Evaluation of a dedicated pharmacist staffing model in the medical intensive care unit.

Purpose: Published studies have shown that pharmacists on medical rounds reduce the incidence of preventable adverse drug events (ADEs). However, the impact of a dedicated pharmacist who provides consistent patient care in a critical care unit remains to be evaluated.

Objective: To determine the impact of a pharmacist who is permanently assigned to the medical intensive care unit (MICU) on the incidence of preventable ADEs, drug charges, and length of stay (LOS) in the MICU.

An experiment using hypothetical patient scenarios in healthy subjects to evaluate the treatment satisfaction and medication adherence intention relationship.

Background: Treatment beliefs and illness consequence have been shown to impact medication adherence in patients with years of asthma experience. These relationships are unknown in patients with early experience.

Objective: The purpose was to test the relationship between illness consequence, treatment beliefs, treatment satisfaction and medication adherence intentions in healthy subjects exposed to an asthma scenario.

Employer-based patient-centered medication therapy management program: evidence and recommendations for future programs.

Objective: To evaluate a patient-centered employer-based medication therapy management (MTM) program.

Design: Randomized controlled study.

Setting: Health promotion program at the University of Michigan from June 2009 to December 2011.

A review of published studies of patients' illness perceptions and medication adherence: lessons learned and future directions.

Background: Patients who seek medical care and who are prescribed medication may choose to either accept or not accept the prescriber's recommendations to use the prescribed medication. The Common Sense Model (CSM) is one behavioral model that can help researchers and practitioners to identify patients' illness perceptions that drive their decisions.

Objective: This article reviews published research that evaluated the impact of illness representations (as defined in CSM) with medication adherence.

Patient desire to be involved in medication treatment decisions.

Objectives: To identify unmet needs of patients taking medications for chronic health conditions and identify medication-related services that patients with chronic health conditions would desire.

Design: Descriptive, exploratory, nonexperimental study.

Setting: Large midwestern state in spring 2010.

Exploring patient experiences with prescription medicines to identify unmet patient needs: implications for research and practice.

Background: Pharmacy services are offered to patients, and often, they decline participation. Research is needed to better understand patients' unmet needs when taking prescribed medications.

Objective: To identify and characterize patients' unmet needs related to using prescribed medication for chronic conditions.

Prevalence and predictors of utilization of community pharmacy generic drug discount programs.

Background: Since 2006, select pharmacies in the United States have been offering programs where prescriptions for certain generic medications can be filled at very low cost (e.g., a 30-day supply for $4).

Integrating medication therapy management in the primary care medical home: A review of randomized controlled trials.

Purpose: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effect of medication therapy management (MTM) on patient outcomes in the primary care medical home were reviewed to determine how these services may be integrated into the primary care medical home.

Methods: A literature search was conducted to identify RCTS published between 1989 and 2009 that evaluated the impact of MTM services on patient outcomes. To qualify as MTM services, the interventions had to include both a review of medication therapy and patient interactions, including educating patients about drug therapy, identifying potential barriers to medication adherence, and helping patients manage their diseases.

Risks, benefits, and issues in creating a behind-the-counter category of medications.

Objective: To examine the issues surrounding the development and implementation of a behind-the-counter (BTC) category of medications.

Data Sources: Testimony from organizations submitting comments to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel hearings in November 2007, the 2009 final report of the U. S.

Examining determinants of self management behaviors in patients with diabetes: an application of the Theoretical Model of Effortful Decision Making and Enactment.

Objective: This study examined determinants of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in patients with diabetes based on a theoretical model. The model focuses on two equally important components of the decision process within a single framework: (1) making a decision and (2) enacting the decision.

Methods: Diabetes patients with HbA1c >7% and requiring insulin therapy were recruited from a southeastern Michigan healthcare system.

A simple and promising tool to improve self-monitoring of blood glucose in patients with diabetes.

Aim: To examine patient formation of implementation plans, a volitional strategy, and its influence on self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG).

Methods: A randomized experimental-control design over a 2-week time period was used. The study population was diabetes patients with HbA1c >7% and requiring insulin therapy.

Using self-regulation theory to examine patient goals, barriers, and facilitators for taking medication.

Background: : Self-regulation theory predicts that patient behavior is determined by the patient's assessment of his/her condition (illness presentation) and related health goals. Patients will adapt their behavior to achieve those goals. However, there are multiple levels of goals.

Satisfaction with current health status in patients with a history of acute coronary syndrome.

Objective: To describe satisfaction with current health status in patients with a recent history of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event and to determine the association between satisfaction and patient-specific variables.

Research Design And Methods: Patients from an ACS registry who were discharged from a university affiliated hospital over a 3-year period were mailed the study questionnaire.

Main Outcomes Measures: Data included demographics, cardiac-specific measures, and general health status (SF-8 PCS, MCS and the EQ-5D VAS) and health status preference weight (EQ-5D Health Index).

Evaluating medication-related services in a hospital setting using the disconfirmation of expectations model of satisfaction.

Background: Patient satisfaction is considered an important outcome measure of services and associated with behavioral intentions. The appraisal process commonly used in satisfaction models is the disconfirmation of expectations. A patient compares his or her experience to preexisting expectations.

Impact of the clinical pharmacist on readmission in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background: Previous studies have reported a positive impact of pharmacists on care of patients with chronic illnesses. The impact of the clinical pharmacist on hospital readmission in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) has yet to be evaluated, as of this writing.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the clinical pharmacist as a direct patient-care team member on cardiac-related readmission in patients admitted to the general cardiology unit with ACS.

Pharmacists on rounding teams reduce preventable adverse drug events in hospital general medicine units.

Background: Previous studies found that medication errors result from lack of sufficient information during the prescribing step. Therefore, it is proposed that having a pharmacist available when patients are evaluated during the rounding process may reduce the likelihood of preventable adverse drug events (ADEs). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of having a pharmacist participate with a physician rounding team on preventable ADEs in general medicine units and to document pharmacist interventions made during the rounding process.

Evaluation of pharmacists' services for hospital inpatients.

Patient satisfaction with pharmacist-conducted weekly medication-education classes and the underlying factor structure of the evaluation items are described. The pharmacist service consisted of weekly, one-hour classes for headache sufferers in a tertiary headache clinic's hospital unit. One pharmacist taught all of the classes and conducted them in the same manner each week, using the Indian Health Service patient-counseling technique.