ABSTRACT
Description Infantile botulism is a potentially devastating disease caused by ingestion of Clostridium botulinum spores through food products or dust particles. The toxin produced by the spores can lead to descending paralysis requiring hospitalization for supportive care which sometimes includes mechanical ventilation. Human Botulism Immune Globulin-Intravenous (BIG-IV or BabyBIG) from the Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program (IBTPP) has been shown to greatly improve outcomes. A previously healthy 5-month-old infant was admitted to her regional hospital for poor feeding and lethargy. When the weakness progressed and she had trouble with protecting her airway, she was intubated and transferred to our institution. The primary diagnosis was infantile botulism and the decision was made to treat with BabyBIG. The pharmacy department was able to assist with obtaining BabyBIG, ensuring proper preparation, and coordinating the team for swift administration. In the days following the BabyBIG administration, the patient slowly started to recover her respiratory function and muscle tone. On day five of admission the patient was extubated. After transfer to the general pediatric floor the patient was given a transpyloric feeding tube and worked with gastrointestinal and nutrition services to improve oral feeding. She was discharged on day seventeen with plans to continue working with therapy and nutrition. BIG-IV can have a major impact in the recovery of infantile botulism. Pharmacists are in an optimal position to assist with coordinating the multidisciplinary team regarding its procurement, preparation, and administration.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To characterize pharmacists' and pharmacy interns' perceptions of administering adolescent vaccinations. Secondary objectives were to model the association between 1) perceptions and respondent demographic information and 2) pre- and post-training survey responses. DESIGN: A 12-item survey, on the basis of the Theory of Self-Perception, was used to collect respondents' perceptions of adolescent vaccination administration retrospectively before and after pharmacist and pharmacy intern completion of Online training. The training reviewed Center for Disease Control and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice recommendations for vaccination schedules, vaccine administration, managing adverse reactions, finding vaccine-related information, the importance of vaccinating, and dispelling common misconceptions. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Pharmacists and pharmacy interns representing 114 Indiana community pharmacy locations within a national supermarket chain were eligible to complete an Online survey between March and April 2019. OUTCOME MEASURES: Descriptive statistics were used to characterize pharmacists' and pharmacy interns' perceptions of adolescent vaccination administration. A multivariable regression analysis was used to determine the association between perceptions and respondent demographic information. Differences in perceptions before and after the training module were evaluated using paired t tests. RESULTS: Of the 293 eligible pharmacists and pharmacy interns, 138 (47.1%) completed the survey and 124 (42.3%) responses were included for analysis. Pharmacists and pharmacy interns had positive perceptions of adolescent vaccination administration. There was a negative relationship between the number of years that a pharmacist had been in practice and their baseline perceptions of adolescent vaccination administration (P = 0.02). There was a statistically significant increase in perceptions following completion of the training module (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Pharmacists and pharmacy interns, specifically those who have been in practice for few years, had positive perceptions about adolescent vaccination administration but their perceptions were strengthened with additional training. Further research is needed to determine the relationship between additional training and vaccination rates.
