Machine learning-based risk prediction model for medication administration errors in neonatal intensive care units: A prospective direct observational study.

Objective: Neonates' physiological immaturity and complex dosing requirements heighten their susceptibility to medication administration errors (MAEs), with the potential for severe harm and substantial economic impact on healthcare systems. Developing an effective risk prediction model for MAEs is crucial to reduce and prevent harm.

Methods: This national-level, multicentre, prospective direct observational study was conducted in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of five public hospitals in Malaysia.

Risk Assessment Tool in Predicting the Therapeutic Outcomes of Antiseizure Medication in Adults with Epilepsy.

Aim: Identifying a patient's risk for poor outcomes after starting antiseizure medication (ASM) therapy is crucial in managing epilepsy pharmacologically. To date, there is a lack of designated tools to assess such risks.

Purpose: To develop and validate a risk assessment tool for the therapeutic outcomes of ASM therapy.

Health-Related Quality of Life and Economic Analysis of Olanzapine Versus Aprepitant in Preventing Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Patients Receiving Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy in Malaysia.

Objectives: Olanzapine has been shown to be effective in preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) after highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC); however, there is limited work on the impact of CINV on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the comparative cost-effectiveness of CINV prophylaxis in the Malaysian context. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the HRQoL using EQ-5D-5L and the cost-effectiveness of olanzapine compared with aprepitant for CINV prophylaxis in Malaysia using data from a local study.

Methods: Fifty-nine chemo-naive patients receiving either olanzapine or aprepitant were randomly recruited and completed the EQ-5D-5L before and day 5 after HEC.

Clinical and economic impact of medication administration errors among neonates in neonatal intensive care units.

Despite efforts in improving medication safety, medication administration errors are still common, resulting in significant clinical and economic impact. Studies conducted using a valid and reliable tool to assess clinical impact are lacking, and to the best of our knowledge, studies evaluating the economic impact of medication administration errors among neonates are not yet available. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the potential clinical and economic impact of medication administration errors in neonatal intensive care units and identify the factors associated with these errors.

Prevalence and factors associated with medication administration errors in the neonatal intensive care unit: A multicentre, nationwide direct observational study.

Aim(s): To determine the prevalence of medication administration errors and identify factors associated with medication administration errors among neonates in the neonatal intensive care units.

Design: Prospective direct observational study.

Methods: The study was conducted in the neonatal intensive care units of five public hospitals in Malaysia from April 2022 to March 2023.

Information needs on type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and its management in children and adolescents: a qualitative study.

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the information needs related to insulin therapy in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) from the children's perspectives as well as their caregivers.

Design: Qualitative study; semistructured interviews. To identify emerging themes relating to information needs, open coding and thematic analysis were employed.

Challenges in Obtaining and Seeking Information Among Breast Cancer Survivors in an Asian Country: a Qualitative Study.

Breast cancer survivors on adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) have distinct information-seeking experience compared to those in the diagnosis and intensive treatment phase. This study aimed to understand the challenges in obtaining and seeking information among Malaysian breast cancer survivors. We conducted semi-structured, one-to-one interviews among patients using AET from two hospitals and a local cancer organization.

Exposure to potentially harmful excipients in medications among neonates at a state hospital in Malaysia.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the incidence, types and predictors of Potentially Harmful Excipients (PHE) exposure among hospitalized neonates.

Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from March to April 2022 in neonatal wards at a state hospital in Malaysia. The PHEs of interest were aspartame, benzalkonium chloride, benzyl alcohol, benzoic acid or benzoates, ethanol, parabens, polysorbate 80, propylene glycol, saccharin sodium, sorbitol and sulfites.

Nurses' perception of medication administration errors and factors associated with their reporting in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Medication administration is a complex process, and nurses play a central role in this process. Errors during administration are associated with severe patient harm and significant economic burden. However, the prevalence of under-reporting makes it challenging when analysing the current landscape of medication administration error (MAE) and hinders the implementation of improvements to the existing system.

Breast cancer prevention and treatment misinformation on Twitter: An analysis of two languages.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and types of misinformation on Twitter related to breast cancer prevention and treatment; and compare the differences between the misinformation in English and Malay tweets.

Methods: A total of 6221 tweets related to breast cancer posted between 2018 and 2022 were collected. An oncologist and two pharmacists coded the tweets to differentiate between true information and misinformation, and to analyse the misinformation content.

Impact of a training program on hospital pharmacists' patient-centered communication attitudes and behaviors.

Background: Effective communication that integrates the value of patient-centered care is important in healthcare encounters. Communication skills training (CST) has been indicated as effective in improving patient-centered communication behaviors. However, there is a paucity of studies on the impact of CST among Malaysian hospital pharmacists.

Seizure severity assessment tools for adult epilepsy patients: A systematic review.

Introduction: Seizure outcomes from antiseizure medication (ASM) therapy can be measured across various domains using assessment tools. The available tools may contain an array of different components or items. Seizure severity assessment, as opposed to seizure frequency count may have been a more accurate measurement in determining the effectiveness of ASM therapy.

Development and validation of a risk prediction model for medication administration errors among neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit: a study protocol.

Introduction: Medication administration errors (MAEs) are the most common type of medication error. Furthermore, they are more common among neonates as compared with adults. MAEs can result in severe patient harm, subsequently causing a significant economic burden to the healthcare system.

Corticosteroid effectiveness among hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Malaysia.

Introduction: Using steroids to manage hospitalised coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection has been shown to reduce the need for mechanical ventilation and mortality. To date, low-dose dexamethasone and methylprednisolone corticosteroids have been effective in reducing the infection's progress in hospitalised patients. However, it is unknown if high dosages of corticosteroids can achieve a better clinical outcome.

Prevalence, Causes and Severity of Medication Administration Errors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: Neonates are at greater risk of preventable adverse drug events as compared to children and adults.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate and critically appraise the evidence on the prevalence, causes and severity of medication administration errors (MAEs) amongst neonates in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs).

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted by searching nine electronic databases and the grey literature for studies, without language and publication date restrictions.

The survival impact of palliative chemotherapy dose modifications on metastatic colon cancer.

Background: An uninterrupted dose of oxaliplatin-based cytotoxic therapy is an essential component in the standard treatment regimen of metastatic colon cancer (mCC). Data on the impacts of dose intensity reduction on the palliative treatment for patients with mCC remain scarce. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the impact of palliative chemotherapy dose modifications (DM) on the survival of patients with mCC.

Prescribing Practices of Intravenous Immunoglobulin in Tertiary Care Hospitals in Malaysia: A Need for a National Guideline for Immunoglobulin Use.

Rational use of drug involves the use of medicine as per clinical guidelines. Given the steady increase in the clinical utility of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) either as licensed or off-label use, concerns are being raised about the possibility of supply shortages that could significantly impact patient care. Therefore, there is a need to regulate and to promote the rational use of this valuable medication.

Preference, Perception, and Acceptability of Fluid Gels as a Potential Age-Appropriate Dosage Form for Elderly Patients with Dysphagia.

The development of pharmaceutical dosage forms that are tailored to specific populations according to their preferences and acceptability could improve medication adherence, which could lead to effective pharmacotherapy. This study evaluated the preference for and perceptions of fluid gels as a potential age-appropriate dosage form for older adults with dysphagia. The palatability and swallowability of the developed fluid gels were also assessed to determine the consumer acceptability of this formulation.

A retrospective study on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in highly/moderately emetogenic chemotherapy: incidence and prescribing practice.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced nausea vomiting (CINV) is a common and significant problem in oncology patients and rated as one of cancer chemotherapy's most distressing side effects. The objectives of this study are to describe the incidence of CINV in highly and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy-treated patients and the prescribing pattern of CINV prophylaxis.

Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional single-center study randomly collected data on demographics, CINV episodes, and prescribing patterns for adult oncology patients receiving intravenous highly or moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC/MEC) between January and December 2019.

Barriers and facilitators to patient-centred care in pharmacy consultations: A qualitative study with Malaysian hospital pharmacists and patients.

Background: Patient-centred care (PCC) has been suggested to provide benefits such as improved patient-healthcare provider communication and better disease self-management to patients. The practice of PCC should involve all healthcare professionals, including pharmacists who are well-positioned in providing pharmaceutical care to patients. However, a better understanding of the factors that can affect the practice of PCC in pharmacists' consultations is needed.

Formulation and Cost-Effectiveness of Fluid Gels as an Age-Appropriate Dosage Form for Older Adults with Dysphagia.

Dysphagia is associated with increased dependency and treatment costs, whereby patients resort to extemporaneous compounding that may further increase the number of adverse events and medical errors. In the management of dysphagia, increasing the bolus viscosity of medication such as fluid gels can be practiced. This study aimed to prepare and characterize the fluid gels as well as to estimate the cost of using fluid gels and compare it to the conventional practice of extemporaneous preparation of thickened liquid.

Self-perceived competence and training needs analysis on antimicrobial stewardship among government ward pharmacists in Malaysia.

Background: There is a paucity of data on pharmacists' competency and learning needs in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS).

Objectives: To identify and prioritize learning needs based on self-perceived competence of ward pharmacists in AMS, to identify predictors of self-perceived competence, learning methods in AMS and perceived barriers to learning.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey involving ward pharmacists from Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM) and hospitals under the Ministry of Health was conducted from May to July 2018.