Clin Med
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Multicenter Study Controlled Clinical Trial
Including pharmacists on consultant-led ward rounds: a prospective non-randomised controlled trial.
This study aimed to compare interventions made by pharmacists attending consultant-led ward rounds in addition to providing a ward pharmacy service, with those made by pharmacists providing a word pharmacy service alone. A prospective non-randomised controlled study on five inpatient medical wards was carried out at two teaching hospitals. ⋯ One physician-accepted intervention was made every eight minutes during the consultant-led ward rounds, compared to one every 63 minutes during a ward pharmacist visit. Pharmacists attending consultant-led ward rounds in addition to undertaking a ward pharmacist visit make significantly more interventions per patient than those made by pharmacists undertaking a ward pharmacist visit alone, rectifying prescribing errors and optimising treatment.
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Historically, acute medical staffing numbers have been lower on weekends and in winter numbers of medical admissions rise. An analysis of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) admissions to Portsmouth Hospitals over a seven-year period was undertaken to examine the effects of admission on a weekend, of winter, and with the opening of a medical admissions unit (MAU). In total, 9,915 admissions with AECOPD were identified. ⋯ After opening the MAU, the OR for death day 1 after weekend winter admission fell from 3.63 (95% CI 1.15 to 11.5) to 1.65 (95% CI 0.14 to 19.01). AECOPD patients have an increased risk of death after admission over a weekend in winter and this effect was reduced by opening a MAU. These findings have implications for the planning of acute care provision in different seasons.