Pharmacists involved in this pilot discharge process identified and resolved significant errors on medication reconciliation orders that resulted in a financial benefit to the institution.
Patients at extremes of weight require special consideration to determine appropriate enoxaparin doses. Specifically, low-body-weight patients may benefit from 30 mg subcutaneously daily for VTE prophylaxis, and standard weight-based dosing for VTE treatment. Conversely, in patients with BMIs ≥40 kg/m, 40 mg subcutaneously twice daily is recommended, with consideration for higher doses in patients with BMIs ≥50 kg/m.
Objective. To explore whether metacognition can be improved in Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students through routine self-assessment over a year-long advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) sequence. Methods. Differences between self-assessment scores and preceptors' scores for three cohorts of pharmacy students between 2015 and 2018 were compared between the first, second, and third trimester to determine whether students more accurately evaluated their performance over time. The primary endpoint was change in the absolute difference between student and preceptor evaluation (rubric and composite scores) between trimesters. Results. Of 2577 student and preceptor evaluations eligible for inclusion, 1713 were completed, matched, and analyzed. Using the same rubric as preceptors, students overestimated their performance by an average of 16 points during the first trimester, followed by 14 and 12 points during the second and third trimester, respectively. This reflected a significant improvement over time. No significance difference was found between student and preceptor composite scores. Faculty preceptorship, students' pre-APPE grade point average, and type of APPE were not associated with any difference in rubric or composite scores. Conclusion. This analysis revealed that the difference between student self-evaluation grades and preceptor evaluation grades was greatest during the first trimester and significantly decreased in the second and third trimesters. This could reflect students' development of metacognitive processes over time. Metacognition is a vital skill for pharmacy students to learn, and opportunities to develop this skill should be incorporated throughout the pharmacy curricula.
Introduction: Pain is the most common complication of sickle cell disease (SCD) and a frequent cause of acute care utilization. It can be acute due to vaso-occlusive crisis or chronic with over 50% of adults experiencing chronic pain.1 Having chronic pain was associated with both high daily opioid use (≥ 90 MME) and worse quality of life (3,4). High daily opioid use in SCD was also associated with higher acute care utilization5 and ~50% of SCD adults presenting to a large urban acute-care centre were on chronic daily opioids.2 Opioids have been the mainstay of treatment for both acute and chronic pain in SCD however there is emerging evidence of the poor efficacy and high toxicity/morbidity associated with continuous daily use of opioids in any patient. These adverse effects include tolerance, dependency, opioid induced hyperalgesia, worsening of mood disorders, constipation and opioid withdrawal. The current opioid crisis demands that we identify alternatives to reduce daily high-dose opioids for treating SCD chronic pain that may also reduce acute care utilization and quality of life. Buprenorphine is a partial Mu receptor agonist and Kappa receptor antagonist. This product is approved to treat chronic pain. Naloxone is a Mu receptor antagonist. Buprenorphine/naloxone (B/N) combination products have been used to treat opioid use disorders and is increasingly used off-label to treat chronic pain in patients with opioid dependence. There is currently no published data on the use of buprenorphine alone or B/N in the management of chronic pain in adults with SCD. METHODS: We hypothesized that use of B/N in adults with SCD reduce both acute care utilization and daily opioid use while improving overall clinical outcomes. Using a retrospective chart audit we evaluated patients transitioned to B/N between January 1st, 2016 and April 30th, 2018 who had at least six months of follow up post transition. Patients were expected to follow up in clinic at least weekly for the first 4 visits, biweekly for 4 visits, and then monthly with a SCD provider and psychotherapist. We evaluated Morphine Equivalent Daily Dose (MEDD), acute care (ED) visits, inpatient (IP) admissions, length of stay (LOS), comorbid psychiatric diagnosis, hemoglobin S% (HbS) and F% (HbF) as markers of adherence to disease modifying therapy use and serum ferritin. MEDD was calculated by averaging monthly opioid use and included both outpatient prescriptions from the state's-controlled substance database and inpatient opioid doses administered from the electronic medical record, respectively. ED/IP visits (normalized on an annual basis), average LOS, and lab values were compared over two time-periods: from the date of entry into our SCD program to the date of initiation of B/N (switch date), and from the switch date to the last follow-up date. MEDD was compared for the 6 months pre- and post- initiation of B/N. Outcomes were analysed using generalized linear mixed models with the pre- and post-switch date as the fixed factor in the model. A random effect for subject was included to account the repeated observations. Results: Twenty-four patients were evalauted: 67% Female; median age 36 years (range 18 - 65). Genotype distribution: HbSS 15 (63%); HbSC 5 (21%); SB+Thal 4 (17%); 92% had a comorbid psychiatric condition (major depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder). Our results (summarized in Table 1) demonstrate significant reductions in acute care utilization (ED/IP visits, average IP LOS) and MEDD after initiation of B/N (p<0.001). No significant differences were noted in Ferritin level and HbF% between pre- and post-initiation of B/N. There was a trend towards reduced HbS% as a marker of adherence to monthly erythrocytapheresis however sample size was small. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that Buprenorphine/naloxone is effective in reducing acute care utilization among adults with SCD and drastically lowering the amount of daily opioids used to manage chronic pain. The impact of B/N on acute care utilization and daily opioid use was independent of adherence to disease modifying therapy (hydroxycarbamide and chronic erythrocytapheresis). Disclosures Osunkwo: Micella Biopharma: Other: DSMB Member ; Terumo: Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Symanowski:Boston Biomedical: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Eli Lilly: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Immatics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Carsgen Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.
Background: Treatment-dose enoxaparin is not well studied in obese patients. Guidelines suggest that obese patients receiving enoxaparin therapy for acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) should receive a standard initial dose, 1 mg/kg, based on actual body weight. It is possible that this dosing strategy in obese patients may be overestimated, leading to a higher bleeding risk compared to non-obese patients. Objective: To gather data regarding enoxaparin treatment dosing and anti-Xa level monitoring in patients who are obese to guide dose adjustments. Methods: A single-center, retrospective chart review that included patients who were ordered treatment-dose enoxaparin and had a BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2, which resulted in an automatic pharmacy consult.The primary endpoint of this study was incidence of bleeding. Results: The analysis included 102 patients. Most patients (92.1%) had a BMI of ≥ 40-60 kg/m2 while 7.8% of patients had a BMI of > 60 kg/m2. The average initial and final doses were 1.0 ± 0.1 mg/kg and 0.9 ± 0.2 mg/kg, respectively. The incidence of bleeding was 4.9%. The average dose for those that bled was 0.7 ± 0.1 mg/kg. On average, patients who bled had higher BMIs than patients who did not bleed (51.6 kg/m2 vs. 48.0 kg/m2). Of the 71 patients with an initial anti-Xa level, 42 of the levels were considered supratherapeutic (59.2%). Conclusion: A 1 mg/kg starting dose of enoxaparin may be too high for patients who are obese as many patients required an adjustment to their dose after initial anti-Xa levels.
BackgroundTransition from intravenous (IV) to oral (PO) antibiotics is common practice in patients with Gram-positive bloodstream infections (GP-BSI); however, clinical data evaluating IV to PO switch options are lacking. The objective of this study was to examine effectiveness of PO antibiotics for definitive treatment GP-BSI, with a focus on bioavailability (BA).MethodsThis was a single-center, retrospective cohort study of adult inpatients admitted to an 874-bed academic medical center in Charlotte, NC between September 1, 2014 and August 31, 2017. Patients with a GP-BSI who received appropriate antibiotic therapy with at least one third of their total course administered PO were included. Patients with GP-BSI caused by staphylococcal species were excluded. The primary endpoint was clinical failure in patients receiving high (≥90%) vs. low (<90%) BA agents. Secondary endpoints included clinical failure stratified by antibiotic group, bactericidal vs. bacteriostatic agents, and organism. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to examine clinical failure.ResultsOne hundred three patients were included, 26 in the high BA group, and 77 in the low BA group. The median age was 58, 51% were women, 74.8% of patients had streptococcal bacteremia (26.2% S. pneumoniae), with pulmonary being the most common source (30.1%). There were no major differences in baseline demographic and clinical characteristics between groups. The median treatment duration with IV antibiotics was 4 and 5 days in the high and low BA groups, respectively (P = 0.12). There was no statistically significant difference in clinical failure in the high vs. low BA groups (19% vs. 23%, P = 0.66, respectively). Clinical failure stratified by antibiotic group, bacteriostatic vs. bactericidal agent (OR 1.43, CI 0.26–7.90), and organism also did not yield statistically significant differences.ConclusionThese data demonstrate similar rates of clinical failure among patients definitively treated with high or low BA agents for GP-BSI. High BA agents such as fluoroquinolones may not be needed for all patients with GP-BSI, where more targeted β-lactam therapies may be appropriate. Additional prospective studies with larger sample sizes are needed to further validate these conclusions.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.
Compared with the general adult population, patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have a 1.5 to 2.8 fold increase in mortality rates. This increase in mortality is multifactorial, including both natural causes and suicide. Additionally, antipsychotic medications have been associated with several adverse effects, including weight gain, hyperlipidemia, and the onset of diabetes. These adverse effects can place patients at risk for metabolic syndrome and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Regular monitoring and treatment of risk factors for ASCVD, including hyperlipidemia, should be provided in clinical practice. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recently published updated recommendations for the management of cholesterol to reduce ASCVD. These national guidelines, based on a large body of clinical trials, describe 4 specific patient populations at high risk for ASCVD that should be considered candidates for therapeutic lifestyle changes and pharmacologic treatment. Statin therapy should be considered a first-line treatment option for these patients due to a favorable benefit versus risk profile. Of note, the new guidelines do not recommend a specific LDL target for patients. Instead, either a moderate or high-intensity statin should be recommended based on the patients' comorbidities. Health care providers can have a significant impact on the cardiovascular health of psychiatric patients by appropriately monitoring and treating hyperlipidemia.
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