Drug-related problems identified during geriatric medication review in the community pharmacy.

Background In line with the changing role of community pharmacists, we describe here a standardised procedure for detecting DRPs in elderly patients for use in community pharmacies. Objectives The primary aim was to describe the number and type of DRPs identified by community pharmacists in elderly patients. Secondary aims were to determine the number and type of associated pharmacist interventions (PIs) that were transmitted to the prescribers, and to identify risk factors associated with the occurrence of a PI.

Pharmacist's Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: Introduction and Evaluation at Elderly Patient Admission.

Background: The role of the clinical pharmacist within the healthcare system remains unclear.

Objective: Our objective was to describe a pharmacist's comprehensive geriatric assessment (pCGA) at admission of elderly patients and to assess its relevance in terms of medication compliance and pharmacist interventions (PIs).

Methods: We conducted a prospective interventional study over 29 months in a 34-bed medical/rehabilitation geriatric ward in a French geriatric hospital.

The clinical impact of medication reconciliation on admission to a French hospital: a prospective observational study.

Objective: This study was designed to assess the clinical impact of medication reconciliation using two criteria: the number of inpatients who had experienced at least one medication error; the severity of the potential harm associated with these detected errors.

Method: The study was a prospective observational one. The eligible population included patients aged 65 and over subjected to medication reconciliation at admission.

Continuous versus intermittent infusion of vancomycin in severe Staphylococcal infections: prospective multicenter randomized study.

A continuous infusion of vancomycin (CIV) may provide an alternative mode of infusion in severe hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcal (MRS) infections. A multicenter, prospective, randomized study was designed to compare CIV (targeted plateau drug serum concentrations of 20 to 25 mg/liter) and intermittent infusions of vancomycin (IIV; targeted trough drug serum concentrations of 10 to 15 mg/liter) in 119 critically ill patients with MRS infections (bacteremic infections, 35%; pneumonia, 45%). Microbiological and clinical outcomes, safety, pharmacokinetics, ease of treatment adjustment, and cost were compared.

Meta-analysis of the efficacy of extradural clonidine to relieve postoperative pain: an impossible task.

Clonidine, an alpha2 adrenoceptor agonist, has anti-hypertensive and anti-nociceptive effects. It is commonly used in association with local anaesthetics and opioids to enhance the quality and duration of extradural analgesia in the postoperative period, and to decrease the incidence of side effects. As a sole analgesic, it has seldom been used to relieve postoperative pain.