Deprescribing in older patients with advanced cancer referred to palliative care.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in a cohort of older adults with advanced cancer referred to palliative care. Secondary objectives were to describe the categories of identified PIMs and assess risk factors associated with their presence in this population.

Methods: This retrospective, observational study evaluated patients with advanced cancer admitted to a tertiary university hospital in Madrid, Spain and referred to palliative care between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2020.

Potentially inappropriate prescriptions and potential prescription omissions in older people living with HIV.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) and potential prescription omissions (PPOs) in a Spanish cohort of people living with HIV (PLWH) aged ≥65 years and to identify risk factors for the presence of PIPs and PPOs.

Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted across 10 public hospitals in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, Spain. Clinical and demographic data were cross-checked against hospital and community pharmacy dispensation registries.

Stability of meropenem in portable elastomeric infusion devices: which protocol should be implemented in clinical practice?

Although outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy can be a good approach to treating infections, a lack of data regarding antibiotic stability in portable elastomeric infusion devices restricts its safe and effective use. Actually, meropenem is used for prolonged periods above 24 h, and it is not physicochemically stable, which can compromise efficacy and toxicity. This work is of high importance to show the clinicians the real shelf life of meropenem when administered in portable elastomeric infusion devices.

Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing in Older People Living With HIV: A Scoping Review.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy has transformed HIV from a progressive and often fatal infection to a chronic disease. Currently, people living with HIV (PLHIV) have near-normal life expectancy; however, they face accelerated ageing and a rise in non-AIDS-defining HIV-associated conditions. Comorbidities increase the number of prescribed drugs and, therefore, the risk of polypharmacy and prescribing potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs).

Real-world effectiveness and factors associated with increased mortality in non-critically ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia receiving remdesivir.

Objectives: Evidence on the effectiveness of remdesivir when used in real-life clinical practice is controversial. This study aims to analyse its effectiveness and the factors associated with increased mortality in non-critically ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who require supplemental low-flow oxygen and received remdesivir.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Ramón y Cajal University Hospital (Madrid, Spain) which included all patients treated with remdesivir in our institution during the second pandemic breakout in Spain, from August to November 2020.

[Sleep disorders related to HIV treatment.].

Objective: HIV Clinical Guidelines have positioned integrase inhibitors recently as first-line treatment. However, two of these drugs have also been associated with adverse side effects on the central nervous system, especially with sleep disturbances. The objective was to analyse the influence of bictegravir and dolutegravir on the sleep quality in HIV patients.

Optimisation of the quality of care for patients with severe asthma: ASfarMA project.

 Severe asthma has an important impact on patients and healthcare resources. Recently, the new specific treatments have defined a new scenario in which person-focused care and specialist multidisciplinary teams are necessary. Our Severe Asthma Unit (SAU) started the ASfarMA project along with an external human-centered design company to understand patients' vision of their illness, treatment, and healthcare experience, and to define the ideal SAU by performing a core group session, in-depth semistructured interviews and co-creation workshop.

Humanization Guide of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy for patients with inflammatory immune-mediated diseases.

Objective: This study reports on the results of a project conducted by the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy with patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, with the following objectives: to understand  the experience of patients living with these diseases and the role of healthcare workers in such experience, and to identify opportunities to promote or boost humanization in hospital pharmacy units.

Method: A user-centered design methodology was used, implementing exploratory and qualitative research tools. Led by a managing  team made up of experts in the methodology, a variety of people participated  in this project.

Medicines in exceptional circumstances for solid tumours: focusing on evidence, effectiveness, and toxicity profiles.

Objective: To analyse the applications for drugs in special situations (compassionate use, off-label use and foreign drugs) for solid  tumours, and to assess the level of evidence supporting these applications, as  well as the effectiveness and safety of most frequent drugs.

Method: We performed a cross-sectional study of all applications for drugs in  special situations during 2018 and 2019 in a representative third-level centre.  We collected data about generic names of drugs, clinical indications, and level  of evidence provided on the application form.

SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Cancer Patients: A New Unknown in an Unsolved Equation.

Introduction: Cancer patients are more susceptible to infections, and infection can be more severe than in patients without cancer diagnosis. We conducted this retrospective study in patients admitted for SARS-CoV-2 infection in order to find differences in inflammatory markers and mortality in cancer patients compared to others.

Methods: We reviewed the electronic records of patients admitted for SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by PCR from March to September 2020.

Antibiotic stability in portable elastomeric infusion devices: A systematic review.

Purpose: Although outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) can be a good approach to treatment of infections, a lack of data regarding antibiotic stability in portable elastomeric infusion devices restricts its safe, appropriate, and effective use. The objective of this work was to complete a systematic peer-reviewed analysis of published articles about antibiotic stability in elastomeric infusion devices that provide evidence supporting their use in OPAT.

Summary: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted in January 2021 to identify published articles about antibiotic stability in portable elastomeric infusion devices.

Analysis of adverse drug events as a way to improve cancer patient care.

Purpose: To define the signals that a new artificial intelligence (AI) system must emit to improve adverse drug events (ADEs) management in oral antineoplastic agents (OAA).

Methods: A multidisciplinary group of experts in patient safety was set up to define what signals the new AI system must emit to improve ADEs management in OAAs. The baseline data for the new AI system were generated through an observational and ambispective study carried out in a university hospital.

Safety and tolerability of inhaled antibiotics in patients with bronchiectasis.

Introduction: Bronchiectasis is typically treated with inhaled antibiotics in clinical practice. However, there is a striking lack of standardised procedures for the preparation of noncommercial solutions. We used biochemical parameters to analyse the safety and tolerability of inhaled antibiotics in patients with bronchiectasis, and determined potential associations between the inhaled antibiotics used and adherence to the medications and quality of life.

Patient and health practitioner perceptions about the role of hospital pharmacists along the care continuum: the Fharmaconectados Project.

Objective: To determine the perception of patients and practitioners regarding the role of the hospital pharmacist along the care  continuum.

Method: This was a multicenter cross-sectional observational analytical study, carried out in two phases between 15 October and 31  December 2020. In the first phase, a literature search was carried out to  identify specific questionnaires that measured the overall satisfaction of  patients in relation to the work of hospital pharmacists.

[Analysis of patient safety in the process of drug prescription in research.].

Objective: The increasing complexity of clinical trial protocols and the very nature of investigational drugs increase the likelihood of prescribing errors and require comprehensive control and monitoring of treatments. The aim of this study was to measure and analyze the potential risks of prescribing errors in investigational drugs.

Methods: A prospective, descriptive, and observational study was carried out in a third-level hospital in Madrid, for one month in 2017.

Hospital Pharmacy Service: Facing the logistics of medicines procurement.

COVID crisis has abruptly broken into our hospitals, and many difficulties have  emerged, including those related to supply logistics. A huge number of new  patients, a fast internal reorganization process and many other changes were  suddenly established. These circumstances revealed the need to increase stocks  of drugs, both for basic treatment as well as for specific SARS-CoV-2 infection  management.

Pharmacy Department management and organization.

The WHO declared the SARS- CoV-2 outbreak a pandemic in March 11, 2020.  Spain has been the third country with the highest number of reported cases of  COVID-19. In the face of the pandemic, the authorities of the Autonomous  Community of Madrid led an unprecedented transformation of hospital services  by increasing the number of beds available, setting up temporary field hospitals  in fairgrounds, and transforming hotels into support centers for patients with  mild symptoms of COVID-19.

Grading the potential safety risk of medications used in hospital care.

Objective: The aim of this study was to stratify medications used in hospital  care according to their potential risk.

Method: The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method was used. Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical subgroups were classified according to their potential risk.

A continuous usability evaluation of an electronic medication administration record application.

Rationale, Aims, And Objectives: The complexity of an electronic medication administration record (eMAR) has been underestimated by most designers in the past. Usability issues, such as poorly designed user application flow in eMAR, are therefore of vital importance, since they can have a negative impact on nursing activities and result in poor outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usability of an eMAR application during its development.

Quality indicators for technologies applied to the hospital pharmacy.

The TECNO group of the Sociedad Española de Farmacia Hospitalaria (Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy) has addressed the definition of a catalogue of indicators for performance, quality and safety in the use of technologies applied to the logistic activity of Hospital Pharmacy Units.The project was developed with a methodology of qualitative techniques by consensus, with the members of the TECNO Group participating as experts. Once indicators had been defined, a validation phase was conducted, and standards were established based on the result of the sampling carried out in the hospitals of the group members.

Technology-induced errors associated with computerized provider order entry software for older patients.

Background The introduction of new technologies in the prescribing process has seen the emergence of new types of medication errors. Objective To determine the prevalence and consequences of technology-induced prescription errors associated with a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system in hospitalized older patients. Setting Patients 65 years or older admitted to the Departments of Internal Medicine, General Surgery, and Vascular Surgery of a tertiary hospital.

Effect of an electronic medication administration record application on patient safety.

Rationale, Aims, And Objectives: To evaluate the effect of an electronic medication administration record (eMAR) application on the rate of medication errors in medication administration recording (ME-MAR).

Methods: A before-and-after, quasiexperimental study was conducted in a university hospital that implemented the eMAR application in March 2014. Data collection was conducted in April 2012 (pre-) and June 2014 (post-) by two pharmacists.

The role of the Pharmacist in the design, development and implementation of Medication Prescription Support Systems.

Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) are computerized tools designed to help healthcare professionals to make clinical and therapeutic decisions, with the objective of improving patient care. Prescription-targeted CDSS have the highest impact in improving patient safety. Although there are different designs and functionalities, all these systems will combine clinical knowledge and patient information in a smart manner, in order to improve the prescription process.

Potential future risk of errors in medication administration recording.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: The aim of this study is to adapt and assess the interrater reliability of a potential future risk matrix for medication errors in medication administration recording (ME-MAR).

Methods: The study was carried out in a teaching hospital. It was conducted in two phases.

[Results of integrating pharmaceutical care in an Acute Geriatric Unit].

Objective: To evaluate whether the integration of pharmaceutical care in an acute geriatric unit can promote the detection of potentially inappropriate drug prescriptions (PIP) and adverse drug events (ADE), and if this can improve patient and caregiver information at hospital discharge.

Method: Descriptive prospective study in older patients admitted for acute care in the Geriatric Department of a university hospital. On admission, a pharmacist recorded a comprehensive drug history from the patient, caregiver and other available sources, and reviewed preadmission treatments in order to detect adverse drug events (using the 3(rd) Granada consensus criteria) and potentially inappropriate prescriptions (using STOPP-START criteria).