Changes in Acute Care Pharmacist Prescribing and Laboratory Ordering over Time: CAPLET Study.

Background: In Alberta, pharmacists may obtain additional prescribing authorization (APA) and a practice identification number (PRAC-ID) for ordering laboratory tests. Pharmacists working within Alberta Health Services were mandated by the employer to attain APA by 2018, whereas laboratory ordering has been in place since 2009. Five acute care sites within the Calgary Zone had a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system that allowed tracking of these activities.

Pharmacist Prescribing in Pediatric and Neonatal Acute Care: An Observational Study.

Objective: The intent of this project was to objectively describe the frequency of pharmacist prescribing in acute care pediatrics and neonatology and to determine the medications most often prescribed by pharmacists practicing in a jurisdiction that permits pharmacists' prescribing.

Methods: This was a subgroup analysis of a retrospective observational study using prescribing data from an electronic medical record system used in 5 acute care hospitals (1 pediatric, 4 primarily adult but with pediatric and neonatal units) within Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Results: Considering orders for pediatric or neonatal patients only, there was a mean (SD) of 126 (226) prescriptions per pharmacist per year, with a wide range (1-1101 per year).

Hospital pharmacists understanding of available health literacy assessment tools and their perceived barriers for incorporation in patient education - a survey study.

Background: Patients with low health literacy experience difficulty in understanding their medications leading to worse health outcomes. Pharmacists need to use formal assessment tools to be able to identify these patients, so they can better tailor their patient education. The objective of the study was to characterize hospital pharmacists understanding of health literacy and their use of screening and counselling strategies before and after completion of an educational module and to identify barriers that hospital pharmacists perceive to exist that prevent them from using health literacy tools.

CAPABLE: Calgary zone usage of Additional Prescribing Authorization By pharmacists in an inpatient setting: review of the prescribing Landscape and Environment.

Background: In Alberta, Canada, pharmacists have been granted the ability to prescribe most medications independently after completing an additional authorization process. While there are data to support the use of pharmacists' prescribing in the community setting, little is known about its use in the inpatient hospital setting.

Objectives: To describe the prescribing patterns of pharmacists in an inpatient setting including the percentage of pharmacists using their prescribing authority, the care areas where prescribing occurred, and the frequency of prescribing.

The construct validity of the health utilities index mark 3 in assessing health status in lung transplantation.

Purpose: To assess the cross-sectional construct validity of the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) in lung transplantation.

Methods: Two hundred and thirteen patients (103 pre-transplant and 110 post-transplant) with mean age 53 years old (SD 13) were recruited during a randomized controlled clinical trial at the out-patient clinic in a tertiary institution. At baseline, patients self-completed measures that included the HUI3, EuroQol EQ-5D, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and socio-demographic questionnaire.

The use of patient-reported outcomes becomes standard practice in the routine clinical care of lung-heart transplant patients.

Objective: To assess the use of patient-reported outcome (PROs) measures in the routine clinical care of lung-heart transplant patients. We assessed whether the addition of PROs in routine clinical care affected the duration of the consultation and patient's and clinician's views.

Method: Consecutive lung-heart transplant patients visiting the outpatient clinic, University of Alberta Hospital, completed the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ) and the Health Utilities Index (HUI) on touchscreen computers.

An international survey of cytomegalovirus management practices in lung transplantation.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important infection in lung transplant recipients. Center-to-center variation in preventive and treatment strategies is unknown.

Methods: An electronic survey was sent to 102 lung transplant programs registered with the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation and United Network for Organ Sharing.

Adverse effects of antiretrovirals in HIV-infected pregnant women.

Background: Current guidelines for the use of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy during pregnancy recommend that women be offered treatment with combination ARV therapy used in nonpregnant HIV-infected individuals. It is unclear whether the risk of ARV-related adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is increased during pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate the frequency and severity of ADRs likely caused by ARV therapy in pregnant women who are HIV-positive.

Prenatal screening and perinatal HIV transmission in Northern Alberta, 1999-2006.

Objectives: We evaluated the effectiveness of a program that includes routine opt-out prenatal HIV screening, combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), and a multidisciplinary team in preventing perinatal HIV transmission.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on HIV-infected pregnant women in northern Alberta, Canada, who delivered between January 1, 1999, and February 28, 2006.

Results: Ninety-eight women had 113 deliveries.

Monitoring of mycophenolate mofetil in orthotopic heart transplant recipients--a systematic review.

Background: Recent attention has focused on individualizing mycophenolate mofetil therapy via monitoring of mycophenolic acid (MPA) levels to overcome interpatient variability in MPA exposure when standard doses are administered. To our knowledge, no systematic review of the pharmacokinetic data in orthotopic heart transplant recipients has been published to date.

Objective: The study aimed to systematically review published studies on the MPA target concentration that is effective at preventing rejection in cardiac transplant patients.