Pharmacist News and Research

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There are many tasks that a pharmacist is responsible for each day. Pharmacists are some of the most accessible members of the healthcare team, as individuals can seek their advice quickly and easily, even without an appointment.

RACP releases new Choosing Wisely Australia recommendations on appropriate use of medicines for older adults

The latest lists developed by specialties from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians as part of the Choosing Wisely Australia initiative deliver a strong message on appropriate use of medicines for older Australians.

12 Aug 2016

Convenience of buying medicine online does not outweigh risks, says expert

With the rise of on-demand delivery, prescription medicine joins the countless list of items that can be ordered online with the click of a button.

29 Jul 2016

Programs to prevent prescription drug misuse may be underused, study reveals

Misuse of prescription pain medications remains a major public health problem -- but programs to prevent it may be underused, according to a study in the July issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

29 Jun 2016

New survey reveals more than half of patients prescribed opioids have leftover pills

In the midst of an epidemic of prescription painkiller addiction and overdose deaths, a new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health survey suggests that more than half of patients prescribed opioids have leftover pills -- and many save them to use later.

14 Jun 2016

Pharmacist suggests education as foremost strategy to control opioid abuse

Technologies that make it harder for people to abuse opioids - like doctoring pills so that they produce unpleasant side effects if broken, crushed or injected -- likely will have limited effectiveness in stemming the global epidemic of opioid abuse, according to Adam Kaye, a professor of pharmacy at University of the Pacific.

28 May 2016

New research looks at conversations that take place among selected parenting groups on Facebook

A study of conversations among pregnant women and new mothers on Facebook has highlighted a need for health professionals to provide clear direction on where new parents and pregnant women can access reliable and evidence based information about medicines.

20 May 2016

Take complementary medicines with care

Following the broadcast of the ABC’s Four Corners episode last night on complementary medicines, NPS MedicineWise is reminding people to take these medicines with care.

18 May 2016

Boehringer Ingelheim presents new data on OFEV® (nintedanib) in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)

New analyses presented at the American Thoracic Society’s 2016 annual conference (ATS 2016) further add to the efficacy and safety profile of OFEV® (nintedanib) in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

16 May 2016

UAB hospital leads the way in improving antibiotic use

One of today's urgent health threats is antibiotic resistance, caused by inappropriate prescription and use of antibiotics, and — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — approximately 50 percent of all antibiotics prescribed in the United States are unnecessary or inappropriate, with many of them prescribed in inpatient settings.

9 May 2016

Long-term Warfarin use may increase dementia rates in AF patients

A new study of more than 10,000 patients treated long term with the blood thinner, Warfarin, reveals higher rates of dementia for patients with atrial fibrillation versus non-AF patients

5 May 2016

Safety tips to prevent slips and falls among seniors

May is National Trauma Awareness Month, and this year the American Trauma Society is raising awareness about senior safety and falls with "Safe Steps for Seniors." The Stony Brook Trauma Center is taking steps to shed light on the matter to help prevent serious injuries from occurring.

29 Apr 2016

BMI Healthcare innovates in cancer services technology

Representing excellence and innovation in the field of healthcare, BMI Healthcare has been shortlisted as a finalist in the IT Innovator of the Year category of this year’s HealthInvestor Awards.

13 Apr 2016

Clinical pharmacists in health care teams may improve quality, safety of patient care

Problems related to elderly patients' medical drug treatments are widespread and commonly result in hospital admissions for people with dementia. New research shows that including clinical pharmacists in health care teams might improve the quality and safety of patient care and halve the risk of drug-related hospital readmissions. This according to a dissertation at Umea University in Sweden.

6 Apr 2016

Oregon's new birth control law could improve access to all forms of contraception

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University, University of Minnesota School of Public Health and George Mason University applaud Oregon's new birth control law which allows women age 18 or older to obtain some methods of hormonal contraception directly from pharmacies, without having to visit a prescribing clinician, yet note how the law could go even further to improve access to all forms of contraception, according to a viewpoint article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association today.

29 Mar 2016

Real-world studies support switching IBD patients from reference infliximab to biosimilar infliximab

Data presented today at the 11th Congress of European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation adds to the growing body of real-world evidence that supports switching patients from reference infliximab to biosimilar infliximab.

21 Mar 2016

NPS MedicineWise, Alzheimer’s Australia launch new campaign to support people living with dementia

Alzheimer’s Australia and NPS MedicineWise have today launched a new campaign to educate and empower people living with a diagnosis of dementia—and the people involved in their care—about their rights when it comes to treatment options associated with dementia.

21 Mar 2016

MUSC surgeon awarded $3.8 million grant to evaluate transplant drug

Seldom can one say $3.8 million is just the tip of the iceberg, but a newly awarded grant from Gilead Sciences, Inc. is just that. MUSC transplant surgeon Kenneth Chavin, M.D., Ph.D., says the true value of the multi-center drug trial is closer to $26 million, including $22 million in free drugs provided by the pharmaceutical company.

17 Mar 2016

Meds-in-Hand helps improve outcomes for pediatric patients with asthma

A new study demonstrates that pediatric patients with asthma who left the hospital with their prescription medications made fewer emergency department (ED) visits after they were discharged than if they were discharged still needing to go to a pharmacy to pick-up their medications.

25 Feb 2016

Study highlights presence of antibiotic stewardship practices in most VA-affiliated facilities

New research highlights the robust presence of antibiotic stewardship practices in most Veterans Administration-affiliated facilities, manifested in both formal and informal policies. The study was published online today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

24 Feb 2016

UPMC uses simple gene test to personalize medications for patients undergoing heart catheterization

Patients who go to UPMC Presbyterian for heart catheterization and who receive a stent to treat clogged arteries are now being screened with a simple blood test to determine if they have a gene variant that makes them less likely to respond to a blood-thinning medication commonly prescribed after the procedure.

11 Feb 2016