Positive Patient Postoperative Outcomes with Pharmacotherapy: A Narrative Review including Perioperative-Specialty Pharmacist Interviews.

The influence of pharmacotherapy regimens on surgical patient outcomes is increasingly appreciated in the era of enhanced recovery protocols and institutional focus on reducing postoperative complications. Specifics related to medication selection, dosing, frequency of administration, and duration of therapy are evolving to optimize pharmacotherapeutic regimens for many enhanced recovery protocolized elements. This review provides a summary of recent pharmacotherapeutic strategies, including those configured within electronic health record (EHR) applications and functionalities, that are associated with the minimization of the frequency and severity of postoperative complications (POCs), shortened hospital length of stay (LOS), reduced readmission rates, and cost or revenue impacts.

Personality: A potentially untapped resource in the selection of postgraduate pharmacy residents.

Purpose: This study assessed whether personality testing of postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency applicants was feasible and predicted important selection outcomes, including interview offers.

Methods: Applicants to the PGY1 pharmacy residency program at a large academic medical center were invited to complete a 50-item online personality test based on the 5-factor model (ie, the "Big Five"). Scores were sealed until after matching, at which point they were compared to screening, interview, and ranking and match outcomes.

The Impact of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk on Graft Failure in Deceased-Donor Renal Transplantation.

Introduction: Pretransplant cardiovascular risk may be amplified after renal transplant, but little is known about its impact on graft outcomes.

Research Question: The purpose of this study was to determine if pretransplant cardiovascular risk was associated with graft outcomes.

Design: This retrospective study included deceased-donor renal transplant recipients from 2010-2015.

Survival benefit of renal transplantation in octogenarians.

Background: Elderly patients are the fastest growing population requiring renal replacement therapy. As previous studies have shown a survival benefit of kidney transplantation compared to dialysis for end-stage renal disease, we sought to evaluate if this survival benefit extends to octogenarians.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study of renal allograft recipients ≥80 years transplanted from 1999 to 2014 who were compared to patients listed during the same period that did not proceed to transplantation.

Collaborative practice agreement in solid organ transplantation.

Background Given the complexity of solid organ transplant recipients, a multidisciplinary approach is required. To promote medication safety and enable providers to focus on the medical and surgical needs of these patients, our department of pharmacy created a collaborative practice agreement between physicians and pharmacists. Through this agreement, credentialed pharmacists are empowered to provide inpatient services including initiation and adjustment of medications through independent review of laboratory results after multidisciplinary rounds.