Pierrick Bedouch

Validation of an instrument for the documentation of clinical pharmacists' interventions.

ObjectiveTo validate an instrument for documentation of clinical pharmacy interventions in French speaking hospitals in France and outside of France.MethodA panel of 12 French speaking clinical pharmacists (six from France; six from French speaking countries) was asked to analyse a set of 60 pharmacist’s interventions on drug prescription. They used a form including (1) the identification of the drug related problems (DRPs) (10 items), (2) the pharmacist’s intervention (7 items). We assessed the level of agreement between the 12 pharmacists on the test DRPs and on the interventions.Main outcome measuresKappa coefficient of concordance was used to assess the level of agreement between experts for DRPs and interventions. We also assessed the userfriendliness of the instrument using Likert scales.ResultsThe level of concordance observed in the validation was 0.76 for DRPs and 0.89 for the type of intervention. Eleven experts out of 12 were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” and one “not satisfied” with the tool. Ten out of the 12 experts were ready to use it in daily practise.ConclusionThe present instrument proposed by the French Society of Clinical Pharmacy (SFPC) is the first coding system for pharmacist’s interventions with a French interface. The validation process using a standard statistical methodology helps support the external validity of our tool. The level of concordance between users can be considered as satisfactory, allowing the use of the tool in daily clinical pharmacy practise. To enhance the diffusion of the instrument and of the general process of routine documentation of interventions, a spreadsheet is provided on the French Society of Clinical Pharmacy website.

Automated drug dispensing system reduces medication errors in an intensive care setting.

Objectives:We aimed to assess the impact of an automated dispensing system on the incidence of medication errors related to picking, preparation, and administration of drugs in a medical intensive care unit. We also evaluated the clinical significance of such errors and user satisfaction. Design:Preintervention and postintervention study involving a control and an intervention medical intensive care unit. Setting:Two medical intensive care units in the same department of a 2,000-bed university hospital. Patients:Adult medical intensive care patients. Interventions:After a 2-month observation period, we implemented an automated dispensing system in one of the units (study unit) chosen randomly, with the other unit being the control. Measurements and Main Results:The overall error rate was expressed as a percentage of total opportunities for error. The severity of errors was classified according to National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention categories by an expert committee. User satisfaction was assessed through self-administered questionnaires completed by nurses. A total of 1,476 medications for 115 patients were observed. After automated dispensing system implementation, we observed a reduced percentage of total opportunities for error in the study compared to the control unit (13.5% and 18.6%, respectively; p < .05); however, no significant difference was observed before automated dispensing system implementation (20.4% and 19.3%, respectively; not significant). Before-and-after comparisons in the study unit also showed a significantly reduced percentage of total opportunities for error (20.4% and 13.5%; p < .01). An analysis of detailed opportunities for error showed a significant impact of the automated dispensing system in reducing preparation errors (p < .05). Most errors caused no harm (National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention category C). The automated dispensing system did not reduce errors causing harm. Finally, the mean for working conditions improved from 1.0 ± 0.8 to 2.5 ± 0.8 on the four-point Likert scale. Conclusions:The implementation of an automated dispensing system reduced overall medication errors related to picking, preparation, and administration of drugs in the intensive care unit. Furthermore, most nurses favored the new drug dispensation organization.

Trends in Asthma-Related Direct Medical Costs from 2002 to 2007 in British Columbia, Canada: A Population Based-Cohort Study

Background Asthma-related health resource use and costs may be influenced by increasing asthma prevalence, changes to asthma management guidelines, and new medications over the last decade. The objective of this work was to analyze direct asthma-related medical costs, and trends in total and per-patient costs of hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications. Methods A cohort of asthma patients from British Columbia (BC), Canada, was created. Asthma patients were identified using a validated case definition. Costs for hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications were calculated from billing records (in 2008 Canadian dollars). Trends in total and per-patient costs over the study period were analyzed using Generalized Linear Models. Results 398,235 patients satisfied the asthma case definition (mid-point prevalence 8.0%). Patients consumed

Compliance with guidelines on antibiotic prophylaxis in total hip replacement surgery: Results of A retrospective study of 416 patients in A teaching hospital

315.9 million (M) in direct asthma-related health resources between 2002 and 2007. Hospitalizations, physician visits, and medication costs accounted for 16.0%, 15.7% and 68.2% of total costs, respectively. Cost of asthma increased from

Physicians and community pharmacists collaboration in primary care: A review of specific models

49.4 M in 2002 to

Comparison between Two Generic Questionnaires to Assess Satisfaction with Medication in Chronic Diseases

54.7 M in 2007. Total annual costs attributable to hospitalizations and physician visits decreased (−39.8% and −25.5%, respectively; p<0.001), while medication costs increased (+38.7%; p<0.001). Interpretation This population-based analysis shows that the total direct cost of asthma in BC has increased since 2002, mainly due to a rise in asthma prevalence and cost of medication. Combination therapy with inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting beta-agonists has become a significant component of the cost of asthma. Although billing records capture only a fraction of the true burden of asthma, the simultaneous increase in medication costs and reductions in hospitalization and physician visit costs provides valuable insight for policy makers into the shifts in asthma-related resource use.

Influence of intention to adhere, beliefs and satisfaction about medicines on adherence in solid organ transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE To assess compliance of anesthesiologist practices in antibiotic prophylaxis during total hip replacement (THR) surgery with the French Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care consensus-based guidelines. DESIGN Retrospective review of medical records. Compliance of anesthesiologist practices with the guidelines was assessed according to antibiotic prophylaxis use, antimicrobial agent, dosage of first injection, time from first dose to incision, and total duration of antibiotic prophylaxis. SETTING Orthopedic surgery wards in a 2,200-bed French teaching hospital. PATIENTS A random sample of 416 patients undergoing THR from January 1999 to December 2000. RESULTS Three hundred eighty-six (93%) of the sampled medical records were usable. Antibiotic prophylaxis was used for 366 (95%) of the patients. Total duration of prophylaxis did not exceed 48 hours in 98% (359 of 366) of the patients. Drug selection complied with national guidelines in 259 (71%) of the patients. Dosage and timing of the first injection were appropriate in 98% (290 of 296) and 80% (236 of 296) of the patients, respectively, who received one of the recommended antibiotics. Overall, 53% (203 of 386) of the patients met all five criteria. In multivariate analysis, there was a significant anesthesiologist effect on overall compliance with the guidelines (likelihood ratio chi-square with 9 degrees of freedom, 25.7; P < .01). Undergoing surgery during 2000 was the only patient characteristic associated with an increased rate of appropriate practices (adjusted OR, 1.56; CI95 1.02-2.38). CONCLUSION The overall compliance rate should be improved by disseminating the guidelines and the results of this study following audit and feedback.

Opportunités d’erreurs médicamenteuses et interventions pharmaceutiques dans le cadre de la prescription informatisée : revue des données publiées par les pharmaciens hospitaliers français

BACKGROUND Since 2008, French healthcare reform encourages community pharmacists (CP) to develop collaborative care with other health care providers through new cognitive pharmacy services. OBJECTIVES This review is aimed to identify theoretical models that have been developed to understand the physician-CP collaboration (PCPC) and to identify the associated determinants. METHODS English-written abstracts research was conducted on Pubmed/Medline, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, and CINAHL from January 1990 to June 2013. Keywords were based on common terminology of inter-professional relations and community pharmacy. RESULTS Of the 1545 single articles identified, the final review was conducted on 16 articles. Four specific models of collaboration centered on PCPC were identified: (i) the Collaborative Working Relationship Model (CWR), (ii) the Conceptual model of GPCP collaboration, (iii) the CP Attitudes towards Collaboration with GPs Model (ATC-P), (iv) the GP Attitudes towards collaboration with CPs (ATC-GP). The analysis of these four PCPC models shows that their respective factors might cover the same concepts, especially for relational and interactional determinants. These key elements are: trust, interdependence, perceptions and expectations about the other HCP, skills, interest for collaborative practice, role definition and communication. CONCLUSION A meta-model for PCPC has been postulated. It can be used for qualitative exploration of PCPC, in a context of implementation of collaborative practice including CPs, in the primary care.

Comparative outcomes of leukotriene receptor antagonists and long-acting β-agonists as add-on therapy in asthmatic patients: A population-based study

Objective The objective of this work was to compare two generic questionnaires assessing patients’ satisfaction with medication. In addition we tested whether satisfaction can predict adherence to medication regimens in patients with chronic diseases, and which dimensions of satisfaction are most involved. Methods This prospective, observational study was conducted over one year in a heterogeneous population of patients with various chronic diseases. Satisfaction with medication was assessed by using the TSQM® vII and the SatMed-Q® questionnaires, and adherence to treatment was assessed with the Morisky-Green questionnaire. Clinical pharmacists interviewed patients to collect clinical, demographic and therapeutic data. Results 190 patients were enrolled. Both questionnaires showed excellent reliability and correlation was high (R = 0.70; p<0.001). Adherence was correlated with satisfaction with medication whether assessed with the SatMed-Q® (R = 0.23; p = 0.002) or the TSQM® (R = 0.17; p = 0.02). Among different dimensions of satisfaction, convenience of use and side effects are prominent predictors of adherence. Conclusion Adherence is related to the patient’s satisfaction with medication whether assessed with the TSQM® vII or the SatMed-Q®. Therefore, these simple questionnaires could be used as predictive tools to identify patients whos’ adherence needs to be improved.

Revue généraleOpportunités d’erreurs médicamenteuses et interventions pharmaceutiques dans le cadre de la prescription informatisée : revue des données publiées par les pharmaciens hospitaliers françaisOpportunities for medication errors and pharmacist's interventions in the context of computerized prescription order entry: A review of data published by French hospital pharmacists

Introduction Nonadherence to immunosuppressive (IS) therapy is associated with poor outcomes. Identifying factors predicting poor adherence is therefore essential. The primary objective of this study was to test whether parameters of a model adapted from the theory of planned behavior, and more specifically attitudes that are influenced by beliefs and satisfaction with medication, could predict adherence in solid organ transplant patients. Methods Adherence was assessed with a self-reported medication adherence scale and IS blood trough concentrations over 6 months, in four transplant units. Satisfaction and beliefs were assessed using the Treatment Satisfaction with Medicines Questionnaire (SATMED-Q) and Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ), respectively. Theory of planned behavior was assessed with a specific questionnaire exploring intentions, subjective norms, attitudes and perceived behavioral control. Treatment characteristics and socioeconomic data were also collected. Results One hundred and fifty-three solid organ transplant patients were enrolled, including lung (n=33), heart (n=43), liver (n=42), and kidney (n=44) patients. Satisfaction and positive beliefs about medication were higher in adherent than those in nonadherent patients. Factors independently associated with an increased risk of nonadherence were negative general beliefs about medications (odds ratio [OR]=0.89 [0.83–0.97]), living alone (OR=2.78 [1.09–7.09]), heart transplantation (OR=3.49 [1.34–9.09]), and being on everolimus (OR=5.02 [1.21–20.8]). Conclusion Negative beliefs toward medications were shown to be an independent risk factor of poor adherence. Therefore, the BMQ could be an effective, easy to implement tool, for use in everyday practice, to identify patients needing interventions to improve adherence to IS.