[Pharmaceutical care in a social-healthcare center]. / Atención farmacéutica en un centro socio-sanitario.

OBJECTIVE: To reflect the activity of the pharmacy department within the nursing home s multidisciplinary team, and to assess care improvements received by residents, including a better use of drugs. METHOD: In addition to pharmacotherapeutical guidelines and a standardized work procedure listing generic and therapeutic replacements to be implemented, selected procedures were specified in order to ensure a rational use of drugs and to increase the quality of care received by residents in our center. Such procedures will be performed by the center s multidisciplinary team and will focus on caring the caring for so-called geriatric syndromes. RESULTS: After an assessment of treatments for 125 patients and a 3-month follow-up, 10 interventions per patient were performed, out of which 4.74 were pharmacist interventions and 5.26 were to increase quality of care. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of the pharmacy department within the multidisciplinary team ensures a better use of drugs and a safe delivery system. Its activity contributes to improve quality of care, most notably procedures regarding nutritional status, and the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers.

Atención farmacéutica en un centro socio-sanitario / Pharmaceutical care in a social-healthcare center

Objetivo: Reflejar la actuación del servicio de farmacia, dentrodel equipo multidisciplinar de la residencia, evaluando la mejoraasistencial que reciben los residentes, incluyendo una mejor utilizaciónde los medicamentos.Método: Además de una guía farmacoterapéutica y un procedimientonormalizado de trabajo en el que se enumeran las sustitucionesgenéricas y terapéuticas que se van a realizar, se concretandeterminadas intervenciones para asegurar el uso racional delos medicamentos e incrementar la calidad de los cuidados recibidospor los residentes de nuestro centro. Estas intervencionesserán realizadas por el equipo multidisciplinar del centro y se centranen el cuidado de los llamados síndromes geriátricos.Resultados: Después de valorar los tratamientos de 125pacientes y realizar un seguimiento de tres meses, se efectúan 10intervenciones por paciente, diferenciando 4,74 intervencionesfarmacéuticas y 5,26 enfocadas a incrementar la calidad asistencial.Conclusiones: La presencia del servicio de farmacia en elequipo multidisciplinar asegura una mejor utilización de medicamentosy un sistema seguro de distribución. Su actuación contribuyea mejorar la calidad asistencial, destacando las intervencionessobre el estado nutricional y la prevención y tratamiento deúlceras por presión

Objective: To reflect the activity of the pharmacy departmentwithin the nursing home's multidisciplinary team, and to assesscare improvements received by residents, including a better use ofdrugs.Method: In addition to pharmacotherapeutical guidelines anda standardized work procedure listing generic and therapeuticreplacements to be implemented, selected procedures were specifiedin order to ensure a rational use of drugs and to increase thequality of care received by residents in our center. Such procedureswill be performed by the center’s multidisciplinary team andwill focus on caring the caring for so-called geriatric syndromes.Results: After an assessment of treatments for 125 patientsand a 3-month follow-up, 10 interventions per patient were performed,out of which 4.74 were pharmacist interventions and5.26 were to increase quality of care.Conclusions: The presence of the pharmacy departmentwithin the multidisciplinary team ensures a better use of drugs anda safe delivery system. Its activity contributes to improve quality ofcare, most notably procedures regarding nutritional status, andthe prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers

Microbiological quality of retail poultry carcasses in Spain.

A total of 40 eviscerated and refrigerated chicken carcasses were collected from five retail outlets (three supermarkets and two poulterers' shops) in León (Spain). The level of microorganisms on chicken carcasses was assessed using the excised breast-skin technique. Mean counts (log10 CFU/g) of psychrotrophs, pseudomonads, fluorescent pseudomonads, enterococci, Micrococcaceae, Staphylococcus aureus, and yeasts and molds were 4.84, 4.11, 3.32, 2.72, 3.80, 3.67, and 2.99, respectively. A significant correlation coefficient was found between pseudomonads and fluorescent pseudomonad counts (r = 0.827; P < 0.001) and between Micrococcaceae and S. aureus counts (r = 0.915; P < 0.001). Levels of psychrotrophs, pseudomonads, fluorescent pseudomonads, and yeasts and molds were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in supermarkets than in poulterers' shops, possibly due to the longer period of time the carcasses spent in the supermarkets (between 1 and 2 days, as opposed to only 4 to 16 h in the case of poulterers' shops). Carcasses from poulterers' shops showed higher (P < 0.05) counts of enterococci. Micrococcaceae, and S. aureus, which suggests higher storage temperatures in these outlets. Only S. aureus counts (especially those from poulterers' shops) exceeded the established values in the microbiological criteria for poultry meat consulted.