Drug Formulary Review Archives – October 1, 2007
October 1, 2007
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Successfully starting ambulatory clinical pharmacy services
Taking a step-by-step approach to implementing pharmacist-managed ambulatory clinics can lead to success. -
Increasing staff reporting of pharmacy occurrences
A pilot study at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, a rural 353-bed tertiary care academic center in New Hampshire, found that a pharmacy internal occurrence reporting system increased staff reporting and identified areas for improvement within the medication distribution process that may not have been recorded by a hospital-based reporting system. -
Statin adherence goes down with cost-sharing
Requiring patients to help pay for their statin medications has a negative impact on adherence to the therapy, according to a study published in the April 10, 2007, issue of Circulation. Researchers found that addition of a fixed $20 co-payment or 25% coinsurance reduces adherence to statin therapy by 5%, with larger reductions in adherence observed in low-income patients. -
Abbreviations pose patient safety threat: JCAHO
A study reported in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety says abbreviations used in health care are having an adverse effect on patient safety. -
New FDA Approvals
FDA has approved new indications for Janssen's risperidone (Risperdal®) for treating schizophrenia in adolescents ages 13-17 and for the short-term treatment of manic or mixed episodes of bipolar 1 disorder in children and adolescents ages 10-17. -
Rotigotine (Neupro®) Drug Evaluation
Rotigotine (Neupro®) is a new transdermal dopamine agonist.