What We Learnt After Looking Back At the Community Pharmacists' Experiences Worldwide in COVID-19 Pandemic.

Community pharmacists are key players in COVID-19 response. Community pharmacies are often the first port of call for people who are feeling ill. They are well placed within their communities to offer advice and reinforce essential messages about hand and respiratory hygiene and physical distancing. There are no approved clinical practice guidelines for COVID-19, and pharmacies must therefore play their part in helping to contain the spread of false claims and misinformation circulating in their communities.

Should Pharmacists Lead Medication Reconciliation in Critical Care? A One-Stem Interventional Study in an Egyptian Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVES: The main objective was to compare physician-obtained medication histories to the practice of medication reconciliation undertaken by a pharmacist in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: A one-stem interventional study involving 500 adults 18 years and older admitted to the ICU (50 beds) of an Egyptian Joint Commission International-accredited reference hospital was conducted. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of ICU patients with missing medications in the cohorts of physician versus pharmacist-led medication reconciliation. The secondary outcome measure was the percentage of patients who had at least one clinical condition or adverse event (AE) that was left untreated during hospitalization of the 2 arms of patients after reconciliation. RESULTS: A total of 500 patients received reconciliation. Medication discrepancies in the cohort of physician-led reconciliation were greater than that of the pharmacist (26.1% versus 2.6%, P = 0.001). The most common discrepancy was indication with no medication, which was found to be greater in the physician-led cohort of patients than that of the pharmacist cohort (25.2% versus 2.6%, P = 0.001). Untreated AEs in the former cohort were present in 9.1% of cases versus 1.5% in the pharmacist-led reconciliation cohort ( P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that pharmacist-led medication reconciliation in ICU has dramatically decreased medication discrepancies and AEs in adults with acute ICU admissions.

Potentially inappropriate prescriptions in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: ESC position statement on heart failure with reduced ejection fraction-specific inappropriate prescribing.

Heart failure (HF) is a chronic debilitating and potentially life-threatening condition. HF patients are usually at high risk of polypharmacy and consequently, potentially inappropriate prescribing leading to poor clinical outcomes. Based on the published literature, a comprehensive HF-specific prescribing review tool is compiled to avoid medications that may cause HF or harm HF patients and to optimize the prescribing practice of HF guideline-directed medical therapies. Recommendations are made in line with the last versions of European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines, ESC position papers, scientific evidence, and experts' opinions.

Guideline-led prescribing to ambulatory heart failure patients in a cardiology outpatient service.

Background Guidelines recommend heart failure (HF) patients be treated with multiple medications at doses proven to improve clinical outcomes. Objective To study guideline-led prescribing in an Irish outpatient HF population. Setting Cardiology Outpatient Clinic, Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland. Methods Guideline-led prescribing was assessed using the Guideline Adherence Index (GAI-3), that considered the prescribing of ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers; beta-blockers and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. The GAI-based target dose was calculated based on the prescription of ≥ 50% of the guideline-recommended target dose of each of the three GAI medications to HF patients with ejection fraction ≤ 40%. High-GAI was achieved by prescription of ≥ 2 GAI medicines. Potentially inappropriate prescribing was assessed using a HF-specific tool. Main outcome measure Heart failure guideline-led prescribing assessed using the GAI-3. Results A total of 127 HF patients, mean age 71.7 ± 13.1 years, were identified in the study. Seventy-one patients had ejection fraction ≤ 40%. Population mean GAI-3 was 65.8%. When contraindications to therapy are considered, the adjusted GAI-3 increased to 72.9%. The target dose GAI was 18.5%. High-GAI management was prescribed to 54 patients (76.1%). A potentially inappropriate medicine in HF was prescribed to 14 (19.7%) patients. Conclusion Most HF patients with ejection fraction ≤ 40% in this setting received optimal guideline-led prescribing however the proportion of patients achieving the target doses of these agents was suboptimal.

Factors Associated with Knowledge and Awareness of Stroke Among the Jordanian Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and objective: Stroke is the second leading cause of death in Jordan and over the world. Knowledge and awareness towards stroke play a crucial role in the management and prevention of its complications. This study aims to assess the knowledge and awareness about stroke among the Jordanian population and determine factors associated with stroke awareness. Methods: This cross-sectional study through a web-based anonymous questionnaire that needed 10 minutes to be completed. It examined sociodemographic characteristics and recognition of the risk factors, warning signs, stroke consequences, and early response to stroke symptoms. Logistic regression analysis identified the factors associated with poor knowledge of stroke.  Results: A total of 573 Jordanian adults participated in this study. The participant's ability to identify at least one early symptom of stroke and the proper response to the symptoms were significantly correlated with the educational level (OR of 3.4 and 2.5, respectively). At least one consequence of stroke was significantly associated with different demographic factors such as gender, socioeconomic income, females versus males and those with medium income versus low income had significantly higher odds (OR of 6.6 and 4.1, respectively). Conclusion: This study revealed a good knowledge and awareness level about stroke among Jordanians correlated mainly with their educational level. Therefore, new strategies should be considered to decrease the prevalence of stroke in Jordan, including the need for engagement in enhanced awareness campaigns.

Heart Failure Prescribing Quality at Discharge from a Critical Care Unit in Egypt: The Impact of Multidisciplinary Care.

Discharge prescriptions for heart failure (HF) patients may not adhere to the clinical practice guidelines. This study aimed to assess the impact of the clinical pharmacist as a member of a multidisciplinary team on the quality of prescribing to HF patients at discharge from a Critical Care Unit (CCU) in Egypt. This was a retrospective cohort study of HF patients discharged from the CCU between January 2013 and December 2017. Guideline Adherence Index (GAI-3) was used to assess guideline-directed prescribing at discharge. Multidisciplinary care was introduced to the CCU on 1 January 2016. The study included 284 HF patients, mean (±SD) age 66.7 ± 11.5 years, 53.2% male. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction affected 100 patients (35.2%). At discharge, loop diuretics were prescribed to 85.2% of patients; mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists to 54.9%; angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers to 51.4%; and ß-blockers to 29.9%. Population Guideline Adherence Index (GAI-3) was 45.5%. High-GAI was prescribed to 136 patients (47.9%). Patients with High-GAI were younger; less affected by chronic kidney disease and had fewer comorbidities than those without High-GAI. Prescription of ß-blocker increased (24.1% vs. 38.6%, p < 0.001) and digoxin utilization decreased (34.7% vs. 23.7%, p < 0.049) after the introduction of the multidisciplinary care. The inclusion of a clinical pharmacist in the multidisciplinary care team may have a role in optimizing the prescribing of HF guideline-directed therapies at discharge from this setting.

A tool for assessment of heart failure prescribing quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Heart failure (HF) guidelines aim to standardise patient care. Internationally, prescribing practice in HF may deviate from guidelines and so a standardised tool is required to assess prescribing quality. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to identify a quantitative tool for measuring adherence to HF guidelines and its clinical implications. METHODS: Eleven electronic databases were searched to include studies reporting a comprehensive tool for measuring adherence to prescribing guidelines in HF patients aged ≥18 years. Qualitative studies or studies measuring prescription rates alone were excluded. Study quality was assessed using the Good ReseArch for Comparative Effectiveness Checklist. RESULTS: In total, 2455 studies were identified. Sixteen eligible full-text articles were included (n = 14 354 patients, mean age 69 ± 8 y). The Guideline Adherence Index (GAI), and its modified versions, was the most frequently cited tool (n = 13). Other tools identified were the Individualised Reconciled Evidence Recommendations, the Composite Heart Failure Performance, and the Heart Failure Scale. The meta-analysis included the GAI studies of good to high quality. The average GAI-3 was 62%. Compared to low GAI, high GAI patients had lower mortality rate (7.6% vs 33.9%) and lower rehospitalisation rates (23.5% vs 24.5%); both P ≤ .05. High GAI was associated with reduced risk of mortality (hazard ratio = 0.29, 95% confidence interval, 0.06-0.51) and rehospitalisation (hazard ratio = 0.64, 95% confidence interval, 0.41-1.00). No tool was used to improve prescribing quality. CONCLUSION: The GAI is the most frequently used tool to assess guideline adherence in HF. High GAI is associated with improved HF outcomes.