The Consultant pharmacist : the journal of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists
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Medical applications (apps) for smart phones have grown in popularity, with minimal oversight by regulatory agencies. A few Web-based resources exist that evaluate apps using peer review or certification standards. Eight clinical apps are presented along with brief explanations of each. Many users believe apps improve patient care and clinical decision-making, but until additional research is conducted, these assertions remain untested assumptions.
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Review Case Reports
Charles bonnet syndrome: treating nonpsychiatric hallucinations.
Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) is characterized by recurrent or persistent complex visual hallucinations that occur in visually impaired individuals with intact cognition and no evidence of psychiatric illness. Patients usually retain insight into the unreal nature of their hallucinations.3,4 CBS is often misdiagnosed, and predominantly affects elderly patients with vision changes (e.g., age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataract). While many require only the assurance of the benign nature of the hallucinations, nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventions have been reported to be useful in the treatment of CBS. ⋯ Pharmacists should be aware of CBS and its treatment options to properly assist physicians in the medication-selection process to alleviate distress experienced by patients with CBS. In patients who may benefit from pharmacological treatment, physicians should weigh the risks and benefits of the different treatment options. Donepezil can be a favorable option in CBS patients with Alzheimer's type dementia.
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To describe three interprofessional education (IPE) programs in geriatrics and to encourage senior care pharmacists' innovation and participation in IPE teaching. ⋯ Successful geriatric IPE programs can be established and conducted in various practice settings. Program sustainability requires participation and interaction of faculty, site preceptors, and students of multiple health professions; administrative and funding support of collaborating partners; and a curriculum that fosters teamwork, shared responsibilities, and joint decision-making while delivering patient-centered care. Senior care pharmacists need to be proactive partners in establishing and conducting IPE in geriatrics.
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Marsha Meyer has taken on the toughest cases-seniors who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, have serious mental health problems, or are illiterate-and provides care to those who are trying to avoid placement in a nursing facility. In 2012, Meyer received the Armon B. Neel Senior Care Pharmacy Award, which is given to a pharmacist whose practice exemplifies senior care pharmacy practice.
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STOPP (Screening Tool of Older Persons' Prescriptions) and START (Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment) are relatively new, validated tools that increasingly are used together to identify prescribing errors in elderly patients. This article reviews two studies that have directly compared STOPP with the Beers criteria, which is the current standard tool used to identify potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in older patients. ⋯ Additional studies are needed to confirm STOPP's greater sensitivity and to determine whether its use translates to improved patient outcomes such as decreased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs. If so, pharmacists should consider implementation of STOPP (with or without START) in practice to improve care for the elderly population.