Includes bibliographical references.

Disrespectful Behavior in Health System Pharmacy Practice: Consequences and Next Steps -- The Orphan Drug Act: An Appropriate Approval Pathway for Treatments of Rare Diseases? -- Significant Published Articles for Pharmacy Nutrition Support Practice in 2018 -- Impact of Delayed Oral Vancomycin for Severe Clostridium difficile Infection -- Evaluation of a Hospital Pharmacist Annual Competency Program -- A Retrospective Analysis of Adherence to Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies Requirements for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Drugs -- Impact of an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience Student-Run “Meds 2 Beds” and Discharge Counseling Program on Quality of Care -- A Retrospective Surveillance of the Antibiotics Prophylactic Use of Surgical Procedures in Private Hospitals in Indonesia -- Stability and Compatibility of Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride in Intravenous Admixtures: A New Look at an Old Drug -- The Impact of an Automated Dispensing System for Supplying Narcotics in a Surgical Unit: The Experience of the National Cancer Institute Foundation of Milan.

[Article Title: Disrespectful Behavior in Health System Pharmacy Practice: Consequences and Next Steps / Andrew T. Ruplin, p. 280-282]

Abstract: Disrespectful behavior can plague health care professionals and learners. Disrespectful behavior in health care is described as “Any behavior that influences the willingness of staff or patients to speak up or interact with an individual because he or she expects the encounter will be unpleasant or uncomfortable.”1 Various evidence throughout the last decade proves disrespectful behavior in health care persists, highlights the significant consequences for victims and patient outcomes, identifies its causes, and suggests methods to combat its threat within organizations. The purpose of this article is to equip the health system pharmacy leader with an understanding of how to identify, describe, and uproot disrespectful behavior within their respective department.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018578719844705

[Article Title: The Orphan Drug Act: An Appropriate Approval Pathway for Treatments of Rare Diseases? / Michael Gabay, p. 283-284]

Abstract: The Orphan Drug Act provides financial incentives to pharmaceutical manufacturers to develop treatments for rare diseases affecting limited patient populations. Since passage of the Act in 1983, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved more than 600 orphan drug indications from greater than 450 distinct drug products. The annual number of orphan drug designation approvals has increased significantly in the recent past with much of this increase driven by approval of secondary indications for previously approved treatments. This recent increase has led to concerns regarding the Act as some pharmaceutical manufacturers have reaped outsized financial benefits while avoiding the regulatory requirements and costs associated with nonorphan drug development.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018578719867665

[Article Title: Significant Published Articles for Pharmacy Nutrition Support Practice in 2018 / Roland N. Dickerson, Vanessa J. Kumpf, Angela L. Bingham, Allison B. Blackmer, Todd W. Canada, Lingtak-Neander Chan, Sarah V. Cogle, and Anne M. Tucker, p. 285-293]

Abstract: Staying current with the literature is an essential requirement for maintaining and thriving within an evidence-based clinical practice. However, staying current, particularly within a specialized field such as nutrition support, has become challenging because many institutions have adopted an integrated practice model whereby the clinical pharmacist provides pharmacotherapy services in addition to specialized services. Clinicians are held accountable for having expertise in numerous therapeutic areas that interface with their clinical practice. As new knowledge in nutrition support is often integrated within differing clinical practices and numerous journals, it is a daunting task for one individual to screen the abundance of journals to seek out those clinical studies, position papers, or clinical guidelines that may enhance or change their current clinical practice in pharmacy nutrition support. For the past several years, as clinicians who practice in pharmacy nutrition support, it has been our intent to provide a yearly source of new literature important to pharmacy nutrition support practice. This article identifies and discusses significant articles that were published in 2018.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018578719851727

[Article Title: Impact of Delayed Oral Vancomycin for Severe Clostridium difficile Infection / Sunish Shah, Benjamin Ereshefsky, Laura Pontiggia, and Michael Cawley, p. 294-299]

Abstract: Severe Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common community-acquired and nosocomial infection associated with electrolyte abnormalities, renal failure, sepsis, and in severe cases, toxic megacolon, bowel perforation, and death. Even more concerning is that in recent years, the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of CDI has increased at an exponential rate, which corresponds with the rise of strains with increased virulence, such as NAP1/B1/027. Furthermore, it is also estimated that CDI has a recurrence rate of 20%.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018578718787439

[Article Title: Evaluation of a Hospital Pharmacist Annual Competency Program / Nathan French, Christopher Giuliano, and Michelle Dehoorne-Smith, p. 300-308]

Abstract: The purpose of this project was to evaluate a pharmacist annual competency evaluation (PACE) program for pharmacists at a single site. The results of this evaluation will be utilized to understand the effectiveness of PACE and provide suggestions for programmatic improvement. Methods: The primary outcome of this study was to evaluate the change in pharmacist composite self-efficacy (PSE) scores before and 1 month after the PACE program. The composite score was composed of self-efficacy related to 5 different clinical tasks. The 5 tasks selected were advanced cardiac life support, chemotherapy, dofetilide, patient-controlled analgesia pump, and alteplase (tPA). Secondary outcomes included evaluating each component of the composite score at 1 month, changes in composite score and components at 1 year, and changes in the generalized self-efficacy (GSE) survey at 1 month. Last, themes were identified from a feedback questionnaire after completion of PACE.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018578718791516

[Article Title: A Retrospective Analysis of Adherence to Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies Requirements for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Drugs / Mackenzie Prokes and Adam Root, p. 309-313]

Abstract: The purpose of this quality-improvement project was to assess risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) program compliance for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) drugs following the initiation of more rigid protocols and informatics changes. The primary objective of the study was to determine the effects of these changes on overall compliance of the REMS program requirements. Method: This was a single-center, retrospective evaluation of protocols and informatics updates that were developed to increase compliance with REMS programs for four drugs used to treat PAH. Two separate time periods were examined for comparison: the preinformatics period, January 2015 to February 2016, and the postinformatics period, October 2016 to April 2017. To be included in the study, patients must have been at least 18 years of age and have been ordered one of the following agents: riociguat, macitentan, bosentan, or ambrisentan.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018578718791509

[Article Title: Impact of an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience Student-Run “Meds 2 Beds” and Discharge Counseling Program on Quality of Care / Brette Conliffe, Jocelyn VanOpdorp, Kyle Weant, Vanessa VanArsdale, Jennifer Wiedmar, and Jessie Morgan, p. 314-322]

Abstract: As health care progresses toward pay for performance reimbursement models and focus is placed on the patient as a consumer, health care systems must adapt by initiating new programs and services. This institution responded by implementing a “Meds 2 Beds” program integrating clinical services with dispensing and medication delivery during transitions of care. This study evaluates outcomes relevant to patients, health care providers, pharmacists, and administrators. Methods: This observational chart review evaluated the effectiveness of a “Meds 2 Beds” program from May 1, 2014, through December 1, 2015. Patients who participated in this program were matched 1:1 with controls who did not. The primary outcome was 30-day hospital readmission. Secondary outcomes included 30-day emergency department (ED) visits, patient satisfaction, and financial impact.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018578718791519

[Article Title: A Retrospective Surveillance of the Antibiotics Prophylactic Use of Surgical Procedures in Private Hospitals in Indonesia / Fauna Herawati, Rika Yulia, Eelko Hak, Adriaan H. Hartono, Timo Michiels, Herman J. Woerdenbag, and Christina Avanti, p. 323-329]

Abstract: Antibiotic prophylaxis is defined as the use of antibiotics before, during, and after a surgical procedure to prevent infections, and is common practice in and around operating theaters. Antibiotic prophylaxis should, however, be applied carefully. Excessive use as well as the application of broad spectrum antibiotics harbor a serious risk of resistance development. Examples are the emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria and of hypervirulent strains such as Clostridium difficile, which is a growing cause of antibiotic-associated colitis.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018578718792804

[Article Title: Stability and Compatibility of Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride in Intravenous Admixtures: A New Look at an Old Drug / Daniel Sabins, Tuong Diep, Pamela McCartan, Shashi Patel, and Fang Zhao, p. 330-334]

Abstract: Diphenhydramine, a first-generation H1 antihistamine introduced back in 1946, has been used to treat a variety of conditions, such as allergies, insomnia, motion sickness, and parkinsonism. Currently, systemic diphenhydramine is widely used in therapies as an adjunctive agent to prevent or treat hypersensitivity reactions caused by many agents. In particular, many published studies have used either oral or intravenous (IV) diphenhydramine as part of a premedication series before administering chemotherapy or immunotherapy treatments.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018578718802586

[Article Title: The Impact of an Automated Dispensing System for Supplying Narcotics in a Surgical Unit: The Experience of the National Cancer Institute Foundation of Milan / Giulia Portelli, Michela Canobbio, Rossella Bitonti, Chiara Della Costanza, Roberto Langella, and Vito Ladisa, p. 335-342]

Abstract: Management of medical errors may have a substantial clinical, organizational, and economic impact at a hospital level. The international literature defines a medical error as an error in one of the following stages of the process management: storage, prescription, transcription, dispensing, or administration. Dispensing errors have been described as discrepancies between a prescription and the medicine that is delivered to the patient (within the hospital ward) or distributed to the ward (from the hospital pharmacy) based on the prescription. Dispensing the wrong medicine or the wrong drug strength/dosage form have been often reported as common dispensing error types. The incidence of dispensing errors on the total number of opportunities for medication errors was reported to be in a range from 0.02% to 8.00%, lower compared with transcription (incidence: from 0.01% to 24.00%1,4) and administration errors (incidence: from 0.02% to 18.00%1,4). However, the reported data showed a consistent variability due to different study settings. Causes of dispensing errors range from communication failures to working environment, heavy workload, distractions, failure to read the prescription, complex prescriptions, similarities in drug labeling and packaging, as well as similarities in drug names.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018578718797265