List Of Pharmacies Research Articles

Essential drug list for cardiovascular diseases in a tertiary health care centre

Background: Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of a population. The latest version of NLEM is the 23rd list, published in September 2022, and contains 384 essential drugs, of which 29 are cardiovascular drugs. The drugs in the list may be huge or small according to the local needs. The objectives of our study are to prepare the essential drug list for cardiovascular disease in a tertiary care hospital and to confirm the essential drug list provided and its availability in the pharmacy. Methods: We interviewed around 28 consultants from various departments who prescribe these cardiac drugs. The names, doses and dosage forms were noted. The list was verified with the NLEM 2022 and counterchecked in the hospital pharmacy. Results: Most consultants adhered to NLEM, but an additional 42 drugs were prescribed, amounting to 71 drugs. There are four drugs Warfarin, Rivaroxaban, Furosemide and Torsemide which may be considered for the hospital pharmacy list. Conclusions: Too many drugs other than those present in the NLEM list are prescribed, which can be reduced by adequately training the consultants to adhere to the prescribed list.

Medication discrepancy rates and sources upon nursing home intake: A prospective study.

Medication discrepancies at nursing home intake increase the risk of drug-related adverse events. Measuring discrepancy incidence rates and locating the origins of discrepancies can assist in identifying information exchange deficits for high-risk medications. To determine class-specific discrepancy rates, to determine discordance between medication lists, and to explore patient and system-level factors associated with medication discrepancies discovered between the first and second medication reconciliations conducted at nursing home intake. Medication discrepancy data were prospectively collected from four long-term care facilities over a 9-month period. Medication discrepancies were defined as mismatched prescribing orders between at least two medication history lists. Discrepancy locations were defined as the pairs or triads of facilities between which medication history lists were discordant. Unadjusted logistic regressions were used to identify medication classes with the highest discrepancy rates and patient factors significantly associated with any medication discrepancy. 40.8% of newly admitted or re-admitted residents and 6.3% of medications reviewed had at least one medication discrepancy discovered during the second medication reconciliation conducted at nursing home intake. Residents prescribed fewer than 14 medications were at less risk of discrepancies. Residents with Charlson Comorbidity Index of 5, COPD, HF, anemia or HTN were at greater risk of discrepancies. Respiratory and analgesic medications were twice as likely as other medication classes to be discrepant (OR=2.2, 95% CI 1.2-4.4; OR=2.2, 95% CI 1.3-3.5). Most discrepancies occurred between hospital and nursing home lists (44.9%), or between the hospital, nursing home, and community pharmacy lists (39.3%) CONCLUSIONS: Given the higher risk of discrepancies within respiratory or analgesics, transitions of care teams need to prioritize residents with respiratory conditions or pain. Although re-admitted residents' increased discrepancy risk is likely due to poorer health status, miscommunications across the nursing home, hospital and community pharmacy require further research to clarify system failures.

PHARMACY CONSULTING: NEW DRUG FORMS AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Pain syndrome of various origins and varying intensity is the most common and leading reason for seeking medical care in the world. The main drugs for the relief of both acute and chronic pain syndrome from the 20th century to the present are non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). More than 30 million people worldwide receive them every day. Along with pain, other common indications for NSAIDs are fever and inflammation. All NSAIDs differ in the degree of effectiveness, form of release, speed of onset of clinical effect and dosage. That is why one of the fundamental tasks of the pharmacist, in the framework of pharmacy counseling, is to provide the patient with quality medicines and teach them how to use them rationally. With the rapid development of medical and information technologies in the modern world, the fulfillment of this task becomes more and more important, complex and responsible action. The appearance, on the pharmaceutical market innovative NSAIDs in accelerated-release dosage’s forms (for example, Ketorol® Express), makes it possible to expand the pharmacy list.

Socio-ecological and pharmacy-level factors associated with buprenorphine stocking at pharmacies in New York City.

Research is lacking on community and pharmacy-level factors that are associated with stocking buprenorphine. To address these gaps, this study applied a socio-ecological framework to estimate the association between community- and pharmacy-level factors and buprenorphine stocking among a sample of pharmacies in New York City. A telephone survey recruitment strategy was used to administer surveys to 662 pharmacies on the New York City Naloxone Standing Order Pharmacy list in 2018. The survey assessed pharmacy-level factors of private spaces to consult with pharmacists, type of pharmacy (chain/independent), size of pharmacy, having buprenorphine in stock and being open on nights and weekends. Socio-ecological variables drawn from census tract and public health data consisted of racial and ethnic composition, rates of poverty, rates of people without insurance, and rates of overdose. Mixed effects logistic regression estimated odds ratios (OR) of carrying buprenorphine in stock after adjusting for socio-ecological and pharmacy-level factors. Fewer than half of the pharmacies reported having buprenorphine in stock (43.81% n=290). Logistic regression analyses indicate that several pharmacy-level factors - the number of private spaces (aOR=1.67 95% CI=1.20, 2.32 p=.002), large size of the pharmacy (aOR=1.52 95% CI=1.04, 2.22, p=.032), having naloxone in stock (aOR=1.54, 95%CI=1.03, 2.32 p=.037), as well as neighborhood-level factors of higher rates of poverty (aOR=2.07 95%CI=1.07, 4.02 p<.001) and higher rates of uninsured residents were associated with carrying buprenorphine (aOR=0.23 95%CI=0.14,.38). Using a socio-ecological framework, this study identified inequities in pharmacy stocking of buprenorphine by neighborhood rates of health insurance. At the pharmacy level, increasing private spaces for consultation and encouraging co-stocking of naloxone with buprenorphine stocking may reduce inequalities in buprenorphine availability.

26984 iPLEDGE pharmacy deserts exist across major metropolitan cities in the United States

Early treatment for acne is crucial to prevent long-term consequences; however, racial disparities in treatment and maldistribution of dermatologists hinders access to care. A study in the District of Columbia demonstrated limited access to iPLEDGE pharmacies in regions with low income and high nonwhite population. This study expands the evaluation of iPLEDGE pharmacy distribution. Twenty cities with a population greater than 500,000 were randomly selected; 4 cities per region. A list of pharmacies was obtained from the Board of Pharmacy and public sources and verified for iPLEDGE enrollment. The association between iPLEDGE pharmacy and demographic data obtained from the 2013-2017 American Community Survey Estimates was evaluated using Poisson regression. Of the 708 ZIP codes surveyed, 5237 total pharmacies were identified of which 2847 were registered in iPLEDGE. For every $1000 increase in median household income, rate ratio of iPLEDGE pharmacies increased by 10% and 12% in the Midwest and West, respectively. Overall, for every percentage increase in nonwhite individuals, rate ratio of iPLEDGE pharmacies decreased by 9%; the most prevalent decrease was in the Southwest by 30%. The rate ratio of iPLEDGE pharmacies decreased by 22% for every percentage increase in individuals below the poverty line; the most prevalent decrease was in the Southwest by 30%. For every unit increase in dermatologist density, iPLEDGE pharmacy density increased by 0.66 units. The administrative burden of processing isotretinoin may be discouraging pharmacies from registering in iPLEDGE. Restricted access to iPLEDGE pharmacies may contribute to the racial and socioeconomic differences in isotretinoin treatment.

Naloxone Availability in Retail Pharmacies and Neighborhood Inequities in Access

This study examines the implementation of North Carolina's statewide naloxone standing order and identifies community characteristics associated with pharmacy stocking and willingness to sell naloxone under the standing order. In April-June 2019, a mystery caller protocol was completed to assess if (1) North Carolina pharmacies had naloxone available and were willing to dispense it without a prescription, (2) pharmacy characteristics associated with availability, and (3) there were neighborhood differences (e.g., Census tract population size, density, racial composition, SES, rates of opioid overdoses, and rates of opioid prescriptions dispensed) in availability. Using random sampling stratified by inclusion on North Carolina's public list of pharmacies participating in the standing order, chain, independent, and health department pharmacies in North Carolina were sampled (n=161 of 2,044). In June 2019, the data were analyzed. Survey weights were utilized to calculate the prevalence of availability, and regression models were conducted to examine associations. An estimated 61.7% (95% CI=54.3, 68.5) of North Carolina retail pharmacies have naloxone available without a prescription. The odds of naloxone availability were lower for independent pharmacies than chains (OR=0.12, 95% CI=0.06, 0.25). Inclusion on North Carolina's public list of pharmacies had greater odds of naloxone availability (OR=2.32, 95% CI=1.22, 4.43). Naloxone availability was lower in communities with higher percentages of residents with public health insurance (OR=0.97, 95% CI=0.95, 0.999). Though more than half of the pharmacies in North Carolina participate in the standing order for naloxone, efforts to identify the best practices for ensuring widespread implementation of statewide standing orders for naloxone are warranted.

Survey on tobacco sales in newly registered insurance pharmacies and pharmacies in convenience stores in Japan

Objectives Pharmacies and pharmacists play an important role in health promotion by supporting citizens' attempts to quit smoking. Nevertheless, some pharmacies sell tobacco themselves. Therefore, we conducted a survey on tobacco sales in pharmacies to investigate regional differences and methods of sale.Methods As a nationwide survey, we merged the Japanese Local Finance Bureau's 2018 list of enterprisers permitted to sell tobacco with the Japanese Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare's list of insurance pharmacies to calculate the number and proportion of new insurance pharmacies that permit tobacco sales. Additionally, we counted the number and proportion of pharmacies in convenience stores selling tobacco based on the data on their websites and the aforementioned insurance pharmacy list. To provide a survey of existing pharmacies, we confirmed the tobacco selling status, presence of smoking space, presence of anti-passive smoking measures, and the coexistence of drugstores or convenience stores among insurance pharmacies in City A (an urban area in Osaka Prefecture) and City B (a rural area in Ishikawa Prefecture). These data were obtained through site visits from December 2018 to February 2019.Results Among 1,766 new insurance pharmacies in Japan, 124 (7.0%) were newly permitted to sell tobacco. Many insurance pharmacies in Kanto (71 of 602 new insurance pharmacies; 11.8%) and Tohoku (9 of 110; 8.2%) sold tobacco, while such pharmacies were rare in Shikoku (0 of 64; 0.0%) and Kyushu (1 of 211; 0.5%). Out of the total of 42 pharmacies in convenience stores in Japan, 34 (81%) of them sold tobacco, specifically in urban areas. To provide an existing insurance pharmacy survey, 1 of 28 pharmacies (4%) in City A and 3 of 29 (10%) in City B sold tobacco. All 4 pharmacies sold tobacco at their checkout counters and were located in drugstores. Three of the pharmacies (one in City A and two in City B) had smoking spaces outside, without offering any preventive measure for passive smoking.Conclusion Many insurance pharmacies sell tobacco in Japan. To encourage pharmacists to support smoking cessation, we need to reach consensus regarding tobacco sales in insurance pharmacies through discussions.

A System of Adaptive Management of a Pharmacy's list of essential medicines

In order to improve the quality of public medicine supply and the tool for optimizing the socio-economic component of pharmaceutical activity of a pharmacy, it is necessary to search for modern management technologies that allow for preventiveness and adaptability. This paper presents a conceptual model of adaptive management of a pharmacy's list of essential medicines, which is the basis for decision-making on the optimization of assortment policy concerning the assortment minimum. A balanced assortment matrix of the list of essential medicines has been formed as a result of the model construction, which is a determining factor of its rationality.

Pathways to seeking medication abortion care: A qualitative research in Uttar Pradesh, India

IntroductionAbortion is legal in India and medication abortion (MA) using a combined regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol is the preferred method. Users increasingly purchase MA kits directly from pharmacies, in some cases experiencing perceived complications and approaching a facility for care. We present findings of a qualitative research tracing the decision-making pathway(s) of MA users in Uttar Pradesh, India, to help understand knowledge and behaviour gaps, and recommend ways to improve the overall quality of care at these service delivery points.MethodsForty in-depth interviews were conducted with recent MA users (20 each of clinic and pharmacy clients) across three districts. Providers were purposively selected in collaboration with an international organization selling MA kits, using their list of pharmacies and clinics. MA users were identified from the clients of the selected providers, and additionally through the snow ball method. Interviews were conducted in Hindi with verbal informed consent in a private place convenient to the respondent. Transcripts were translated to English and analysed thematically.ResultsUsers first sought MA kits at pharmacies out of convenience, low cost and customer anonymity. Men often purchased kits for their partners and trusted the chemist for guidance on dosage, progression and side effects. For side effects or other concerns after using an MA kit, users first visited their neighbourhood doctor or traditional practitioner. These providers either attempted to treat the issue and failed, or directly advised her to consult a gynaecologist. The final point of care was gynaecologists, preferably female private practitioners with their own clinics. They diagnosed most abortion-related cases as incomplete abortions, emptying the uterus using the dilation and curettage method. Comparatively low cost and convenience made users inclined towards repeat use of MA.ConclusionThere are information gaps at various stages in the MA pathway that need to be addressed. Large scale public information programmes are required on safe abortion care- when is it legal, where to obtain MA, dosage, side effects and signs of possible complications. Pharmacists could be trained or incentivized to improve their quality of care to facilitate adequate exchange of information on MA. Since, for most couples, the male partner purchases MA, information approaches or tools are needed that pharmacists can give men to share directly with the MA user.

Lebanese community-based pharmacists’ interest, practice, knowledge, and barriers towards pharmacy practice research: A cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo assess the interest, knowledge, practice and barriers of Lebanese community-based pharmacists towards research, and to examine factors associated with interest. MethodsA cross-sectional survey, conducted between January and May 2017, enrolled community pharmacists using a proportionate random sample of community pharmacies in the five districts of Lebanon, using the list of pharmacies provided by the Lebanese Order of Pharmacists. In the absence of validated questionnaires to answer our objectives, we created a questionnaire based on previous research. The questionnaire was modified based on the experiences and issues raised during focus groups with research active pharmacists and research oriented community pharmacists. ResultsA total of 399 pharmacists was enrolled. The results showed that 231 (72%) were conscious about the important role of research in the community pharmacy setting whereas only 5.6% considered it not important. Over two-thirds (68.5%) of the pharmacists declared being interested in participating in research. There was a statistical difference in the percentage of correct answers between auto-declared and corrected responses for all terms, with all p < 0.001.The most reported barrier was lack of time during hours of work (90.9%), followed by the lack of pharmacy staff (73.7%), lack of financial resources (68.9%), patient’s lack of education and resistance to participation (64.8%), and lack of support (63.8%). Age (aOR = 0.92), years of experience (aOR = 1.06), and having been involved in research (aOR = 3.17) were associated with higher interest in research. Having studied in Lebanon (aOR = 3.63), having received previous research courses (aOR = 11.12) and being interested in research (aOR = 2.74) were associated with having participated in research projects during their professional experience. ConclusionLebanese pharmacists have the good will to conduct and participate in research, but are lacking knowledge; this issue needs to be addressed vividly. Addressing the identified barriers could improve the research output of Lebanese community pharmacists.

Community pharmacies as access points for addiction treatment.

There is growing interest in utilizing community pharmacies to support opioid abuse prevention and addiction treatment efforts. However, it is unknown whether the placement of community pharmacies is conducive to taking on such a role. To examine the distribution of community pharmacies in Wisconsin and its relationship with the location of addiction treatment facilities and opioid-related overdose events in rural and urban areas. The total number of opioid-related overdose deaths and crude death rates per 100,000 population were determined for each county in Wisconsin. Substance abuse treatment facilities were identified in each county to estimate access to formal addiction treatment. A list of pharmacies in the state was screened to identify community pharmacies in each county. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to describe the distribution of and relationships between county-level opioid-related overdose death rates and the number of treatment facilities and community pharmacies in the state. Wisconsin has 72 counties, of which 45 (62.5%) are classified as rural. Although the number of opioid-related overdose deaths was highly concentrated in urban areas, crude death rates per 100,000 population were similar in urban and rural areas. Rural counties were significantly less likely to have formal substance abuse treatment facilities (r = -.42, P = .00) or community pharmacies (r = -.44, P = .00) compared to urban counties. However, community pharmacies were more prevalent and more likely to be located in rural counties with higher rates of opioid-related overdose deaths than substance abuse treatment facilities. All but 1 of the 14 counties without a formal substance abuse treatment facility had access to 1 or more community pharmacies. Community pharmacies are ideally located in areas that could be used to support medication-assisted addiction treatment efforts, particularly in rural areas lacking formal substance abuse treatment facilities.

MEDIKOLEGAL PENGOBATAN UNTUK DIRI SENDIRI (SWAMEDIKASI) SEBAGAI UPAYA MENYEMBUHKAN PENYAKIT

&lt;p&gt;It has become a habit of self-medication with non-prescription drugs done by most Indonesians. In the Regulation of the Minister of Health No. 924 / MENKES / PER / X / 1993 Regarding the Medication List of Pharmacies regulates certain hard drugs that pharmacists can give to people without a prescription. The purpose of the publication of Permenkes is to swamedikasi, a person can self- edicate rationally and supported by the pharmacy's mandatory drugs, although in general pharmacists can not sell hard drugs without a prescription, but there are certain hard drugs based on Permenkes may be sold without a doctor's prescription . The issue raised is how medikolegal swamedikasi in the perspective of healing disease? as well as how are the barriers and medicolegal swamedikasi solutions in the perspective of curing diseases? swamedikasi most places done in pharmacies, knowing drugs purchased through news media such as advertising the reason is the first attempt before treatment to health care facilities, swamedikasi actors get an explanation of doses and how to drink by pharmacist / clerk / drug seller, surveillance of swamedikasi drug use carried out with how to monitor / inspect pharmacies, the results obtained are frequent pharmacists are not in place at open pharmacy hours, selling OWA (Pharmacy Drug Compensation) without the presence of pharmacists and administrative violations. The obstacles are not yet optimal supervision from the government solution with counseling about the rule of law of drug delivery, the second barrier of the lack of awareness of drug sellers in pharmacies that do not fit the provisions of the solution by giving counseling to the owner of pharmacy facilities so as not to pursue Profit Oriented but pay attention to Patient Oriented, the third obstacle of lack of knowledge the swamediciator of the drug classes that the solution can buy is the government to increase socialization or counseling to the community about proper and responsible swamedication. &lt;/p&gt;

Adhesión al tratamiento farmacológico y descripción de sus factores asociados en pacientes con miastenia grave

Medication adherence is a public health problem and this has not been previously studied in myasthenia gravis patients. To determine if patients with myasthenia gravis are adherent to treatment and to describe the clinical factors of patients who are non-adherent to treatment. Cross-sectional study of patients with myasthenia gravis followed at Padre Hurtado Hospital, Santiago de Chile, who received their medication through the hospital and therefore were on the pharmacy's list. Patients' participation was voluntary and anonymous. Medication adherence was assessed with the Morisky-Green-Levine survey (4 items). Patients were assessed for myasthenia gravis severity with the Manual Muscle Test, and myasthenia gravis-related quality of life with the MG-QOL15. Finally, patients were screened for depression with the 12-Item General Health Questionnaire. 26 patients were enrolled and 15 (57.7%) were women. Only 10 (38.5%) of patients were adherent to treatment. Patients who were not adherent to medication had more weakness (p = 0.06), worse quality of life (p = 0.008), were taking a greater number of myasthenia gravis drugs (p = 0.003) and had a higher risk of depression (p = 0.03). In this cohort of myasthenia gravis patients, three out of five patients were not adherent to treatment. These patients tended to have more weakness, worse quality of life and higher risk of depression. Medication adherence should be assessed routinely in patients with myasthenia gravis.

Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score to predict early reduced relative dose intensity in patients receiving oxaliplatin for colorectal cancer.

e18125 Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is commonly treated in both adjuvant and palliative settings with Oxaliplatin. Painful peripheral neuropathy resulting in dose adjustments is a well recognized side effect in up to 30% of cases. Relative dose intensity (RDI), an expression of the percentage of planned dose received at a scheduled time, is a tool used to measure how closely a prescription has been adhered to. Studies have suggested a decreased RDI (&lt;85%) is associated with inferior outcomes. The aim of this study was to calculate the RDI for CRC patients undergoing treatment with Oxaliplatin, to investigate reasons for dose delays and reductions and to calculate a Charlson Co-Morbidity Index Score (CCIS) for each patient Methods: CRC patients treated with Oxaliplatin from 2010-2016 within the BSHC were identified using pharmacy lists and pathology reports. The following exclusion criteria were applied: non first line Oxaliplatin and excluding cycles after three months. Data was obtained through a systematic, retrospective chart review. An audit of the chemotherapy prescriptions allowed the RDI to be calculated and the CCIS was calculated using a colorectal specific Index previously described. Results: We identified 176 eligible patients, 83 charts were available for review and 69 charts contained all necessary information to be included. Xelox (61%), Folfox-6 (35%) and Flox (4%) were the chemotherapy agents involved in this study. The average RDI achieved was 87.47%, with a range of 25%-103.17%. The primary cause for dose adjustments was peripheral neuropathy (64%). The CCIS range was 0 -3, with results demonstrating a significant connection between a higher CCI and lower RDI, see table 1. Conclusions: A CCIS ≤ 1 correlates to achieving a higher RDI, with each of these subgroups achieving above the acceptable cut off for RDI (&gt;85%), as such certain co-morbidities may be early predictors of reduced RDI. [Table: see text]

Improving medication information transfer between hospitals, skilled-nursing facilities, and long-term-care pharmacies for hospital discharge transitions of care: A targeted needs assessment using the Intervention Mapping framework.

Patients transitioning from the hospital to a skilled nursing home (SNF) are susceptible to medication-related errors resulting from fragmented communication between facilities. Through continuous process improvement efforts at the hospital, a targeted needs assessment was performed to understand the extent of medication-related issues when patients transition from the hospital into a SNF, and the gaps between the hospital's discharge process, and the needs of the SNF and long-term care (LTC) pharmacy. We report on the development of a logic model that will be used to explore methods for minimizing patient care medication delays and errors while further improving handoff communication to SNF and LTC pharmacy staff. Applying the Intervention Mapping (IM) framework, a targeted needs assessment was performed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Using the hospital discharge medication list as reference, medication discrepancies in the SNF and LTC pharmacy lists were identified. SNF and LTC pharmacy staffs were also interviewed regarding the continuity of medication information post-discharge from the hospital. At least one medication discrepancy was discovered in 77.6% (n=45/58) of SNF and 76.0% (n=19/25) of LTC pharmacy medication lists. A total of 191 medication discrepancies were identified across all SNF and LTC pharmacy records. Of the 69 SNF staff interviewed, 20.3% (n=14) reported patient care delays due to omitted documents during the hospital-to-SNF transition. During interviews, communication between the SNF/LTC pharmacy and the discharging hospital was described by facility staff as unidirectional with little opportunity for feedback on patient care concerns. The targeted needs assessment guided by the IM framework has lent to several planned process improvements initiatives to help reduce medication discrepancies during the hospital-to-SNF transition as well as improve communication between healthcare entities. Opening lines of communication along with aligning healthcare entity goals may help prevent medication-related errors.

Availability of drug information on community pharmacy websites in Tennessee.

This study reports the availability and type of drug information resources on community pharmacy websites in Tennessee. A list of pharmacies was obtained from the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy. All community pharmacies located in Tennessee with a website were evaluated. Community pharmacy websites that listed a drug information resource were further analysed into pharmacy type and drug information provider. One hundred and sixty-nine websites were evaluated. Thirty-six websites listed a drug information resource. Fifty per cent of those sites used the drug information provider RxWiki. Other providers included drugs.com, First Data Bank, A.D.A.M., RxList, Gold Standard Multimedia and Express Scripts. Community pharmacy websites are underutilized as a provider for credible drug information for the public.

Reduction of Medical Cost through Pharmaceutical Inquiries by Community Pharmacists and Relation with Iyaku Bungyo Rates: A Nationwide Survey on Prescription Inquiries.

This nationwide survey aimed to evaluate reduction of drug and medical costs due to prevention of serious adverse drug reactions through pharmaceutical inquires by community pharmacist, and investigate relation with iyaku bungyo (separation of dispensing from medical practice) rates. Using the national list of pharmacies, 10% of pharmacies were randomly selected by prefecture and asked to participate in an Internet-based survey. The survey period was 7 days, from July 21 to July 27, 2015. Of the 5575 pharmacies queried, 818 responded to the survey (response rate: 14.7%). The proportion of inquiries to total prescriptions was 2.6%. Among these, the proportion of prescriptions changed in response to inquiry was 74.9%. An estimated 103 million yen was saved by reducing drug costs, and 133 million yen was saved by reducing medical costs due to prevention of serious adverse drug reactions. Comparison of prescription change rates between pharmacies with high and low iyaku bungyo rates indicated that the proportion of prescriptions changed was significantly higher in pharmacies with high iyaku bungyo rates than in those with low iyaku bungyo rates (78.2% vs. 69.9%, p<0.01). The findings suggest that inquiries about prescriptions are useful in ensuring the safety of pharmacotherapy and reducing the cost of healthcare. They also suggest that iyaku bungyo promotes prescription changes through inquiries, leading to proper use of pharmaceutical products.

Departamentos de práctica farmacéutica en el mundo, en 2006

Aims: A Web based research was desgined in 2006 to search for Pharmacy Practice, Social and Administrative Pharmacy departements in all Pharmacy Schools in the world. Material and Methods: The International Federation Pharmacy list of all Faculty of Pharmacy in the world was used. The key words used were: Pharmacy Practice, Social Pharmacy and Administrative Pharmacy in different languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese. Results: 718 Faculties of Pharmacy were identified, 192 reaching the inclusion criteria. 83 out of them had a PPD with a key word in their web site. In Oceania there were 9 PPD, in Asia 8 and in Europe 22. In America 43, all of them located in North America while in Africa there was only one university with a PPD. Conclusions: The biggest rate of implementation of PPD happens in well developed countries. They are autonomous, independent from other departments and with a multidisciplinary structure.

CVS to phase out tobacco sales, launch smoking cessation program

Calling the decision "simply the right thing to do for the good of our customers and our company," CVS Caremark will stop selling all tobacco products at its more than 7,600 CVS/pharmacy locations by October 1. The February 5 announcement came a week after the U.S. Surgeon General issued renewed warnings about tobacco use on the 50th anniversary of the Surgeon General's landmark report linking smoking and poor health.

How reliable are patient-completed medication reconciliation forms compared with pharmacy lists?

ObjectivesMedication reconciliation is a Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requirement to reduce medication errors. This study evaluated the reliability of patient-completed medication reconciliation forms (MRs) compared with pharmacy-generated lists and determined if there was a difference in concordance when patients completed the forms from memory compared with when they brought a separate list or pill bottles. MethodsWe prospectively enrolled patients with completed MRs. Research assistants contacted the patient's pharmacy to determine medications filled in the prior 3 months, which was compared with the MR. Discrepancies and the method by which the patient completed the MR (memory, list, or pill bottles) were recorded. ResultsThree hundred fifteen patients were enrolled. Thirty-three percent made errors of omission (reported by pharmacy, but not on MR), 12.7% made errors of addition (reported on MR, but not by pharmacy), 18.1% made both types of errors, and 36.3% made no errors. Patients with errors were on 5.6 medications compared with 3.6 medications for those without errors (P < .0001). Those completing the MR from a list made 2.3 errors compared with 1.2 for those completing from memory and 1.8 for those completing from their pill bottles (P < .001). Of 390 medications omitted from patient lists, 16% were cardiac medications, 13% were neuropsychiatric agents, and 9.5% were narcotics. ConclusionsThirty-six percent of patients were able to provide a medication list that matched their pharmacy-prescribed drugs. More errors were noted from patients taking more medications and from those completing their MR from a separate list.