scholarly journals The impact of a community pharmacist conducted comprehensive medication review (CMR) on 30-day re-admission rates and increased patient satisfaction scores: A pilot study

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany Snodgrass ◽  
Charles K. Babcock ◽  
Anne Teichman

Objective: To determine the impact of pharmacist conducted Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR) follow-up within seven days after discharge on (1) readmission rates, (2) detection of drug related problems, (3) and changes in Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores. Design: Rates of re-admission for pneumonia, congestive heart failure (CHF), or myocardial infarction (MI), within 30 days of discharge are compared between patients receiving a CMR from the pharmacist to a historical control group not receiving the service. The CMR documentation is reviewed to classify any detected drug related problems. Overall HCAHPS scores for the hospital are compared for the three months prior to instituting this service and the three months during the service. Setting: Patients were discharged from a 101-bed acute care hospital located in rural West Virginia. The community pharmacist worked with the hospital to contact patients after discharge to demonstrate a partnership between inpatient and outpatient care. Patients: Patients were included if they had a discharge diagnosis of pneumonia, congestive heart failure (CHF), or myocardial infarction (MI), and were returning to self-care or family-care. If discharged between 10/12/2012 and 12/11/2012 they were included in the historical control group. If discharged between 12/12/2012 and 2/12/2012 they were offered the CMR service and included in the intervention group. Intervention: Patients received a telephone call two to seven days following discharge from a pharmacist who conducted the Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR) Results: Patients who participated in a CMR via the telephone had decreased 30-day readmission rates compared to the historical control group (16% v 33%). Overall 22 significant drug therapy problems were identified among patients. HCAHPS scores for the questions "Did you receive communication regarding your medications" increased during the study time period (65% vs 72%). Conclusion: The mixed results of available data from previous studies on pharmacist inclusion in the discharge process focuses heavily on counseling before the patient is discharged. Results of this study show community pharmacist partnership in discharge follow-up can also assist in decreasing readmissions, detecting drug related problems, and increasing patient satisfaction.   Type: Original Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lamis R. Karaoui ◽  
Elsy Ramia ◽  
Hanine Mansour ◽  
Nisrine Haddad ◽  
Nibal Chamoun

Abstract Background There is limited published data in Lebanon evaluating the impact of supplemental education for anticoagulants use, especially DOACs, on clinical outcomes such as bleeding. The study aims to assess the impact of pharmacist-conducted anticoagulation education and follow-up on bleeding and readmission rates. Methods This study was a randomized, non-blinded interventional study conducted between August 2017 and July 2019 in a tertiary care teaching Lebanese hospital. Participants were inpatients ≥18 years discharged on an oral anticoagulant for treatment. Block randomization was used. The control group received the standard nursing counseling while the intervention group additionally received pharmacy counseling. Phone call follow-ups were done on day 3 and 30 post-discharge. Primary outcomes included readmission rates and any bleeding event at day 3 and 30 post-discharge. Secondary outcomes included documented elements of education in the medical records and reported mortality upon day 30 post-discharge. Results Two hundred patients were recruited in the study (100 patients in each study arm) with a mean age of 73.9 years. In the pharmacist-counseled group, more patients contacted their physician within 3 days (14% versus 4%; p = 0.010), received explicit elements of education (p < 0.001) and documentation in the chart was better (p < 0.05). In the standard of care group, patients were more aware of their next physician appointment date (52% versus 31%, p < 0.001). No difference in bleeding rates at day 3 and 30 post-discharge was observed between the groups. Conclusions Although pharmacist-conducted anticoagulation education did not appear to reduce bleeding or readmission rates at day 30, pharmacist education significantly increased patient communication with their providers in the early days post-discharge. Trial registration Lebanon Clinical Trial Registry LBCTR2020033424. Retrospectively registered. Date of registration: 06/03/2020.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 793-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srdan Verstovsek ◽  
Hagop M. Kantarjian ◽  
Zeev Estrov ◽  
Jorge E. Cortes ◽  
Deborah A. Thomas ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 793FN2 Background: Myelofibrosis (MF) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm associated with splenomegaly, debilitating symptoms, cytopenias and progressive bone marrow fibrosis that leads to early death. Patients (pts) with high-risk MF according to International Prognosis Scoring System (IPSS) have particularly poor outcome with a median survival of 2 years (yrs). No approved or effective therapy exists. Ruxolitinib is a JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor with established clinical benefit in the treatment of pts with MF by reducing spleen size and improving quality of life. Objective: The objective of this analysis was to compare assorted outcomes of MF pts receiving ruxolitinib to those of a matched historical control group. Methods: Overall survival (OS) of 107 pts enrolled in a Phase I/II trial (INCB18424-251; NCT00509899) and followed at the MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) was compared to that of 310 pts with MF identified in 3 large databases (MDACC, U. of Pavia and Hospital Niguarda cà Granda, Milano) with characteristics that would have allowed them to enroll in INCB18424-251. Thus, the pt features between the 2 groups were matched based on enrollment criteria. Among 107 ruxolitinib treated pts, 63 had high risk, 34 intermediate (int)-2 and 10 int-1 risk according to IPSS. In the control group (n=310), 165 pts had high and 145 pts int-2 risk; most pts were treated with conventional or investigational therapies during follow-up. Results: Ruxolitinib-treated pts had a median age of 66 yrs, hemoglobin (Hb) of 10.2 g/dL, WBC of 19×10^9/L, platelets of 277×10^9/L, and palpable spleen of 19 cm. Control pts had a median age of 70 yrs, Hb of 9.7 g/dL, WBC of 12×10^9/L, platelets of 265×10^9/L, and palpable spleen of 6 cm. Baseline characteristics that differed between 2 groups included: significantly more int-2 vs high-risk pts (according to both IPSS and dynamic IPSS [DIPSS]), older age and lower Hb in the controls, as contrasted to higher WBC and larger spleen in those on ruxolitinib. There were no differences between the groups with regard to male:female ratio, platelet count, and cytogenetic characteristics. With regard to OS comparison between the 2 groups, a significant difference was seen in favor of ruxolitinib (p=0.022). Indeed, 33 of 107 pts (30.8%) in the ruxolitinib group vs. 189 of 310 (60.9%) in the control group died, after a median follow-up of 32 and 22 months, respectively. The difference in OS was highly significant in the high-risk pt subgroup (p=0.006), in that 21/63 (33.3%) vs. 112/165 (67.9%) died in the ruxolitinib and control groups, respectively. In the univariate analysis, significant factors associated with longer OS were int-2 (vs. high) risk (per IPSS/ DIPSS), platelets >400×10^9/L, and age <65 years, but not gender, abnormal cytogenetics, high WBC (>25×10^9/L), anemia (Hb <10g/dL), or spleen size. In the multivariate analysis, using age and blood cell counts as continuous variables, independent significant factors for better survival were IPSS int-2 risk, younger age, higher platelets, and treatment with ruxolitinib (p=0.02; HR=0.63). Conclusions: We have identified a historical control group of pts with clinical characteristics that would have allowed them to participate in the Phase I/II study of ruxolitinib in MF. We compared their survival to 107 pts who participated in that trial, and were followed at the MDACC. The survival of pts with high-risk MF that were treated with ruxolitinib was found to be significantly longer than that of the matched control group. Further, ruxolitinib therapy was identified as an independent factor influencing better survival in the multivariate analysis. Our data suggest the potential of ruxolitinib to change the natural progression of MF pts with advanced disease. Disclosures: Verstovsek: Incyte Corporation: Research Funding.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1129-1143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Sala ◽  
Giorgio Palandri ◽  
Elisabetta Basso ◽  
Paola Lanteri ◽  
Vedran Deletis ◽  
...  

Abstract OBJECTIVE: The value of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (INM) during intramedullary spinal cord tumor surgery remains debated. This historical control study tests the hypothesis that INM monitoring improves neurological outcome. METHODS: In 50 patients operated on after September 2000, we monitored somatosensory evoked potentials and transcranially elicited epidural (D-wave) and muscle motor evoked potentials (INM group). The historical control group consisted of 50 patients selected from among 301 patients who underwent intramedullary spinal cord tumor surgery, previously operated on by the same team without INM. Matching by preoperative neurological status (McCormick scale), histological findings, tumor location, and extent of removal were blind to outcome. A more than 50% somatosensory evoked potential amplitude decrement influenced only myelotomy. Muscle motor evoked potential disappearance modified surgery, but more than 50% D-wave amplitude decrement was the major indication to stop surgery. The postoperative to preoperative McCormick grade variation at discharge and at a follow-up of at least 3 months was compared between the two groups (Student's t tests). RESULTS: Follow-up McCormick grade variation in the INM group (mean, +0.28) was significantly better (P = 0.0016) than that of the historical control group (mean, –0.16). At discharge, there was a trend (P = 0.1224) toward better McCormick grade variation in the INM group (mean, –0.26) than in the historical control group (mean, –0.5). CONCLUSION: The applied motor evoked potential methods seem to improve long-term motor outcome significantly. Early motor outcome is similar because of transient motor deficits in the INM group, which can be predicted at the end of surgery by the neurophysiological profile of patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 779-783
Author(s):  
Victor A. Ognev ◽  
Anna A. Podpriadova ◽  
Anna V. Lisova

Introduction:The high level of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease is largely due toinsufficient influence on the main risk factors that contribute to the development of myocardial infarction.Therefore, a detailed study and assessment of risk factors is among the most important problems of medical and social importance. The aim: To study and evaluate the impact of biological, social and hygienic, social and economic, psychological, natural and climatic risk factors on the development of myocardial infarction. Materials and methods: A sociological survey was conducted in 500 people aged 34 to 85. They were divided into two groups. The main group consisted of 310 patients with myocardial infarction. The control group consisted of 190 practically healthy people, identical by age, gender and other parameters, without diseases of the cardiovascular system. Results: It was defined that 30 factors have a significant impact on the development of myocardial infarction.Data analysis revealed that the leading risk factors for myocardial infarction were biological and socio-hygienic. The main biological factors were: hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. The man socio-hygienic factor was smoking. Conclusions: Identification of risk factors provides new opportunities for the development of more effective approaches for the prevention and treatment of myocardial infarction.


Pharmacy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Fauna Herawati ◽  
Yuni Megawati ◽  
Aslichah ◽  
Retnosari Andrajati ◽  
Rika Yulia

The long period of tuberculosis treatment causes patients to have a high risk of forgetting or stopping the medication altogether, which increases the risk of oral anti-tuberculosis drug resistance. The patient’s knowledge and perception of the disease affect the patient’s adherence to treatment. This research objective was to determine the impact of educational videos in the local language on the level of knowledge, perception, and adherence of tuberculosis patients in the Regional General Hospital (RSUD) Bangil. This quasi-experimental study design with a one-month follow-up allocated 62 respondents in the intervention group and 60 in the control group. The pre- and post-experiment levels of knowledge and perception were measured with a validated set of questions. Adherence was measured by pill counts. The results showed that the intervention increases the level of knowledge of the intervention group higher than that of the control group (p-value < 0.05) and remained high after one month of follow-up. The perceptions domains that changed after education using Javanese (Ngoko) language videos with the Community Based Interactive Approach (CBIA) method were the timeline, personal control, illness coherence, and emotional representations (p-value < 0.05). More than 95% of respondents in the intervention group take 95% of their pill compared to 58% of respondents in the control group (p-value < 0.05). Utilization of the local languages for design a community-based interactive approach to educate and communicate is important and effective.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Chacko ◽  
A Martinez-Naharro ◽  
T Kotecha ◽  
R Martone ◽  
D Hutt ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cardiac involvement is the main driver of outcome in ATTR amyloidosis. Advances in therapeutics hold potential in transforming the course of the disease but the impact on cardiac amyloid load is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of patisiran, a new double stranded RNA based gene silencing therapy and a stabilizer, diflunisal, on cardiac amyloid load as measured by CMR and T1 mapping, in patients with ATTR amyloidosis. Methods and results Thirty-two patients with hereditary cardiac amyloidosis were studied. Sixteen patients received treatment with patisiran, and sixteen control subjects did not receive any disease modifying treatment. Patients were assessed with echocardiogram, CMR, NT-proBNP and six-minute walk time measurements at baseline and at 1 year (Mean interval 11.45±3.08 months in treatment group, mean interval 12.82±5.06 months in the control group). CMR analysis comprised LV volumes, T1 mapping to measure the extracellular volume (ECV) occupied by amyloid, T2 mapping and late gadolinium enhancement imaging. At 1-year follow-up, there was a substantial reduction in cardiac amyloid burden, in keeping with cardiac amyloid regression in 45% of patients on treatment. Overall the treatment group showed a reduction in ECV at 1 year follow up compared to an increase in ECV at 1 year in the control group (−1.37%, 95% CI: −3.43 to 0.68% versus 5.02%, 95% CI: 2.86% to 7.18% respectively, p&lt;0.001). The treatment group also showed an improvement in change in 6MWT at 1 year follow up compared to 6MWT at 1 year in the control group (−8.12 meters, 95% CI: −50.8 to 34.6 meters in the treatment group versus −132.27 meters, 95% CI: −216 to −48.6 meters in the control group, p=0.002). The treatment group showed a reduction in BNP at 1 year follow up compared to an increase in the control group (−567.87, 95% CI: −1288.90 to 153.15 in the treatment group versus 2004, 95% CI: 12.82 to 3995.45 in the control group, p&lt;0.001). There was no significant difference from baseline and 1-year data between the control and treatment groups for the difference in echocardiographic parameters, native T1, T2. There was a significant reduction in the percentage of injected dose by 99Tc-DPD scintigraphy in treated patients at 1 year compared to baseline. Conclusions These findings provide the first compelling evidence of substantial cardiac amyloid regression in ATTR amyloidosis, as well as the potential for CMR to be used to track response in treated patients with ATTR cardiac amyloidosis. Combination therapy with transthyretin knock down and stabilizing agents may well be synergistic given enhanced stoichiometry of stabilizers in the face of much reduced plasma transthyretin concentration. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


Author(s):  
Yi-Wei Kao ◽  
Ben-Chang Shia ◽  
Huei-Chen Chiang ◽  
Mingchih Chen ◽  
Szu-Yuan Wu

Accumulating evidence has shown a significant correlation between periodontal diseases and systemic diseases. In this study, we investigated the association between the frequency of tooth scaling and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Here, a group of 7164 participants who underwent tooth scaling was compared with another group of 7164 participants without tooth scaling through propensity score matching to assess AMI risk by Cox’s proportional hazard regression. The results show that the hazard ratio of AMI from the tooth scaling group was 0.543 (0.441, 0.670) and the average expenses of AMI in the follow up period was USD 265.76, while the average expenses of AMI in follow up period for control group was USD 292.47. The tooth scaling group was further divided into two subgroups, namely A and B, to check the influence of tooth scaling frequency on AMI risk. We observed that (1) the incidence rate of AMI in the group without any tooth scaling was 3.5%, which is significantly higher than the incidence of 1.9% in the group with tooth scaling; (2) the tooth scaling group had lower total medical expenditures than those of the other group because of the high medical expenditure associated with AMI; and (3) participants who underwent tooth scaling had a lower AMI risk than those who never underwent tooth scaling had. Therefore, the results of this study demonstrate the importance of preventive medicine.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 296
Author(s):  
Imke Matthys ◽  
Justine Defreyne ◽  
Els Elaut ◽  
Alessandra Daphne Fisher ◽  
Baudewijntje P. C. Kreukels ◽  
...  

Improving transgender people’s quality of life (QoL) is the most important goal of gender-affirming care. Prospective changes in affect can influence QoL. We aim to assess the impact of initiating gender-affirming hormonal treatment (HT) on affect. In the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI) study, we prospectively collected data of 873 participants (451 transwomen (TW) and 422 transmen (TM)). At baseline, psychological questionnaires including the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were administered. The PANAS, levels of sex steroids and physical changes were registered at each follow-up visit during a 3-year follow-up period, starting at the initiation of hormonal therapy. Data were analyzed cross-sectionally and prospectively. Over the first three months, we observed a decline in positive affect (PA) in both TM and TW. Thereafter, PA reached a steady state in TW, whereas in TM there was also a second decline at 18 months. In both TM and TW there was no persisting difference comparing baseline to the 36-months results. Concerning negative affect (NA), we observed a decline during the first year in TM, which sustained during the second year and was not different anymore at 36 months compared to baseline. In TW though, we did not find any change of NA during the entire follow-up. Even if some of these results show significant differences, they should be considered with caution, since there was no control group and the absolute differences are small. No association between affect and the level of sex steroids was observed. Baseline QoL and psychological burden are related to affect independently from gender but are not necessarily good predictors of the evolution of one’s affect during the gender-affirming process. Further research is necessary to investigate these preliminary results.


Author(s):  
D. Kiessling ◽  
C. Rennings ◽  
M. Hild ◽  
A. Lappas ◽  
T. S. Dietlein ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose To determine the impact of failed ab-interno trabeculectomy on the postoperative outcome of subsequent XEN45 gel stent (Allergan, CA, USA) implantation in pseudophakic eyes. Methods In this retrospective single-center study, we included 60 pseudophakic eyes from 60 participants who underwent XEN45 gel stent implantation. Thirty eyes each underwent primary stent implantation (control group) or had previously undergone a failed ab-interno trabeculectomy (trabectome group). The groups were matched at a 1:1 ratio based on the following criteria: preoperative and maximum Intraocular pressure (IOP), preoperative medication score, cup/disk-ratio, follow-up time, best-corrected visual acuity at baseline, age, and the proportion of patients classified as primary open angle glaucoma or exfoliation glaucoma. We defined a successful surgery by the following three scores: an IOP reduction > 20% and IOP at the longest follow-up < 21 mmHg (Score A) or < 18 mmHg (Score B) or IOP ≤ 15 mmHg and an IOP reduction ≥ 40% (Score C). One open conjunctival revision was allowed in all scores, and a repeat surgery was considered a failure. Results Following an average follow-up period of 22 ± 12 months, we observed a mean IOP reduction of 38%, from 23.5 ± 5.2–14.5 ± 5.0 mmHg. Comparative analyses between the groups did not reveal a significant difference in the postoperative IOP, postoperative medication score, side effects, revision rate, repeat surgery rate, or success rate. Conclusions Trabectome is a viable first-line procedure for medically uncontrolled glaucoma before filtering ab-interno microstent surgery is considered.


2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 183-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela M. Moye ◽  
Pui Shan Chu ◽  
Teresa Pounds ◽  
Maria Miller Thurston

Purpose The results of a study to determine whether pharmacy team–led postdischarge intervention can reduce the rate of 30-day hospital readmissions in older patients with heart failure (HF) are reported. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients 60 years of age or older who were admitted to an academic medical center with a primary diagnosis of HF during the period March 2013–June 2014 and received standard postdischarge follow-up care provided by physicians, nurses, and case managers. The rate of 30-day readmissions in that historical control group was compared with the readmission rate in a group of older patients with HF who were admitted to the hospital during a 15-month intervention period (July 2014–October 2015); in addition to usual postdischarge care, these patients received medication reconciliation and counseling from a team of pharmacists, pharmacy residents, and pharmacy students. Results Twelve of 97 patients in the intervention group (12%) and 20 of 80 patients in the control group (25%) were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge (p = 0.03); 11 patients in the control group (55%) and 7 patients in the intervention group (58%) had HF-related readmissions (p = 0.85). Conclusion In a population of older patients with HF, the rate of 30-day all-cause readmissions in a group of patients targeted for a pharmacy team–led postdischarge intervention was significantly lower than the all-cause readmission rate in a historical control group.


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