Impact of patient-centered prescription medication labels on adherence in community pharmacy.

Background: Prescription medication labels are often constructed in a manner which hinders safe and appropriate use of medicines. The United States Pharmacopeia released voluntary standards to revise medication labels in an effort to support patients' understanding and improve medication use.

Objective: To examine the impact of label changes on medication adherence before and after pharmacy implementation of the United States Pharmacopeia patient-centered prescription medication label standards.

Comparison of Attitudes of Wisconsin Health Care Providers and Pharmacists Toward Vaccine Administration and Perceived Barriers.

Objective: To measure the attitudes of pharmacists and other health care providers towards vaccine administration, overall acceptance of pharmacists as immunization providers, and perceived immunization barriers in Wisconsin.

Methods: The authors conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing an online survey to assess the attitudes of pharmacists and other health care providers toward their role as immunization providers and perceived barriers to providing immunizations. The survey was distributed between November 2018 and February 2019.

Immunizations at Wisconsin Pharmacies: Results of a statewide vaccine registry analysis and pharmacist survey.

Background: There is currently limited data in the United States on the proportion of immunization doses given at pharmacies outside the influenza vaccine. This study aims to obtain baseline information on the percentage of vaccine doses administered at pharmacies in Wisconsin and to understand the immunization barriers for Wisconsin pharmacists, to inform interventions to increase immunization access at pharmacies.

Methods: Aggregated data from the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR) was obtained for all vaccines administered at pharmacies to patients over the age of six from July 2017 through June 2018.

Assessing the readiness of a school system to adopt food allergy management guidelines.

Importance: The prevalence of potentially fatal food allergies in school-aged children is rising. It is important for schools to have a food allergy management policy and an emergency action plan for each affected student.

Objective: To examine the current status of food allergy guideline and/or policy implementation and adoption in a large school system in southeastern Wisconsin.

Clinical practice guideline: Tympanostomy tubes in children.

Objective: Insertion of tympanostomy tubes is the most common ambulatory surgery performed on children in the United States. Tympanostomy tubes are most often inserted because of persistent middle ear fluid, frequent ear infections, or ear infections that persist after antibiotic therapy. Despite the frequency of tympanostomy tube insertion, there are currently no clinical practice guidelines in the United States that address specific indications for surgery.

Clinical practice guideline: tympanostomy tubes in children--executive summary.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) has published a supplement to this issue featuring the new Clinical Practice Guideline: Tympanostomy Tubes in Children. To assist in implementing the guideline recommendations, this article summarizes the rationale, purpose, and key action statements. The 12 recommendations developed address patient selection, surgical indications for and management of tympanostomy tubes in children.

Blood center practice and education for blood donors with anemia.

Background: Anemia is an early indicator of many diseases, yet blood donors with low hematocrit (Hct) often receive inadequate information about its medical importance. We sought to understand the types of information that are and should be provided to these donors.

Study Design And Methods: Two companion studies were performed.

Community blood donors' knowledge of anemia and design of a literacy-appropriate educational intervention.

Background: The purpose of this project is to improve the health of blood donors by educating and motivating them to seek medical attention for anemia. The National Anemia Action Council, BloodCenter of Wisconsin, and the Medical College of Wisconsin formed a partnership to engage volunteer blood donors and develop an educational intervention to motivate donors with anemia to seek appropriate medical care.

Study Design And Methods: Partners developed an educational pamphlet and conducted two focus groups with volunteer blood donors for feedback.

Implementing an electronic medical record at a residency site: physicians' perceived effects on quality of care, documentation, and productivity.

Background: Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are quickly becoming a standard component of medical practices.

Objectives: We longitudinally studied the impact of EMR implementation on physician perceptions of quality of care, documentation, and work hours, as well as on measured physician productivity.

Methods: Physicians were surveyed at 3-month intervals regarding perceived impact of the EMR on quality of care, documentation, and productivity.

Current pharmacologic treatment of dementia: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Description: The American College of Physicians and American Academy of Family Physicians developed this guideline to present the available evidence on current pharmacologic treatment of dementia.

Methods: The targeted literature search included evidence related to the effectiveness of 5 U.S.

Disparities in colon cancer screening in the Medicare population.

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, but the rate of screening remains low. Since 2001, Medicare has provided coverage of colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening in individuals at average risk, but little is known about the effect of this coverage on screening or disparities in screening practices.

Methods: We examined the Medicare physician/supplier billing claims file for New York, Florida, and Illinois for the years 2002 and 2003.

Effect of model of care delivery on mammography use among elderly breast cancer survivors.

Background: Despite gaps in the quality of follow-up care for breast cancer survivors, the most effective model for such care remains unclear. We evaluated receipt of mammography among survivors followed by generalist physicians, specialists, or both (referred to as 'shared care').

Methods: We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results tumor registry data and Medicare claims to study 3828 older women, diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995.

Colposcopic proficiency-disease spectrum in a single family practice colposcopists' clinic.

Purpose: We sought to assess colposcopic proficiency in a family practice teaching clinic.

Methods: Subjects were a prospective cohort of women age 13 to 68 who were colposcopy clinic attendees from 1991 to 2002. Data recorded on each subject included demographic variables, sexual history, history of sexually transmitted diseases, reason for referral to colposcopy, Pap smear results, colposcopic impression, colposcopic biopsy results, and diagnoses.

Glycemic control and the risk of multiple microvascular diabetic complications.

Background And Objectives: Tight glycemic control in type 2 diabetes reduces risk of certain end-organ complications. However, among patients with one complication already, it is unknown whether tight glycemic control reduces the risk of subsequent complications in another organ. We sought to determine if glycemic control is associated with the risk of a second, distinct, end-organ diabetic complication.

Providers' reactions to an automated health maintenance reminder system incorporated into the patient's electronic medical record.

Background: Automated health maintenance reminder (HMR) systems embedded in electronic medical records systems have been found to improve utilization of preventive services, but underuse persists. Our goal was to learn how to make HMRs more effective by measuring clinicians' self-reported use of HMRs and attitudes toward an HMR system embedded in an electronic medical record.

Methods: We surveyed 43 clinicians using an electronic medical record with an automated HMR system that prompted the provision of preventive or screening interventions.

Glucose screening and the risk of complications in Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

It is unknown whether glucose screening for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) reduces the risk of diabetic complications. We conducted a case-control study using 303 cases with DM2 and at least one symptomatic microvascular diabetic complication, matched 1:1 to control subjects. All subjects' blood glucose tests for the decade before the first clinical suspicion of DM2 were categorized as screening or not based on the presence of symptoms suggestive of DM2.