scholarly journals Exploring Pharmacy Trainee Experiential Learning in a Full Scope Collaborative Rural Primary Care Practice: A Retrospective Chart Review

Pharmacy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Sara Robinson ◽  
Feng Chang

Despite reported benefits of pharmacy trainees (e.g., pharmacy students, pharmacy residents) in hospital settings, limited research on the impact of these trainees has been conducted in rural primary care. To explore the potential benefits and impact of pharmacy trainees practicing in a supervised collaborative rural primary care setting, a retrospective chart review was conducted. Drug therapy problems (DTPs) were classified using the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE V9) system. Valuation was measured using a validated tool developed by Overhage and Lukes (1999). Over 16 weeks on a part-time basis, pharmacy trainees (n = 3) identified 366 DTPs during 153 patient encounters. The most common causes for DTPs were related to patient transfers and the need for education. Drug level interventions carried out directly by trainees under supervision accounted for 13.1% of total interventions. Interventions that required prescriber authorization had an acceptance rate of 83.25% higher than previous acceptance rates found in urban primary care settings. About half (51%) of the interventions proposed and made by pharmacy trainees were classified as significant or very significant, suggesting these trainees added significant value to the pharmacy service provided to rural community residents. This study suggests that pharmacy trainees can be effective resources and contribute meaningfully to patient care in a collaborative rural primary care team setting.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 774-774
Author(s):  
David Rein ◽  
Madeleine Hackney ◽  
Michele Dougherty ◽  
Camille Vaughan ◽  
Laurie Imhof ◽  
...  

Abstract The STEADI Options trial uses a randomized, controlled-trial design to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the STEADI Initiative . Beginning March, 2020, we will randomize 3,000 adults ≥ 65 years of age at risk for falls seen in an Emory Clinic primary care practice to: (1) full STEADI; (2) a STEADI-derived gait, balance, and strength assessment with physical therapy referrals; (3) a STEADI-derived medication review and management; or (4) usual care. This presentation will discuss decisions made by the study team to facilitate implementation of STEADI including electronically conducting screening prior to the date of encounter, the use of dedicated nursing staff to conduct assessments, implementation of strength, balance, orthostatic hypotension, and vision testing, methods to facilitate medication review, and communication of assessment information to providers. The results from this study will be used to estimate the impact of STEADI on falls, service utilization, and costs over one year.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma M Loebel ◽  
Mary Rojas ◽  
Connor Mensching ◽  
Danielle Wheelwright ◽  
Laura K Stein

Introduction: Studies have demonstrated that aphasia may negatively impact morbidity and mortality among ischemic stroke (IS) patients. However, the association between post-stroke aphasia and readmission with infection (RI) is poorly understood. We sought to assess the impact of aphasia on post-stroke RI. We hypothesized that aphasic patients are at increased risk of infection in the 30-day post-stroke period. Methods: We performed retrospective chart review of the Mount Sinai Hospital IS patients with 30-day all cause readmission from January 2016 - December 2019. All variables were abstracted from the index admission (IA) electronic medical records except for aspects related to the readmission (RA). Aphasia was present if a neurologist diagnosed the patient with acquired language dysfunction during IA. We performed chi square and logistic regression analyses to compare readmitted patients with and without aphasia at IA. Our fully adjusted model controlled for age, sex, medical comorbidities, NIHSS ≥ 8, IA LOS > 7, IA infection, discharge to facility. We completed all analyses with SPSS. Results: During IA, 36% (n=42) were diagnosed with aphasia. At IA, there were no significant differences in age (dichotomized at 65), sex, or medical comorbidities between aphasic and non-aphasic cohorts. However, more aphasic patients had admission NIHSS ≥ 8 (89% vs 35%, p<0.0001), LOS > 7 (76% vs 42%, p=0.0004), discharge to facility (79% vs 49%, p=0.0016), and RI (52% vs 19%, p=0.002). The presence of aphasia predicted RI in both unadjusted (OR=4.6, p<0.001) and adjusted (OR= 3.3, p=0.014) multivariate analyses. The Kappa inter-reliability ranged from 0.7-1.0 for the key variables included in our adjusted model. Conclusions: The adjusted odds of 30-day readmission with infection were significantly greater in those with diagnosis of aphasia at the time of index admission compared to those without. Our study provides preliminary evidence that the presence of aphasia may have negative consequences on a patient’s health beyond the language disturbance. Further study is needed to better understand the reasons and risk reduction strategies in this vulnerable population.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Burnett ◽  
Dolly Panchal ◽  
Bjorn Peterson ◽  
Eric Ernest ◽  
Kent Griffith ◽  
...  

IntroductionAgitated patients who present a danger to themselves or emergency medical services (EMS) providers may require chemical restraints.  Haloperidol is employed for chemical restraint in many EMS services.  Recently, ketamine has been introduced as an alternate option for prehospital sedation.  On-scene time is a unique metric in prehospital medicine which has been linked to outcomes in multiple patient populations. When used for chemical restraint, the impact of ketamine relative to haloperidol on on-scene time is unknown.Objective: To evaluate whether the use of ketamine for chemical restraint was associated with a clinically significant (≥5 minute) increased on-scene time compared to a haloperidol based regimen.MethodsPatients who received haloperidol or ketamine for chemical restraint were identified by retrospective chart review.  On-scene time was compared between groups using an unadjusted Student t-test powered to 80% to detect a ≥5 minute difference in on-scene time.Results110 cases were abstracted (Haloperidol = 55; Ketamine = 55). Of the patients receiving haloperidol, 11/55 (20%) were co-administered a benzodiazepine, 4/55 (7%) received diphenhydramine and 34/55 (62%) received the three drugs in combination. There were no demographic differences between the haloperidol and ketamine groups.  On-scene time was not statistically different for patients receiving a haloperidol based regimen compared to ketamine (18.2 minutes, [95% CI 15.7-20.8] vs. 17.6 minutes, [95% CI 15.1-20.0]; p = 0.71).ConclusionsThe use of prehospital ketamine for chemical restraint was not associated with a clinically significant (≥5 minute) increased on-scene time compared to a haloperidol based regimen.  


2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-87
Author(s):  
Bethany A. Lynch ◽  
Peter Gal ◽  
J. Laurence Ransom ◽  
Rita Q. Carlos ◽  
Mary Ann V.T. Dimaguila ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE Aminophylline is a methylxanthine with multiple physiologic actions. At low doses, aminophylline can antagonize adenosine and improve renal function via increased glomerular filtration rate. Despite its clinical use, little data exists in neonates for this indication. Therefore, the objective of this report is to describe the impact of aminophylline on renal function indices in a series of neonates with acute renal failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a retrospective chart review of 13 neonates with acute renal failure who received aminophylline during a 15-month study period. Aminophylline was administered at 1 mg/kg intravenously or orally every twelve hours. Forty-six percent (n = 6) of the patients received a 5 mg/kg loading dose before initiation of maintenance therapy. Most patients had already received other treatments for renal failure, including diuretics and dopamine. RESULTS Resolution of acute renal failure (with normalization of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen) was documented in 10 patients (77%). Four of the thirteen patients died from complications due to their prematurity. Failure of low-dose aminophylline was observed in 3 of the 4 patients who died. CONCLUSIONS Low-dose aminophylline in neonates with acute renal failure is associated with an improvement in renal function indices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110375
Author(s):  
Roy Wang ◽  
Amanda Guth ◽  
Alyssa Tate ◽  
Michele Ly ◽  
James Plumb

The objective of this study was to describe the frequency that healthcare and social support services offered by JeffHOPE, a student run clinic for people experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia, PA, were utilized by patients. This study also aimed to investigate where patients would seek medical care on a given day had they not been able to access JeffHOPE. This study was conducted via mixed methods consisting of retrospective chart review of patient encounter records and a patient survey conducted weekly throughout 2019, both at a single clinic site, and retrospective chart review of January through March 2020 records at 5 clinic sites. This study found that the frequency of services utilized varied between clinic sites, and that Pharmacy and Procedure committees were the most utilized when examining the combined clinic data. Additionally, the survey found that JeffHOPE provided medical care to those that otherwise would not have sought it. Clinics also served as an alternative to accessing care for non-emergent issues in an Emergency Department (ED) for some patients, but for others it replaced seeing their primary care provider (PCP). This study confirmed that the services offered by JeffHOPE are well-utilized by patients experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia. It also revealed that while the organization’s medical services filled care gaps and potentially decreased unnecessary ED visits, they were also sometimes accessed in lieu of a PCP visit. A focused effort on linkage to formal primary care services for all JeffHOPE patients and expanding collection of more granular data to all clinics represent important future endeavors for this student run organization.


Author(s):  
Ruben Berrocal Timmons

Objective: Treatment of joint pain with an injection of the amniotic membrane has not been adequately studied. This study retrospectively reviewed Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and analgesic usage data from patients treated with the injection of cryopreserved amniotic membrane (CAM) in their knees to determine the impact of treatment on patients’ pain, quality of life, and analgesic usage. Methods: Chart review was conducted on 40 patients. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained prior to initiation of the project. The membrane was utilized as per the FDA guidance of 21CFR1271. Retrospective data, including demographics, medical history, pain score, quality of life score, analgesic usage and adverse events, were collected from their medical records for each consenting patient through 6 months after CAM injection. Results: A total of 40 patients were considered in the final analysis. Mean VAS for pain level improved from 7.0 to 2.6 (p<0.001). WOMAC daily activity function score improved from a mean score of 52 to 28 (p<0.001). Opioid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) usage decreased from 97% to 25% (p<0.001). No adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Mean values for VAS and WOMAC scores significantly improved at all time points and the number of patients who used analgesics decreased as compared to baseline. CAM injection into painful knee joints decreases pain, improves physical function, and decreases the use of analgesics in the absence of adverse events.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Jarnot ◽  
Christopher Streib ◽  
Angela Heyer ◽  
Amy Reichert ◽  
David Anderson ◽  
...  

Introduction: “Stroke codes” (SCs) facilitate the timely treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with IV tPA or intra-arterial thrombectomy (IAT), but are inherently resource-intensive and can expose patients to unnecessary and potentially harmful interventions. While all healthcare providers are encouraged to activate SCs, this might lead to low SC-to-treatment-ratios (SCTR). We examined the impact of de-escalation of stroke codes (DSCs) on SCTR. Methods: DSCs were initiated in our institution in January 2015. All DSCs were reviewed for the patient’s eligibility for IV tPA or IAT, and reason for de-escalation. We reviewed all stroke codes 12 months before and after the initiation of this process and compared the SCTR by chi-squared testing. Results: In 2014, prior to DSCs, 253 SCs resulted in 22 AIS interventions (22 IV tPA) for a SCTR of 8.7%. In 2015, 348 SCs were activated with 64 subsequent DSCs (18.4%) and 45 AIS interventions (38 IV tPA, 7 IAT, 7 both), for a SCTR of 15.8%. The improvement in SCTR after introducing DSCs was statistically significant (p=0.012). When restricting the analysis to IV tPA interventions alone, there remained a trend (p=0.068) towards improvement in SCTR. Retrospective chart review did not reveal any DSC cases that resulted in missed opportunity for IV TPA or IAT treatment. No DSCs were due to an acute ICH. Justifications for de-escalations are summarized in figure 1. Conclusions: The introduction of DSCs resulted in a statistically significant absolute improvement in SCTR of 7.1%. Importantly, DSCs did not result in any eligible AIS patient forgoing IV tPA or IAT, nor missed ICH. More research is needed to increase the yield of stroke codes, refine the criteria for both activating and de-escalating them, and quantify the resource and cost implications of such de-escalations.


BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. e014270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcella K Jones ◽  
Gary Bloch ◽  
Andrew D Pinto

ObjectiveTo examine the development and implementation of a novel income security intervention in primary care.DesignA retrospective, descriptive chart review of all patients referred to the Income Security Heath Promotion service during the first year of the service (December 2013–December 2014).SettingA multisite interdisciplinary primary care organisation in inner city Toronto, Canada, serving over 40 000 patients.ParticipantsThe study population included 181 patients (53% female, mean age 48 years) who were referred to the Income Security Health Promotion service and engaged in care.InterventionThe Income Security Health Promotion service consists of a trained health promoter who provides a mixture of expert advice and case management to patients to improve income security. An advisory group, made up of physicians, social workers, a community engagement specialist and a clinical manager, supports the service.Outcome measuresSociodemographic information, health status, referral information and encounter details were collected from patient charts.ResultsEncounters focused on helping patients with increasing their income (77.4%), reducing their expenses (58.6%) and improving their financial literacy (26.5%). The health promoter provided an array of services to patients, including assistance with taxes, connecting to community services, budgeting and accessing free services. The service could be improved with more specific goal setting, better links to other members of the healthcare team and implementing routine follow-up with each patient after discharge.ConclusionsIncome Security Health Promotion is a novel service within primary care to assist vulnerable patients with a key social determinant of health. This study is a preliminary look at understanding the functioning of the service. Future research will examine the impact of the Income Security Health Promotion service on income security, financial literacy, engagement with health services and health outcomes.


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