Developing and disseminating an electronic penicillin allergy de-labelling tool using the model for improvement framework.

Background: Many clinicians feel uncomfortable with de-labelling penicillin allergies despite ample safety data. Point of care tools effectively support providers with de-labelling. This study's objective was to increase the number of providers intending to pursue a penicillin oral challenge by 15% by February 2023.

Development of Quality Indicators to Evaluate the Appropriateness of Empiric Antimicrobial Use in Pediatric Patients.

Background: Use of quality indicators is one strategy recommended to assess antimicrobial prescribing for pediatric inpatients.

Objective: To achieve consensus from infectious diseases clinicians on quality indicators that characterize appropriate empiric antimicrobial use for the management of infectious syndromes in pediatric inpatients.

Methods: This study was completed using the Delphi technique.

Evaluating the impact of incorporating clinical practice guidelines for the management of infectious diseases into an electronic application (e-app).

Objectives: To improve dissemination and accessibility of guidelines to healthcare providers at our institution, guidance for infectious syndromes was incorporated into an electronic application (e-app). The objective of this study was to compare empiric antimicrobial prescribing before and after implementation of the e-app.

Design: This study was a before-and-after trial.

Barriers and Facilitators Related to Delivery of Hospital Pharmacy Services to Women, Children, and Their Families during a Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

Background: When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, health care professionals were challenged to adapt quickly and efficiently to change their work practices. However, an evidence-informed approach has not yet been used to systematically gather data on barriers and facilitators related to delivery of hospital pharmacy services in Canada.

Objectives: The primary objective was to identify and describe barriers and facilitators related to the delivery of hospital pharmacy services to women, children, and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On-line virtual patient learning: a pilot study of a new modality in antimicrobial stewardship education for pediatric residents.

Objectives: Our objective was to develop and validate a virtual patient (VP) learning module to educate pediatric residents about antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) principles. A VP module on complicated pneumonia was developed by experts in AMS and pediatric infectious diseases using the online platform DecisionSim. Decision points were based on AMS principles (diagnosis, antimicrobial selection, dosing, de-escalation, route, duration).

Antimicrobial use among adult inpatients at hospital sites within the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program: 2009 to 2016.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat to the world's ability to prevent and treat infections. Links between quantitative antibiotic use and the emergence of bacterial resistance are well documented. This study presents benchmark antimicrobial use (AMU) rates for inpatient adult populations in acute-care hospitals across Canada.

Health Care Providers' Perceptions of Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship at Acute Care Hospitals in Nova Scotia.

Background: Antimicrobial use is the major factor in the development of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial stewardship has been recommended as a strategy to improve antimicrobial use.

Objective: To learn about health care providers' perceptions of current antimicrobial use and stewardship, including barriers and facilitators to improving antimicrobial use at acute care hospitals in Nova Scotia.

Pharmacists' immunization experiences, beliefs, and attitudes in New Brunswick, Canada.

Background: The expansion of pharmacist scope of practice to include provision of immunizations has occurred or is being considered in various countries. There are limited data evaluating the experiences of Canadian pharmacists in their role as immunizers.

Objective: To describe the experiences of pharmacists in the Canadian province of New Brunswick as immunizers, including vaccines administered and perceived barriers and facilitators to providing immunizations.

CMKLR1 activation ex vivo does not increase proportionally to serum total chemerin in obese humans.

Prochemerin is the inactive precursor of the adipokine chemerin. Proteolytic processing is obligatory for the conversion of prochemerin into active chemerin and subsequent regulation of cellular processes via the chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1). Elevated plasma or serum chemerin concentrations and differential processing of prochemerin have been reported in obese humans.

Impact of pharmacists as immunizers on influenza vaccination coverage in the community-setting in Nova Scotia, Canada: 2013-2015.

Background: Annual immunization is the most effective way to prevent influenza and its associated complications. However, optimal immunization rates are not being met in Nova Scotia, Canada. Additional providers, such as pharmacists, may improve access and convenience to receive vaccines.

Impact of pharmacists as immunizers on influenza vaccination coverage in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Immunization coverage in Canada has continued to fall below national goals. The addition of pharmacists as immunizers may increase immunization coverage. This study aimed to compare estimated influenza vaccine coverage before and after pharmacists began administering publicly funded influenza immunizations in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Pharmacists as immunizers: a survey of community pharmacists' willingness to administer adult immunizations.

Background: Adult immunization rates worldwide fall below desired targets. Pharmacists are highly accessible healthcare providers with the potential to increase immunization rates among adults by administering vaccines in their practice setting.

Objective: To determine the attitudes of community-based Canadian pharmacists with respect to expanding their scope of practice to include administration of immunizations.

Effects of a pharmacy-driven perisplenectomy vaccination program on vaccination rates and adherence to guidelines.

Background: Overwhelming postsplenectomy infection is a serious potential outcome for patients who have undergone resection of the spleen and is associated with a high mortality rate. The most common bacterial causes are the encapsulated organisms Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Hemophilus influenzae type B, all of which are vaccine-preventable. Current guidelines recommend vaccination against these 3 bacteria, but adherence to these guidelines is less than ideal.

Clinical benefits and economic impact of post-surgical care provided by pharmacists in a Canadian hospital.

Objective: Clinical pharmacists improve the quality of patient care by reducing adverse drug events (ADEs), length of stay and mortality. This impact is currently not well described in surgery. The objective was to evaluate clinical and economic outcomes after clinical pharmacist services were added to two general surgical wards in an adult hospital.

Antimicrobials in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - An analysis of the time to next exacerbation before and after the implementation of standing orders.

Objective: To compare the mean time to next exacerbation in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) before and after the implementation of standing orders.

Setting: Tertiary care hospital, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Population Studied: The records of 150 patients were analyzed, 76 were in the preimplementation group, 74 in the postimplementation group.