The Clinical and Financial Impact of a Pharmacist-Driven Penicillin Skin Testing Program on Antimicrobial Stewardship Practices.

Pharmacist-led penicillin skin testing (PST) was incorporated into antimicrobial stewardship at a community hospital to increase use of optimal antimicrobial therapy, reduce use of broad-spectrum agents, and reduce antimicrobial therapy-related costs. A clinical decision support software alert identified qualifying patients with penicillin allergies. Patients receiving a nonoptimal antimicrobial agent were prioritized for PST.

Implementing the Use of Pharmacist Progress Notes in a Surgical ICU.

Background: Critical care pharmacists are established and valuable members of the critical care team, however there is rarely written evidence of their daily involvement in the patient's electronic medical record (EMR). Documentation in the EMR has the advantage of ensuring a seamless pass-off and provides an opportunity to capture the pharmacist's cognitive and clinical impact in a way that traditional systems of tracking "interventions" fail to do. We investigated implementation of pharmacist progress notes in a surgical intensive care unit (ICU) and their utility in measuring pharmacist activity.

Implementation of an enoxaparin protocol for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in obese surgical intensive care unit patients.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious health care issue that affects a large number of people. Few standards exist for delineating the optimal dosing strategy for VTE prevention in obese patients, especially in the setting of major surgery or trauma.

Objective: To document the efficacy of a surgical intensive care unit (SICU)-specific, weight-based dosing protocol of enoxaparin 0.