In recent years, medication shortages have become a growing worldwide issue. This scoping review aimed to systematically synthesise the literature to report on the economic, clinical, and humanistic ...impacts of medication shortages on patient outcomes.
Medline, Embase, Global Health, PsycINFO and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts were searched using the two key concepts of medicine shortage and patient outcomes. Articles were limited to the English language, human studies and there were no limits to the year of publication. Manuscripts included contained information regarding the shortage of a scheduled medication and had gathered data regarding the economic, clinical, and/or humanistic outcomes of drug shortages on human patients.
We found that drug shortages were predominantly reported to have adverse economic, clinical and humanistic outcomes to patients. Patients were more commonly reported to have increased out of pocket costs, rates of drug errors, adverse events, mortality, and complaints during times of shortage. There were also reports of equivalent and improved patient outcomes in some cases.
The results of this review provide valuable insights into the impact drug shortages have on patient outcomes. The majority of studies reported medication shortages resulted in negative patient clinical, economic and humanistic outcomes.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Opioid analgesics are commonly used by patients awaiting orthopaedic surgery, and preoperative opioid use is associated with a greater burden of postoperative pain, suboptimal surgical outcomes and ...higher healthcare costs. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of total opioid use before elective orthopaedic surgery with a focus on regional and rural hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. This was a cross-sectional, observational study of patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery conducted between April 2017 and November 2019 across five hospitals that included a mix of metropolitan, regional, rural, private and public settings. Preoperative patient demographics, pain scores and analgesic use were collected during pre-admission clinic visits, held between two and six weeks before surgery. Of the 430 patients included, 229 (53.3%) were women and the mean age was 67.5 (standard deviation 10.1) years. The overall prevalence of total preoperative opioid use was 37.7% (162/430). Rates of preoperative opioid use ranged from 20.6% (13/63) at a metropolitan hospital to 48.8% (21/43) at an inner regional hospital. Multivariable logistic regression showed that the inner regional setting was a significant predictor of opioid use before orthopaedic surgery (adjusted odds ratio 2.6; 95% confidence interval 1.0 to 6.7) after adjusting for covariates. Opioid use prior to orthopaedic surgery is common and appears to vary by geographical location.
Opioid analgesics prescribed for the management of acute pain following orthopaedic surgery may lead to unintended long-term opioid use and associated patient harms. This study aimed to examine the ...prevalence of opioid use at 90 days after elective orthopaedic surgery across major city, regional and rural locations in New South Wales, Australia. We conducted a prospective, observational cohort study of patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery at five hospitals from major city, regional, rural, public and private settings between April 2017 and February 2020. Data were collected by patient questionnaire at the pre-admission clinic 2-6 weeks before surgery and by telephone call after 90 days following surgery. Of the 361 participants recruited, 54% (195/361) were women and the mean age was 67.7 years (standard deviation 10.1 years). Opioid use at 90 or more days after orthopaedic surgery was reported by 15.8% (57/361; 95% confidence interval (CI) 12.2-20%) of all participants and ranged from 3.5% (2/57) at a major city location to 37.8% (14/37) at an inner regional location. Predictors of long-term postoperative opioid use in the multivariable analysis were surgery performed at an inner regional location (adjusted odds ratio 12.26; 95% CI 2.2-68.24) and outer regional location (adjusted odds ratio 5.46; 95% CI 1.09-27.50) after adjusting for known covariates. Long-term opioid use was reported in over 15% of patients following orthopaedic surgery and appears to be more prevalent in regional locations in Australia.
Opioids are commonly prescribed to manage pain after surgery. However, excessive supply on discharge can increase patients' risk of persistent opioid use and contribute to the reservoir of unused ...opioids in the community that may be misused. This study aimed to evaluate the use of opioids in Australian surgical patients after discharge and patient satisfaction with the provision of opioid information after discharge. This prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary referral and teaching hospital. Surgical patients were called 7-28 days after discharge to identify their opioid use and the information that they received after discharge. In total, 66 patients responded. Most patients underwent orthopaedic surgery (45.5%; 30/66). The median days of opioids supplied on discharge was 5 (IQR 3-5). In total, 40.9% (27/66) of patients had >50% of their opioids remaining. Patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery were less likely to have >50% of their opioids remaining (P1/40.045), whilst patients undergoing urological or renal surgeries were significantly more likely (P1/40.009). Most patients recalled receiving information about their opioids (89.4%; 59/66). However, the majority (51.5%; 34/66) did not recall receiving any information about the signs of opioid toxicity and interactions between opioids and alcohol. In conclusion, around 40% of patients had more than half of their opioid supply remaining after they ceased taking their opioid. Although most patients recalled receiving information about their opioids, more than half did not recall receiving any information about the signs of opioid toxicity or interactions between opioids and alcohol.
Dose titration with immediate-release opioids is currently recommended for acute pain. The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and the Faculty of Pain Medicine released a statement in ...March 2018 supporting their use in the treatment of opioid-naive patients; however, the impact of this statement on clinical practice is currently unknown. This retrospective cohort study was conducted to compare opioid prescribing patterns before and after the release of the recommendations. Data were collected on 184 patients (2017, n1/478; 2018, n1/4106) admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital in November 2017 and 2018, which consisted of demographic data, opioid prescriptions and discharge opioid information. The main outcome is the number of prescriptions of slow-release opioids in 2017 versus 2018 after the recommendations were published. Confounding factors were accounted for using logistic and multiple regression as appropriate. There was a 29% decrease in slow-release opioid prescriptions during hospitalisation (n1/431, 40% versus n1/412, 11%; P<0.001) and 17% decrease at discharge (n1/420, 26% versus n1/49, 9%; P1/40.02) post-publication. After adjusting for confounders, the odds of slow-release opioids being prescribed post-operatively and at discharge reduced by 86% and 88%, respectively (postoperative period: odds ratio 0.14, P<0.05; discharge: odds ratio 0.12, P<0.05). In addition, orthopaedic patients were more likely to receive slow-release opioids, consistent with existing literature. As the use of slow-release opioids has been associated with increased harm and protracted opioid use compared to immediate-release opioids, it is hoped that wider dissemination of these recommendations and a change in prescribing practice can be a step towards overcoming the opioid crisis.
Verbal communication is a vital skill for pharmacists and essential for improving patient care. The aim of this study was to explore students' perception of the impact of self-reflection and self- ...and peer-assessment on simulated patient counselling sessions.
Focus groups explored student perceptions of how this course and way of learning has impacted their performance at counselling patients. Data were analysed using iterative inductive thematic analysis procedures and mapped to the self-determination theory.
Nine focus groups with 47 pharmacy students. We identified three main themes and ten associated subthemes. These were learning style (sub-themes gradual introduction to assessment, learning through self-reflection videos, authentic assessment, individual learning compared to group learning, and learning through observation of best practice), feedback (sub-themes inconsistent feedback, summative feedback, perception of self and relationship with peers informing peer assessment) and benefits in real life practice. These themes mapped well to self-determination theory and highlighted that additional focus may be required for benefits in real-life practice.
Students' perceptions of self-reflection and self- and peer-assessment centred on learning style, feedback, and benefits in real-life practice. Additional focus on benefits of this unit of study in real-life practice and work integrated learning on placements may further strengthen the impact of these learning activities.
Medication management processes in an Oncology setting are complex and difficult to examine in isolation from interrelated processes and contextual factors. This qualitative study aims to evaluate ...the usability of an Electronic Medication Management System (EMMS) implemented in a specialised oncology unit using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework.
The study was conducted in a 12-bed outpatient Oncology unit of a major teaching hospital 6 months following implementation of a commercial EMMS. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with doctors, nurses and pharmacists using the system to assess usability. The UTAUT framework was used to analyse the results, which facilitated evaluation of interrelated aspects and provided a structured summary of user experience and usability factors.
Direct cross-comparison between user groups illustrated that doctors and pharmacists were generally satisfied with the facilitating conditions (hardware and training), but had divergent perceptions of performance (automation, standardised protocols and communication and documented) and effort (mental and temporal demand) expectancy. In counterpoint, nurses were generally satisfied across all constructs. Prior experience using an alternative EMMS influenced performance and effort expectancy and was related to early dissatisfaction with the EMMS. Furthermore, whilst not originally designed for the healthcare setting, the flexibility of the UTAUT allowed for translation to the hospital environment.
Nurses demonstrated overall satisfaction with the EMMS, whilst doctors and pharmacists perceived usability problems, particularly related to restricted automaticity and system complexity, which hindered perceived EMMS success. The study demonstrates the feasibility and utility of the UTAUT framework to evaluate usability of an EMMS for multiple user groups in the Oncology setting.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
The changing of opioids during the transition of care from hospital to home may be associated with harm.
Objective
To compare patients receiving tapentadol IR versus oxycodone IR following ...orthopaedic surgery during hospitalisation with regard to the changing of opioids at hospital discharge.
Setting
A major metropolitan tertiary referral hospital in Australia.
Methods
This is a retrospective cohort study. Participants included adult orthopaedic surgery patients receiving postoperative tapentadol IR or oxycodone IR during hospitalisation between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2019.
Main outcome measure
The proportion of patients for whom the opioid prescribed was changed at hospital discharge.
Results
The study cohort included 199 patients. Of these, 100 patients received oxycodone and 99 patients received tapentadol post-operatively during hospitalisation. The mean age was 66 years (SD, 12 years) and 111 (56%) were female. The most common surgeries were total knee arthroplasty (91, 46%), total hip arthroplasty (63, 32%) and shoulder surgery (26, 13%). Patients in the tapentadol group were more likely to be changed to a different opioid upon hospital discharge than the oxycodone group (57% versus 9%, difference 48% 95% CI 36–59%,
p
< 0.01). After adjusting for confounders, post-operative tapentadol use was more likely to be associated with opioid changing upon discharge (OR 16.5, 95% CI 6.7 to 40.8,
p
< 0.01).
Conclusions
The post-operative use of tapentadol IR during hospitalisation was associated with an increased likelihood of opioid changing at hospital discharge. This practice could have patient safety implications.
Abstract Purpose Care coordination has been identified as a key strategy in improving the effectiveness, safety, and efficiency of the US health care system. Our objective was to determine whether ...population or health care system issues are associated with primary care coordination gaps in the United States and other high-income countries. Methods We analyzed data from the 2013 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy (IHP) survey with multivariate logistic regression analysis. Respondents were adult primary care patients from 11 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States. Poor primary care coordination was defined as participants reporting at least 3 gaps in the coordination of care out of a maximum of 5. Results Analyses were based on 13,958 respondents. The rate of poor primary care coordination was 5.2% (724/13,958 respondents) overall and highest in the United States, at 9.8% (137/1,395 respondents). Multivariate regression analysis among all respondents found that they were less likely to experience poor primary care coordination if their primary care physician often or always knew their medical history, spent sufficient time, involved them, and explained things well (odds ratio = 0.6 for each). Poor primary care coordination was more likely to occur among patients with chronic conditions (odds ratios = 1.4–2.1 depending on number) and patients younger than 65 years (odds ratios = 1.6–2.3 depending on age-group). Among US respondents, insurance status, health status, household income, and sex were not associated with poor primary care coordination. Conclusions The United States had the highest rate of poor primary care coordination among the 11 high-income countries evaluated. An established relationship with a primary care physician was significantly associated with better care coordination, whereas being chronically ill or younger was associated with poorer care coordination.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK