The Development of a Novel Interprofessional Education Curriculum for third year medical and pharmacy students

Abstract Introduction: The Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, agencies responsible for the accreditation of medical and pharmacy schools respectively, require interprofessional education (IPE) to be integrated into both curricula. Institutions are given the autonomy to design and implement this requirement, however research is equivocal in regards to when and how best to implement IPE. The development of a new IPE curriculum is often met with a number of challenges, such as a lack of faculty support and resources. Methods: This study describes a newly created pilot IPE curriculum developed with minimal existing organizational IPE structure and resources, led by faculty champions from two complementary healthcare professions, Internal Medicine and Pharmacy. The validated 10-item Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education- Revised (SPICE-R) instrument was used to assess the medical and pharmacy students’ attitudes towards interprofessional healthcare teams and the team approach to patient care. Results: Overall, students demonstrated a statistically significant increase in their perception of interprofessional healthcare teams and team approach to patient care. Conclusion: Prior to this IPE curriculum no formal IPE curriculum existed in this setting. This IPE curriculum was successfully implemented with minimal existing resources, the use of faculty champions and student’s perception of IPE improved using the validated SPICE-R instrument. IPE curriculum integration at our institution is in various stages of development. As IPE integration moves forward this pilot can serve as one example of how IPE could be implemented

Non‐pharmacological interventions for neonatal abstinence syndrome

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a growing concern in the wake of America\u27s opioid epidemic. The last 15 years have exhibited a fivefold increase in NAS 1, which is linked directly to the rise of opioid use during pregnancy. Exposure to addictive substances while in the womb leads to a variety of problems after birth, including metabolic, gastrointestinal and central nervous system effects. For example, NAS manifests as fever, sweating, tachypnea, tremors, poor eating, weight loss, seizures, crying and other symptoms. Management of NAS includes both pharmacological and non‐pharmacological supportive care. Non‐pharmacological therapy may reduce the length of hospitalization, minimizing medication therapy requirements and reduce the risk associated with medication therapy in infants

An atypical withdrawal syndrome in neonates prenatally exposed to gabapentin and opioids

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a postnatal drug withdrawal syndrome that primarily occurs after in utero exposure to opioids. In the US, it is estimated that 1 infant is born every 25 minutes with NAS, representing $1.5 billion in additional hospital charges. NAS is increasing in frequency and can represent as many as 50% of admissions to some neonatal intensive care units. Gabapentin was approved in the US in 1993 for the treatment of partial seizures and has been prescribed increasingly for a number of other conditions. Recently, nonprescription gabapentin use has been reported among opioid abusers to potentiate the opioid high. In this retrospective case series, we describe infants born to mothers at our institution who have used both opioids and gabapentin, describe a unique withdrawal syndrome, and report a successful treatment strategy