total, they reported 573 prescriptions, for which 150 changes were recommended by the interprofessional team. At the 3- and 8-month follow-ups, 30.0% and 49.5% of the accepted recommendations had been implemented, respectively. According to the interview, the results reveal that the interdisciplinarity of the interprofessional team was perceived as a great advantage to the results of the medication reviews. Conclusion: The results suggest that performing medication reviews in interprofessional collaboration improves the perceived quality of such reviews with a more complete picture of the residents and their medications, leading to more personalized recommendations and resulting in optimized medication reviews for the individual patients.

Process study within a pilot cluster randomised trial in community pharmacy: An exploration of pharmacist readiness for research.

INTRODUCTION: Community pharmacies have an increasingly prominent public health function. This includes addressing alcohol, but guidance on delivery of alcohol interventions in this setting is lacking. We have developed an intervention that integrates attention to alcohol within existing community pharmacy medicine review services. This paper examines the experiences of community pharmacists (CPs) in conducting a pilot trial of the intervention, including the acceptability of the trial patient recruitment procedures and the training and support provided by the research team. METHOD: The pilot trial was conducted in 10 community pharmacies in Yorkshire, England. One CP from each pharmacy was recruited via a multi-stage process to assess motivation, commitment and capacity to participate. Each CP attended a research training day and received on-going research support to conduct the trial. Semi-structured audio-recorded face-to-face interviews (lasting 40-105 min) were conducted with all the CPs at the end of the trial. Data were also available from three direct observations conducted during trial support visits. Data were analysed thematically. RESULTS: The CPs were supportive of research in community pharmacy but had little direct experiences of research themselves. They valued the training and support provided, which had quickly identified areas where CPs were deviating from the study recruitment protocol. In some instances, the boundaries between research and practice became blurred with CPs making changes to their usual routines and interactions with patients to accommodate the research. CONCLUSIONS: The trial procedures were acceptable to CPs, in part because of the training and support provided. There are also identifiable areas where CPs' readiness for research could be enhanced to facilitate participation in future trials in this setting.

A narrative review on the consultation tools available for pharmacists in the United Kingdom: do they facilitate person-centred care?

OBJECTIVES: To identify consultation tools cited in the published literature and undertake a narrative review which establishes their scope to support the delivery of person-centred medicine-focused consultations between community pharmacists and patients in the United Kingdom (UK). KEY FINDINGS: Nine consultation tools used in a pharmacy context were identified. Four tools (Calgary-Cambridge guide, MRCF, MUR and NMS advanced services and PaCT) were selected for further appraisal. None of the tools identified provided a suitable format or sufficient guidance to address all components required for the delivery of a person-centred patient consultation in practice. SUMMARY: Tools available to UK pharmacists are inadequate for fully supporting delivery of a person-centred consultation in practice. Revision of existing tools or creation of more pharmacy-specific tools will support UK pharmacists' delivery of person-centred consultations in practice.

A novel approach to medicines optimisation post-discharge from hospital: pharmacist-led medicines optimisation clinic.

Background There is a major drive within healthcare to reduce patient readmissions, from patient care and cost perspectives. Pharmacist-led innovations have been demonstrated to enhance patient outcomes. Objective To assess the impact of a post-discharge, pharmacist-led medicines optimisation clinic on readmission parameters. Assessment of the economic, clinical and humanistic outcomes were considered. Setting Respiratory and cardiology wards in a district general hospital in Northern Ireland. Method Randomised, controlled trial. Blinded random sequence generation; a closed envelope-based system, with block randomisation. Adult patients with acute unplanned admission to medical wards subject to inclusion criteria were invited to attend clinic. Analysis was carried out for intention-to-treat and per-protocol perspectives. Main Outcome Measure 30-day readmission rate. Results Readmission rate reduction at 30 days was 9.6% (P = 0.42) and the reduction in multiple readmissions over 180-days was 29.1% (P = 0.003) for the intention-to-treat group (n = 31) compared to the control group (n = 31). Incidence rate ratio for control patients for emergency department visits was 1.65 (95% CI 1.05-2.57, P = 0.029) compared with the intention-to-treat group. For unplanned GP consultations the equivalent incident rate ratio was 2.00 (95% CI 1.18-3.58, P = 0.02). Benefit to cost ratio in the intention-to-treat and per-protocol groups was 20.72 and 21.85 respectively. Patient Health Related Quality of Life was significantly higher at 30-day (P < 0.001), 90-day (P < 0.001) and 180-day (P = 0.036) time points. A positive impact was also demonstrated in relation to patient beliefs about their medicines and medication adherence. Conclusion A pharmacist-led post-discharge medicines optimisation clinic was beneficial from a patient care and cost perspective.

Drug Use among Nursing Home Residents in Denmark for Drugs Having Pharmacogenomics Based (PGx) Dosing Guidelines: Potential for Preemptive PGx Testing.

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy is most prevalent among the elderly population and in particular among nursing home residents. The frequency of the use of drugs with pharmacogenomics (PGx)-based dosing guidelines for CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and SLCO1B1 were measured among nursing home residents in the Capital Region of Denmark as well as drug-drug interactions. The aim was to evaluate the potential of applying PGx-test as a supportive tool in medication reviews. METHODS: Drug use among nursing home residents during 2017-2018 in the Capital Region of Copenhagen, for drugs with PGx-based dosing guidelines available through the PharmGKB website, were measured. Drug-drug interactions were scored in severity by using drug interaction checkers. RESULTS: The number of residents using drugs with PGx-based actionable dosing guidelines (AG) were 119 out of 141 residents (84.3%). Of these 119 residents, 87 residents used drugs with AG for CYP2C19, 47 residents for CYP2D6, and 42 residents for SLCO1B1. In addition, 30 residents used two drugs with an AG for CYP2C19, and for CYP2D6, it was only seven residents. The most used drugs with AG were clopidogrel (42), pantoprazole (32), simvastatin (30), metoprolol (25), and citalopram (24). The most frequent drug interactions found with warnings were combinations of proton pump inhibitors and clopidogrel underscoring the potential for phenoconversion. CONCLUSION: this study clearly showed that the majority of the nursing home residents were exposed to drugs or drug combinations for which there exist PGx-based AG. This indeed supports the notion of accessing and accounting for not only drug-gene but also drug-drug-gene interactions as a supplement to medication review.

Systematic Medication Review in General Practice by an Interdisciplinary Team: A thorough but Laborious Method to Address Polypharmacy among Elderly Patients.

Polypharmacy increases the risk of hospitalization but may be reduced by medication review. The study objective is to describe and evaluate a method for conducting medication review in general practice by an interdisciplinary medication team of pharmacists and physicians-in this case conducted by a team from the Department of Clinical Pharmacology-based on information concerning medication, diagnosis, relevant laboratory data and medical history supplied by the general practitioner. We discussed the medication review with the patients' general practitioners and received feedback from them regarding acceptance rates of the recommended changes. Ninety-four patients with a total of 1471 prescriptions were included. A medication change was recommended for nearly half of the prescriptions (48%); at least one change of medication was recommended for all patients. The acceptance rate for recommended medication changes was 55%, corresponding to a mean of 4.2 accepted recommendations per patient. For 18% of all 1471 prescriptions, the general practitioner agreed either to discontinue (stop the medication completely) or reduce the dose of the medication. This method is thorough, but since it requires several healthcare professionals, it is rather time-consuming. There is a need to support medication review in general practice, but although this method may be too time consuming in most cases, it may nevertheless prove to be a useful tool managing the most complicated patients.

Can community pharmacy successfully bridge the gap in care for housebound patients?

BACKGROUND: There are an increasing number of older housebound patients who are not seen by the pharmacists responsible for the provision of their medications. This growing population is increasingly dependent on time-limited carers for their medication support. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the findings of pharmacist led holistic domiciliary medicine use reviews (dMUR) targeted at this group of housebound patients, in terms of required medication support and the identification of unmet social care needs. METHODS: Patients were identified in the London Borough of Richmond (UK) who were predominantly housebound and taking multiple medications. Twelve community pharmacists visited patients and carried out interviews as part of a structured holistic dMUR, which included understanding the patients' living conditions. RESULTS: Altogether 133 patients completed the dMUR with the pharmacist. Patients had a mean age of 81.7 years (range 49-98 years) and took an average of 9.4 different medications, 3 of which being high risk. Nearly 40% had difficulties taking their medications, including a lack of dexterity or difficulty swallowing. Over a quarter (26.8%) of diabetic patients lacked monitoring. Patients were identified with a risk of falling (14.3%) and inadequate social care (11.3%). Continence, dehydration, hygiene and nutrition issues were found, often caused by mobility problems or a lack of suitable toilet facilities. A need for home modifications such as hand rails to prevent falls was also identified. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the varied difficulties facing housebound patients identified during the pharmacists' visits, including a lack of social care provision and fall hazards. Domiciliary visits by pharmacists may be able to help identify the diverse care needs of isolated housebound patients helping to integrate their care requirements.

Use of bedside ultrasound in the evaluation of acute dyspnea: a comprehensive review of evidence on diagnostic usefulness / Uso de ecografía a pie de cama en la evaluación de la disnea aguda: una revisión exhaustiva de la evidencia sobre su utilidad diagnóstica / Uso de ultrassom à beira do leito na avaliação da dispneia aguda: uma revisão abran-gente das evidencias sobre sua utilidade diagnostica

Introduction: Acute dyspnea is one of the most frequently observed symptoms in emergency departments, which can be caused mainly by pulmonary or cardiac system involvement. Bedside ultrasound is postulated as an inno-vative tool for basic use by the physician, which can complement the physical examination and quickly explore the integrity of thoracic structures. Objectives: To synthesize recent evidence on the use of bedside ultrasound in the evaluation of acute dyspnea. Materials and methods: A bibliographic search was carried out using search terms such as "Bedside Ultrasound" and "Acute Dyspnea," as well as synonyms, which were combined with Boolean operators, in the databases PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, EBSCO, and MEDLINE. Results: During the literature review, 10 observational studies, 2 clinical trials and 2 systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria and were ana-lyzed. The use of bedside ultrasound changes the main diagnosis associated with acute dyspnea in more than 60% of cases, the most frequent being acute decompensated heart failure and pneumonia. Protocols such as SEARCH 8Es for the evaluation of dyspnea in the emergency department, has a performance with sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value parameters above 95%. Conclusions: The current evidence on the use of bedside ultrasound in the management of patients with acute dyspnea in the emergency department is limited, Although the level of evidence is not the best, it suggests that this tool may promote the diagnostic perfomance of acute dyspnea of pulmonary or cardiac causes, improve the time to diagnosis, and enhance physician diagno-stic confidence.

Introducción: La disnea aguda es uno de los síntomas más observados en los servicios de urgencias, que puede estar causada por la afectación del sistema pulmonar o cardiaco. La ecografía a pie de cama se postula como una herramienta innovadora, al complementar la exploración física con la eva-luación rápida de las estructuras intratorácicas. Objetivo: Sintetizar la evidencia reciente sobre el uso de la ecografía a pie de cama en la evaluación de la disnea aguda. Materiales y métodos: Búsqueda bibliográfica utilizando términos de búsqueda como Bedside Ultra-sound y Acute Dyspnea, así como sinónimos, que se combinaron con operadores booleanos, en cinco bases de datos. Resultados: Se evidenció que el uso de la ecografía a pie de cama cambia el diagnóstico principal asociado con la disnea aguda en más del 60 % de los casos, entre los cuales los más frecuentes fueron la insuficiencia cardiaca aguda descompensada y la neumonía. Protocolos como el SEARCH 8Es para la evaluación de la disnea en el servicio de urgencias tiene un rendimiento con parámetros de sensibi-lidad, especificidad, valor predictivo positivo y negativo superiores al 95 %. Conclusión: La evidencia actual sobre el uso de la ecografía a pie de cama en el tratamiento de los pacientes con disnea aguda en el servicio de urgencias es limitada. No obstante, sugiere que esta herramienta puede favorecer el rendimiento diagnóstico de la disnea aguda de causa pulmonar o cardiaca, mejorar el tiempo de diagnóstico y aumentar la confianza del médico en el diagnóstico

Introdução: A dispneia aguda é um dos sintomas mais observados no departamento de emergência, que pode ser causado pela afetação do sistema pulmonar o cardíaco. O ultrassom à beira do leito é proposto como uma ferramenta inovadora, complementando o exame físico com uma rápida ava-liação das estruturas intratorácicas. Objetivo: sintetizar evidências recentes sobre o uso do ultrassom à beira do leito na avaliação da dispneia aguda. Materiais e métodos: Pesquisa de literatura usando termos de busca tais como Bedside Ultrasound e Acute Dyspnea, bem como sinônimos, que foram combinados com operadores booleanos, em cinco bancos de dados. Resultados: O uso do ultrassom á beira do leito mostrou a mudança do principal diagnóstico associa-do com a dispneia aguda em mais de 60% dos casos, sendo o mais frequente a insuficiência cardíaca descompensada aguda e a pneumonia. Protocolos como o SEARCH 8Es para a avaliação da dispneia no serviço de emergência tem um desempenho com parâmetros de sensibilidade, especificidade, valor preditivo positivo e negativo superiores ao 95%. Conclusão: As evidencias atuais sobre o uso do ultrassom á beira do leito no gerenciamento de pa-cientes com dispneia aguda no serviço de emergências são limitadas. No entanto, sugere que esta ferramenta pode favorecer o rendimento diagnóstico da dispneia aguda de causa pulmonar ou car-díaca, melhorar o tempo de diagnóstico e aumentar a confiança do médico no diagnóstico.