Drug resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in four community hospitals: influence of antimicrobial use density

We investigated the relation between hospital antimirobial use density (AUD) and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for Pseudomonas aeruginosa in four community hospitals. Subjects were a total of 476 strains isolated from urine, sputum, and pus during a total of seven years since 2002, for which 50- and 90-percentile MICs were analyzed. Hospitals A, B, and C moved in 2000, 2005, and 2009, respectively, but MIC50 and MIC90 were stable. MIC values showed significance in five drugs, in which Hospital B showed maximal values in five and Hospital D showed minimal values in four drugs. AUD values were different in nine drugs, Hospital B showing the highest data in meropenem, flomoxef, and sulbactam/cefoperazone while Hospital D having the lowest data in meropenem, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, and sulbactam/cefoperazone. Thus MIC for P aeruginosa may show resistance in the presence of high AUD with wide antimicrobial spectrum.     

Pharmacist involvement in Healthy People 2010

OBJECTIVES: To review opportunities through which pharmacists can help the United States achieve its public health goals as expressed in Healthy People 2010, a document issued by the federal government that expresses the areas of focus for Americans in the first decade of the 21st century. SUMMARY: Healthy People 2010 provides general goals for 10 leading health indicators (such as tobacco use, over-weight and obesity, and immunizations), and these are then further subdivided into 28 focus areas, many of them with quantifiable goals (such as, "Reduce hospitalization rates for three ambulatory care-sensitive conditions--pediatric asthma, uncontrolled diabetes, and immunization-preventable pneumonia and influenza."). As health care professionals, pharmacists have the responsibility to help the country meet these goals. Ideas for increased pharmacist involvement are described in the article, including the conduct of screening programs and provision of specialized services that focus on such areas as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, patient education, smoking cessation, or general medication management. Pharmacists can build their efforts in these and similar areas by collaborating with physicians and other appropriate professionals, identifying target patients who have obtained services at the pharmacy, contacting patients in at-risk populations within the pharmacy's patient base and/or the community, choosing and monitoring an objective of interest, and maintaining efforts for sustained time periods. CONCLUSION: The message of Healthy People 2010 is that the health of the individual is closely linked to the health of the community and hence the health of the nation. Pharmacists, uniquely positioned as the most accessible health care providers in the community, can dedicate their considerable strengths toward using Healthy People 2010 as a tool to organize their own efforts and motivate their patients.     

Pharmacist involvement in a thyroid clinic

The patient-care activities of a pharmacist in a thyroid clinic are described. Since 1978 a pharmacist has been an active member of the staff of a thyroid clinic associated with a 500-bed university hospital. More than 1500 patients are referred to the clinic each year. The pharmacist initiates, maintains, or modifies the drug therapy of selected patients with physician-diagnosed thyroid disorders under the guidance of written protocols approved by the chief endocrinologist. Most patients treated by the pharmacist are receiving thyroid-suppression therapy, antithyroid drugs for Graves' disease, or thyroid hormone supplementation after surgery or after radioactive iodine therapy. The pharmacist assesses patients, prescribes medications, orders laboratory tests, charts visits and therapeutic plans, and educates patients about their conditions. Major changes in thyroid status and drug therapy are always discussed with the chief endocrinologist. The pharmacist also participates in educational programs to influence prescribing by physicians, provides drug information, serves as a preceptor to pharmacy students, and is investigating the equivalence of levothyroxine preparations in vivo and in vitro. An audit of patient outcomes showed that the pharmacist is highly effective in her role as a giver of direct patient care. A pharmacist's role in a thyroid clinic can consist of clinical practice, education, preceptorship, and research.     

Pharmacist involvement in emergency room services

Emergency rooms providing primary health care services continue to expand, especially in community hospitals, where practicing hospital pharmacists are finding opportunities for growth such as administrative planning, provision of drug and poison information to the emergency room staff, and direct involvement in "codes". Coordination with the community pharmacist can assure proper dispensing of "emergency room take-home meds" and counseling of patients. Funding sources to expand pharmacy services may exist in traditional dispensing, administration of injectable drugs, qualitative drug screens, and grant or educational monies.     

Pharmacist involvement in a multidisciplinary inpatient medication education program.

The development of a multidisciplinary inpatient medication education program is described. A multidisciplinary group designed and implemented a medication education program with defined roles for both nurses and pharmacists. Nurses provided medication education to patients during each medication administration using specially designed assessment and teaching tools. The nursing staff submitted requests for pharmacist consultations for patients with complex medication regimens, who were admitted because of a drug-related problem or who required additional teaching as determined through the medication education assessment form. A complex medication regimen was defined as the administration of oral medication more than five different times per day, the start of at least 5 new medications that would be continued at discharge, or the prescribing of at least 10 medications to be taken daily that would be continued at discharge. Pharmacists provided education for 19% of admitted patients during a six-month period. As a result of pharmacists' interactions with prescribers and nurses, the number of medications was reduced in 12% of these patients, and the number of medication administrations each day was reduced in 19% of patients. In addition, for 33% of patients, pharmacists contacted the prescriber to make recommendations beyond the scope of the medication education program that optimized and simplified the patient's drug regimen. The development of a structured medication education program allowed patients to receive medication education throughout their hospitalization from both nurses and pharmacists. Pharmacists provided education for patients at highest risk for noncompliance or poor outcomes. Full implementation of a medication education program involving staff pharmacists is planned.     

Pharmacist involvement in home parenteral nutrition programs

The results of a national survey of hospital-based home parenteral nutrition (HPN) programs are reported. Questionnaires were mailed to 70 hospitals that were though to have HPN programs. The response rate was 90%, with 51 (73%) usable questionnaires. The "typical" hospital providing HPN services was a private, nonprofit greater-than-400-bed, university-affiliated teaching hospital. HPN programs had been in operation a mean of three years; most served two patients or less. Hospital pharmacies prepared the nutrition solutions 57% of the time; in 25% of the programs, the fluids were prepared at home. Most HPN programs had patient education and training activities. Pharmacists and physicians were most commonly responsible fo monitoring patients' laboratory results. Most HPN programs (90%) were reimbursed for solutions and supplies; 20% were reimbursed for patient education.     

Pharmacist involvement in a chemical-dependency rehabilitation program

Pharmacist involvement in a small hospital for the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with chemical dependency is described. The pharmacist's primary responsibilities include provision of pharmaceutical services to meet the medical needs of patients during detoxification; development of detoxification protocols for management of withdrawal from drugs of abuse; education of patients and their families, other clinical staff members, and pharmacy students about the pathophysiology of addiction, treatment options, and the foundations of recovery; medication and addiction counseling; and multidisciplinary team support of recovery. To successfully fulfill this complex role, the pharmacist must have specialized education on alcoholism and addiction, develop good communications skills, and learn the dynamics of recovery support groups. The pharmacist employed at this hospital spends about 70% of her time with pharmaceutical services and 30% with counseling services. A pharmacist working in a chemical-dependency rehabilitation program has a unique opportunity to affect positively the physical and emotional health of the recovering individual by taking on responsibilities beyond those traditionally associated with pharmacy practice.     

Pharmacist salaries and hiring practices in teaching hospitals

A survey of selected teaching hospitals was conducted in early 1990 to determine salary ranges for pharmacist positions, salaries at which pharmacists were typically hired for these positions, differences in salary between clinical practitioner and managerial positions, and geographic differences in these salaries. Surveys were mailed to 50 members of the University Hospital Consortium (UHC) and 50 other university-affiliated and non-university-affiliated hospitals believed to be comparable to the investigators' hospital. Hospital capacity and census data, numbers of pharmacist and support staff positions, qualifications preferred and required for those positions, and salary information were requested. Data from 22 UHC hospitals and 23 non-UHC hospitals were evaluated. Relative to average daily census, UHC hospitals indicated higher pharmacist staffing levels and non-UHC hospitals reported higher support staff levels. More non-UHC hospitals than UHC hospitals (69.2% versus 43.5%) used an integrated model for delivery of clinical and distributive services. Nationally, the reported annual salaries were as follows: staff pharmacist, $34,881 to $47,906; clinical pharmacist, $37,768 to $51,564; clinical specialist, $38,905 to $55,282; supervisor, $39,905 to $54,416; assistant director, $43,554 to $58,758. Overall, typical hire rates (THRs) exceeded mean minimum salaries by about 10%. The percentages by which THRs exceeded mean minimum salaries were greatest in the West for staff pharmacist, clinical pharmacist, and clinical specialist positions and greatest in the Midwest for supervisor and assistant director positions. THRs for supervisors and assistant directors exceeded those for clinical specialists. Respondents' preferences varied regarding advanced education and training, and their actual requirements did not match their stated preferences.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Diversity of antimicrobial use and resistance in 42 hospitals in the United States

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To measure diversity (or heterogeneity) of antibiotic use in a sample of hospitals in the United States and to assess an association with bacterial resistance. DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional study. SETTING: Forty-two general medical-surgical hospitals, mostly in the Eastern United States. DATA SOURCE: Administrative claims data and hospital antibiograms during 2003. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Antibiotic use was measured by defined daily dose (DDD), and diversity was assessed by using Simpson's Index and the Shannon-Weiner Index. Aggregated antibiograms (from 17 hospitals) were used to assess resistance. There were a total of 3,655,579 patient-days during 2003, with a mean +/- SD of 87,037 +/- 62,679 patient-days/hospital. Mean +/- SD antibiotic use was 704 +/- 244 DDD/1000 patient-days/hospital, and fluoroquinolones represented the largest single class. Mean +/- SD diversity by Simpson's Index was 0.861 +/- 0.022/hospital, and a strong correlation was noted between the two diversity measures. Multivariate analysis found no significant relationship between diversity and the proportion of resistant pathogens. CONCLUSION: Diversity of aggregate antibiotic use can be measured, but additional investigations are needed to determine if it is a useful strategy to contain resistance.