Medication appropriateness on an acute geriatric care unit: the impact of the removal of a clinical pharmacist

Author(s):  
Michael Khazaka ◽  
◽  
Jeanne Laverdière ◽  
Chen Chen Li ◽  
Florence Correal ◽  
...  

Abstract Background evidence is largely available indicating benefits to adding a pharmacist on acute care wards. The benefits of maintaining pharmacotherapeutic consultant services on a geriatric ward remain unexplored. Objectives to determine the impact of the removal of a clinical pharmacist from an acute geriatric ward on patients’ Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) scores, admission-related outcomes and drug burdens. Methods researchers consulted the archives for records of patients admitted to the geriatric care unit before and after the pharmacist’s withdrawal. The primary outcome of differential MAI scores and secondary outcomes of rehospitalisations, emergency department visits, durations of hospitalisation and differential drug count were compared pre- and post-intervention. An interrupted time series analysis regression model was used for the primary outcome. Results a total of 305 patients admitted before (n = 208) and after (n = 97) the pharmacist’s withdrawal were included in the study. The intervention had a significant impact on the primary outcome, increasing the relative differential MAI score (adjusted mean) by 9.3 points (95% confidence interval 3.9–14.6). As for the secondary outcomes, differences in admission-related outcomes were non-significant but the mean differential drug count significantly increased post-intervention from 0.02 to 1.36 (P < 0.001). Conclusion the removal of the pharmacist led to an increase in inappropriate drug prescription. Careful consideration should be given to decisions regarding the removal of the pharmacist from acute geriatric care teams.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S81-S82
Author(s):  
Grace Mortrude ◽  
Mary Rehs ◽  
Katherine Sherman ◽  
Nathan Gundacker ◽  
Claire Dysart

Abstract Background Outpatient antimicrobial prescribing is an important target for antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions to decrease antimicrobial resistance in the United States. The objective of this study was to design, implement and evaluate the impact of AMS interventions focused on asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in the outpatient setting. Methods This randomized, stepped-wedge trial evaluated the impact of educational interventions to providers on adult patients presenting to primary care (PC) clinics for ARIs and ASB from 10/1/19 to 1/31/20. Data was collected by retrospective chart review. An antibiotic prescribing report card was provided to PC providers, then an educational session was delivered at each PC clinic. Patient education materials were distributed to PC clinics. Interventions were made in a step-wise (figure 1) fashion. The primary outcome was percentage of overall antibiotic prescriptions as a composite of prescriptions for ASB, acute bronchitis, upper-respiratory infection otherwise unspecified, uncomplicated sinusitis, and uncomplicated pharyngitis. Secondary outcomes included individual components of the primary outcome, a composite safety endpoint of related hospital, emergency department or primary care visit within 4 weeks, antibiotic appropriateness, and patient satisfaction surveys. Figure 1 Results There were 887 patients included for analysis (405 pre-intervention, 482 post-intervention). Baseline characteristics are summarized in table 1. After controlling for type 1 error using a Bonferroni correction the primary outcome was not significantly different between groups (56% vs 49%). There was a statistically significant decrease in prescriptions for bronchitis (20.99% vs 12.66%; p=0.0003). Appropriateness of prescriptions for sinusitis (OR 4.96; CI 1.79–13.75; p=0.0021) and pharyngitis (OR 5.36; CI 1.93 – 14.90; p=0.0013) was improved in the post-intervention group. The composite safety outcome and patient satisfaction survey ratings did not differ between groups. Table 1 Conclusion Multifaceted educational interventions targeting providers can improve antibiotic prescribing for indications rarely requiring antimicrobials without increasing re-visit or patient satisfaction surveys. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 445-453
Author(s):  
Angelina Vascimini, PharmD ◽  
Kevin Duane, PharmD ◽  
Stacey Curtis, PharmD

Objective: The opioid epidemic is frequently discussed including the staggering numbers involved with coprescribing opioids and benzodiazepines associated with death. Community pharmacists, with the help of a system intervention, have a unique opportunity to help reduce the coprescribing of benzodiazepines and opioids and reduce the associated risk of death.Design: A single center retrospective chart review was conducted after a system intervention was placed, as a quality improvement project, from November 2019 to May 2020.Setting: Independent community pharmacy.Patients/participants: Data included demographics, dosing of each medication pre- and post-intervention, and naloxone status.Main outcome(s) measures: The primary outcome evaluated was reduction in dose/discontinuation of these prescriptions. The secondary outcome evaluated was the number of naloxone prescriptions ordered per protocol and picked up.Results: The primary outcome did not show statistical difference; however, the secondary outcomes showed statistical significance.Conclusion: In conclusion, community pharmacists, with the help of evolving technologies, can reduce harm associated with the coprescribing of benzodiazepines and opioids.


Author(s):  
Giuseppe Riva ◽  
Luca Bernardelli ◽  
Gianluca Castelnuovo ◽  
Daniele Di Lernia ◽  
Cosimo Tuena ◽  
...  

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a novel self-administered at-home daily virtual reality (VR)-based intervention (COVID Feel Good) for reducing the psychological burden experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. A total of 40 individuals who had experienced at least two months of strict social distancing measures followed COVID Feel Good between June and July 2020 for one week. Primary outcome measures were depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, perceived stress levels, and hopelessness. Secondary outcomes were the experienced social connectedness and the level of fear experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Linear mixed-effects models were fitted to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Additionally, we also performed a clinical change analysis on primary outcome measures. As concerning primary outcome measures, participants exhibited improvements from baseline to post-intervention for depression levels, stress levels, general distress, and perceived stress (all p < 0.05) but not for the perceived hopelessness (p = 0.110). Results for the secondary outcomes indicated an increase in social connectedness from T0 to T1 (p = 0.033) but not a significant reduction in the perceived fear of coronavirus (p = 0.412). Among these study variables, these significant improvements were maintained from post-intervention to the 2-week follow-up (p > 0.05). Results indicated that the intervention was associated with good clinical outcomes, low-to-no risks for the treatment, and no adverse effects or risks. Globally, evidence suggests a beneficial effect of the proposed protocol and its current availability in 12 different languages makes COVID Feel Good a free choice for helping individuals worldwide to cope with the psychological distress associated with the COVID-19 crisis, although large scale trials are needed to evaluate its efficacy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S363-S364
Author(s):  
Sana Mohayya ◽  
Navaneeth Narayanan ◽  
Daniel Cimilluca ◽  
Parth Vaidya ◽  
Alexander Malanowski ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In an effort to minimize complications associated with over-utilization of antibiotics, many antimicrobial stewardship programs have incorporated an antibiotic time out (ATO). Despite the increasing adoption of the ATO, limited data are available to support its effectiveness. This study was designed to assess the impact of an automated ATO integrated into the electronic medical record (EMR) on the rate of antibiotic modification in patients receiving broad-spectrum antibiotic(s) for Gram-negative bacteremia (GNB). Methods This was a single-center retrospective cohort study of inpatients from January 2017 to June 2018 conducted at a large academic medical center. ATO was implemented on October 31, 2017. Adult patients with GNB who received at least 72 hours of a systemic antibiotic were included. Patients with neutropenia or polymicrobial infections were excluded. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who received a modification of therapy within 24 hours of final culture results. Secondary outcomes included modification at any point in therapy, time to modification of therapy, time to de-escalation, and days of therapy of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Results There was a total of 88 patients who met inclusion criteria, 37 patients pre-ATO and 51 patients post-ATO. The primary outcome of modification of therapy within 24 hours of final culture results was not significantly different for patients in the pre-ATO and post-ATO groups (19% vs. 20%, P = 0.94, respectively). The secondary outcome of modification of therapy at any point in therapy was not significantly different between the two groups (62% vs. 66%, P = 0.67). Of the 47 patients who received a modification of therapy, the mean time to modification was significantly shorter in the post-ATO group (52.8 hours vs. 45.26 hours, P < 0.05,). All other secondary outcomes were not significantly different between study groups. Conclusion The ATO alert was not associated with a higher rate of antibiotic modification within 24 hours of culture results in patients with GNB, although there was a significant reduction in the time to antibiotic modification. Further efforts are needed to improve the time to modification and optimize antibiotic prescribing practices. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Cross ◽  
Tommy Lam ◽  
Joel Arndell ◽  
John Quach ◽  
Buck Reed ◽  
...  

Aim External cardiac compressions (ECC) are a critical component in determining the effectiveness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Guidelines prior to the 2010 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation directed rescuers to place the heel of the dominant hand directly on the chest when performing ECC, however current guidelines are silent on this issue. Existing research is inconsistent in findings, and heterogeneous in design and participants. The aims of this pilot study were to: 1) investigate the impact of hand dominance on effectiveness of ECC; and 2) generate outcome data to inform sample size calculations for a larger future study.Methods This study utilised a single blinded, prospective randomised crossover trial design. Each participant was allocated to a ‘dominant hand on chest’ (DHOC) or ‘non-dominant hand on chest’ (NDHOC) group. On a simulation manikin, participants in the DHOC group performed 3 minutes of ECC with dominant hand on the chest and non-dominant hand supporting, followed by a ‘rest and recovery’ period and then a second 3-minute period of ECC with the hand reversed such that the non-dominant hand was on the chest. The NDHOC group performed the same series of compressions but in reverse order. The primary outcome measure was effectiveness of ECC, determined by a percentage-based ‘CPR score’ (‘CS’). Secondary outcomes were compression depth, rate and release. The Wilcoxon rank-sum (Mann-Whitney) test was used due to the non-normal distribution of the data. Due to the crossover design, hierarchical linear regression was used to assess for a period or cross over effect. Results For the primary outcome of this study, we have found no significant difference in CS between DHOC and NDHOC (69.9% (SD=29.9) vs. 69.1% (SD=34.1); p=0.92), respectively. There were no differences in the secondary outcomes of compression rate and depth, though compression release was improved in the DHOC group (53% vs. 42%; p=0.02).ConclusionIn this randomised crossover study conducted in a simulation context there was no difference in ECC effectiveness measured by an overall effectiveness outcome according to placement of the dominant or non-dominant hand on the chest during compressions. A modest improvement in ECC release was seen in the dominant hand on chest group. While the study was underpowered, the results support an approach involving rescuers placing whichever hand they are most comfortable with on the chest irrespective of handedness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7_suppl5) ◽  
pp. 2325967119S0040
Author(s):  
Heath P. Gould ◽  
Robert Daniel Winkelman ◽  
Joseph Tanenbaum ◽  
Emily Hu ◽  
Colin M. Haines ◽  
...  

Objectives: Previous studies in the evidence-based literature suggest that lumbar spine injuries can lead to a significant decrease in athletic performance. This phenomenon is particularly evident in sports that require repetitive truncal rotation, such as baseball. Although we have previously characterized the natural history of symptomatic spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis in professional baseball players, no prior study has investigated the impact of pars injuries on player performance in this patient population. The purpose of this study was to report performance-based outcomes following symptomatic pars injuries in elite-level baseball athletes. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among all professional baseball players who presented with a symptomatic pars defect between 2011 and 2016. Both Major League and Minor League players were enrolled using a de-identified injury surveillance database maintained by the MLB. Lumbar spine imaging reports were reviewed to confirm the radiologic diagnosis of spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis. Players were stratified according to baseball position (pitcher vs. position player). Primary outcome measures for pitchers were earned run average (ERA) and walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP), while primary outcomes for position players were batting average (AVG) and on-base plus slugging (OPS). Paired t tests were used to compare pre-injury statistical performance to post-injury performance, with p < 0.05 treated as statistically significant. Results: During the defined study period, 75 players presented with low-back pain in the setting of a pars defect. 47 players were diagnosed with spondylolysis (62.7%), while 28 were diagnosed with spondylolisthesis (37.3%). Of those individuals, 19 players were excluded due to incomplete statistical data in the MLB injury surveillance system. Pre-injury vs. post-injury statistical comparisons are presented in Table 1. Pitching performance after the pars injury did not significantly differ with regard to the primary outcome measures, ERA (3.45 vs. 4.73; p = 0.25) and WHIP (1.28 vs. 1.47; p = 0.26). There was also no significant difference in any of the secondary outcomes - runs per 9 innings (R/9), hits per 9 innings (H/9), walks per 9 innings (BB/9), strikeouts per 9 innings (K/9), home runs per 9 innings (HR/9), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (K/BB). Similarly, batting performance among position players did not significantly differ from pre-injury to post-injury with regard to the primary outcomes, AVG (.261 vs. .256; p = 0.59) and OPS (.672 vs. .667; p = 0.87), or any of the secondary outcomes - on-base percentage (OBP), slugging percentage (SLG), runs per plate appearance (R/PA), hits per plate appearance (H/PA), runs batted in per plate appearance (RBI/PA), extra-base hits per plate appearance (XBH/PA), home runs per plate appearance (HR/PA), and walk-to-strikeout ratio (BB/K). Conclusion: This study represents the most comprehensive analysis of the impact of symptomatic pars injuries on MLB player performance. While previous studies suggest that lumbar injuries lead to shorter careers in both pitchers and position players, our current data demonstrate that pars defects do not cause a significant decrease in performance when MLB athletes return to play following these injury episodes. Given the limitations of our study design, larger prospective investigations are needed to validate these conclusions. [Table: see text]


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Zheng ◽  
Wenjing Huang ◽  
Juan Li ◽  
Qianhua Zheng ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
...  

Objective To study whether a higher expectation of acupuncture measured at baseline and after acupuncture is associated with better outcome improvements in patients with migraine. Methods We performed a secondary analysis of a previous published trial in which 476 patients with migraine were randomly allocated to three real acupuncture groups and one sham acupuncture control group. All the participants received 20 sessions of acupuncture over a 4-week period. The primary outcome was the number of days with a migraine attack (NDMA) assessed at 5–8 weeks after randomisation. The secondary outcomes were visual analogue scale, headache intensity and quality of life assessed at 4, 8 and 16 weeks after randomisation. Expectations of the acupuncture effect were assessed at baseline and at the end of treatment and categorised into five levels, with 0% the lowest and 100% the highest. Outcome improvement was first compared among the participants with different expectation levels using an analysis of variance model. The association between expectations of treatment and outcome improvement was then calculated using a logistic regression model. Results Patients with 100% baseline expectations did not report significantly fewer NDMA than those with 0% baseline expectations after adjusting for the covariates (at 5–8 weeks, 1.7 vs 3.9 days, p=0.987). High baseline expectations had no significant impact on improvement of the primary outcome (100% vs 0%: OR 8.50, 95% CI 0.89 to 191.65, p=0.682). However, patients with 100% post-treatment expectations reported fewer NDMA than those with 0% expectations (primary outcome: 1.3 vs 5.0 days, p<0.001) and were more likely to have a favourable response (100% vs 0%: OR 68.87, 95% CI 6.26 to 1449.73, p=0.002). Similar results were found when analysing the impact of expectation on the secondary outcomes. Conclusions A high level of expectation after acupuncture treatment rather than at baseline was associated with better long-term outcome improvements in patients with migraine. Clinical Trial Number NCT00599586.


2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdalhadi Hasan ◽  
Mahmoud Musleh

Aims: The aim of the study was to assess what empowerment intervention has on people with schizophrenia. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was carried out between November 2015 and May 2016 involving 112 participants who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Patients, who were 18 years and above diagnosed with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-V) schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder from the outpatient mental health clinics in Jordan, were randomly assigned to take part in an intervention that consisted of receiving 6 weeks’ worth of information booklets, with face to face discussions, while receiving their usual medication or allocated treatment as usual. The participants were assessed at baseline, immediately after the intervention and at 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome was a change in the helplessness score. Secondary outcomes were psychiatric symptoms, recovery rate, empowerment and quality of life. Results: This study showed that people with schizophrenia in the intervention group showed more improvement in the helplessness score immediately post-intervention ( F = 74.53, p < .001) and at 3-month follow-up ( F = 75.56, p < .001), they reported significant improvements in all secondary outcomes. Conclusion: This study indicated that the empowering intervention was an effective intervention when integrated with treatment as usual.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S201-S202
Author(s):  
John M Boulos ◽  
Kathryn DeSear ◽  
Bethany Shoulders ◽  
Veena Venugopalan ◽  
Stacy A Voils ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Antibiotic time out (ATO) policies have been proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to limit unnecessary use of antibiotics. Critically ill patients are often treated empirically with MRSA-active agents for a prolonged duration. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of an ATO policy by targeting empiric gram-positive coverage. Methods Before this intervention, linezolid required pre-approval by the antimicrobial stewardship program or infectious diseases (ID) consult service before dispensing, and no automatic ATO policy was in place for any agent. In 2018, restriction of linezolid was modified to allow 72 hours of empiric use in the intensive care unit (ICU). This retrospective, single-center, pre- post-intervention study looked at eight ICUs at our institution from two equal periods. Adults (age ≥ 18 years) were included who received an IV gram-positive antibiotic (IVGP-AB), specifically linezolid or vancomycin, used for empiric therapy and were admitted to the ICU. The primary outcome was antimicrobial consumption of IVGP-AB defined as days of therapy (DOT) per patient. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU LOS, in-hospital mortality, 30-day readmission, and incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI). Figure 1. Flowchart of patient inclusion into the study Results 2718 patients met criteria for inclusion in the study. 1091 patients were included in the pre-intervention group and 1627 patients were included in the post-intervention group. Baseline characteristics between the two groups were similar, with ID consults being higher in the pre-intervention group. Total mean DOT of IVGP-AB in pre- and- post-intervention groups was 4.97 days vs. 4.36 days, p&lt; 0.01. Secondary outcomes of in-hospital LOS, ICU LOS, and in-hospital mortality did not vary significantly between groups. Thirty-day readmission was lower in the post-intervention group (12.9% vs. 3.9%, p&lt; 0.01). AKI did not differ significantly between groups, however the need for renal replacement therapy was higher in the pre-intervention group (1.2% vs. 0.2%, p&lt; 0.01). Conclusion This study assessed the impact of an ATO policy allowing 72 hours of empiric linezolid in the ICU. We found a statistically significant reduction in days of therapy of IVGP-AB without increases in LOS, mortality, readmission, and AKI. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


CJEM ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Olszynski ◽  
Tim Harris ◽  
Patrick Renihan ◽  
Marcel D’Eon ◽  
Kalyani Premkumar

AbstractObjectivesWe sought to compare two ultrasound simulation interventions used during critical care simulation. The primary outcome was trainee and instructor preference for either intervention. Secondary outcomes included the identification of strengths and weaknesses of each intervention as well as overall merits of ultrasound simulation during high-fidelity, critical care simulation. The populations of interest included emergency medicine trainees and physicians.MethodsThis was a randomized crossover study with two ultrasound simulation interventions. 25 trainees and eight emergency physician instructors participated in critical-care simulation sessions. Instructors were involved in session debriefing and feedback. Pre- and post-intervention responses were analyzed for statistically significant differences usingttest analyses. Qualitative data underwent thematic analysis and triangulation.ResultsBoth trainees and instructors deemed ultrasound simulation valuable by allowing trainees to demonstrate knowledge of indications, correct image interpretation, and clinical integration (p<0.05). Trainees described increased motivation to develop and use ultrasound skills. The edus2 was the preferred intervention, as it enabled functional fidelity and the integration of ultrasound into resuscitation choreography. Instructors preferred the edus2, as it facilitated better assessment of trainees’ skills, thus influencing feedback.ConclusionsThese findings support the use of ultrasound simulation during critical care simulations. The increased functional fidelity associated with edus2 suggests that it is the preferred intervention. Further study of the impact on clinical performance is warranted.


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