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A new study from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations finds that community-based preparation for and response to disasters will require more effective communication and planning among hospitals, public health agencies, and community first responders such as fire, police, and emergency medical services, than currently exists.
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Research conducted at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has found that use of a web-based calculator significantly reduces the total number of errors and eliminates all high-risk errors in the prescribing process for continuous pediatric infusions, while failure modes and effects analysis-guided computerized physician order entry reduces ordering errors in pediatric chemotherapy.
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Clinical pharmacists are directly involved as caregivers in nearly two-thirds of U.S. ICUs. Research conducted by Robert MacLaren, PharmD, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy, found that although clinical pharmacists provide a range of clinical and administrative services, involvement in educational and scholarly activities varies.
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Adding drugs to an emergency department (ED) automated medication management system (ED AMMS) influences the frequency with which physicians prescribe them, according to a study from the University of Rochester reported in the May 2006 Academic Emergency Medicine Journal.
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Mechanism of Action: The mechanism of action is unknown for both drugs, but is hypothesized to involve prostaglandin inhibition, leading to constriction of ductus arteriosus. Indomethacin is predicted to have additional or more extensive actions that increase the chances of cerebral, renal, and gastrointestinal (GI) adverse reactions.
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FDA has suspended a Phase 3 trial of Threshold Pharmaceuticals' lonidamine for treating benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) after six participants showed liver problems. The agency said three men experienced adverse events in the European/Canadian Phase 3 trial, and three other men in trials developed elevated liver enzymes.
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Remicade (infliximab) was approved to treat children with active Crohn's disease. FDA said Centocor's infliximab is a genetically engineered monoclonal antibody that reduces inflammation by blocking the action of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a). It initially was approved in 1998 to treat Crohn's disease in adults.
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A triage nurse tells the ED physician that two young boys have high fevers and rashes, but fails to mention one crucial fact: that two ticks were removed from one of the boys. As a result, the boy was misdiagnosed with measles when he actually had Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and he died as a result. The ED nurse was held liable for negligent conduct.
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Are nurses in your ED given "range" orders for pain and other medications, without specific dosages and frequency of administration? This prescribing practice puts patients at risk, says Susan F. Paparella, RN, MSN, director of consulting services for the Huntingdon Valley, PA-based Institute for Safe Medication Practices.
