THE BAD NEWS: Chronic drug shortages continue unabated across the country, delaying medical procedures, potentially contributing to medication errors, leading to price-gauging by third-party suppliers, and frustrating hospital personnel who must scramble to substitute therapeutic equivalents. The good news? Pharmacists are successfully stepping into that gap, creating systems and processes for coping with the shortages. [...]

DESPITE THE FACT that venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the most preventable cause of death in hospitalized patients, and that evidence-based guidelines for mechanical and pharmacological prophylaxis are widely available, VTE is still a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among patients at risk. Studies have shown that the incidence of VTE is about one in [...]

THE STAFF AT WOMEN & CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF BUFFALO knows the value of speaking up. When it became evident that a new smart pump that Kaleida Health had introduced for use in its five-hospital system wouldn’t serve the needs of  Women & Children’s diverse population, the staff took its concerns to the administration. The result is an intravenous (IV) [...]

IN 2007, with the passage of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendments Act, the FDA was granted new authority to require a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to ensure that the benefits of a drug outweigh its risks. An REMS, which can be required at the time a drug is approved and/or once it has gone to [...]

How would you define the ideal pharmacy practice model? The ideal pharmacy practice model is one where the pharmacist works side by side with other members of the health care team to design optimum drug regimens for patients. This is, of course, supported by a drug distribution system in which the right drug, in the correct dose, is in the hands of the nurse [...]

THE 2010 SUMMER MEETING, June 6-9 in Tampa, will be a gold mine of best practices in medication safety. With a special focus on the role pharmacists can play in transforming medication safety leadership, the meeting will energize and enlighten attendees about what they can do within their own institutions.

ONE OF MY JOBS AS ASHP CEO is to spread the gospel of pharmacists’ vital role in medication management and ASHP’s commitment to the practice of hospital and health-system pharmacy and patient safety. During my career, I’ve traveled internationally a fair bit, and it always amazes me how similar our challenges are to those of [...]