National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 25 of 164 Research Studies DisplayedMohammadiGorji S, Joseph A, Mihandoust S
Anesthesia workspaces for safe medication practices: design guidelines.
The purpose of this study was to create a set of evidence-based design guidelines for the design of anesthesia workspaces to support safer anesthesia medication tasks in operating rooms (ORs). The researchers collected data through literature review, observation, and coding of prerecorded videos of outpatient surgical procedures to identify challenges encountered by anesthesia providers while performing medication tasks. The study findings were summarized into 7 design guidelines, including: 1) locate critical tasks within a primary field of vision, 2) eliminate other staff travel into and through the anesthesia zone, 3) identify and delineate a clear anesthesia zone with adequate space for the anesthesia provider, 4) maximize the ability to reconfigure the anesthesia workspace, 5) minimize workspace clutter from equipment, 6) provide adequate and appropriately positioned surfaces for medication preparation and administration, and 7) optimize lighting of tasks and surfaces.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: MohammadiGorji S, Joseph A, Mihandoust S .
Anesthesia workspaces for safe medication practices: design guidelines.
HERD 2024 Jan; 17(1):64-83. doi: 10.1177/19375867231190646..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety
Cohen TN, Berdahl CT, Coleman BL
Medication safety event reporting: Factors that contribute to safety events during times of organizational stress.
This study’s objective was to understand the insights conveyed in hospital incident reports about how work system factors affected medication safety during a coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) surge. The authors randomly selected 100 medication safety incident reports from an academic medical center (December 2020 to January 2021), identified near misses and errors, and classified contributing work system factors using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System-Healthcare. Results showed that among 35 near misses/errors, incident reports described contributing factors (mean 1.3/report) involving skill-based errors (n = 20), communication (n = 8), and tools/technology (n = 4). Seven of these events were linked to COVID-19.
AHRQ-funded; HS027455.
Citation: Cohen TN, Berdahl CT, Coleman BL .
Medication safety event reporting: Factors that contribute to safety events during times of organizational stress.
J Nurs Care Qual 2024 Jan-Mar; 39(1):51-57. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000720..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, COVID-19, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors
Berbakov ME, Hoffins EL, Stone JA
AHRQ-funded; HS028475.
A study team collaborated with Aurora Pharmacy, Inc. to develop Senior Safe, a community pharmacy-based intervention designed to increase awareness of safe over-the-counter medication use for older adults. Senior Safe was adapted through pilot testing and a randomized control trial before a finalized version was provided to Aurora Pharmacy to integrate into all its pharmacy sites. The authors concluded that this multiphase study illustrated that refining an intervention is possible and welcomed by pharmacy staff, but requires time, resources, and funds to create an impactful, sustainable community pharmacy intervention.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490; HS027737.
Citation: Berbakov ME, Hoffins EL, Stone JA .
AHRQ-funded; HS028475.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2024 Jan-Feb; 64(1):159-68. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2023.11.009.
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Provider: Pharmacist, Patient Safety, Community-Based Practice
Kaufman BG, Holland DE, Vanderboom CE
Multicomponent pharmacist intervention did not reduce clinically important medication errors for ambulatory patients initiating direct oral anticoagulants.
The aim of this randomized controlled trial study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention for decreasing clinically important medication errors (CIMEs). The researchers included ambulatory patients beginning a DOAC or resuming one after a complication. The intervention included pharmacist evaluation and monitoring based on the implementation of a recently published checklist. The primary measure was anticoagulant-related CIMEs and non-anticoagulant-related CIMEs over 90 days from DOAC initiation. Primary variables included evaluation of the appropriateness of DOAC, need for DOAC affordability assistance, three pharmacist-initiated telephone consultations, access to a DOAC hotline, documented hand-off to the patient's continuity provider, and monitoring of follow-up laboratory tests. A total of 561 patients contributed 479 anticoagulant-CIMEs including 31 preventable and ameliorable ADEs and 448 significant anticoagulant medication errors without subsequent documented ADEs. The most common anticoagulant-related CIMEs were failure to perform required blood tests and concurrent, inappropriate usage of a DOAC with aspirin or NSAIDs despite pharmacist documentation systematically identifying these issues when present. There was no reduction in anticoagulant-related CIMEs among intervention patients or non-anticoagulant-related CIMEs.
AHRQ-funded; HS02592401.
Citation: Kaufman BG, Holland DE, Vanderboom CE .
Multicomponent pharmacist intervention did not reduce clinically important medication errors for ambulatory patients initiating direct oral anticoagulants.
J Gen Intern Med 2023 Dec; 38(16):3526-34. doi: 10.1007/s11606-023-08315-z..
Keywords: Provider: Pharmacist, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Blood Thinners, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Boxley C, Fujimoto M, Ratwani RM
A text mining approach to categorize patient safety event reports by medication error type.
This study examined whether natural language processing can be used to better categorize medication related patient safety event reports. A total of 3,861 medication related patient safety event reports that were previously annotated using a consolidated medication error taxonomy were used to develop three models using the following algorithms: (1) logistic regression, (2) elastic net, and (3) XGBoost. The models were tested and performance was analyzed. The authors found the XGBoost model performed best across all medication error categories. 'Wrong Drug', 'Wrong Dosage Form or Technique or Route', and 'Improper Dose/Dose Omission' categories performed best across the three models. In addition, they identified five words most closely associated with each medication error category and which medication error categories were most likely to co-occur.
AHRQ-funded; HS026481.
Citation: Boxley C, Fujimoto M, Ratwani RM .
A text mining approach to categorize patient safety event reports by medication error type.
Sci Rep 2023 Oct 26; 13(1):18354. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-45152-w..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Safety, Medication, Medication: Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Herzig SJ, Anderson TS, Urman RD
Risk factors for opioid-related adverse drug events among older adults after hospitalization for major orthopedic procedures.
The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to identify risk factors for opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADEs) after hospital discharge following orthopedic procedures. The participants of this study included a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries who underwent major orthopedic surgery during hospitalization in 2016 and had an opioid prescription filled within 2 days of discharge. The study found that among 30,514 hospitalizations with a major orthopedic procedure and an opioid claim, a potential ORADE requiring hospital revisit occurred in 2.5%. After adjustment for patient characteristics, prior opioid use, co-prescribed sedating medications, and opioid prescription characteristics were not related with ORADEs. Independent risk factors did include age of 80 years or older, female sex, and clinical conditions, including heart failure, respiratory illness, kidney disease, dementia/delirium, anxiety disorder, and musculoskeletal/nervous system injuries.
AHRQ-funded; HS026215.
Citation: Herzig SJ, Anderson TS, Urman RD .
Risk factors for opioid-related adverse drug events among older adults after hospitalization for major orthopedic procedures.
J Patient Saf 2023 Oct 1; 19(6):379-85. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000001144..
Keywords: Elderly, Opioids, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Hospitalization, Orthopedics, Surgery, Medication, Risk, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Langlieb ME, Sharma P, Hocevar M
The additional cost of perioperative medication errors.
The aim of this study was to calculate the additional annual cost to the U.S. healthcare system attributable to preventable medication errors (MEs) in the operating room. The ME types were grouped into 13 categories by their related harm (or potential harm), and researchers calculated the incidence of operations involving each ME category: 1) delayed or missed required perioperative antibiotic; 2) prolonged hemodynamic swings; 3) untreated postoperative pain; 4) residual neuromuscular blockade; 5) oxygen saturation <90% due to ME; 6) delayed emergence; 7) untreated new onset intraoperative cardiac arrhythmia; 8) medication documentation errors; 9) syringe swaps; 10) presumed hypotension with inability to obtain a blood pressure reading; 11) potential for bacterial contamination due to expired medication syringes; 12) untreated bradycardia <40 beats/min; and 13) other. Through a PubMed search, the researchers established the possibility that the ME category would cause downstream patient harm such as surgical site infection or acute kidney injury, and the additional fully allocated cost of care for each potential downstream patient harm event. The cost of the MEs across the U.S. healthcare system was then calculated by scaling the number of MEs to the total number of annual operations in the United States. The total additional fully allocated annual cost of care due to perioperative MEs was estimated to be $5.33 billion U.S. dollars.
AHRQ-funded; HS024764.
Citation: Langlieb ME, Sharma P, Hocevar M .
The additional cost of perioperative medication errors.
J Patient Saf 2023 Oct 1; 19(6):375-78. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000001136..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Surgery, Patient Safety
Young RA, Gurses AP, Fulda KG
Primary care teams' reported actions to improve medication safety: a qualitative study with insights in high reliability organising.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine actions by primary care teams to improve medication safety. During 2019-2020, the researchers utilized one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with 21 primary care physicians and their team members at four primary care sites serving patients with mostly low socioeconomic status in the Southwest United States. The study found that primary care teams described their actions in medication safety primarily in making standard-of-care medical decisions, patient-shared decision-making, educating patients and their caregivers, providing asynchronous care separate from office visits and providing clinical infrastructure. The majority of the actions required individual-level customization, such as restricting the supply of specific medications prescribed and simplifying the medication regimens of specific patients. Primary care teams engaged high reliability organization principles taking steps to improve resilience in patient work systems and by anticipating and moderating risks. The actions of the primary care teams demonstrated their safety organizing efforts as responses to many other agents in multiple settings that they could neither control nor coordinate easily.
AHRQ-funded; HS027277.
Citation: Young RA, Gurses AP, Fulda KG .
Primary care teams' reported actions to improve medication safety: a qualitative study with insights in high reliability organising.
BMJ Open Qual 2023 Sep; 12(3). doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002350..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Primary Care, Patient Safety
Schnipper JL, Reyes Nieva H, Yoon C
What works in medication reconciliation: an on-treatment and site analysis of the MARQUIS2 study.
The objective of this study was to assess the association of patient exposure to system-level intervention and receipt based on the results of the second Multicenter Medication Reconciliation Quality Improvement Study, which demonstrated a marked reduction in medication discrepancies per patient. Researchers conducted an on-treatment analysis of system-level interventions at 17 North American hospitals. The patient-level interventions most associated with discrepancy reductions were receipt of a best-possible medication history of admitted patients in the ED and admission and discharge medication reconciliation by a trained clinician. System-level interventions were also associated with a minor reduction in discrepancies for the average patient. The researchers concluded that these findings might be used to help hospitals and health systems prioritize interventions to improve medication safety during care transitions.
AHRQ-funded; HS023757.
Citation: Schnipper JL, Reyes Nieva H, Yoon C .
What works in medication reconciliation: an on-treatment and site analysis of the MARQUIS2 study.
BMJ Qual Saf 2023 Aug; 32(8):457-69. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2022-014806..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Patient Safety, Hospital Discharge
Shannon EM, Mueller SK, Schnipper JL
Patient, caregiver, and clinician experience with a technologically enabled pillbox: a qualitative study.
The purpose of this study was to explore whether medication safety could be improved by the use of a technologically-enabled pillbox prescribed to patients at hospital discharge. The study included semi-structured telephone interviews with patients, patient caregivers, and inpatient and outpatient clinicians who participated in the Smart Pillbox Transition Study. The researchers utilized the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) framework to develop an interview guide, which included the a priori domains of 1) barriers to implementation, 2) facilitators of the intervention, and 3) general feedback regarding experience with the intervention. The study found patient-endorsed barriers in the theme of technology and tools included signal issues, inappropriate alarms, and portability. Barriers in the theme of logistics and tasks included coordination with pharmacists in the event of a prescription change. Barriers mentioned by clinicians included patients who were poor fits for the intervention and competing demands at discharge (under the themes of personnel and patients, and logistics and tasks, respectively). Facilitators that were reported often by patients and caregivers in the theme of technology and tools included useful alarms and ease of use. Clinicians reported that communication with pharmacy and study staff facilitated the intervention.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: Shannon EM, Mueller SK, Schnipper JL .
Patient, caregiver, and clinician experience with a technologically enabled pillbox: a qualitative study.
ACI Open 2023 Jul; 7(2):e61-e70..
Keywords: Medication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Self-Management, Hospital Discharge, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Marcaccio CL, Patel PB, Rastogi V
Efficacy and safety of single versus dual antiplatelet therapy in carotid artery stenting.
This study’s objective was to examine the efficacy and safety of preoperative single antiplatelet therapy (AP) therapy vs double antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in patients who had undergone transfemoral CAS (tfCAS) or transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR). The authors identified all patients who had undergone tfCAS or TCAR in the Vascular Quality Initiative database from 2016 to 2021. A total of 18,570 tfCAS patients were included, of which 70% had received DAPT, 5.6% no AP therapy, 10% ASA only, 8.0% ASA + AP loading dose, 4.6% P2Y12 inhibitor (P2Yi) only, and 2.9% P2Yi + AP loading dose. After adjustment, compared with DAPT, the incidence of stroke/death was higher with no AP therapy, ASA only, and ASA + AP loading dose, but was similar with P2Yi only, and P2Yi + AP loading dose. No differences were found in the incidence of bleeding rates between the treatment groups after tfCAS or TCAR. These findings support the current guidelines recommending DAPT before CAS but also suggest that P2Yi monotherapy might confer thromboembolic benefits similar to those with DAPT.
AHRQ-funded; HS027285.
Citation: Marcaccio CL, Patel PB, Rastogi V .
Efficacy and safety of single versus dual antiplatelet therapy in carotid artery stenting.
J Vasc Surg 2023 May; 77(5):1434-46.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2022.12.034..
Keywords: Blood Thinners, Medication, Medication: Safety, Cardiovascular Conditions, Stroke, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Taft T, Rudd EA, Thraen I
"Are we there yet?" Ten persistent hazards and inefficiencies with the use of medication administration technology from the perspective of practicing nurses.
The objectives of this study were to characterize persistent hazards and inefficiencies in inpatient medication administration, to explore cognitive attributes of medication administration tasks, and to discuss strategies to reduce technology-related hazards. Researchers interviewed nurses at two urban US health systems. Persistent safety hazards and inefficiencies related to medication administration technology were organized around the perception-action cycle (PAC) cycle. The researchers concluded that errors may persist in medication administration despite successful deployment of Bar Code Medication Administration and Electronic Medication Administration Record. Opportunities to improve would require a deeper understanding of high-level reasoning in medication administration.
AHRQ-funded; HS025136.
Citation: Taft T, Rudd EA, Thraen I .
"Are we there yet?" Ten persistent hazards and inefficiencies with the use of medication administration technology from the perspective of practicing nurses.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2023 Apr 19; 30(5):809-18. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocad031..
Keywords: Medication, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Medical Errors, Medication: Safety
Grauer A, Rosen A, Applebaum JR
Examining medication ordering errors using AHRQ network of patient safety databases.
Research on the impact of Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems on drug order inaccuracies has shown inconsistent results, with CPOE not reliably preventing such mistakes. The study utilized the Network of Patient Safety Databases (NPSD) from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to explore the frequency and degree of harm associated with reported events during the ordering stage, and to classify them by error type.
The researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of reported safety incidents provided by healthcare systems associated with patient safety organizations from June 2010 to December 2020. All errors related to medication and other substance orders reported to the NPSD using the common format v1.2 during this period were assessed. The researchers grouped and categorized the prevalence of reported medication order errors by error type, harm levels, and demographic data. The study found that during the study period, 12,830 mistakes were reported. Incorrect dosage accounted for 3,812 errors (29.7%), followed by incorrect medicine 2,086 (16.3%), and incorrect duration 765 (6.0%). Out of 5,282 incidents that affected the patient and had a known severity level, 12 resulted in fatalities, 4 led to severe harm, 45 caused moderate harm, 341 led to minor harm, and 4,880 resulted in no harm. The study concluded that the most frequently reported and damaging types of medication order errors were incorrect dose and incorrect medication orders.
The researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of reported safety incidents provided by healthcare systems associated with patient safety organizations from June 2010 to December 2020. All errors related to medication and other substance orders reported to the NPSD using the common format v1.2 during this period were assessed. The researchers grouped and categorized the prevalence of reported medication order errors by error type, harm levels, and demographic data. The study found that during the study period, 12,830 mistakes were reported. Incorrect dosage accounted for 3,812 errors (29.7%), followed by incorrect medicine 2,086 (16.3%), and incorrect duration 765 (6.0%). Out of 5,282 incidents that affected the patient and had a known severity level, 12 resulted in fatalities, 4 led to severe harm, 45 caused moderate harm, 341 led to minor harm, and 4,880 resulted in no harm. The study concluded that the most frequently reported and damaging types of medication order errors were incorrect dose and incorrect medication orders.
AHRQ-funded; HS026121.
Citation: Grauer A, Rosen A, Applebaum JR .
Examining medication ordering errors using AHRQ network of patient safety databases.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2023 Apr 19; 30(5):838-45. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocad007..
Keywords: Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication: Safety
Wong CI, Vannatta K, Gilleland Marchak J
Preventable harm because of outpatient medication errors among children with leukemia and lymphoma: a multisite longitudinal assessment.
The goal of this longitudinal study was to characterize rates and types of medication errors and harm to outpatient children with leukemia and lymphoma over seven months of treatment. The study included children taking medications at home for leukemia or lymphoma from three pediatric cancer centers. Ten percent experienced adverse drug events because of outpatient medication errors. Twenty-six percent of caregivers reported miscommunication leading to missed doses or overdoses. The authors concluded that improvements addressing communication with and among caregivers should be based on human-factors engineering and codeveloped with families.
AHRQ-funded; HS024390.
Citation: Wong CI, Vannatta K, Gilleland Marchak J .
Preventable harm because of outpatient medication errors among children with leukemia and lymphoma: a multisite longitudinal assessment.
Cancer 2023 Apr 1;129(7):1064-74. doi: 10.1002/cncr.34651.
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Cancer, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Jallow F, Stehling E, Sajwani-Merchant Z
A multisite qualitative analysis of perceived roles in medication safety: older adults' perspectives.
The objective of this study was to identify the roles of patients, providers, and pharmacists in medication safety from the perspective of older adults. Researchers conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with community-dwelling adults over 65 years old who took five or more prescription medications daily. Their results suggested that older adults' perceptions of their role and the roles of primary care providers and pharmacists in medication safety varied widely. The researchers concluded that educating providers and pharmacists about the expectations of this population can ultimately improve medication safety.
AHRQ-funded; HS027277.
Citation: Jallow F, Stehling E, Sajwani-Merchant Z .
A multisite qualitative analysis of perceived roles in medication safety: older adults' perspectives.
J Patient Exp 2023 Jan-Dec; 10:23743735231158887. doi: 10.1177/23743735231158887..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Patient Experience
Becker MW, Kashy DA, Harben A
A novel strategy to optimize critical information on over the counter labels for older adults.
In this article, the authors described two experiments in which they evaluated the impact of over-the-counter (OTC) medication label designs that employ highlighting and warning labels placed on package fronts on the attention and use of critical information by older consumers. In both experiments. participants aged 65 or over were required to access and use critical label information to respond correctly to questions. Highlighting or placing critical information on the front of packaging significantly improved response accuracy. The authors concluded that these results are relevant for regulations which dictate label design to further ease and safety of use of medications for older adults.
AHRQ-funded; HS025386.
Citation: Becker MW, Kashy DA, Harben A .
A novel strategy to optimize critical information on over the counter labels for older adults.
Health Sci Rep 2023 Jan 25; 6(1):e1062. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1062..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Communication
Kravchenko OV, Boyce RD, Gomez-Lumbreras A
Drug-drug interaction between dexamethasone and direct-acting oral anticoagulants: a nested case-control study in the national COVID cohort collaborative (N3C).
This study examined whether there is an association between thromboembolotic events (TEEs) and concomitant use of dexamethasone with either apixaban or rivaroxaban (both direct oral anticoagulants or DOACs) during treatment for COVID-19. The authors used data from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) to conduct a nested case-control study. Eligible participants were adults over 18 years who were exposed to a DOAC for 10 or more consecutive days and exposure to dexamethasone at least 5 or more consecutive days. The study did not find a discernible association of TEE in patients concomitantly exposed to dexamethasone and a DOAC.
AHRQ-funded; HS025984.
Citation: Kravchenko OV, Boyce RD, Gomez-Lumbreras A .
Drug-drug interaction between dexamethasone and direct-acting oral anticoagulants: a nested case-control study in the national COVID cohort collaborative (N3C).
BMJ Open 2022 Dec 29; 12(12):e066846. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066846..
Keywords: COVID-19, Blood Thinners, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Cardiovascular Conditions, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Ramsden SC, Pergjika A, Janssen AC
A systematic review of the effectiveness and safety of droperidol for pediatric agitation in acute care settings.
This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness and safety of droperidol for the management of acute, severe agitation in children in acute care settings. The authors conclude that existing data indicate that droperidol is both effective and safe; however, data are limited by study designs that may introduce bias.
AHRQ-funded; HS026385.
Citation: Ramsden SC, Pergjika A, Janssen AC .
A systematic review of the effectiveness and safety of droperidol for pediatric agitation in acute care settings.
Acad Emerg Med 2022 Dec;29(12):1466-74. doi: 10.1111/acem.14515..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Medication, Medication: Safety, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Patient Safety
Tan MS, Gomez-Lumbreras A, Villa-Zapata L
Colchicine and macrolides: a cohort study of the risk of adverse outcomes associated with concomitant exposure.
The authors conducted a cohort study using electronic health records comparing encounters with colchicine plus a macrolide and colchicine with an antibiotic non-macrolide, then assessed the relationship between the two groups. They found that heart failure was more frequent in the colchicine plus a macrolide cohort and that there was also a higher mortality rate. As there is a significant increase in the risk of hepatic failure and mortality when colchicine is concomitantly administered with a macrolide, they concluded that colchicine should not be used concomitantly with these antibiotics or should be temporarily discontinued to avoid toxic levels of colchicine.
AHRQ-funded; HS025984.
Citation: Tan MS, Gomez-Lumbreras A, Villa-Zapata L .
Colchicine and macrolides: a cohort study of the risk of adverse outcomes associated with concomitant exposure.
Rheumatol Int 2022 Dec;42(12):2253-59. doi: 10.1007/s00296-022-05201-5..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication, Risk, Antibiotics, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Chui MA, Berbakov ME, Gilson AM
Effectiveness and sustainment of a tailored over-the-counter medication safety intervention in community pharmacies: a randomized controlled trial.
This paper is a protocol of a pilot study to address a gap in medication safety and decrease misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medications by older adults aged 65 years or older by creating a pharmacy “Senior Section”. The study will occur in three phases: adaptation, effectiveness using a randomized controlled trial, and sustainment. The study will take place within a regional Midwest integrated health system in conjunction with administration leadership and pharmacy sites. The authors hope this project will provide a road map for pharmacy organizations to tailor and adopt the Senior Section.
AHRQ-funded; HS027737.
Citation: Chui MA, Berbakov ME, Gilson AM .
Effectiveness and sustainment of a tailored over-the-counter medication safety intervention in community pharmacies: a randomized controlled trial.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2022 Nov;18(11):3953-63. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2022.06.008..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist
Gomez Lumbreras A, Reese TJ, Del Fiol G
Shared decision-making for drug-drug interactions: formative evaluation of an anticoagulant drug interaction.
This study evaluated a tool called DDInteract that was developed to enhance and support shared decision-making (SDM) between patients and physicians when both warfarin and NSAIDs are used concurrently. The study used case vignettes with physicians and patients on warfarin to conduct simulated virtual clinical encounters where they discussed the use of taking ibuprofen and warfarin concurrently and determined an appropriate therapeutic plan based on the patient’s individualized risk. Participants completed a postsession interview and SDM process survey, including the 9-item Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9), tool usability and workload National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Task Load Index, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) scale, System Usability Scale (SUS), and Decision Conflict Scale (DCS). A total of 12 physician-patient dyads were used, with over 91% of the patients over 50 and 75% had been taking warfarin for over 2 years. Most participants rated DDInteract higher than usual care (UC) and would be willing to use the tool for an interaction involving warfarin and NSAIDs.
AHRQ-funded; HS027099.
Citation: Gomez Lumbreras A, Reese TJ, Del Fiol G .
Shared decision-making for drug-drug interactions: formative evaluation of an anticoagulant drug interaction.
JMIR Form Res 2022 Oct 19;6(10):e40018. doi: 10.2196/40018..
Keywords: Shared Decision Making, Medication, Blood Thinners, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Campbell NL, Pitts C, Corvari C
Deprescribing anticholinergics in primary care older adults: experience from two models and impact on a continuous measure of exposure.
The purpose of this study was to assess two pilot pharmacist-based advanced practice deprescribing intervention models and their impact on patients’ exposure to high-risk anticholinergics. The researchers conducted pilot studies of a collaborative clinic-based pharmacist deprescribing intervention and a telephone-based pharmacist deprescribing intervention. Deprescribing was defined as a discontinuation or dose reduction. Patients participating in the clinic-based pharmacy model were aged 55 years and older and were referred for deprescribing at a specialty clinic. Patients participating in the telephone-based pharmacy model were aged 65 years and older and called by a clinical pharmacist for deprescribing without referral. The study found that among the 24 medications deemed eligible for deprescribing for the18 patients in the clinic-based model, 23 were deprescribed. The clinic-based deprescribing model resulted in a 93% reduction in median annualized total standardized dose (TSD), 56% lowered their annualized exposure below a cognitive risk threshold, and 17% of medications were represcribed within 6 months. Among the 24 medications deemed eligible for deprescribing for the 24 patients in the telephone-based pharmacy model, 50% were deprescribed. There was no change in the median annualized TSD, the annualized TSD was lowered below a cognitive risk threshold in 46%, and no medications were represcribed within 6 months. The researchers concluded that pharmacist-based deprescribing successfully reduced exposure to high-risk anticholinergics in the study population.
AHRQ-funded; HS24384.
Citation: Campbell NL, Pitts C, Corvari C .
Deprescribing anticholinergics in primary care older adults: experience from two models and impact on a continuous measure of exposure.
Journal of the American College of Pharmacy 2022 Oct;5(10):1039-47. doi: 10.1002/jac5.1682..
Keywords: Elderly, Primary Care, Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Lusk C, Catchpole K, Neyens DM
Improving safety in the operating room: medication icon labels increase visibility and discrimination.
The purpose of this study was to assess whether the addition of icons to medication labels in an operating room setting would improve visibility and reduce medication administration errors. The multi-disciplinary team of researchers added icons to medication labels applied to vasoactive medication infusions, and the study found that participants were 1.12 times more likely to correctly identify medications with icons from farther away. In addition, when icons were present on the labels, participants were 2.16 times more likely to be more confident in their identifications.
AHRQ-funded; HS026625.
Citation: Lusk C, Catchpole K, Neyens DM .
Improving safety in the operating room: medication icon labels increase visibility and discrimination.
Appl Ergon 2022 Oct;104:103831. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2022.103831..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Villa-Zapata L, Gómez-Lumbreras A, Horn J
A disproportionality analysis of drug-drug interactions of tizanidine and CYP1A2 inhibitors from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
This study’s aim was to examine the occurrence of adverse events reported in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) involving the combination of tizanidine and drugs that inhibit the metabolic activity of CYP1A2. Tizanidine is used to help control muscle spasticity. From 2004 quarter 1 through 2020 quarter 3 a total of 89 reports were identified mentioning tizanidine, at least one CYP1A2 inhibitor, and one of the adverse events of interest including: hypotension, bradycardia, syncope, shock, cardiorespiratory arrest, and fall or fracture. More than half the reports identified tizanidine as having a suspect or interacting role, and the reports more frequently involved women (65.1%). The median age was 56.1 years. Hypotension had the highest odds for adverse event reports involving tizanidine and a CYP1A2 inhibitor which can lead to falls and fractures.
AHRQ-funded; HS025984.
Citation: Villa-Zapata L, Gómez-Lumbreras A, Horn J .
A disproportionality analysis of drug-drug interactions of tizanidine and CYP1A2 inhibitors from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Drug Saf 2022 Aug;45(8):863-71. doi: 10.1007/s40264-022-01200-4..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Lai LY, Oerline MK, Caram MEV
Risk of metabolic and cardiovascular adverse events with abiraterone or enzalutamide among men with advanced prostate cancer.
Investigators examined the association between the use of abiraterone or enzalutamide and the risk of metabolic or cardiovascular adverse events while on treatment for advanced prostate cancer. They found that, compared with men not receiving abiraterone, men receiving abiraterone were at increased risk of both a major composite adverse event and a minor composite adverse event. Compared with men not receiving enzalutamide, men receiving enzalutamide were at an increased risk of a major composite adverse event but not a minor composite adverse event. They recommended careful monitoring and management of men on abiraterone or enzalutamide through team-based approaches.
AHRQ-funded; HS027507.
Citation: Lai LY, Oerline MK, Caram MEV .
Risk of metabolic and cardiovascular adverse events with abiraterone or enzalutamide among men with advanced prostate cancer.
J Natl Cancer Inst 2022 Aug 8;114(8):1127-34. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djac081..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Cancer: Prostate Cancer, Cancer, Risk, Adverse Events, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Medication: Safety, Patient Safety