Prescriber compliance with black box warnings in older adult patients.

Background: Patients prescribed medications with US Food and Drug Administration-issued black box warnings (BBWs) warrant additional vigilance by prescribers because these drugs can cause serious adverse drug events. Seniors are at greater risk for adverse drug events due to increased medication burden and greater health vulnerability.

Objective: To improve our understanding of the prescribing and patient-monitoring practices of physicians prescribing medications with a BBW to patients age >or=65 years in an ambulatory care setting.

Assessing influenza vaccine utilization in physician offices serving adult patients: experience during a season of vaccine delays and shortages.

Background: Influenza vaccination among US adults has plateaued at suboptimal levels. Severe delays and shortages of influenza vaccine prompted revised guidances to prioritize vaccine first to persons at greatest risk for serious influenza complications and to create vaccine stockpiles.

Objectives: (1) Pilot an assessment of influenza vaccine use in a large sample of physician offices with adult patients.

Implementing evidence-based practice findings to decrease postoperative sternal wound infections following open heart surgery.

Sternal wound infections following open heart surgery are an infrequent occurrence but can have significant impact on patient morbidity, length of stay, and cost of care. The objective of this project initiative was to decrease the incidence of sternal wound infections by examining and changing current practice in the preoperative and postoperative management of patients undergoing open heart surgery. Following a literature review of interdisciplinary best practices, process teams were formed to evaluate our own patient cohort with documented infection.

Population-based surveillance for hospitalizations associated with respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, and parainfluenza viruses among young children.

Objective: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza virus, and parainfluenza viruses (PIV) cause significant morbidity in young children. Although only influenza virus infection and illness is currently vaccine-preventable, vaccines are under development for RSV and PIV. We established a prospective, active population-based surveillance network to provide precise estimates of hospitalization rates for viral acute respiratory illness (ARI) in young children and to measure the potential impact of enhanced vaccine usage on these rates.