Core Entrustable Professional Activities in Clinical Pharmacology for Entering Residency: Common Problem Drugs and How to Prescribe Them.

Although the medical profession strives for safe prescribing, most medications are unique challenges even when prescribed by an experienced provider. In this article we discuss the pitfalls associated with drug interactions between commonly used antibiotics and anticoagulants, the complexities associated with the administration of novel reversible anticoagulants, the often-overlooked severe adverse drug reactions from commonly used classes of medications such as corticosteroids, the nuances of managing an acetaminophen overdose, and uncommon yet serious adverse events associated with the use of contraceptive hormone drugs.

Impact of Federal Regulatory Changes on Clinical Pharmacology and Drug Development: the Common Rule and the 21st Century Cures Act.

The Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, generally referred to as the "Common Rule," is the basis for the human research protection policies of 16 signatory federal agencies and governs virtually all federally funded research involving humans. The Common Rule was originally published in 1991. It has been recognized that changes to the Common Rule are needed to accommodate changes in the research environment and advances in information technology.

Dosage Adjustments Related to Young or Old Age and Organ Impairment.

Differences in physiology related to young or old age and/or organ system impairment alter the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of many medications and consequently their effectiveness and toxicity. This module discusses common alterations in medication use and dosage that are required in the pediatric age group, in the elderly, and in patients with renal or hepatic disease.

Strategic plan for geriatrics and extended care in the veterans health administration: background, plan, and progress to date.

The leaders of Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) undertook a strategic planning process that led to approval in 2009 of a multidisciplinary, evidence-guided strategic plan. This article reviews the four goals contained in that plan and describes VHA's progress in addressing them. The goals included transforming the healthcare system to a veteran-centric approach, achieving universal access to a panel of services, ensuring that the Veterans Affair's (VA) healthcare workforce was adequately prepared to manage the needs of the growing elderly veteran population, and integrating continuous improvement into all care enhancements.

Setting the stage for a new strategic plan for geriatrics and extended care in the Veterans Health Administration: summary of the 2008 VA State of the Art Conference, "The changing faces of geriatrics and extended care: meeting the needs of veterans in the next decade".

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) assumed an early leadership role in focusing on care of elderly adults. In 1998, the Federal Advisory Committee on the Future of VA Long-Term Care, appointed by the VA Undersecretary for Health, recommended redirection of VA's extended care programs toward noninstitutional forms. A decade later, VA's Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) initiated a strategic planning process by convening experts in geriatrics and health care, policy, and finance in Virginia on March 25 to 27, 2008, to present to VA clinicians and clinical managers the "State of the Art" of VA GEC.

Enhancing protections for human participants in clinical and health services research: a continuing process.

The authors provide brief information about the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Veterans Health Administration, to establish an understanding of this large, multifaceted organization. They then offer an overview of the VA's Office of Research and Development, with particular emphasis on recent and ongoing efforts to enhance protection of the rights of human participants in clinical research. The authors discuss various policies and regulations intended to protect human participants in any type of VA research.

A First-Line Treatment Option for Elderly Hypertensive Patients: A Low-Dose Multimechanism à -Blocker/Diuretic.

The high incidence of hypertension among the elderly makes a once-daily multimechanism antihypertensive an advantageous agent for the control of hypertension. Because of its safety and efficacy in earlier studies, a low-dose multimechanism à -blocker/diuretic, bisoprolol fumarate 2.5, 5, or 10 mg combined with HCTZ 6.