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 · Nov 2011
Improving adherence to best-practice guidelines for venous thromboembolism risk assessment and prevention.
The effectiveness of a program to improve adherence to best-practice guidelines for venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment and prevention in a community hospital setting was evaluated. ⋯ The appointment of a nurse case manager trained in anticoagulation and the development of an automated VTE-risk-assessment tool to identify patients at high risk of VTE were associated with improved adherence to best-practice guidelines for VTE risk assessment and prevention.
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Vancomycin dosages in overweight and obese children were evaluated. ⋯ A study of prescribing behavior in one hospital revealed no significant difference in the size of vancomycin doses (in milligrams per kilogram) given to normal-weight children compared with overweight or obese children. Regimens using every-eight-hour dosing were significantly more likely than other regimens to result in a vancomycin trough concentration of 5-15 μg/mL, and regimens for obese children, compared with regimens for nonobese children, were less likely to produce trough concentrations in the same range of 5-15 μg/mL.
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Nov 2011
ReviewLorcaserin: an investigational serotonin 2C agonist for weight loss.
The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and adverse effects of the selective serotonin (5-HT) agonist lorcaserin are reviewed, with an emphasis on efficacy and safety data from Phase III clinical trials. ⋯ Lorcaserin, a 5-HT(2C) agonist, has demonstrated efficacy in patients who are obese or are overweight with associated comorbidities. Phase III trials have found that more than 35% of patients lost greater than 5% of their baseline weight. The maker of lorcaserin has indicated it will continue to seek U.S. marketing approval of the drug for the indications of long-term weight loss and weight-loss maintenance in specific patient populations.
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A study was performed to quantify the personnel resources required to manage drug shortages, define the impact of drug shortages on health systems nationwide, and assess the adequacy of information resources available to manage drug shortages. ⋯ A survey of directors of pharmacy revealed that labor costs and the time required to manage drug shortages are significant and that current information available to manage drug shortages is considered suboptimal.