Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Commons^™

Improving A Curriculum Through Incremental Changes Based On Programmatic Assessment Results, Batoul Senhaji-Tomza, Suzanne R. Soliman, Paramita Basu

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Objectives: To describe implementation of incremental curriculum changes aimed at addressing identified gaps via subjective and objective programmatic assessment in a 2 + 2 curriculum.

Method: After low first-time NAPLEX pass rates for two consecutive class years, subjective and objective assessment of a 2 + 2 curriculum was conducted. The curriculum was benchmarked to the other existing 2 + 2 program. Other assessments that occurred include: intensive course content review, course credit number versus instructional time audit, vertical and horizontal topical sequence revision in the clinical, basic sciences and social and behavioral course sequences, faculty/student feedback and focus groups; outside …

Medication-Induced Hypokalemia, Keith Veltri, Carly Mason

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

The authors present an introduction to hypokalemia and then discuss a case report on a patient with medication-induced hypokalemia.

Evaluating The Effects Of An Interdisciplinary Practice Model With Pharmacist Collaboration On Hiv Patient Co-Morbidities, Rebecca Cope, Leonard Berkowitz, Rebecca Arcebido, Jun-Yen Yeh, Nathan Trustman, Agnes Cha

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Treatment of HIV now occurs largely within the primary care setting, and the principal focus of most visits has become the management of chronic disease states. The clinical pharmacist’s potential role in improving chronic disease outcomes for HIV patients is unknown. A retrospective cohort study was performed for HIV-positive patients also diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia. Characteristics and outcomes in 96 patients treated by an interdisciplinary team which included a clinical pharmacist (i.e., the intervention group) were compared to those in 50 patients treated by an individual healthcare provider (i.e., the control group). Primary outcomes were changes from baseline …

Customized Order-Entry Sets Can Prevent Antiretroviral Prescribing Errors: A Novel Opportunity For Antimicrobial Stewardship, Yi Guo, Philip Chung, Caryn Weiss, Keith Veltri, Grace Y. Minamoto

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Background: Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on antiretroviral (ARV) therapy are at increased risk for medication errors during transitions of care between the outpatient and inpatient settings. This can lead to treatment failure or toxicity. Previous studies have emphasized the prevalence of medication errors in such patients, but few have reported initiatives to prevent errors from occurring.

Methods: The study was conducted in a 1,400-bed health care center with a state-designated Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Center in the Bronx, New York. The antimicrobial stewardship team and HIV specialists developed customized order-entry sets (COES) to guide ARV …

Geographic Variation In Antidiabetic Agent Adherence And Glycemic Control Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Eleanora Tan, Wenya Yang, Bo Pang, Mingliang Dai, F. Ellen Loh, Paul Hogan

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

BACKGROUND: Medication nonadherence is an imperative public health concern. Among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), poor adherence to antidiabetic agents is strongly associated with suboptimal glycemic control. Poor adherence and hyperglycemia greatly increase diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. At a national level, diabetes drug adherence using average proportion of days covered (PDC) is estimated to range between 36% and 81%, with an estimated range for diabetes control between 38% and 47%. At a state level no such studies exist.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the level of medication adherence to antidiabetic agents and of diabetes control, and their association among patients …

Majority Of Hiv/Hcv Patients Need To Switch Antiretroviral Therapy To Accommodate Direct Acting Antivirals, Rebecca Cope, Aaron Pickering, Thomas Glowa, Samantha Faulds, Peter Veldkamp, Ramakrishna Prasad

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

The impact of drug–drug interactions (DDIs) between interferon-free direct acting antiviral (DAA) regimens and antiretrovirals (ART) among HIV/HCV co-infected individuals in clinical practice settings is unknown. A singlecenter, retrospective chart review of co-infected patients was conducted from June 2014 to February 2015. Significant interactions between simeprevir (SMV), ledipasvir (LDV), and paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir plus dasabuvir (3D regimen) with ART were identified based on available literature. SMV had the largest number of DDIs and was further investigated to determine the feasibility of ART switch to allow for DAA use. Of 127 subjects, 23% had advanced liver disease; 86% of those with known HCV …

Evaluate To Learn: Integrating Assessment Data To Improve Outcome Of A Didactic Biomedical Science Course, Paramita Basu, John Fisher, Batoul Senhaji-Tomza, Suzanne R. Soliman

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Objectives: To describe the evaluation system used to identify curricular issues within a pre-clinical biomedical science course in a Pharm.D program and report the difference in outcome after implementation of the resulting changes.

Method: Course content, sequence of delivery and integration of topics with other courses in the relevant tracks were reviewed to identify discrepancies. Evaluation feedback from students and faculty were obtained from E-value online course evaluation system, and end of course discussion reports. Student performance in the course before and after implementing the recommended changes were compared to assess their effectiveness.

Results: Content duplications and …

Treatment Outcomes For Infections Caused By “Spice” (S–Serratia, P–Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, I–Indole Positive Proteus, C–Citrobacter, E– Enterobacter) Organisms: Carbapenem Versus Non-Carbapenem Regimens, Stanley Moy, Roopali Sharma

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Background. Techniques to identify AmpC β-lactamases in SPICE organisms are not yet optimized for the clinical laboratory and are not routinely done. Clinicians are often left with an uncertainty on the choice of antibiotic when a SPICE organism is isolated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of carbapenem versus non-carbapenem regimens in treating bacteremia or urinary tract infection (UTI) from a SPICE organism in a “real-world” setting.

Methods. This was a single-center, retrospective, case-cohort study consisting of adult patients who had clinical infection with a SPICE organism isolated from blood or urine cultures. Patients …

Meeting Faculty Development Needs Via Inclusive Processes In A Newly Established College Of Pharmacy, Keith Veltri, Suzannah Callaghan, John Fisher, Martha M. Rumore, Rebecca L. Salbu, Shelly Warwick, Deborah Wittman, Suzanne R. Soliman

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

Objectives: Professional faculty development is essential in establishing the skills necessary to become both leaders in education and research. Changes were necessary for our College in this area. This study describes the development of a comprehensive faculty development program that is in compliance with the new ACPE Standards 2016.

Methods: In fall 2013, the College reappointed a new chair of the faculty development committee (FDC). A needs assessment survey was created and circulated amongst the faculty members requesting prioritization of several key focus areas and measureable ACPE standard outcomes that were lacking and required immediate attention.

Results: …