American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Feb 2021
Assessment of the impact of an opioid-specific education series on rates of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder in veterans.
The impact of a focused inpatient educational intervention on rates of medication-assisted therapy (MAT) for veterans with opioid use disorder (OUD) was evaluated. ⋯ Focused OUD-related education in a substance abuse program for veterans with OUD increased rates of MAT and was associated with a decrease in OUD-related ED visits and/or hospital admission within 1 year.
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Feb 2021
Preparing pharmacists to increase naloxone dispensing within community pharmacies under the Pennsylvania standing order.
Opioid misuse and overdose deaths remain a public health concern in the United States. Pennsylvania has one of the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths in the country, with Philadelphia County's being 3 times higher than the national average. Despite several multimodal interventions, including use of SBIRT (screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment) methods and naloxone distribution, the rate of overdose deaths remains high. ⋯ Pharmacists who received both trainings were more likely to change naloxone dispensing practices, leading to an overall increase in naloxone dispensing by community pharmacists. The study addressed overall gaps in pharmacists' knowledge, reduced stigma, and prepared pharmacists to address opioid use and overdose prevention with their patients. The described pharmacist-led patient counseling and intervention service for overdose prevention may be explored as a model for other community pharmacies to adopt to improve naloxone dispensing and similar interventions to reduce overdose deaths.
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Jan 2021
Advancing ambulatory pharmacy practice through a crisis: Objectives and strategies used in an ambulatory care action team's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. ⋯ Building a strong communication infrastructure and a pharmacy ambulatory action team were essential to respond to a crisis and continue ambulatory clinical pharmacy services expansion.
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Jan 2021
Multicenter StudyA survey of US hospitals' criteria for the allocation of remdesivir to treat COVID-19.
To determine how hospitals across the United States determined allocation criteria for remdesivir, approved in May 2020 for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through an emergency use authorization, while maintaining fair and ethical distribution when patient needs exceeded supply. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inconsistencies of US medical centers' methods for allocating a limited pharmacotherapy resource that required rapid, fair, ethical and equitable distribution. The medical community, with citizen participation, needs to develop systems to continuously reevaluate criteria for treatment allocation as additional guidance and data emerge.