Characterization of actions taken during the delivery of medication therapy management: A time-and-motion approach.

Objectives: To characterize actions performed by pharmacists and support staff during provision of medication therapy management (MTM) and to compare actions performed according to practice characteristics.

Methods: A purposeful sample of 7 MTM practices (2 call centers and 5 community practices) was identified and visited by investigators. Pharmacists and support staff were observed during their routine provision of MTM.

The prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus among out-of-hospital care providers and emergency medical technician students.

Objective: We compared the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carrier rate among out-of-hospital care providers with greater than six months' experience in emergency medical services (EMS) care with that of emergency medical technician (EMT) students with two months or less of observation time as part of their clinical training.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study utilizing a convenience sample of out-of-hospital care providers and EMT students in an urban EMS system operating in the Midwest during October and November 2006. One hundred thirty-four out-of-hospital care providers and 152 EMT students were tested for MRSA susceptibility using the cefoxitin disk diffusion method.