Medication Safety Update: Preventing Errors and Adverse Drug Reactions
The “Oath of a Pharmacist” that is recited at pharmacy school graduations emphasizes the importance of medication safety in the profession. The passage says, “I will apply my knowledge, experience, and skills to the best of my ability to assure optimal outcomes for my patients.” Despite these efforts, preventable adverse events related to medications do occur, and all health care professionals can play an integral role in reducing them... Read More »
Pharmacy Law - A Focus on Opioid Prescriptions
The From 1999 to 2017, more than 700,000 people died in the United States from a drug overdose. About 400,000 of these deaths involved both prescription and illicit opioids (eg, heroin); 218,000 deaths involved prescription opioids. In 2017 alone, there were more than 70,000 overdose deaths, with nearly 70% involving opioids. This was a 10% increase from 2016, when there were 63,632 overdose deaths and two-thirds involved opioids... Read More »
Cholesterol Management - Understanding the 2018 Guideline
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease, is prevalent and costly. Coronary heart disease is the most common form, accounting for 43% of all deaths attributed to CVD. The underlying pathophysiology of CVD is atherosclerosis; hence the term atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Risk factor management and treatment are essential to prevent CVD progression, cardiovascular events, and costly healthcare... Read More »
