Leftover narcotic analgesics among emergency department patients and methods of disposal.

OBJECTIVE: Given the increase in narcotic addiction and diversion, understanding how patients use their opioid prescriptions and store or dispose of any remainders is important. We set out to determine the frequency in which patients had leftover opioid quantities from prescriptions received in the emergency department (ED). In addition, we sought to describe patients' reasons for taking or not taking all of their prescribed medications and their strategies to manage and/or dispose of any excess or leftovers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study took place at an academic center in an urban environment in mid-Missouri with an annual emergency department volume of 55,000 patients. Potential participants were identified using a patient discharge prescription log and consisted of adult patients who received opioid prescriptions. A single researcher recruited participants via phone and invited them to participate in the study by completing a short phone survey. RESULTS: The discharge log included 301 patient encounters; of those, 170 potential participants were successfully contacted by phone and 89 agreed to participate in the survey. A majority of the participants indicated that they did not take the full prescription amount. Only 4.1% of participants disposed of their leftover opioids according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendations. Those who did not dispose of their leftover opioids most frequently stored their remaining medication in a medicine cabinet or box, and a majority (77%) indicated that this storage location was unlocked. CONCLUSIONS: A majority of patients discharged from the emergency department have leftover opioids, and almost all of these leftover medications were not disposed of or stored in compliance with US Food and Drug Administration recommendations. Future research to determine what interventions could increase proper storage and disposal of leftover opioids is recommended.

Use of Emergency Department Pharmacists in Emergency Medicine Resident Milestone Assessment.

INTRODUCTION: The use of competency-based milestones for emergency medicine (EM) was mandated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in 2013. However, clinical competency committees (CCC) may lack diverse, objective data to assess these new competencies. To remedy the lack of objective data when assessing the pharmacotherapy sub-competency (PC5) we introduced a unique approach that actively involves departmental clinical pharmacists in determining the milestone level achieved by the resident. METHODS: Our pharmacists assess the pharmacotherapy knowledge of the residents through multiple methods: direct observation of orders, communication with the residents while performing patient care within the emergency department (ED), and real-time chart review. This observation occurs informally on a daily basis in the ED and is incorporated into the routine work of the pharmacist. The pharmacists use the PC5 sub-competency as their standard evaluation tool in this setting to keep all assessments consistent. RESULTS: Since our residency program introduced pharmacist assessment of resident pharmacotherapy knowledge, the CCC has conducted seven biannual meetings. Of the 120 separate PC5 sub-competency assessments made during those meetings there was 100% agreement between the pharmacist's assessment and the CCC's final assessment of the trainee. A survey of the CCC members concluded that the pharmacists' assessments were useful and aided in accurate resident evaluation. CONCLUSION: The use of ED pharmacists in assessing the pharmacotherapy sub-competency provides important information used in resident assessment of the PC5 milestone.

Ticagrelor as an Alternative for Clopidogrel-Associated Acute Arthritis.

A 65-year-old Caucasian man was hospitalized for a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. On discharge, the patient was started on multiple new medications, including clopidogrel and atorvastatin. Twenty-six days after discharge, he presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with polyarthralgias. He was instructed to stop atorvastatin and to follow up with rheumatology and cardiology clinic. At cardiology clinic follow-up 43 days after ED discharge, clopidogrel was discontinued and patient was switched to ticagrelor. On follow-up one month later, his symptoms had completely resolved. During the next 4 months, patient had routine follow-up due to participation in Cardiopulmonary Rehab and he had no cardiac events or recurrence of joint symptoms. Our patient had no history of arthritis. Because he initially presented with 2 medication classes associated with arthritis, each was withdrawn separately. The temporal association of patient's symptomatic improvement strongly suggests that the arthritis was caused by clopidogrel. Our patient was able to tolerate ticagrelor with complete resolution of his arthritis and no cardiac events. Clopidogrel-induced arthritis is a rare adverse drug event. For patients with a recent drug-eluting stent, alternative antiplatelet therapy with ticagrelor may provide positive cardiac outcomes without similar adverse effects.