Safety and Efficacy of Urea for Hyponatremia.

Urea is an alternative for treatment of hyponatremia however, its use has not been widely studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of urea for the treatment of hyponatremia. A retrospective cohort of patients with hyponatremia (serum sodium <135 mEq/L) of any cause who received at least 1 dose of urea during hospitalization and no prior use of urea.

Financial effect of converting ipratropium-albuterol therapy from inhalers to nebulizer treatments at an academic health system.

Purpose: The results of a study to assess the financial impact of an automatic formulary substitution of ipratropium-albuterol nebulization solution for ipratropium-albuterol metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) at an academic health system are reported.

Methods: The study was conducted at a 1242-bed urban academic health system. Data were collected regarding all respiratory medication administrations during a three-month period before the MDI-to-nebulizer substitution (October-December 2012) and the same period of 2013 (after the substitution was implemented).

Balanced scorecards as a tool for developing patient-centered pharmacy services.

Having accurate data is essential for the pharmacy director to manage the department and develop patient-centered pharmacy services. A balanced scorecard (BSC) of essential department data, which is a broad view of a department's function beyond its financial performance, is an important part of any department's strategic plan. This column describes how the pharmacy director builds and promotes a department's BSC.

Improving the management of candidemia through antimicrobial stewardship interventions.

Candidemia is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and hospital cost. We conducted a quasi-experimental study to evaluate the impact of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) pharmacist's interventions on time to effective antifungal therapy, in-hospital mortality, infection-related length of stay (LOS), and costs in patients with candidemia. Patients in 2008 (pre-intervention, n = 85) were compared to those in 2010 (post-intervention, n = 88).