Life Sciences Commons^™

Baseline And Follow-Up Laboratory Monitoring Of Cardiovascular Medications, Jennifer Tjia, Shira Fischer, Marsha Raebel, Daniel Peterson, Yanfang Zhao, Shawn Gagne, Jerry Gurwitz, Terry Field

Jennifer Tjia

BACKGROUND: Laboratory monitoring of medications is typically used to establish safety prior to drug initiation and to detect drug-related injury following initiation. It is unclear whether black box warnings (BBWs) as well as evidence- and consensus-based clinical guidelines increase the likelihood of appropriate monitoring. OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of patients newly initiated on selected cardiovascular medications with baseline assessment and follow-up laboratory monitoring and compare the prevalence of laboratory testing for drugs with and without BBWs and guidelines. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included patients aged 18 years or older from a large multispecialty group practice who were prescribed a …

Prescription Drug Benefits And Use Of Guideline Recommended Medications By Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries With Diabetes Mellitus, Jennifer Tjia, Becky Briesacher

Jennifer Tjia

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether prescription drug benefits are associated with the use of guideline recommended medications by older persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).

DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS: A national sample of Medicare beneficiaries with DM aged 65 and older and an indication for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin II-receptor blocker (ARB) use or high risk of coronary heart disease (hypertension or current smoking) who participated in the 2003 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.

MEASUREMENTS: Prescription drug coverage was measured according to self-report and verified according to insurance claims. Outcome variables were use of an ACEI or an ARB …

Quality Measurement Of Medication Monitoring In The "Meaningful Use" Era, Jennifer Tjia, Terry Field, Shira Fischer, Shawn Gagne, Daniel Peterson, Lawrence Garber, Jerry Gurwitz

Jennifer Tjia

Objectives: While the 2011 implementation of "meaningful use" legislation for certified electronic health records (EHRs) promises to change quality reporting by overcoming data capture issues affecting quality measurement, the magnitude of this effect is unclear. We compared the measured quality of laboratory monitoring of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) medications based on specifications that (1) include and exclude patients hospitalized in the measurement year and (2) use physician test orders and patient test completion. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Among patients 18 years and older in a large multispecialty group practice utilizing a fully implemented EHR between January …

Development And Pilot Testing Of Guidelines To Monitor High-Risk Medications In The Ambulatory Setting, Jennifer Tjia, Terry Field, Lawrence Garber, Jennifer Donovan, Abir Kanaan, Marsha Raebel, Yanfang Zhao, Jackie Fuller, Shawn Gagne, Shira Fischer, Jerry Gurwitz

Jennifer Tjia

OBJECTIVES: To develop guidelines to monitor high-risk medications and to assess the prevalence of laboratory testing for these medications among a multispecialty group practice. STUDY DESIGN: Safety intervention trial. METHODS: We developed guidelines for the laboratory monitoring of high-risk medications as part of a patient safety intervention trial. An advisory committee of national experts and local leaders used a 2-round Internet-based Delphi process to select guideline medications based on the importance of monitoring for efficacy, safety, and drug-drug interactions. Test frequency recommendations were developed by academic pharmacists based on a literature review and local interdisciplinary consensus. To estimate the potential …

Disparities In Combination Drug Therapy Use In Older Adults With Coronary Heart Disease: A Cross-Sectional Time-Series In A Nationally Representative Us Sample, Jennifer Tjia, Becky Briesacher, Dawei Xie, Jason Fu, Robert Goldberg

Jennifer Tjia

BACKGROUND: Despite evidence of effective combination drug therapy for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD), older adults with this condition remain undertreated.

OBJECTIVE: To describe time trends (1992-2003) in the adoption of combination cardiac drug therapies (beta-blockers [beta-adrenoceptor antagonists], ACE inhibitors or angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonists [angiotensin receptor blockers; ARBs], and lipid-lowering agents) among older adults in the US with CHD and to identify factors associated with not using combination therapy.

METHODS: The study took the form of a cross-sectional time-series. The study population consisted of a nationally representative sample of adults aged >or=65 years with CHD …

Beneath The Surface: Discovering The Unvoiced Concerns Of Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Jennifer Tjia, Jane Givens, Jason Karlawish, A. Okoli-Umeweni, Frances Barg

Jennifer Tjia

Emerging clinical guidelines recommend shared decision making to individualize drug regimens for older adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. While the current health education campaign for diabetes in the United States recommends physician-initiated medication-related discussions about adherence and side effects, little emphasis is placed on soliciting patient concerns. This study's aim was to explore the concerns of older adults with diabetes about the complexity of their drug regimens and to determine whether they discussed medication-related concerns with their physician. Twenty-two patients with Type 2 diabetes age 65 years and older who used five or more medications were selected from an …