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The Pharmacist’s News Source
pharmacypracticenews.com
Volume 38 • Number 10 • October 2011
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Printer-friendly versions available online
27.5% reduction documented
In Emergency Room, Pharmacists Slash Rate of Drug Errors
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dd a study at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, to the growing body of evidence that demonstrates how on-site pharmacists improve safety in the emergency department (ED). When researchers compared medication error rates at the university’s level 1 trauma center with and without a pharmacist present, they found that 13 times more errors had been reported when there was no pharmacist reviewing drug therapy. Pharmacists are on-site at the 68-bed academic ED for 10 hours per day, where they attend all major trauma and resuscitations. Over the course of three months in 2009, 242 patients were admitted while pharmacists were present, and medication errors were recorded for six (2.5%) of them. By contrast, 452 patients presented when pharmacists were absent, and
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see ED PHARMACY, page 30
Pharmacy-to-Bedside IV Management Team Scores at York Hospital
L
eading a small contingent through the halls of York Hospital, a 558-bed community teaching facility in central Pennsylvania, Hal Baker, MD, looked both convinced and relieved as he reported, “This is exactly how technology is supposed to work.” Dr. Baker, chief information officer of WellSpan Health, a network that includes York Hospital and more than 65 other patient-care sites, said he was struck by the ability of technology to bridge the gap that often exists between caregivers and automation.
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see IV MANAGEMENT, page 22
in this issue Up Front
Up Front NSAIDs and heart disease a bad mix.
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Clinical
Cardiology Weekly high-dose statin achieves lipid goals, may boost compliance.
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Infectious Disease Preventing nosocomial infections saves lives, money.
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Technology
Groups push for new guidelines on smart-pump drug libraries.
Antibiotic Stewardship Made Simple: Pointers for Small Sites Chicago—The prospect of launching an in-depth antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) can be daunting—especially given the continuing financial pressures on health systems. Fortunately, smaller-scale strategies can help ensure proper antibiotic use, improve clinical outcomes and save health care dollars, according to research presented at the 51st annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).
Community Hospital Targets Extended Regimens
Automation University of Chicago slashes labor costs, missed drug doses via tech rollout.
Limited resources not a barrier
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Operations & Mgmt
Leadership in Action How to make the right choices—and repeat them.
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When Kimberly Leuthner, PharmD, was hired directly from a fellowship in infectious disease to work on the overuse of antibiotics at Yuma Regional Medical Center in Yuma, Ariz., she knew that whatever she put into place could not require a lot of money or resources. “We’re a nonprofit community hospital and we get all the nonpayers, so we have to be frugal,” Dr. Leuthner said.
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see STEWARDSHIP, page 11
NEW COLUMN
Wicked Change Sharon Murphy Enright on how to embrace practice change and advance the profession of pharmacy.
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Educational Review
Clostridium difficile: Epidemiology, Transmission, and Treatment See page 14
Is That Lung Cancer Medication The Right One for Your Patient?
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ung cancer patients are typically given drug regimens based largely on the outcomes of large, randomized clinical trials. But those trials may not be valid for a significant percentage of your hospital’s patient base—women, minorities and the elderly. In a study released at the recent 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer, researchers from the FDA reported that enrollment in major clinical trials of agents approved to treat non-small
cell lung cancer (NSCLC) significantly underrepresents these three groups. Between January 2000 and December 2010, the investigators reviewed 10 national and international trials for agents approved to treat NSCLC. They found the following: • Individuals over the age of 65 years made up just 36% of the drug trial population, but represent 73% of U.S. lung cancer patients.
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see LUNG CANCER, page 8
New Product SPOTLIGHT ON
TECHNOLOGY Section begins on page
22
Sandoz launches albuterol sulfate inhalation solution, 0.083% and ipratropium bromide inhalation solution, 0.02%. See page 13.