Today's Perspective
Kristin Wiisanen, PharmD, FAPhA, FCCP, Pharmacy Today editor in chief
The Institute of Medicine defines clinical guidelines as statements including “recommendations intended to optimize patient care that are informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and harms of alternative care options.” Guidelines play a vital role in the effectiveness of care and decrease costs associated with preventable adverse events, but even the most well-developed and evidence-based intentions may appear murky when guidelines are translated into clinical practice.
Some experts point to CDC’s 2016 guidelines on opioid prescribing which set limits on opioid dosages as an example of a guideline having unintended consequences. This month’s Pharmacy Today cover story unravels this issue and provides a peek at new draft CDC recommendations that are currently under review. So far, feedback has been positive. Chris Herndon, PharmD, BCACP, FASHP, FCCP, stated about CDC’s draft guidance, “My overall reaction is appreciation [that] they have removed many of the rigid numbers that were unfortunately overemphasized in the previous 2016 version.” Although the new guidance won’t remove limits that some insurers have put into place, the revised recommendations appear to be a step in the right direction with an approach that gives prescribers autonomy in making patient-centered decisions about opioid use and pain management. See the full article for more on the draft guidance, plus an update on community-based and pharmacy-initiated naloxone use to prevent opioid overdose deaths.
In this issue of Pharmacy Today, you’ll also find the latest on newly approved drugs, when to recommend horehound, and updated COVID-19 treatment guidelines from NIH and Infectious Diseases Society of America. This issue also contains new recommendations from ACIP for pneumococcal vaccination, the latest on expanding pharmacy access to contraception, and you can get this month’s continuing pharmacy education article on new drugs marketed in 2021.
Nearly three-quarters of an estimated 100,000 drug overdose deaths during the pandemic can be traced back to opioids. As we push forward in this challenging environment, pharmacists will continue to play an essential role working with prescribers and patients in a patient-centered approach to safe and effective opioid use. Pharmacists’ accessibility and drug knowledge will translate to lives saved when naloxone is made available to patients. In these areas, as in many others, we continue to see pharmacists stepping up, and being increasingly relied upon, to improve patient care and prevent adverse outcomes.
Have a great Today! ■