This study found that patients with a higher score on the Morisky scale had a lower associated HbA1c measurement. The Morisky score may be an efficient tool for identifying patients with poor medication-taking behavior who can then be targeted for directed adherence counseling services.

Objectives. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a medication reconciliation program conducted by doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students during an advanced pharmacy practice experience. Methods. Patients admitted to medicine or surgery units at 3 hospitals were included. Students were instructed to interview each patient to obtain a medication history, reconcile this list with the medical chart, and identify and solve drug-related problems. Results. Eleven students reconciled medications for 330 patients over 10 months and identified 922 discrepancies. The median number of discrepancies found per patient was 2, and no discrepancies were found in 25% of the cases. In cases in which discrepancies were identified, a greater number of medications had been prescribed for the patient (7.9 6 4.0 medications compared to 5.4 6 3.9 medications; p , 0.05). The students completed 59 interventions. Differences were found in the numbers of discrepancies and drug-related problems that different students at different sites identified (p , 0.05). Conclusions. Pharmacy students provided a valuable service to 3 community hospitals. The students improved the quality of patient care by identifying and solving significant drug-related problems, identifying drug allergy information, and resolving home and admission medication discrepancies.

We retrospectively examined the relationship between fluoroquinolone use and the susceptibilities of 11 bacterial pathogens to fluoroquinolones in 10 US teaching hospitals from 1991 through 2000. Statistical significance was determined by 2-way analysis of variance, with the number of isolates tested each year as a weighting factor. The analysis of baseline-to-end point change in the percentage of susceptibility and the slope of the regression line (trend line) for logit percentage of susceptibility showed that the overall percentage of susceptibility to fluoroquinolones decreased significantly during the study period (P<.05) and that change in percentage of susceptibility was significantly related to change in fluoroquinolone use (P<.05). Particularly notable were the decreases in the susceptibilities of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, and Escherichia coli (decreases of 25.1%, 11.9%, and 6.8%, respectively).

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Our results demonstrate a significant impact of increasing BMI category on the CHD risk factors of SBP and HDL in a Us population. These data illustrate the importance of weight reduction in cardiovascular health.