Polypharmacy in chronic kidney disease: Health outcomes & pharmacy-based strategies to mitigate inappropriate polypharmacy.

The rising prevalence of comorbidities in an increasingly aging population has sparked a reciprocal rise in polypharmacy. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a greater burden of polypharmacy due to the comorbidities and complications associated with their disease. Polypharmacy in CKD patients has been linked to myriad direct and indirect costs for patients and the society at large.

Concordance of Vancomycin Population-Predicted Pharmacokinetics with Patient-Specific Pharmacokinetics in Adult Hospitalized Patients: A Case Series.

Background: Vancomycin empiric therapy is commonly dosed using clinical algorithms adapted from population-predicted pharmacokinetic parameters. However, precise dosing of vancomycin can be designed using patient-specific pharmacokinetic calculations.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the correlational fit between vancomycin population-predicted and patient-specific pharmacokinetic parameters [elimination rate constant (K) and half-life (t)] in a case series of adult hospitalized patients.

Evaluation of Physician Prescribing Patterns For Antibiotics in the Treatment of Nonnecrotizing Skin and Soft Tissue Infections.

Purpose: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) cause about 15 million cases of infection that result in more than 869,000 annual hospitalizations in the United States. Cellulitis accounted for 63% of all patients hospitalized with SSTIs between 2009 and 2011. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate physician adherence rates to evidence-based practice guidelines.