Management of occupational exposure to HIV

Over 5 million workers are at risk for occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens, including HIV. The U.S. Public Health Service Working Group recently released updated clinical practice guidelines for the management of occupational exposures to HIV and recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). The preferred antiretroviral regimen for PEP is emtricitabine/tenofovir plus raltegravir, with several alternative treatment options available. Pharmacists are in a key position to actively work with healthcare personnel and providers to select the most appropriate PEP regimen, prevent drug interactions, monitor adverse effects, and provide counseling on behavioral modifications

An elective course in leader development

Objective. To describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a leader-development elective course. Design. Students discovered, reflected on, and enhanced their leadership skills by participating in leadership quality presentations, selecting and facilitating team-building activities for pharmacy-based scenarios, creating a personal mission statement, maintaining a journal, creating pharmacy performance matrices, facilitating leadership discussions and activities, and completing a variety of leader-development inventories to identify their strengths and opportunities for growth. Assessment. Students successfully completed 98% of the assignments. The most valued topics and assignments involved validated instruments, which promoted self-discovery and development. End-of-course survey results revealed all students agreed the course achieved all learning outcomes except preventing conflict from escalating (9% disagreed) and applying knowledge of core values to achieve greater effectiveness in interpersonal communication (4% disagreed). Conclusions. Students perceived this leader-development elective course was effective in achieving learning outcomes. Assignments guided the creation of personalized leader-development tracks, ultimately promoting lifelong learning

Prevnar 13, the New 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Objective: To review the immunogenicity, efficacy, and safety of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) for use in pediatric patients. Data Sources: A MEDLINE search (2000-September 2011) was conducted using the key words Streptococcus pneumoniae and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for clinical trials, limited to studies conducted in humans and published in English. Study Selection And Data Extraction: Randomized, controlled, multicenter trials were reviewed and included to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PCV13. Literature on the epidemiology and pathology of pneumococcal infections and recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) were also reviewed. Data Synthesis: PCV13 is approved for routine vaccination of all infants as a 4- dose series at age 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months for children who previously received 1 or more doses of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7), and for children with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for pneumococcal disease or its complications. PCV13 has comparable immunogenicity to the serotypes common with PCV7 and also provides protection against 6 additional pneumococcal serotypes. PCV13 has also been shown to have a comparable adverse reaction profile to PCV7. Conclusions: Based on published immunogenicity and safety data, as well as the recent recommendations by the ACIP for routine use in infants and indications for high-risk pediatric patients, PCV13 is a revised formulation of pneumococcal vaccine that should be included on pharmacy formularies

An elective course in leader development.

Objective. To describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a leader-development elective course. Design. Students discovered, reflected on, and enhanced their leadership skills by participating in leadership quality presentations, selecting and facilitating team-building activities for pharmacy-based scenarios, creating a personal mission statement, maintaining a journal, creating pharmacy performance matrices, facilitating leadership discussions and activities, and completing a variety of leader-development inventories to identify their strengths and opportunities for growth. Assessment. Students successfully completed 98% of the assignments. The most valued topics and assignments involved validated instruments, which promoted self-discovery and development. End-of-course survey results revealed all students agreed the course achieved all learning outcomes except preventing conflict from escalating (9% disagreed) and applying knowledge of core values to achieve greater effectiveness in interpersonal communication (4% disagreed). Conclusions. Students perceived this leader-development elective course was effective in achieving learning outcomes. Assignments guided the creation of personalized leader-development tracks, ultimately promoting lifelong learning

Appropriate Use of Pressurized Metered-Dose Inhalers for Asthma

Over the last several decades, multiple studies have identified improper asthma rescue inhaler technique as a clinically important correlate of unstable disease and increased use of healthcare services. It is believed that inconsistencies in what is described as “proper” technique by various sources may contribute to patient confusion and poor outcomes in clinical practice. It is important to review pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) protocols as defined by the literature and manufacturers, as well as to understand how the technique employed in each step affects the delivered dose. Presumably, knowledge of this information will clarify aspects of pMDI usage that are potentially confusing, as well as inform patient education and the development of effective asthma action plans

Orientating nonpharmacist faculty members to pharmacy practice

Objective. To design, implement, and evaluate a faculty development program intended to orient nonpharmacist faculty members to pharmacy practice. Design. Amultifaceted program was implemented in 2012 that included 4 shadowing experiences in which faculty members visited acute care, ambulatory care, hospital, and community pharmacy settings under the guidance of licensed preceptors. Itineraries for each visit were based on objective lists of anticipated practice experiences that define the role of the pharmacist in each setting. Assessment. The 4 shadowing experiences culminated with reflection and completion of a survey to assess the impact of the program. All of the faculty participants agreed that the experience improved their conceptual understanding of contemporary pharmacy practice and the role of the pharmacist in the healthcare setting. The experience also improved faculty comfort with creating practice-relevant classroom activities. Conclusions. A shadowing experience is an effective way of orienting nonpharmacist facultymembers to the practice of pharmacy. This program inspired the creation of an experience to introduce pharmacy practice faculty to pharmaceutical science faculty research initiatives