Enhancing Operational Efficiency and Service Delivery through a Robotic Dispensing System: A Case Study from a Retail Pharmacy in Brazil.

Drug dispensing in retail pharmacies typically involves several manual tasks that often lead to inefficiencies and errors. This is the first published quality improvement study in Latin America, specifically in Brazil, investigating the operational impacts of implementing a robotic dispensing system in a retail pharmacy. Through observational techniques, we measured the time required for the following pharmacy workflows before and after implementing the robotic dispensing system: customer service, receiving stock, stocking inventory, separation, invoicing, and packaging of online orders for delivery.

Primary Intravenous Set Consumption Across 3 Branded Infusion Pumps.

This retrospective study of 6426 hip replacement, coronary artery bypass graft, and colectomy surgeries across 23 US hospitals found that intravenous (IV) set designs that can be interchanged for use both in gravity-fed and automated pump delivery systems are replaced less frequently than IV sets designed for use primarily by one delivery method. Semistructured interviews with nurses highlighted the impact of set design on nursing workflow when moving between gravity-fed and pump-based administration. Use of interchangeable, single-design IV sets across gravity and automated infusions minimizes disruptions to closed systems, may reduce nurses being distracted from patients' clinical needs when replacing sets, and may yield supply cost savings.

Cost-effectiveness of Chloride-liberal versus Chloriderestrictive Intravenous Fluids among Patients Hospitalized in the United States.

Patients developing acute kidney injury (AKI) during critical illness or major surgery are at risk for renal sequelae such as costly and invasive acute renal replacement therapy (RRT) and chronic dialysis (CD). Rates of renal injury may be reduced with use of chloride-restrictive intravenous (IV) resuscitation fluids instead of chloride-liberal fluids. To compare the cost-effectiveness of chloride-restrictive versus chloride-liberal crystalloid fluids used during fluid resuscitation or for the maintenance of hydration among patients hospitalized in the US for critical illnesses or major surgery.

A multicentre, prospective study to evaluate costs of septic patients in Brazilian intensive care units.

Background: Sepsis has a high prevalence within intensive care units, with elevated rates of morbidity and mortality, and high costs. Data on sepsis costs are scarce in the literature, and in developing countries such as Brazil these data are largely unavailable.

Objectives: To assess the standard direct costs of sepsis management in Brazilian intensive care units (ICUs) and to disclose factors that could affect those costs.

Multiple brain abscesses due to Penicillium spp infection.

We present a case of central nervous system (CNS) infection by a member of the Penicillium genera in a HIV-negative man in Brazil. The patient was admitted complaining of loss of visual fields and speech disturbances. CT scan revealed multiple brain abscesses.