Pharmacy practice
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Identify characteristics of Kentucky community pharmacists and community pharmacists' practice environment associated with utilization of the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting Program (KASPER). ⋯ Utilization of KASPER differs by community pharmacists' practice environment, predominantly by practice type and location. Understanding characteristics of community pharmacists and community pharmacists' practice environment associated with PDMP use is necessary to remove barriers to access and increase utilization thereby increasing PDMP effectiveness.
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To describe a standard approach to provide a support structure for pharmacy resident research that emphasizes self-identification of a residency research project. ⋯ Pharmacy residents selecting their own research projects for their residency year is a feasible alternative to assigning or providing lists of research projects from which to select a project.
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This study aimed to determine if intravenous acetaminophen [paracetamol] (IV APAP) could decrease visual analog pain scores (VAS), opioid exposure and subsequent opioid related adverse effects (nausea, vomiting, constipation) in spinal surgery patients. ⋯ It appears IV APAP can be used effectively as an adjuvant pain management therapy in spinal surgery patients to decrease opioid exposure, but does not necessarily reduce the incidence of opioid related adverse effects or VAS pain scores.
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Preferred anticonvulsant used to treat and prevent fits in eclampsia currently is magnesium sulphate. Clinical monitoring of tendon reflexes, respiration rate and measuring hourly urine output should be done to ensures safe administration of magnesium sulphate. ⋯ Magnesium sulphate is more effective than diazepam in the management of severe pre-eclamptic and eclamptic pregnant women in terms of seizure prevention, shortening postpartum hospital stay and reducing maternal morbidities.
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Patients with diabetes who contract influenza are at higher risk of complications, such as hospitalization and death. Patients with diabetes are three times more likely to die from influenza complications than those without diabetes. Racial disparities among patients with diabetes in preventive health services have not been extensively studied. ⋯ This study found a significant racial disparity in influenza vaccination rates in adults with diabetes with higher rates in Whites compared to African Americans individuals. The public health policies that target diabetes patients in general and specifically African Americans in the 65+ age group, women, and homemakers, may be necessary to diminish the racial disparity in influenza vaccination rates between African Americans and Whites diabetics.