The Burden of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Adults

The CDC reports that a low trend for influenza, human papilloma virus (HPV), pneumococcal, hepatitis B (for health care providers), and herpes zoster vaccinations continues to persist among adults.4 These poor vaccination rates could be attributed to gaps in insurance coverage, personal beliefs, and disparities in access to vaccines. As a result, the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases translates into significant social, public health, and economic costs within our society

Actionable Patient Safety Solution (APSS) #3D: Pediatric Adverse Drug Events

In 2001, the ISMP and the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group (PPAG) collaborated to produce the nation’s first set of guidelines to reduce pediatric medication errors (ISMP, 2001). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has also taken a lead in making recommendations to reduce errors (AAP, 2003). Closure of performance gaps and “getting to zero” medication errors will require the constant vigilance from all healthcare professionals and the commitment of hospitals and healthcare systems to implement action in the form of specific leadership, practice and technology plans. This will lead to a decrease in medication errors and a reduction in the occurrence of preventable ADEs in pediatric patients

Actionable Patient Safety Solution (APSS) #3D: Pediatric Adverse Drug Events

This report presents a plan of action for introducing a program to reduce the incidence of pediatric adverse drug events (pADEs) and harm ... [that] combine[s] leadership strategies, software (healthcare IT), hardware (drug compounding systems, drug delivery technology, and physiological monitoring systems), and most importantly people (changes in clinical practice, protocols and education) to protect pediatric patients

Actionable Patient Safety Solution (APSS) #3A: Medication Errors

This report presents a plan of action for introducing a program to reduce medication errors, which are a major cause of patient morbidity and mortality

Use of Virtual Games for Interactive Learning in a Pharmacy Curriculum

Background and purpose: To evaluate student pharmacists’ attitudes and satisfaction toward playing educational virtual games in the classroom. Educational activity and setting: The study setting was playing virtual games in the classroom setting. First year student pharmacists participated in two Mimycx quests in the Healthcare Communication and the Psychiatry/Neurology courses. Students were randomly assigned into teams and worked together to complete the assigned quest games. Completion of the pre- and post-quest questionnaires via Qualtrics was voluntary. Findings: A total of 79 student pharmacists played the Mimycx quests. Only 66 students completed both pre- and post-quest questionnaires. Students indicated their familiarity with game concepts related to the virtual environment and avatars used in the study. The change in their attitudes and satisfaction about the Mimycx virtual learning experience was significant between the two learning time points. Discussion and summary: The use of virtual gaming technology could enhance student pharmacists’ learning and engagement in the classroom. Students benefitted from increased familiarity with virtual, educational gaming concepts in their experiences with Mimycx although no statistically significant differences were found regarding their attitudes toward communication and teamwork

Actionable Patient Safety Solution (APSS) #3D: Pediatric Adverse Drug Events

Preventing ADEs in pediatric patients poses unique challenges because children are particularly vulnerable to adverse outcomes from medication errors (preventable adverse events due to wrong medication use). However, it can create a safety culture, which is a culture that promotes patient safety and quality of care while reducing preventable risks and harm

Pharmacists’ Response to the Opioid Crisis: A California Naloxone Survey

This study aimed to assess pharmacists’ response to the current opioid crisis in California, particularly regarding the prevalence of naloxone furnishing (or dispensing without a prescription) and prescriptions for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) drugs for opioid use disorder (OUD) to patients and consumers

Pharmacists Play Role in Pharmacogenomics Clinical Services

They should consider many factors and use clear guidance on predicting phenotypes from genotypes to intervene optimally based on specific drug-gene interactions

Improving Medication Safety in the ICU: The Pharmacist’s Role

Purpose: The clinical impact of a critical care pharmacist in reducing medication errors in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting was evaluated. Methods: The study was divided into two 8-week phases: control phase without a critical care pharmacist and an ICU pharmacist phase with a critical care pharmacist. During both phases, pharmacy staff documented interventions using an electronic documentation system. Interventions that could be classified as medication errors were categorized by type of error and whether they were “averted” (intervention accepted) or “not averted” (intervention not accepted). The type and frequency of medication errors, number of medication errors “averted,” and clinical outcomes associated with the medication errors were compared between the control and ICU pharmacist phases. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups for gender and mean age. Of the 267 interventions included in the ICU pharmacist phase, 256 were classified as medication errors compared with 54 of 58 interventions for the control phase. The average number of medication errors per day was significantly higher during the ICU pharmacist phase (4.27 ± 5.2) compared with the control phase (0.92 ± 1.29, P \u3c 0.0001). The number of medication errors “averted” was higher in the ICU pharmacist phase compared with the control phase (212 vs 50). The “averted” medication errors during the ICU pharmacist phase were related to a higher percentage of improved or resolved clinical outcomes compared with the control phase (66/194 [34%] vs 7/46 [15.2%], P = 0.013). Conclusion: A critical care pharmacist improves medication safety by identifying and preventing medication errors and improving outcomes

Actionable Patient Safety Solution (APSS) #3B: Improve Prevention of Severe Hypoglycemia

Severe hypoglycemia (SH) causes significant morbidity and occasional mortality in hospitalized patients. The establishment of an effective program to reduce errors in the recognition and treatment of SH requires an implementation plan that includes the following actionable steps[.