Performance and retention of basic life support skills improve with a peer-led training program.

Background And Purpose: Pharmacy students' performance and retention of Basic Life Support (BLS) skills were evaluated 120 days after completion of a peer-led BLS training program.

Educational Activity And Setting: This was a single-center, parallel group, observational study. Doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students in their third professional year completed a peer-led BLS training program (n = 148) and participated in a high-fidelity mannequin simulation activity 120 days later.

Intravenous Vancomycin Associated With the Development of Nephrotoxicity in Patients With Class III Obesity.

Background: A consensus statement recommends initial intravenous (IV) vancomycin dosing of 15-20 mg/kg every 8- 24 hours, with an optional 25- to 30-mg/kg loading dose. Although some studies have shown an association between weight and the development of vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity, results have been inconsistent.

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between incidence of nephrotoxicity associated with weight-based IV vancomycin dosing strategies in nonobese and obese patients.

Do Patients With a Baseline Clinical Condition Warranting the Cautious Use of Parenteral Nutrition Develop Subsequent Metabolic Complications?

Background: The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Adult Nutrition Support Core Curriculum describes clinical conditions that warrant cautious use of parenteral nutrition (CCWCPN). The Core Curriculum authors acknowledge there is no evidence for specific criteria suggested for the clinical conditions. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a baseline CCWCPN on the development of subsequent metabolic complications in patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN).

Virtual Patient Case Sharing Across Two Schools of Pharmacy.

To expand the use of virtual patients at 2 schools of pharmacy through virtual patient case sharing. Faculty members at two schools of pharmacy collaborated to expand the use of virtual patients. Two simulation programs, vpSim and DecisionSim (Decision Simulation, LLC, Chadsford, PA), were used to create interactive patient cases for a required course and an elective course at the different schools.

Evaluation of safety and effectiveness of standardized antifactor Xa-based unfractionated heparin protocols in obese versus non-obese patients.

Recent data have suggested that standard unfractionated heparin (UFH) protocols may over-anticoagulate obese patients. The goal of this retrospective study was to observe differences in anticoagulation parameters and safety outcomes for standardized antifactor Xa UFH protocols in obese and non-obese populations. Obese patients (N = 148) were identified over a 20-month period and matched to 148 non-obese patients based on age, gender, and admission date.

Variables Affecting Pharmacy Students' Patient Care Interventions during Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences.

To identify the temporal effect and factors associated with student pharmacist self-initiation of interventions during acute patient care advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE). During the APPE, student pharmacists at an academic medical center recorded their therapeutic interventions and who initiated the intervention throughout clinical rotations. At the end of the APPE student pharmacists completed a demographic survey.

Nalbuphine-induced psychosis treated with naloxone.

Purpose: A case of nalbuphine-induced psychosis, which resolved after the administration of naloxone, is described.

Summary: A 25-year-old African-American woman with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus was admitted to the hospital for management of cholecystitis. A laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed, and the patient received multiple doses of i.

Levetiracetam: an unusual cause of delirium.

Levetiracetam is a second-generation anticonvulsant that was approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 1999 for the treatment of epilepsy. Recently, levetiracetam has become more popular for the prevention of posttraumatic seizures. Some of the well-known adverse effects of levetiracetam are somnolence, behavioral abnormalities, and less commonly, psychosis.

Impact of pharmacy technician-centered medication reconciliation on optimization of antiretroviral therapy and opportunistic infection prophylaxis in hospitalized patients with HIV/AIDS.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the role of a pharmacy technician-centered medication reconciliation (PTMR) program in optimization of medication therapy in hospitalized patients with HIV/AIDS.

Methods: A chart review was conducted for all inpatients that had a medication reconciliation performed by the PTMR program. Adult patients with HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) and/or the opportunistic infection (OI) prophylaxis listed on the medication reconciliation form were included.