Time to Rehabilitation in Pediatric Concussion Patients Influences Recovery Outcomes.

Context: Targeted and directed rehabilitation with a healthcare provider can be an effective approach in the treatment of concussion, particularly for patients with protracted recovery, high symptom reporting, cervicogenic dysfunction, musculoskeletal involvement, and/or vestibular/oculomotor dysfunction. While many environmental and intrinsic medical history factors may influence concussion recovery, little is known about whether an individual's recovery trajectory can be influenced by the amount of time taken to receive rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate recovery trajectories of concussion patients requiring targeted multimodal rehabilitation after a specialty concussion clinic visit within ≤3 days, 4 to 7 days, and >7 days.

Postpartum Access to Health Care and Opioid Use Treatment: An Evaluation of a Medicaid Population.

Background: In this study, we aimed to examine postpartum health care utilization and identify gaps in care among a postpartum Medicaid population of patients diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy.

Methods: We queried North Carolina Medicaid medical and pharmacy claims to identify individuals with a live delivery and evidence of OUD during pregnancy from 2015 to 2019. We examined any evidence of postpartum health care utilization and evidence of medications for OUD (MOUD) during postpartum.

Impact of discontinuing disease-modifying therapies on health care utilization among midlife patients with multiple sclerosis in the United States.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a lifelong progressive neurological disease treated primarily with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). Disease activity tends to decline as patients age. Midlife represents a crossroads where the risks of DMT may outweigh the benefits, prompting providers to consider DMT discontinuation to reduce treatment burden.

Assessing the safety and efficacy of prescribing psychologists in New Mexico and Louisiana.

This study aimed to compare patient outcomes between prescribing psychologists, psychiatrists, and primary care physicians (PCPs). Private insurance claims (2005-2021; = 307,478) were used to conduct an active comparator, new user longitudinal cohort study developed using target trial emulation. Inverse propensity for treatment weighting was used to adjust for baseline differences in a range of sociodemographic, clinical, and contextual patient factors.

Improving young patient - practitioner communication about sexual health during medical visits.

Objectives: Young people face barriers that lead to gaps in sexual and reproductive health care communications. Issues such as discomfort discussing sexual health lead to inadequate delivery of services resulting in unintended pregnancies and STIs. Closing this communication gap between patients and health care practitioners would improve communication and health outcomes.

An evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of population genetic screening for familial hypercholesterolemia in US patients.

Background And Aims: Familial hypercholesterolemia is an underdiagnosed genetic metabolic condition limiting the clearance of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increasing lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease. Population genetic screening in unselected individuals could quickly identify cases of familial hypercholesterolemia and enable early prevention, but the economic impact of widespread screening on patients has not been studied.

Methods: We assessed the cost-effectiveness of population genetic screening for familial hypercholesterolemia in 20 and 35-year-old adults in the United States from the perspective of patients.

A comparison of aminoglycoside antibiotic serum concentrations collected by peripheral veins and peripherally inserted central catheters in adults with cystic fibrosis.

Background: People with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) are frequently hospitalized for treatment of pulmonary exacerbation. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Pulmonary Guidelines support the use of intravenous aminoglycosides with therapeutic drug monitoring for the treatment of pulmonary exacerbation due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Serum intravenous tobramycin concentrations are commonly collected by peripheral venipuncture (PV).

Implementation of patient priorities-aligned care in a home-based primary care program.

Background: Older adults may be limited in their ability to access care that meets their health goals owing to disease burden, financial instability, and psychosocial barriers. A home-based primary care (HBPC) program established in 2020 within a large family medicine practice uses the Patient Priorities Care (PPC) approach to identify and address patients' health priorities. When incorporated as part of the HBPC model of care, the PPC approach has the potential to enhance person-centered care for older adults in a way that best supports their health goals.

Improving Patient Access to Primary Care Providers Using a Pharmacist-Physician Co-Visit Model.

: Implementation of a clinical pharmacist in the primary care setting can offset provider time spent managing chronic diseases using Collaborative Practice Agreements (CPAs). The pharmacist-physician co-visit model presents an opportunity for pharmacists to increase patient access to their primary care provider (PCP). Studies of the co-visit model show that co-visits increase clinic efficiency by allowing the PCP to see additional patients and achieve more health care goals compared with independent visits.

Access to on-campus contraception on college and university campuses in North Carolina.

Background And Objective: Unintended pregnancies occur more frequently in college students and negatively affect health outcomes and educational attainment. This study examined access to on-campus contraceptives at all 4-year colleges and universities in North Carolina (NC).

Methods: This institutional review board-exempt study evaluated availability of on-campus contraceptives including condoms; hormonal contraceptives including pills, patches, and vaginal rings; medroxyprogesterone injections; implants; intrauterine devices; and emergency contraception via website review.

A stakeholder-developed logic model to improve utilization of pharmacy-prescribed contraception in Utah.

Background: Currently, 20 states in the USA have passed policies allowing pharmacists to prescribe short-acting hormonal contraception, including pills, patches, and vaginal rings. Yet, utilization of these services remains limited. The purpose of this study was to (a) assess barriers and facilitators of pharmacy contraceptive dispensing among contraceptive users, pharmacists, and healthcare providers in Utah and (b) adapt and propose an evidence-based contraceptive intervention in the pharmacy environment.

Examining differences in opioid deaths by race in North Carolina following the STOP Act, 2010-2019.

Introduction: North Carolina's 2017 STOP Act implemented several measures to address the increasing opioid overdose death rate. However, due to racial differences prescription opioid use and treatment service access, the STOP Act may exhibit differential impacts by race. This study examined the impact of the STOP Act on opioid overdose deaths by race.

Addressing Healthcare Utilization and Costs for Older Adults with Limited Mobility Through a Multidisciplinary Home-Based Primary Care Program.

Introduction: Home-based primary care (HBPC) has shown promise in the management of multiple chronic conditions for patients who are homebound or who have limited mobility. The objective of this study was to implement and evaluate an HBPC program that integrates the services of clinical pharmacists and community aging services providers in a community-based setting.

Methods: Mountain Area Health Education Center's (MAHEC) HBPC program brought together an interdisciplinary team including medical providers, pharmacists, and community aging services providers to conduct home visits with older adults (age 50+).

Clinical and economic implications of increasing access to herpes zoster vaccination rate in community pharmacies.

Background: A community pharmacist plays an important role in providing vaccination to the general public in the United States. No economic models have been used to assess the impact of these services on public health and economic benefits.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the clinical and economic implications of community pharmacy-based herpes zoster (HZ) vaccination services with a hypothetical scenario of nonpharmacy-based vaccination in the State of Utah.

Heritable Risk and Protective Genetic Components of Glaucoma Medication Non-Adherence.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, affecting 76 million globally. It is characterized by irreversible damage to the optic nerve. Pharmacotherapy manages intraocular pressure (IOP) and slows disease progression.

The health impact of long COVID: a cross-sectional examination of health-related quality of life, disability, and health status among individuals with self-reported post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection at various points of recovery.

Objective: The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has continued to present a significant burden to global public health efforts. The purpose of this study was to estimate the health-related quality of life, disability, and health status of individuals with self-reported long COVID at various lengths of recovery.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of individuals with self-reported long COVID.

Cancer surveillance for patients with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome in Brazil: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: In Brazil, there is a higher prevalence of Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) compared to worldwide, due to the founder mutation in the gene p.R337H. However, a large portion of the population, that depends on National Health Care System, does not have access to effective screening through the Toronto Protocol guidelines that enables early diagnosis and improves overall survival.

Pharmacist Identification of Older Patients' Priorities in a Home-Based Primary Care Program.

Patient Priorities Care (PPC) aims to identify and integrate patient goals and preferences into health care decision-making to provide more personalized care for multimorbid older individuals. Home-based primary care (HBPC) is a model of care delivery that supports aging in place. HBPC-integrated pharmacists can identify patient priorities and communicate with the team to ensure care is aligned with what matters most.

Scholarly Activity of Tenure-Track Faculty in US Departments of Pharmacy Practice.

To quantitatively determine scholarly activity among tenure-track faculty at US departments of pharmacy practice over a 10-year period. A search of PubMed was performed for articles by department of pharmacy practice tenure track (DPP-TT) faculty from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2019. DPP-TT faculty working in departments of pharmacy practice were identified through faculty rosters published on the American Association Colleges of Pharmacy website or college or school internet sites.

The Impact of Discharge Against Medical Advice on Readmission After Opioid Use Disorder-Associated Infective Endocarditis: a National Cohort Study.

Background: Hospitalizations for infective endocarditis (IE) associated with opioid use disorder (O-IE) have increased in the USA and have been linked to high rates of discharge against medical advice (DAMA). DAMA represents a truncation of care for a severe infection, yet patient outcomes after DAMA are unknown.

Objective: This study aimed to assess readmissions following O-IE and quantify the impact of DAMA on outcomes.

Discovery of novel imidazole chemotypes as isoform-selective JNK3 inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Despite innumerable efforts to develop effective therapeutics, it is difficult to achieve breakthrough treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the main reason is probably the absence of a clear target. Here, we reveal c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3), a protein kinase explicitly expressed in the brain and involved in neuronal apoptosis, with a view toward providing effective treatment for AD. For many years, we have worked on JNK3 inhibitors and have discovered 2-aryl-1-pyrimidinyl-1H-imidazole-5-yl acetonitrile-based JNK3 inhibitors with superb potency (IC < 1.

Postoperative Use of Biologics was Less Common among Patients with Crohn's Disease With Emergent/Urgent Versus Elective Intestinal Resection.

Background & Aims: Given the risk of intestinal resection for Crohn's disease, postoperative treatment may be informed by several risk factors, including resection type. We compared postoperative treatment strategies for Crohn's disease between emergent/urgent versus elective resection.

Methods: We identified patients with intestinal resection for Crohn's disease between 2002-2018 using the MarketScan databases.

Factors associated with contraceptive use among postpartum women with substance use disorder.

Objective: Rates of unintended pregnancy among women with substance use disorder (SUD) are much higher than the general reproductive-age population, suggesting lower rates of contraceptive use. This study aims to determine the prevalence of contraceptive use in postpartum women with SUD and identify factors associated with its use.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data from 2016 to 2019 included postpartum adult women with any SUD who received care at a high-risk pregnancy clinic (n = 353).

Longitudinal analysis of PharmD program students' satisfaction and stress.

Introduction: The University of Utah College of Pharmacy conducted an annual survey to gauge the relationship between multiple dimensions of students' satisfaction, and stress, with the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program and perceptions of future career plans.

Methods: An online survey of professional year one (P1) through professional year four (P4) students was conducted from 2015 to 2019.

Results: There were a total of 953 non-unique survey respondents.