Background: Respiratory distress protocols (RDPs) are protocolized prescriptions comprised of 3 medications (a benzodiazepine, an opioid, and an anticholinergic) administered simultaneously as an emergency treatment for respiratory distress in palliative care patients in the province of Quebec, Canada. However, data on appropriate use that justifies the combination of all 3 components is scarce and based on individual pharmacodynamic properties along with expert consensus.
Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the conformity and the effectiveness of RDPs prescribed and administered to hospitalized adult patients.
Chronic abdominal and pelvic pain is a common condition that has significant impact on quality of life, and causes billions of dollars in direct and indirect costs. Emerging data suggest that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), alone or in combination with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), could be a promising therapeutic avenue to reduce chronic pain. The encouraging results coming from these studies prompted us to try combining TENS and tDCS in 4 of our patients who suffered from chronic abdominal/pelvic pain and to compare the effect with 5 other patients who received TENS alone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Medication adherence reduces disease morbidity. Data regarding changes in a patient's adherence before and after hospitalization and how this hospitalization influences a pharmacist's interventions are scarce.
Objective: To assess changes in adherence to cardiovascular and respiratory medications in the year preceding and following a hospitalization; explore patients' perceptions about medication adherence and the pharmacist's role; and describe pharmacists' interventions regarding medication adherence.