Evaluation of a quality assurance technique for a pharmacokinetic dosing service.

A quality assurance (QA) technique that measured process and outcome was tested on a clinical pharmacokinetic dosing service (CPDS). The process measurement criteria evaluated the CPDS pharmacists' ability to maintain serum aminoglycoside levels within the desired range (peak 6-10 micrograms/ml, trough less than 2.0 micrograms/ml).

Outcome of patients treated by an aminoglycoside pharmacokinetic dosing service.

Differences in outcome between patients whose aminoglycoside dosing regimens were individualized by a clinical pharmacokinetic dosing service (CPDS) and patients who did not receive CPDS consultation were evaluated by retrospective chart review. Data for a number of dependent variables that might affect patient outcome were collected from the medical records of 42 patients with culture-proven gram-negative pneumonia or sepsis who had received CPDS dosing consultations and 60 similar patients who had not received CPDS consultations. Data were also collected for a number of analytical and categorical independent variables to evaluate sources of variation between the groups.

Types of selected security devices for hospital pharmacies.

Every pharmacist, whether in the hospital or in a community environment, faces the daily possibility of a holdup, burglary, or forged prescription. Statistics on drug-related crime are on the upswing as an increasing number of perpetrators recognize that wholesalers and hospitals are large depots of injectable narcotics and controlled substances. In response to this, many Federal drug crime laws and increased security have been proposed.

Evaluation of a cardiopulmonary-resuscitation training manual for pharmacists.

The development and evaluation of a training manual for pharmacists participating in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts at an institution encompassing ambulatory-care, acute-care, and emergency-trauma facilities are described. The manual was developed to familiarize pharmacists who had little or no experience in CPR procedures with the equipment and medications used and the pharmacist's role on the CPR team. To evaluate the effectiveness of the manual, a 29-question multiple-choice test was administered to 35 staff pharmacists who were randomly assigned to study and control groups.