Comparison of antipseudomonal beta-lactams for febrile neutropenia empiric therapy: systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Clin Microbiol Infect. 2017 Apr 01;:

Authors: Horita N, Shibata Y, Watanabe H, Namkoong H, Kaneko T

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Compare the effectiveness and safety of antipseudomonal beta-lactam empiric monotherapy for febrile neutropenia by network meta-analysis.
METHODS: The searches using Pubmed, Cochrane CENTRAL, EMBASE, and Web of Science Core Collection were carried out in June 2016. English articles, non-English articles, full-length articles, short articles, and conference abstracts were allowed. Eligible trial design was a parallel-group individual randomization. We included febrile neutropenia adult and pediatric patients undergoing chemotherapy for either solid tumors or hematological malignanciesand treated with intravenous antipseudomonal beta-lactams for initial empiric therapy. Protocol was registered with PROSPERO ID 42016043377.
RESULTS: Of 1275 articles detected by the search, 50 studies with 10872 patients were finally included. Among guideline-recommended Cefepime, Meropenem, Imipenem/Cilastatin, Piperacillin/Tazobactam, and Ceftazidime; Imipenem/Cilastatin showed the highest odds of treatment success without modification, which was the primary endpoint, based on the random-effect model network analysis. Ceftazidime was related to lower treatment success rate without modification compared to Imipenem/Cilastatin with odds ratio (OR) of 0.71 (95%CI 0.57-0.89, P = 0.006). Imipenem/Cilastatin showed the lowest odds of all-cause death. Patients treated by Cefepime had higher risk for all-cause death compared to those treated by Imipenem/Cilastatin (OR 2.05, 95%CI 1.11-3.78, P = 0.029). Any adverse event was significantly more prevalent in Imipenem/Cilastatin arm; however, there was no difference concerning adverse event leading to discontinuation.
CONCLUSIONS: Imipenem/Cilastatin, Piperacillin/Tazobactam, and Meropenem may be reasonable first-choice medications for empiric therapy of febrile neutropenia.

PMID: 28377312 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Adverse drug reactions among patients admitted with infectious diseases at a Brazilian hospital.

Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2016 Nov-Dec;49(6):763-767

Authors: Saavedra PA, Meiners MM, Lopes LC, Silva EV, Silva DL, Noronha EF, Toledo MI

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: : Despite the therapeutic benefits of drugs, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occur. Method: We assessed a series of suspected ADRs identified from notifications and intensive monitoring of inpatients from March 2013 to March 2014.
RESULTS:: Skin reactions predominated (31%). Systemic anti-infective agents were implicated in 16 (72%) reactions. Fifteen (68%) ADRs were classified as possible. The implicated drug was not correctly identified by the healthcare team in 12 cases.
CONCLUSIONS: : Some reactions were not correctly attributed to the causative drug(s), suggesting that the use of a validated evaluation method can promote successful identification of causal links between ADRs and drugs.

PMID: 28001225 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

11 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results:

("drug-induced" OR "drug-related") AND ("adverse events" OR "side effects" OR "side-effects")

These pubmed results were generated on 2017/04/05

PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

Development of an automated assessment tool for MedWatch reports in the FDA adverse event reporting system.

J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2017 Mar 21;:

Authors: Han L, Ball R, Pamer CA, Altman RB, Proestel S

Abstract
Objective: As the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) receives over a million adverse event reports associated with medication use every year, a system is needed to aid FDA safety evaluators in identifying reports most likely to demonstrate causal relationships to the suspect medications. We combined text mining with machine learning to construct and evaluate such a system to identify medication-related adverse event reports.
Methods: FDA safety evaluators assessed 326 reports for medication-related causality. We engineered features from these reports and constructed random forest, L1 regularized logistic regression, and support vector machine models. We evaluated model accuracy and further assessed utility by generating report rankings that represented a prioritized report review process.
Results: Our random forest model showed the best performance in report ranking and accuracy, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.66. The generated report ordering assigns reports with a higher probability of medication-related causality a higher rank and is significantly correlated to a perfect report ordering, with a Kendall's tau of 0.24 ( P  = .002).
Conclusion: Our models produced prioritized report orderings that enable FDA safety evaluators to focus on reports that are more likely to contain valuable medication-related adverse event information. Applying our models to all FDA adverse event reports has the potential to streamline the manual review process and greatly reduce reviewer workload.

PMID: 28371826 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Current Status of Parkinsonism-Related Adverse Events and Associated Drugs in Korea.

J Patient Saf. 2017 Apr 01;:

Authors: Kim S, Suh HS

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore the current status of drug-induced parkinsonism and drugs possibly related to drug-induced parkinsonism in Korea.
METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using the Korea Adverse Event Reporting System database between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2015. We identified all adverse event reports associated with parkinsonism.
RESULTS: There were 1402 adverse event reports associated with parkinsonism. The number of adverse event reports has increased annually. Among the 1499 drugs associated with parkinsonism, the most common were metoclopramide (49.77%) and paliperidone (16.14%). The major therapeutic groups (the third level of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical code) were propulsives (53.87%) and antipsychotics (35.58%). The mean time of onset of parkinsonism was 34.9 days. However, the time of onset of parkinsonism varied by drug, for example, it was 4.6 days for metoclopramide and 37.2 days for paliperidone.
CONCLUSIONS: Metoclopramide and antipsychotics were reported in most adverse event reports associated with parkinsonism in Korea.

PMID: 28368965 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Natural Compounds As Modulators of Non-apoptotic Cell Death in Cancer Cells.

Curr Genomics. 2017 Apr;18(2):132-155

Authors: Guamán-Ortiz LM, Orellana MI, Ratovitski EA

Abstract
Cell death is an innate capability of cells to be removed from microenvironment, if and when they are damaged by multiple stresses. Cell death is often regulated by multiple molecular pathways and mechanism, including apoptosis, autophagy, and necroptosis. The molecular network underlying these processes is often intertwined and one pathway can dynamically shift to another one acquiring certain protein components, in particular upon treatment with various drugs. The strategy to treat human cancer ultimately relies on the ability of anticancer therapeutics to induce tumor-specific cell death, while leaving normal adjacent cells undamaged. However, tumor cells often develop the resistance to the drug-induced cell death, thus representing a great challenge for the anticancer approaches. Numerous compounds originated from the natural sources and biopharmaceutical industries are applied today in clinics showing advantageous results. However, some exhibit serious toxic side effects. Thus, novel effective therapeutic approaches in treating cancers are continued to be developed. Natural compounds with anticancer activity have gained a great interest among researchers and clinicians alike since they have shown more favorable safety and efficacy then the synthetic marketed drugs. Numerous studies in vitro and in vivo have found that several natural compounds display promising anticancer potentials. This review underlines certain information regarding the role of natural compounds from plants, microorganisms and sea life forms, which are able to induce non-apoptotic cell death in tumor cells, namely autophagy and necroptosis.

PMID: 28367073 [PubMed - in process]

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of Tribulus terrestris in male sexual dysfunction-A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Maturitas. 2017 May;99:20-26

Authors: Kamenov Z, Fileva S, Kalinov K, Jannini EA

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The primary objectives were to compare the efficacy of extracts of the plant Tribulus terrestris (TT; marketed as Tribestan), in comparison with placebo, for the treatment of men with erectile dysfunction (ED) and with or without hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), as well as to monitor the safety profile of the drug. The secondary objective was to evaluate the level of lipids in blood during treatment.
PARTICIPANTS AND DESIGN: Phase IV, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in parallel groups. This study included 180 males aged between 18 and 65 years with mild or moderate ED and with or without HSDD: 90 were randomized to TT and 90 to placebo. Patients with ED and hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome were included in the study. In the trial, an herbal medicine intervention of Bulgarian origin was used (Tribestan(®), Sopharma AD). Each Tribestan film-coated tablet contains the active substance Tribulus terrestris, herba extractum siccum (35-45:1) 250mg which is standardized to furostanol saponins (not less than 112.5mg). Each patient received orally 3×2 film-coated tablets daily after meals, during the 12-week treatment period. At the end of each month, participants' sexual function, including ED, was assessed by International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) Questionnaire and Global Efficacy Question (GEQ). Several biochemical parameters were also determined. The primary outcome measure was the change in IIEF score after 12 weeks of treatment. Complete randomization (random sorting using maximum allowable% deviation) with an equal number of patients in each sequence was used. This randomization algorithm has the restriction that unequal treatment allocation is not allowed; that is, all groups must have the same target sample size. Patients, investigational staff, and data collectors were blinded to treatment. All outcome assessors were also blinded to group allocation.
RESULTS: 86 patients in each group completed the study. The IIEF score improved significantly in the TT group compared with the placebo group (Р<0.0001). For intention-to-treat (ITT) there was a statistically significant difference in change from baseline of IIEF scores. The difference between TT and placebo was 2.70 (95% CI 1.40, 4.01) for the ITT population. A statistically significant difference between TT and placebo was found for Intercourse Satisfaction (p=0.0005), Orgasmic Function (p=0.0325), Sexual Desire (p=0.0038), Overall Satisfaction (p=0.0028) as well as in GEQ responses (p<0.0001), in favour of TT. There were no differences in the incidence of adverse events (AEs) between the two groups and the therapy was well tolerated. There were no drug-related serious AEs. Following the 12-week treatment period, significant improvement in sexual function was observed with TT compared with placebo in men with mild to moderate ED. TT was generally well tolerated for the treatment of ED.

PMID: 28364864 [PubMed - in process]

Safety of Denosumab Versus Zoledronic Acid in Patients with Bone Metastases: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Oncol Res Treat. 2016;39(7-8):453-9

Authors: Chen F, Pu F

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Bone metastases lead to local bone destruction and skeletal complications. Bisphosphonates, particlulaly zoledronic acid (ZA), play a central role in the treatment of bone metastases. Some studies have shown that denosumab may delay and prevent SREs in metastatic bone disease more effectively than ZA; therefore, we systematically reviewed and assessed the safety of denosumab and ZA.
METHODS: The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science with Conference Proceedings, Elsevier, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched up to October 2015. 2 independent reviewers extracted data from each eligible study using a standard protocol, and both fixed-effects and random-effects models were used to analyze and evaluate the data extracted from eligible articles.
RESULTS: 6 randomized controlled trials enrolling 13,733 patients were included. Occurrences of adverse events were generally similar between the denosumab and ZA groups except anemia and anorexia in patients with bone metastases and back pain and bone pain. However, occurrences of serious adverse events such as hypocalcaemia , renal adverse events , and new primary malignancy were significantly different between the denosumab and ZA groups. Only the occurrence of osteonecrosis of the jaw showed no significant difference between the denosumab and ZA groups in patients with bone metastases.
CONCLUSION: Denosumab was safer in delaying or preventing skeletal-related events in patients with bone metastases and prevented pain progression compared to ZA in this meta-analysis.

PMID: 27487236 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of psychotropic medications: Differences between sexes].

Psychiatriki. 2016 Apr-Jun;27(2):118-26

Authors: Bergiannaki JD, Kostaras P

Abstract
The gender based or gender sensitive pharmacology is a new research area. Differences among sexes are observed in several parameters of their pharmacokinetic which may relate to alteration of their pharmacodynamic as well. Most psychotropics are given per os, and the greater part of their absorption takes place in the small intestine. Premenopausal women have slower gastric emptying times and lower gastrointestinal blood flow which probably reduces the extent of drug absorption. The distribution of drugs is influenced by the relative lower body mass index, the lower blood volume and flow and the greater percentage of body fat of women. Further, the elimination and renal clearance is reduced in women and the hepatic metabolism differ between sexes. Besides, women differ from men in physiological conditions which may have an impact on the psychotropic medication and dosage required for efficacy and response. Women are exposed to monthly hormonal fluctuations (menstruation), pregnancy, puerperium, menopause and use of contraceptives or synthetic hormonal replacement therapies. Throughout of these conditions changes may occur in total body water, in renal clearance, cardiovascular and autoimmune system, which may cause fluctuations in the activity of the psychotropics, changes in the central neurotransmitters, in the number and sensitivity of the receptors, and the general metabolism as well. Despite the fact that women are the primer consumers of psychotropic medication, taking more psychotropics as well as more multiple medications than men, little attention has been paid to sex differences in psychopharmacology. Till recently women were under-represented or excluded from most of the pharmacological clinical trials. The treatment guidelines for psychotropic medication are based on studies verified and investigated almost exclusively in men. Results from such studies were generalized and recommended for use in the clinical practice without any critique and justification between the sexes. In conclusion, women compared to men, tend to have a greater bioavailability and slower elimination of drugs leading to higher concentrations of free circulating drugs in serum and causing more side effects and adverse reactions to the psychotropic medication than men do. In general, women require lower doses of antidepressants, antipsychotics and benzodiazepines than men. For safety and efficacy reasons and despite the fact that research is still being carried out to determine the exact differences in pharmacodynamic of several psychotropics between genders, the clinician must be aware of the reported effect of the recommended medications on serum levels and organ tissues both for men and women.

PMID: 27467032 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Improving Care in Older Patients with Diabetes: A Focus on Glycemic Control.

Perm J. Summer 2016;20(3):51-6

Authors: Lee EA, Gibbs NE, Martin J, Ziel F, Polzin JK, Palmer-Toy D

Abstract
Diabetes affects more than 25% of Americans older than age 65 years. The medical care of older patients must differ from the care of their younger counterparts. Older patients are at high risk of drug toxicity. A hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level less than 7.0% has historically been the goal of all patients with diabetes, regardless of age. Recent research has demonstrated that using medications to achieve such tight glycemic control is not necessary and is often not safe.This article discusses the seminal research findings that strongly suggest that HbA1c goals should be relaxed in older patients. The authors then recommend an age-specific and functionally appropriate HbA1c reference range for patients receiving medications to improve glycemic control. Other interventions are suggested that should make diabetes care safer in older patients receiving hypoglycemic medications.

PMID: 27352408 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

A Questionnaire Study to Assess the Value of the Vulnerable Elders Survey, G8, and Predictors of Toxicity as Screening Tools for Frailty and Toxicity in Geriatric Cancer Patients.

Oncol Res Treat. 2016;39(4):210-6

Authors: Hentschel L, Rentsch A, Lenz F, Hornemann B, Schmitt J, Baumann M, Ehninger G, Schuler M

Abstract
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to identify an appropriate screening instrument for the identification of frail elderly patients in a tertiary cancer center. In order to improve cancer care for older patients, the use of a geriatric assessment (GA) has been proposed to identify frail patients or those who are at a higher risk for chemotherapy-related toxicities. In busy clinical routine, an appropriate screening instrument could be used to spare time- and resource-consuming application of GA.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: We administered the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13), G8 questionnaire, and Predictors of Toxicity (POT) as well as a GA at the first visit of 84 consecutive patients at a single Comprehensive Cancer Center. Analysis for patients' characteristics as well as sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value (npv) was conducted.
RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 73 years (range 63-93 years), 61.9% were male, most (63%) suffered from gastrointestinal tumors, 39.3% had a multiple cancer diagnosis, and 53.6% had metastasis. 30 (35.7%) individuals were classified as 'frail' by the GA. Sensitivity of G8 was 38.3%, and the npv was 63.8%. Sensitivity for VES-13 was 57.1%, and npv was 76.3%. Sensitivity of POT was 72.7%, and the npv was 80.6%.
CONCLUSION: For the first time, the VES-13, G8, and POT are compared in a sample of older German patients. The POT seems to be a sufficient screening tool to identify frail patients in a tertiary referral cancer center and helps to save time and resources compared with a complete GA.

PMID: 27160741 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and activity of the novel long-acting antimalarial DSM265: a two-part first-in-human phase 1a/1b randomised study.

Lancet Infect Dis. 2017 Mar 28;:

Authors: McCarthy JS, Lotharius J, Rückle T, Chalon S, Phillips MA, Elliott S, Sekuloski S, Griffin P, Ng CL, Fidock DA, Marquart L, Williams NS, Gobeau N, Bebrevska L, Rosario M, Marsh K, Möhrle JJ

Abstract
BACKGROUND: DSM265 is a novel antimalarial that inhibits plasmodial dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, an enzyme essential for pyrimidine biosynthesis. We investigated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of DSM265, and tested its antimalarial activity.
METHODS: Healthy participants aged 18-55 years were enrolled in a two-part study: part 1, a single ascending dose (25-1200 mg), double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study, and part 2, an open-label, randomised, active-comparator controlled study, in which participants were inoculated with Plasmodium falciparum induced blood-stage malaria (IBSM) and treated with DSM265 (150 mg) or mefloquine (10 mg/kg). Primary endpoints were DSM265 safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics. Randomisation lists were created using a validated, automated system. Both parts were registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, number ACTRN12613000522718 (part 1) and number ACTRN12613000527763 (part 2).
FINDINGS: In part 1, 73 participants were enrolled between April 12, 2013, and July 14, 2015 (DSM265, n=55; placebo, n=18). In part 2, nine participants were enrolled between Sept 30 and Nov 25, 2013 (150 mg DSM265, n=7; 10 mg/kg mefloquine, n=2). In part 1, 117 adverse events were reported; no drug-related serious or severe events were reported. The most common drug-related adverse event was headache. The mean DSM265 peak plasma concentration (Cmax) ranged between 1310 ng/mL and 34 800 ng/mL and was reached in a median time (tmax) between 1·5 h and 4 h, with a mean elimination half-life between 86 h and 118 h. In part 2, the log10 parasite reduction ratio at 48 h in the DSM265 (150 mg) group was 1·55 (95% CI 1·42-1·67) and in the mefloquine (10 mg/kg) group was 2·34 (2·17-2·52), corresponding to a parasite clearance half-life of 9·4 h (8·7-10·2) and 6·2 h (5·7-6·7), respectively. The median minimum inhibitory concentration of DSM265 in blood was estimated as 1040 ng/mL (range 552-1500), resulting in a predicted single efficacious dose of 340 mg. Parasite clearance was significantly faster in participants who received mefloquine than in participants who received DSM265 (p<0·0001).
INTERPRETATION: The good safety profile, long elimination half-life, and antimalarial effect of DSM265 supports its development as a partner drug in a single-dose antimalarial combination treatment.
FUNDING: Wellcome Trust, UK Department for International Development, Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

PMID: 28363636 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Anabolic steroid use.

BMJ. 2016 Oct 13;355:i5023

Authors: Brooks JH, Ahmad I, Easton G

PMID: 27737851 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Adverse effects of nephrectomy.

Pediatr Nephrol. 2016 07;31(7):1195

Authors: Cozzi DA, Ceccanti S, Cozzi F

PMID: 27025374 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Carbon nanotubes: Properties, biomedical applications, advantages and risks in patients and occupationally-exposed workers.

Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2015 Mar;28(1):4-13

Authors: Lamberti M, Pedata P, Sannolo N, Porto S, De Rosa A, Caraglia M

Abstract
Since the beginning of the 21st century, carbon-based nanomaterials (CNTs) have been introduced in pharmacy and medicine for drug delivery system in therapeutics. CNTs have proved able to transport a wide range of molecules across membranes and into living cells; therefore, they have attracted great interest in biomedical applications such as advanced imaging, tissue regeneration, and drug or gene delivery. Although there are many data on the advantages in terms of higher efficacy and less adverse effects, several recent findings have reported unexpected toxicities induced by CNTs. The dose, shape, surface chemistry, exposure route, and purity play important roles in these differential toxicities. Mapping these risks as well as understanding their molecular mechanisms is a crucial step in the development of any CNT-containing nanopharmaceuticals. This paper seeks to provide a comprehensive review of all articles published on cellular response to CNTs, underlining their therapeutic applications and possible toxicity in patients and occupationally exposed workers.

PMID: 25816400 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

11 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results:

("drug-induced" OR "drug-related") AND ("adverse events" OR "side effects" OR "side-effects")

These pubmed results were generated on 2017/03/31

PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

New pharmacological opportunities for the treatment of invasive mould diseases.

J Antimicrob Chemother. 2017 Mar 01;72(suppl_1):i48-i58

Authors: Ledoux MP, Toussaint E, Denis J, Herbrecht R

Abstract
Recently, several randomized studies have been published that will shape treatment decisions in the prevention and management of invasive mould infections. Liposomal amphotericin B is an option for empirical or targeted treatment of invasive aspergillosis or mucormycosis, but for prophylaxis therapy, the triazole class now predominates. The triazole voriconazole is currently regarded as a drug of choice for the treatment of proven or probable invasive aspergillosis, and has shown significantly higher response rates than amphotericin B deoxycholate in this setting, with fewer severe drug-related adverse events. Isavuconazole, the newest triazole agent, offers the advantages of once-daily dosing, a wider spectrum of antifungal activity than voriconazole, predictable pharmacokinetics and fewer CYP enzyme-mediated drug interactions. A recent large randomized clinical trial showed mortality to be similar under isavuconazole or voriconazole in patients with invasive mould disease, with fewer drug-related adverse events in isavuconazole-treated patients. Another study has indicated that isavuconazole is also effective in mucormycosis infections but patient numbers were small and confirmation is awaited. Experimental studies combining different drug classes with antimould activity have been promising, but the clinical database is limited. A large randomized trial of combination therapy compared voriconazole plus the echinocandin anidulafungin versus voriconazole monotherapy in patients with invasive aspergillosis. Results showed the overall response rate to be similar, but combination therapy improved survival for the subpopulation of patients in whom the diagnosis was confirmed by serum and/or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid galactomannan positivity. This active field of research is likely to continue evolving rapidly in the coming years.

PMID: 28355467 [PubMed - in process]

Nivolumab-associated colitis mimicking ulcerative colitis.

Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 Mar 25;:

Authors: Kubo K, Kato M, Mabe K

PMID: 28351793 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Thinking Clinically from the Beginning: Early Introduction of the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process.

Am J Pharm Educ. 2016 Dec 25;80(10):164

Authors: Rivkin A

Abstract
Objective. To describe a student-centered teaching method used to introduce a pharmacist patient care process (PPCP) during the first year of a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. Design. In the fall of 2014, a cohort of students (n=85) began an integrated pharmacotherapy (IPT) course sequence in the first semester of pharmacy school. The first course in this sequence laid the foundation for the delivery of care, focusing on the individual components of a PPCP. Faculty member used a variety of teaching methods in the course to introduce medication history taking, identification of drug-related problems, identifying components of a patient case, and learning/beginning to write subjective, objective, assessment, plan (SOAP) notes. Students' SOAP notes submissions and performance on multiple-choice examinations were evaluated to demonstrate evidence of learning. Students also completed online course evaluations. Assessment. Course-imbedded assessments were designed to measure student learning related to individual School of Pharmacy outcomes and course learning objectives. The mean individual student score on exam questions related to the PPCP topics was 83.7%±18.8%. The majority of students (86%-88%) rated their progress on achieving course learning objectives as "substantial" or "exceptional." Students also enrolled in the introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) in a community setting after completing the first IPT. The students performed significantly better than a historic cohort in identifying actual and potential drug therapy problems. Conclusion. The described teaching methods, when introduced in early curricular stages, are effective in building a foundation for learning PPCP.

PMID: 28179713 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Effect of Communication Style on Perceptions of Medication Side Effect Risk among Pharmacy Students.

Am J Pharm Educ. 2016 Oct 25;80(8):131

Authors: Sawant RV, Beatty CR, Sansgiry SS

Abstract
Objective. To assess the effect of communication style, and frequency and severity of medication side-effects, on pharmacy students' perception of risk of experiencing side effects. Methods. One hundred responses from pharmacy students were obtained using an online survey. Participants were presented with a drug information box containing drug name, drug usage, and one side-effect associated with the drug. Information on side-effect for each drug was presented in one of eight experimental conditions, in a 2 (side-effect frequency: low, high), X2 (side-effect severity: mild, severe) X2 (communication style: verbal, verbal + natural frequency) factorial design. Risk perception of experiencing side effects was measured. Results. Communication style was found to have a significant impact on risk perception depending on the context of frequency and severity associated with the side effect. Conclusion. Communication style plays a significant role in formulating risk perceptions of medication side effects. Training in pharmaceutical counseling should include special emphasis on effective language use.

PMID: 27899827 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]