Association between Pharmacists' Country of Qualifying Education and Practising in a Hospital Setting: A Cross-Sectional Ontario Study.

Background: It is hypothesized that international pharmacy graduates (IPGs) are underrepresented in more clinically challenging work.

Objective: To examine the association between country of qualifying education for pharmacists in Ontario and the likelihood of practising in a hospital setting.

Methods: This study was based on publicly available data from the Ontario College of Pharmacists website, specifically records for all Ontario pharmacists with authorization to provide patient care and for whom country of qualifying education and an accredited pharmacy as a place of practice were reported.

Using electronic consultation (eConsult) to identify frailty in provider-to-provider communication: a feasibility and validation study.

Background: Frailty is a complex age-related clinical condition that increases vulnerability to stressors. Early recognition of frailty is challenging. While primary care providers (PCPs) serve as the first point of contact for most older adults, convenient tools for identifying frailty in primary care are lacking.

Can Early First Trimester Ultrasounds Correctly Determine Gestational Age Compared to Ultrasounds Performed Between 7 to 14 Weeks Gestational Age?

Objectives: The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) recommends the use of an ultrasound performed between 7 and 14 weeks gestation to accurately predict gestational age (GA). This study aimed to assess the accuracy of earlier ultrasounds (5 to 6 weeks gestation) by comparing the estimated delivery dates (EDD) in participants that had undergone both an earlier ultrasound and ultrasound completed during the standard of care timeframe.

Methods: EDD based on crown-rump length were retrospectively reviewed for patients that had undergone an ultrasound between 5-6 weeks GA versus the recommended 7-14 weeks GA at the Montfort Hospital during 2018 and 2019.

Evaluation of a community-based memory clinic in collaboration with local hospitals to support patients with memory decline.

Objective: This study evaluates the role of a specialised and multidisciplinary healthcare team, including a pharmacist, in providing medication management for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, in a memory clinic.

Methods: The study analysed the dataset of 102 patients of a geriatric and memory clinic in a rural area of Ontario, Canada. The case histories of the patients were reviewed a week before the clinic day and a pharmacist performed medication reconciliations.

Importance of medication reconciliation in cancer patients.

Cancer patients are a complex and vulnerable population whose medication history is often extensive. Medication reconciliations in this population are especially essential, since medication discrepancies can lead to dire outcomes. This commentary aims to describe the significance of conducting medication reconciliations in this often-forgotten patient population.

Impact of an educational training program on pharmacists' documentation practice at a teaching hospital.

Objectives: This study aims to determine the impact of an educational training program on the quantity and quality of the pharmacists' documentation practice at the Winchester District Memorial Hospital.

Methods: This study is a part of an evaluation for continuous quality improvement, performed applying a pre- and post-test model. The primary endpoint was the number of Pharmacists' Patient-Care Records in patient charts with the listed action codes.

Student readiness to apply pharmacotherapy concepts to institutional early practice experience - a pilot study.

Introduction: In order to gain exposure to hospital practice earlier in the education of doctor of pharmacy students, a recent curricular change by the faculty of pharmacy prioritized institutional sites for year two early practice experiences (EPE2s). The goal of this study was to assess whether year two student pharmacists were adequately equipped by the faculty to apply clinical concepts when providing direct patient care in an institutional setting.

Methods: At the study institution, four students rated the relevancy of clinical concepts covered in five pharmacotherapy courses to their EPE2 practice using a relevance score tool.

Development and evaluation of an online medication safety module for medical students at a rural teaching hospital: the Winchester District Memorial Hospital.

Objective: To design, implement and assess an online learning module for third-year and fourth-year medical students addressing medication safety.

Design: This study was a prospective, parallel, open-label, randomised controlled trial with two arms: (1) a control arm in which students were given five articles to read about medication safety, and (2) an intervention arm in which students were given access to an interactive web-based learning module on medication safety. Pretesting and post-testing were done online to evaluate change in medication safety knowledge.

Treatment of Clostridium difficile infection in community teaching hospital: a retrospective study.

Objectives: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is responsible for 15-25% cases of health-care-associated diarrhea. The CDI treatment algorithm used at our hospital is adapted from the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2010 C. difficile guideline.

Fournier's gangrene with dapagliflozin in a rural hospital: a case report.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which are used for treatment of type 2 diabetes, are associated with risk of urogenital infections. FDA issued a black box warning about multiple case reports of Fournier's gangrene (FG) observed in patients taking SGLT2 inhibitors. FG is a type of necrotising fasciitis that occurs in the anogenital area.

Avoiding a Med-Wreck: a structured medication reconciliation framework and standardized auditing tool utilized to optimize patient safety and reallocate hospital resources.

Background: The incidence of preventable adverse drug events (ADE) is approximately one medication error per patient per hospital-day. A quality medication reconciliation (MedRec) process is a crucial intervention used to reduce ADE in the hospital and community setting. Amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, preventing medication errors is vital to avoid patient readmission, reduce disease complications, and reduce cost and patient burden on the healthcare system.

Pharmacy response to COVID-19: lessons learnt from Canada.

When the first wave of COVID-19 hit in March 2020, health care professionals across Canada were challenged to quickly and efficiently adapt to change their work practices in these unprecedented times. Pharmacy professionals, being some of the very few front-line health care workers who remained accessible in person for patients, had to rapidly adopt critical changes in their pharmacies to respond in the best interest of their patients and their pharmacy staff. As challenging and demanding as such changes were, they provided pharmacists with invaluable lessons that would be imperative as the country enters a potentially more dangerous second wave.

Evaluation of the prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-associated coagulopathy.

Most of the current "literature" surrounding the presence of thrombosis in COVID-19 disease and appropriate prophylaxis/treatment modalities is certainly retrospective at best, and anecdotal at worst. But in these times of rapidly changing information and perspective, an assessment of all available data (including expert opinion) is the goal of this review. Bleeding risk factors for COVID-19-associated bleeding may include other systemic diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and immunosuppression.

Strategies to conserve salbutamol pressurized metered-dose inhaler stock levels amid COVID-19 drug shortage.

Essential inhaler medications for patients with respiratory diseases are backordered due to the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). In hospitals, there has been a drastic increase in the use of salbutamol pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), as well as salbutamol Diskus, leading to a decline in availability and causing interruptions in the supply chain. Patients with asthma are at higher risk of respiratory complications if they are infected with COVID-19.

Potential impact and challenges associated with Parkinson's disease patient care amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Background: COVID-19 has made itself known to health care providers and families across the world in a matter of months. While primarily a respiratory disorder, it has also been shown to cause neurological symptoms, which can be a concern for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Although PD is not as common as other conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, it affects millions of patients around the world whose care has been affected by the global pandemic.

Mental health issues impacting pharmacists during COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impact on the mental health of healthcare workers is extremely detrimental. It is imperative that the psychological health of all healthcare workers be protected. However, an often overlooked member of the healthcare frontline is the pharmacist.

Irinotecan-Associated Dysarthria in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer: A Single Site Experience.

BACKGROUND Irinotecan, a topoisomerase I inhibitor, is a cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agent used to treat multiple malignancies, including those of colorectal, pancreatic, cervical, esophageal, gastric, and lung origin. Dysarthria, a state of difficult or unclear articulation of speech, has been reported as a rare side effect of irinotecan through multiple case reports and case series, but with limited published data aimed at understanding the underlying mechanism and effective management strategies. CASE REPORT We describe herein 3 cases of patients with pancreatic malignancy who experienced dysarthria while being treated with a chemotherapy regimen containing irinotecan at an ambulatory outpatient satellite chemotherapy site.

Pharmacists and COVID-19.

In the fight against COVID-19, frontline health workers have been vital to keeping the pandemic at bay, but recognition of individual professions' efforts have been inconsistent at all levels. Pharmacists around the world have continued to provide direct patient care and perform frontline duties for their communities during this pandemic, but are often relegated to the background and overlooked when frontline workers are heralded. Community pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare practitioners, which is further proven during the pandemic as they continued to provide direct patient care despite restrictions imposed by the government due to the pandemic.

Correction to: Amid COVID-19: the importance of developing an positive adverse drug reaction (ADR) and medical device incident (MDI) reporting culture for Global Health and public safety.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s40545-020-00219-1.].

Amid COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges with access to care for COPD patients.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammation in the lungs that causes obstruction in the airway, poor airflow, and irreversible loss of lung function. In clinical practice, comprehensive care for COPD patients includes the diagnosis using spirometry, clinical examination and comprehensive pharmacological and non-pharmacological management. The diagnosis is based on symptoms, dyspnea and lung function impairment and can be mild to very severe.

Pharmacist intervention amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: from direct patient care to telemedicine.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has placed enormous pressures on the Canadian healthcare system. Patients are expected to stay home in order to contain the spread of the virus, but understandably have numerous questions and concerns about their health. With physical distancing being of utmost importance during the pandemic, much of healthcare has been forced to move online or over the telephone.