- Biggest Roadblocks to Managing COPD (pharmacytimes.com)
Kimberly Henderson, MD, JD, medical director for the Health Systems Alliance at CVS Health and regional medical director for MinuteClinic, discusses the biggest roadblocks to managing COPD and how pharmacists can help overcome those challenges.
- Diabetes Counseling Points for Pharmacists (pharmacytimes.com)
Kristene Diggins, MBA, manager of professional practice at MinuteClinic, gives counseling points that pharmacists should provide to diabetic patients. (video)
- Safe Practices for Error-Prone Medications (pharmacytimes.com)
Institute for Safe Medicine Practices....outlined safe practices for certain error-prone medications.."One thing I’d love to see pharmacists do more of is…not just educating patients about the drug, but also how to use the drug safely...and make follow-up calls to patients," …."I don’t think [pharmacists] do that enough."The following high-alert medications are considered safe and effective treatments, but their potential for error could cause serious harm:
- Warfarin
- Enoxaparin (Lovenox)
- Fentanyl patch
- Methotrexate (Trexall)
- Hydrocodone and acetaminophen
- Oxycodone and acetaminophen
- Insulin lispro (Humalog) and insulin aspart (NovoLog)
- Insulin glargine (Lantus)
- Insulin glusine (Apidra)
- Insulin detemir (Levemir)
- NHS Scotland approves funding for five new drugs (biopharmadive.com)
- Nexavar - approved for differentiated thyroid carcinoma
- Adempas - treat pulmonary arterial hypertension
- Entyvio - treatment of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease
- Innohep - treatment of venous thrombo-embolism
- Zevtera - treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia
- New Technologies to Help Community Pharmacists Support Adherence (pharmacytimes.com)
Eric A Wright, PharmD, MPH, Geisinger Health Research and associate professor at Wilkes University, discusses how new technologies will enhance the ability of a community pharmacist to support medication adherence.
- Clinical Inertia’s Effect on Diabetes Management (pharmacytimes.com)
Kristene Diggins, MBA, manager of professional practice at MinuteClinic, discusses what pharmacists should know about clinical inertia, and its effects on diabetes. (video)
- Biosimilar Substitution: A Primer for Pharmacists (pharmacytimes.com)
biosimilars….pharmacists will soon have new factors to consider when selecting and dispensing ….potential interchangeability…allowing it to be substituted for the reference biologic at the point of dispensing without the prescriber’s involvement… biosimilars …are ideal candidates for pharmacist substitution akin to generics...
- Sim Lab Gives Pharmacy Students Hands-On Experience (pharmacytimes.com)
Third-year pharmacy students at the Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Pharmacy will soon attend sessions at The Medicines Company’s patient simulation lab…students will be exposed to simulated hospital experiences in cardiac catheterization units and operating rooms using high-tech mannequins…also gives students a chance to see real-time blood pressure readings and simulated patients’ adverse effects from medication.
- Optimizing Insulin Therapy (pharmacytimes.com)
Jessica Kerr, PharmD, CDE, and assistant department chair at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville talks about new strategies pharmacists can use to optimize insulin therapy. (video)
- NOAC Prescriptions: What Pharmacists Need to Know (pharmacytimes.com)
Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants are increasingly being prescribed to prevent and treat venous thromboembolism and avert stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation....a team of experts recently outlined ways for pharmacists to introduce the therapies to patients more effectively and safely.