The opioid epidemic in the United States continues to take the lives of many individuals, with overdoses continuing to rise every year. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that is efficacious in temporarily reversing opi...The opioid epidemic in the United States continues to take the lives of many individuals, with overdoses continuing to rise every year. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that is efficacious in temporarily reversing opioid overdoses. Pharmacists play an important role in the accessibility and education of naloxone in both the community and health system settings. Recent efforts, such as co-dispensing naloxone with opioid prescriptions, naloxone training programs, and approval of naloxone to be over-the-counter, have been implemented in hopes to better control the opioid epidemic. Despite the efforts to make naloxone more accessible, there are still some barriers to overcome such as lack of training, cost, stigma, and patient refusal. This review aims to explore the contributions pharmacists have made thus far and define the barriers that still have to be resolved.展开更多
Background: The increasing use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) both on prescription and over the counter raises a major global health concern because of the risks associated with their use if no prop...Background: The increasing use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) both on prescription and over the counter raises a major global health concern because of the risks associated with their use if no proper guidance is given by the health care provider. This study assessed the roles of community pharmacists in screening and disseminating information about the risks associated with NSAID use in Zambia. Methodology: This was a national cross-sectional study in which a structured self-administered questionnaire was administered to 245 registered community pharmacists in Zambia. Stata/BE, version 15.1 (Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas, USA) and multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine factors associated with information dissemination about ADRs of NS-NSAIDs. Results: 231 of the 245 distributed questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 94.3%. All (100%) participating community pharmacists claimed to have practiced dispensing NSAIDs. However, only 26 (11.0%) and 71 (30.8%) regularly screened for risk factor of selective COX-2 NSAIDS (SC2-NSAIDS) and non-selective NSAIDS (NS-NSAIDs) respectively. Information dissemination on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of SC2-NSAIDS was regularly provided by only 22 (9.5%) of pharmacists while that of NS-NSAIDs was regularly provided by 49 (21.2%). In the multivariate logistic regression model, being the owner of a pharmacy (AOR: 5.4, CI: 1.84 - 16.4) was significantly associated with information dissemination about ADRs of NS-NSAIDs while an hour increase in the working hours per day (AOR: 0.9, CI: 0.64 - 0.95) was associated with less likelihood of information dissemination. Conclusion: Pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Zambia did not regularly screen and disseminate information about the risks associated with NSAID use. Therefore, pharmacists should be able to screen and monitor patients at risk and be aware of the majority of risk factors while dispensing NSAIDs to minimize the associated complications.展开更多
Background: Pharmacists must adjust their distance from patients to facilitate communication during interviews and gain their trust. The distance between the patients and the pharmacists varies depending on many facto...Background: Pharmacists must adjust their distance from patients to facilitate communication during interviews and gain their trust. The distance between the patients and the pharmacists varies depending on many factors, such as gender, posture and the patients’ mood. Only a few of these papers have actually measured and validated distance with patients. In this study, we validated our method of assessing mood and measuring distance before beginning a survey with patients. Methods: We measured comfortable interpersonal distance among men and women using an ecological scenario, in which a pharmacist approaches the subject, and the subject is asked to stop the pharmacist at the distance he/she feel comfortable with. Five pharmacists and 33 subjects participated in the study. The Japanese version of the Brief Mood Questionnaire Checklists (BMC-J) was used to quantify the subject’s mood for the day, and then the distance from the pharmacist that the subjects considered comfortable was measured at the bedside. The relationship between the mood and distance obtained was examined. Results: The comfortable distance of subjects was influenced by gender, posture, and mood. The shortest distance was 94.7 ± 11.1 cm (mean ± SD), for the male subjects versus the female pharmacists in the sitting position. The distance of male subjects shorted when they had positive emotions and lengthened when they were worried. Female subjects maintained a long distance from both male and female pharmacists when they had positive emotions and a short distance when they were worried. Conclusion: Findings show that the distance changes depending on the subjects’ mood at the time of measurement. It was found that the present measurement method can be used to determine the psychological state of the patient and measure the comfort distance at that time, and can be used as a simple method to examine these relationships. Therefore, it is also considered a practical method for the next step, which is a clinical study on patients.展开更多
Anticancer drug preparation by pharmacists is a critical task directly related to medical incidents. This study examined the factors influencing medical errors in chemotherapy, that is, errors by specialist pharmacist...Anticancer drug preparation by pharmacists is a critical task directly related to medical incidents. This study examined the factors influencing medical errors in chemotherapy, that is, errors by specialist pharmacists (CPh) and pharmacists in other departments (NCPh), by measuring their gaze during the preparation of anticancer drugs. The eye-tracking results showed that the gazing time of NCPh was significantly longer than that of CPh for items such as “preparation of a closed-system device” and “preparation of the syringe” and all preparation times (P < 0.05). The NCPh were not assigned to prepare drugs on a regular basis, indicating their lack of familiarity with the process. There was no significant difference in gaze ratio between CPh and NCPh. This outcome was suggested to be a result of the use of an anticancer drug preparation support system. The results for the pupil diameter variation rate showed that NCPh were significantly more mydriatic in the “mixing injections” category than CPh. However, CPh tended to be more mydriatic in the “checking” category. CPh exhibited a smooth workflow and focused on the important items to be checked. This study showed that the differences in procedure flow and concentration points may lead to errors. Furthermore, the results are of interest from the perspective of medical incident prevention. They will be useful in identifying potential human factors, such as where the pharmacist focuses their attention by measuring eye movements.展开更多
Background: The COVID-19 outbreak negatively impacted pharmacists who provided basic medical services by inducing anxiety and depression, thus, leading to medical errors. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the...Background: The COVID-19 outbreak negatively impacted pharmacists who provided basic medical services by inducing anxiety and depression, thus, leading to medical errors. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the job burnout and satisfaction levels among hospital pharmacists during the period when China downgraded COVID-19 from a Category A disease to a Category B disease. Method: We selected pharmacists from several medical institutions in Yunnan Province as the subjects by using the general information questionnaire survey, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the Work Environment Scale-10 (WES-10). Results: After analyzing 461 questionnaires, the results showed that the age and marital status of the pharmacists displayed significant effects on their emotional exhaustion and sense of achievement, with younger pharmacists getting higher and lower scores for their tests on emotional exhaustion and sense of achievement, respectively (p Conclusion: Hence, it was concluded that the job burnout of pharmacists was at a low level during the period when China downgraded COVID-19 as a Category B disease from Category A.展开更多
BACKGROUND Carbapenem antibiotics are a pivotal solution for severe infections,particularly in hospital settings.The emergence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria owing to the irrational and extensive use of carbapenems ...BACKGROUND Carbapenem antibiotics are a pivotal solution for severe infections,particularly in hospital settings.The emergence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria owing to the irrational and extensive use of carbapenems underscores the need for meticulous management and rational use.Clinical pharmacists,with their specialized training and extensive knowledge,play a substantial role in ensuring the judicious use of carbapenem.This study aimed to elucidate the patterns of carbapenem use and shed light on the integral role played by clinical pharmacists in managing and promoting the rational use of carbapenem antibiotics at Wenzhou Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital.AIM To analyze carbapenem use patterns in our hospital and role of clinical pharmacists in managing and promoting their rational use.METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of carbapenem use at our hospital between January 2019 and December 2021.Several key indicators,including the drug utilization index,defined daily doses(DDDs),proportion of antimicrobial drug costs to total hospitalization expenses,antibiotic utilization density,and utilization rates in different clinical departments were comprehensively analyzed.RESULTS Between 2019 and 2021,there was a consistent decline in the consumption and sales of imipenem-cilastatin sodium,meropenem(0.3 g),and meropenem(0.5 g).Conversely,the DDDs of imipenem-cilastatin sodium for injection increased in 2020 and 2021 vs 2019,with a B/A value of 0.67,indicating a relatively higher drug cost.The DDDs of meropenem for injection(0.3 g)exhibited an overall upward trend,indicating an increasing clinical preference.However,the B/A values for 2020 and 2021 were both>1,suggesting a relatively lower drug cost.The DDDs of meropenem for injection(0.5 g)demonstrated a progressive increase annually and consistently ranked first,indicating a high clinical preference with a B/A value of 1,signifying good alignment between economic and social benefits.CONCLUSION Carbapenem use in our hospital was generally reasonable with a downward trend in consumption and sales over time.Clinical pharmacists play a pivotal role in promoting appropriate use of carbapenems.展开更多
文摘The opioid epidemic in the United States continues to take the lives of many individuals, with overdoses continuing to rise every year. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that is efficacious in temporarily reversing opioid overdoses. Pharmacists play an important role in the accessibility and education of naloxone in both the community and health system settings. Recent efforts, such as co-dispensing naloxone with opioid prescriptions, naloxone training programs, and approval of naloxone to be over-the-counter, have been implemented in hopes to better control the opioid epidemic. Despite the efforts to make naloxone more accessible, there are still some barriers to overcome such as lack of training, cost, stigma, and patient refusal. This review aims to explore the contributions pharmacists have made thus far and define the barriers that still have to be resolved.
文摘Background: The increasing use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) both on prescription and over the counter raises a major global health concern because of the risks associated with their use if no proper guidance is given by the health care provider. This study assessed the roles of community pharmacists in screening and disseminating information about the risks associated with NSAID use in Zambia. Methodology: This was a national cross-sectional study in which a structured self-administered questionnaire was administered to 245 registered community pharmacists in Zambia. Stata/BE, version 15.1 (Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas, USA) and multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine factors associated with information dissemination about ADRs of NS-NSAIDs. Results: 231 of the 245 distributed questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 94.3%. All (100%) participating community pharmacists claimed to have practiced dispensing NSAIDs. However, only 26 (11.0%) and 71 (30.8%) regularly screened for risk factor of selective COX-2 NSAIDS (SC2-NSAIDS) and non-selective NSAIDS (NS-NSAIDs) respectively. Information dissemination on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of SC2-NSAIDS was regularly provided by only 22 (9.5%) of pharmacists while that of NS-NSAIDs was regularly provided by 49 (21.2%). In the multivariate logistic regression model, being the owner of a pharmacy (AOR: 5.4, CI: 1.84 - 16.4) was significantly associated with information dissemination about ADRs of NS-NSAIDs while an hour increase in the working hours per day (AOR: 0.9, CI: 0.64 - 0.95) was associated with less likelihood of information dissemination. Conclusion: Pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Zambia did not regularly screen and disseminate information about the risks associated with NSAID use. Therefore, pharmacists should be able to screen and monitor patients at risk and be aware of the majority of risk factors while dispensing NSAIDs to minimize the associated complications.
文摘Background: Pharmacists must adjust their distance from patients to facilitate communication during interviews and gain their trust. The distance between the patients and the pharmacists varies depending on many factors, such as gender, posture and the patients’ mood. Only a few of these papers have actually measured and validated distance with patients. In this study, we validated our method of assessing mood and measuring distance before beginning a survey with patients. Methods: We measured comfortable interpersonal distance among men and women using an ecological scenario, in which a pharmacist approaches the subject, and the subject is asked to stop the pharmacist at the distance he/she feel comfortable with. Five pharmacists and 33 subjects participated in the study. The Japanese version of the Brief Mood Questionnaire Checklists (BMC-J) was used to quantify the subject’s mood for the day, and then the distance from the pharmacist that the subjects considered comfortable was measured at the bedside. The relationship between the mood and distance obtained was examined. Results: The comfortable distance of subjects was influenced by gender, posture, and mood. The shortest distance was 94.7 ± 11.1 cm (mean ± SD), for the male subjects versus the female pharmacists in the sitting position. The distance of male subjects shorted when they had positive emotions and lengthened when they were worried. Female subjects maintained a long distance from both male and female pharmacists when they had positive emotions and a short distance when they were worried. Conclusion: Findings show that the distance changes depending on the subjects’ mood at the time of measurement. It was found that the present measurement method can be used to determine the psychological state of the patient and measure the comfort distance at that time, and can be used as a simple method to examine these relationships. Therefore, it is also considered a practical method for the next step, which is a clinical study on patients.
文摘Anticancer drug preparation by pharmacists is a critical task directly related to medical incidents. This study examined the factors influencing medical errors in chemotherapy, that is, errors by specialist pharmacists (CPh) and pharmacists in other departments (NCPh), by measuring their gaze during the preparation of anticancer drugs. The eye-tracking results showed that the gazing time of NCPh was significantly longer than that of CPh for items such as “preparation of a closed-system device” and “preparation of the syringe” and all preparation times (P < 0.05). The NCPh were not assigned to prepare drugs on a regular basis, indicating their lack of familiarity with the process. There was no significant difference in gaze ratio between CPh and NCPh. This outcome was suggested to be a result of the use of an anticancer drug preparation support system. The results for the pupil diameter variation rate showed that NCPh were significantly more mydriatic in the “mixing injections” category than CPh. However, CPh tended to be more mydriatic in the “checking” category. CPh exhibited a smooth workflow and focused on the important items to be checked. This study showed that the differences in procedure flow and concentration points may lead to errors. Furthermore, the results are of interest from the perspective of medical incident prevention. They will be useful in identifying potential human factors, such as where the pharmacist focuses their attention by measuring eye movements.
文摘Background: The COVID-19 outbreak negatively impacted pharmacists who provided basic medical services by inducing anxiety and depression, thus, leading to medical errors. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the job burnout and satisfaction levels among hospital pharmacists during the period when China downgraded COVID-19 from a Category A disease to a Category B disease. Method: We selected pharmacists from several medical institutions in Yunnan Province as the subjects by using the general information questionnaire survey, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the Work Environment Scale-10 (WES-10). Results: After analyzing 461 questionnaires, the results showed that the age and marital status of the pharmacists displayed significant effects on their emotional exhaustion and sense of achievement, with younger pharmacists getting higher and lower scores for their tests on emotional exhaustion and sense of achievement, respectively (p Conclusion: Hence, it was concluded that the job burnout of pharmacists was at a low level during the period when China downgraded COVID-19 as a Category B disease from Category A.
文摘BACKGROUND Carbapenem antibiotics are a pivotal solution for severe infections,particularly in hospital settings.The emergence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria owing to the irrational and extensive use of carbapenems underscores the need for meticulous management and rational use.Clinical pharmacists,with their specialized training and extensive knowledge,play a substantial role in ensuring the judicious use of carbapenem.This study aimed to elucidate the patterns of carbapenem use and shed light on the integral role played by clinical pharmacists in managing and promoting the rational use of carbapenem antibiotics at Wenzhou Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital.AIM To analyze carbapenem use patterns in our hospital and role of clinical pharmacists in managing and promoting their rational use.METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of carbapenem use at our hospital between January 2019 and December 2021.Several key indicators,including the drug utilization index,defined daily doses(DDDs),proportion of antimicrobial drug costs to total hospitalization expenses,antibiotic utilization density,and utilization rates in different clinical departments were comprehensively analyzed.RESULTS Between 2019 and 2021,there was a consistent decline in the consumption and sales of imipenem-cilastatin sodium,meropenem(0.3 g),and meropenem(0.5 g).Conversely,the DDDs of imipenem-cilastatin sodium for injection increased in 2020 and 2021 vs 2019,with a B/A value of 0.67,indicating a relatively higher drug cost.The DDDs of meropenem for injection(0.3 g)exhibited an overall upward trend,indicating an increasing clinical preference.However,the B/A values for 2020 and 2021 were both>1,suggesting a relatively lower drug cost.The DDDs of meropenem for injection(0.5 g)demonstrated a progressive increase annually and consistently ranked first,indicating a high clinical preference with a B/A value of 1,signifying good alignment between economic and social benefits.CONCLUSION Carbapenem use in our hospital was generally reasonable with a downward trend in consumption and sales over time.Clinical pharmacists play a pivotal role in promoting appropriate use of carbapenems.