Smart Phone Apps: An Innovative Approach to Improving Pediatric Medication Adherence

Children suffering from chronic illnesses often struggle to adhere to their medication regimens and are rarely involved in the management of their medications. The use of innovative technology, such as medication adherence mobile apps, may be beneficial in increasing medication adherence rates and self-care knowledge in the pediatric population. Children serve as an optimal population with which to use mobile apps as intervention tools, as children utilize smart phone technology far more than most other populations. By striving to improve children’s medication perceptions, adherence and willingness to continue medication therapy for a chronic condition may improve during adolescent years and may persist as they transition into adulthood. As community pharmacists interact with children with chronic conditions during routine visits, they can also engage them in conversations about their medication adherence through use of mobile apps. Although many medication adherence apps are currently available on the market, none of these apps are tailored towards pediatric patients. Thus, further research should be conducted in order to develop mobile apps conducive to this population.   Type: Student Projec

Smart Phone Apps: An Innovative Approach to Improving Pediatric Medication Adherence

Children suffering from chronic illnesses often struggle to adhere to their medication regimens and are rarely involved in the management of their medications. The use of innovative technology, such as medication adherence mobile apps, may be beneficial in increasing medication adherence rates and self-care knowledge in the pediatric population. Children serve as an optimal population with which to use mobile apps as intervention tools, as children utilize smart phone technology far more than most other populations. By striving to improve children’s medication perceptions, adherence and willingness to continue medication therapy for a chronic condition may improve during adolescent years and may persist as they transition into adulthood. As community pharmacists interact with children with chronic conditions during routine visits, they can also engage them in conversations about their medication adherence through use of mobile apps. Although many medication adherence apps are currently available on the market, none of these apps are tailored towards pediatric patients. Thus, further research should be conducted in order to develop mobile apps conducive to this population.   Type: Student Projec

A Real-World, Multicenter Assessment of Drugs Requiring Weight-Based Calculations in Overweight, Adult Critically Ill Patients

Prescribing appropriate doses of drugs requiring weight-based dosing is challenging in overweight patients due to a lack of data. With 68% of the US population considered overweight and these patients being at an increased risk for hospitalization, clinicians need guidance on dosing weight-based drugs. The purpose of this study was to identify “real-world” dose ranges of high-risk medications administered via continuous infusion requiring weight-based dosing and determine the reasons for dosing changes (ineffectiveness or adverse drug reactions). A prospective, multicenter, observational study was conducted in four intensive care units at three institutions. A total of 857 medication orders representing 11 different high-risk medications in 173 patients were reviewed. It was noted that dosing did not increase in proportion to weight classification. Overall, 14 adverse drug reactions occurred in nine patients with more in overweight patients (9 of 14). A total of 75% of orders were discontinued due to ineffectiveness in groups with higher body mass indexes. Ineffectiveness leads to dosing adjustments resulting in the opportunity for medication errors. Also, the frequent dosing changes further demonstrate our lack of knowledge of appropriate dosing for this population. Given the medications’ increased propensity to cause harm, institutions should aggressively monitor these medications in overweight patients

Motility Evaluation in the Patient with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suffer frequently from functional bowel diseases (FBD) and motility disorders. Management of FBD and motility disorders in IBD combined with continued treatment of a patient’s IBD symptoms will likely lead to better clinical outcomes and improve the patient’s quality of life. The goals of this review were to summarize the most recent literature on motility disturbances in patients with IBD and to give a brief overview of the ranges of motility disturbances, from reflux disease to anorectal disorders, and discuss their diagnosis and specific management