Aims Medication non‐adherence is frequent and is associated with high morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). We investigated whether an interdisciplinary intervention improves adherence in elderly CHF patients. Methods and results The study population (mean age 74 years, 62% male, mean left ventricular ejection fraction 47%, 52% in New York Heart Association class III) consisted of 110 patients randomized into the pharmacy care and 127 into the usual care group. The median follow‐up was 2.0 years (interquartile range 1.2–2.7). The pharmacy care group received a medication review followed by regular dose dispensing and counselling. Control patients received usual care. The primary endpoint was medication adherence as proportion of days covered (PDC) within 365 days for three classes of heart failure medications (beta‐blockers, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists). The main secondary outcome was the proportion of adherent patients (PDC ≥ 80%). The primary safety endpoint was days lost due to unplanned cardiovascular hospitalizations (blindly adjudicated) or death. Pharmacy care compared with usual care resulted in an absolute increase in mean adherence to three heart failure medications for 365 days [adjusted difference 5.7%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6–9.8, P = 0.007]. The proportion of patients classified as adherent increased (odds ratio 2.9, 95% CI 1.4–5.9, P = 0.005). Pharmacy care improved quality of life after 2 years (adjusted difference in Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire scores −7.8 points (−14.5 to −1.1; P = 0.02), compared to usual care. Pharmacy care did not affect the safety endpoints of hospitalizations or deaths. Conclusion Pharmacy care safely improved adherence to heart failure medications and quality of life.

• For seizures with duration of more than 5 min, the administration of anticonvulsive rescue medication is recommended. • Outside the hospital, the administration of rescue medication to children is performed most frequently by their parents. What is New: • Most of the parents reported that they had never experienced problems in handling anticonvulsive rescue medication. • But in the observed drug-handling performances, identified errors committed by parents were alarmingly frequent and pose a high clinical risk according to an expert panel.

A training for preschool teachers boosted the level of self-confidence relating to administration of anticonvulsive rescue medication. Teachers also committed fewer errors when administering rescue medication to dummy dolls.

Aims Patients with heart failure (HF) have poor outcomes, including poor quality of life, and high morbidity and mortality. In addition, they have a high medication burden due to the multiple drug therapies now recommended by guidelines. Previous reviews, including studies in hospital settings, provided evidence that pharmacist care improves outcomes in patients with HF. Because most HF is managed outside of hospitals, we aimed to synthesize the evidence for pharmacist care in outpatients with HF. Methods and resultsWe conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and integrated the evidence on patient outcomes in a meta-analysis. We found 24 RCTs performed in 10 countries, including 8029 patients. The data revealed consistent improvements in medication adherence (independent of the measuring instrument) and knowledge, physical function, and disease and medication management. Sixteen RCTs were included in meta-analyses. Differences in all-cause mortality (odds ratio (OR) = 0.97 [95% CI, 0.84-1.12], Q-statistic, P = 0.49, I 2 = 0%), all-cause hospitalizations (OR = 0.86 [0.73-1.03], Q-statistic, P = 0.01, I 2 = 45.5%), and HF hospitalizations (OR = 0.89 [0.77-1.02], Q-statistic, P = 0.11, I 2 = 0%) were not statistically significant. We also observed an improvement in the standardized mean difference for generic quality of life of 0.75 ([0.49-1.01], P < 0.01), with no indication of heterogeneity (Q-statistic, P = 0.64; I 2 = 0%). Conclusions Results indicate that pharmacist care improves medication adherence and knowledge, symptom control, and some measures of quality of life in outpatients with HF. Given the increasing complexity of guideline-directed medical therapy, pharmacists' unique focus on medication management, titration, adherence, and patient teaching should be considered part of the management strategy for these vulnerable patients.

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Aims Patients with heart failure (HF) have impaired quality of life (QoL). The randomized controlled trial PHARM-CHF investigated whether an interdisciplinary intervention consisting of regular contacts with the community pharmacy and weekly dosing aids improves medication adherence in patients with HF. It is unknown how an intervention involving frequent structured pharmacy visits affects QoL. Our aim was to explore adherence to the intervention and effects on QoL. Methods and results Among 237 patients, n = 110 were randomized to pharmacy care and n = 127 to usual care. The pharmacy care group received a medication review followed by (bi-)weekly dose dispensing and counselling. The median follow-up was 2.0 years [inter-quartile range (IQR) 1.2-2.7]. Median interval between pharmacy visits was 8.4 days (IQR 8.0-10.3) and the visits lasted in median 14 min (IQR 10-15). Median adherence to the intervention was 96% (IQR 84-100). QoL at 365 days was predefined as a main secondary and at 730 days as another secondary endpoint in PHARM-CHF. QoL was measured by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire; and for 111 patients (n = 47 in the pharmacy care group and n = 64 in the usual care group), data were available at baseline, and after 365 and 730 days (mean age 74 years; 41% female). Improvement in QoL was numerically higher in the pharmacy care group after 365 days and was significantly better after 730 days (difference in total scores À7.7 points [À14.5 to À1.0]; P = 0.026) compared to the usual care group. In all subgroups examined, this treatment effect was preserved. Improvements in the physical and emotional dimensions were numerically higher in the pharmacy care group after 365 days and were significantly better after 730 days: À4.0 points [À6.9 to À1.2]; P = 0.006, and À1.9 points [À3.7 to À0.1]; P = 0.039, respectively. Conclusions A pharmacy-based interdisciplinary intervention was well received by the patients and suggests clinically important improvements in QoL.

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Aims: Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) require polypharmacy and are at increased risk for drug-related problems. Interdisciplinary physician-pharmacist medication review may improve drug treatment. Our goal was to analyze the changes from the physician-documented medication plan (MP) and patient-stated medication to an interdisciplinary consolidated MP (CMP).Methods: This pre-specified subanalysis of the PHARM-CHF randomized controlled trial analyzed the medication review of CHF patients in the pharmacy care group. Community pharmacists compared the MP with the drug regimen stated by the patient and consulted with physicians on identified discrepancies and other medication-related problems resulting in a CMP.Results: We analyzed 93 patients (mean 74.0 ± 6.6 years, 37.6% female), taking a median of ten (IQR 8–13) drugs. 80.6% of patients had at least one change from MP to CMP. We identified changes in 32.7% (303/926) of drugs. The most common correction was the addition of a drug not documented in the MP to the CMP (43.2%). We also determined frequent modifications in the dosing regimens (37.6%). The omission of a drug documented in the MP but left out of the CMP accounted for 19.1%. Comparing patient-stated medication to CMP, the current drug regimen of patients was changed in 22.4% of drugs.Conclusion: The medication review resulted in changes of medication between MP and CMP in most of the patients and affected one-third of drugs. Structured physician-pharmacist interdisciplinary care is able to harmonize and optimize the drug treatment of CHF patients.