Pharmacists and other health care professionals have anxiously awaited the most recent update to the Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), which is finally here with some important updates, including how health care providers can approach pharmacologic treatment for those with type 2 diabetes.

Loren Bonner

This month, we at ISMP wish to bring attention to two important problems we have encountered. These two possible medication errors, which involve issues with formulating and explaining dosages, have the potential to cause serious overdosages in patients but can be avoided with proactive planning and prescription labeling.

Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Horsham, PA

Some corporate pharmacy policies forbid pharmacists from honoring opioid prescriptions that exceed specified limits for dose and/or duration, but these policies may interfere with a chronic pain patient’s access to needed opioid medications.

David B. Brushwood, BSPharm, JD

One in three health care organizations worldwide reported falling prey to a ransomware attack in 2020. In this type of cyberattack, software that is downloaded onto a health-system computer—typically by an unwitting authorized user—encrypts the files that run the computer. Hackers then demand a ransom from the hospital to decrypt the files and relinquish control of the computers.

Sonya Collins

If there’s a single event that has affected pharmacists’ scope of practice, it is without a doubt the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the expansion of pharmacists’ authority to vaccinate during this time, millions of Americans received a vaccine from a pharmacist.

Loren Bonner

Experts worry that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is spilling over into other vaccines, which could ultimately cause a public health crisis with vaccine-preventable illnesses if people—especially school-aged children—do not receive appropriate guideline-recommended vaccines.

Clarissa Chan, PharmD

Updates from FDA

APhA Staff

Now that COVID-19 pandemic precautions are lifting and people are gathering once again, cold and flu cases are on the rise. Since many individuals will come into pharmacies searching for OTC products for relief, pharmacists will be receiving many questions.

Clarissa Chan, PharmD

One out of three transgender individuals have had a negative experience at a medical visit, according to the most recent statistics that date back to 2015. Twenty-three percent don’t engage in medical care due to fear of mistreatment, and 25% to 55% have issues with insurance covering their care.

Loren Bonner

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a perennial plant traditionally used for hundreds of years to treat a wide range of ailments, from joint and muscle pain, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia to dandruff, scurvy, and even snake bites. More recently, nettle is being used to address the early stages of an enlarged prostate, UTIs, hay fever, osteoarthritis, sprains and strains, tendonitis, and even signs of aging. Are there really 101 uses for stinging nettle?

Mickie Cathers

Summer is much more enjoyable without flies, mosquitos, gnats, or other insects in our outdoor spaces. What’s also important is protecting ourselves against diseases caused by mosquitos and ticks such as the Zika virus and Lyme disease.

Mary Warner

Trending Topics in Health-System Pharmacy

APhA Staff

Almost half of American adults have a diagnosis of hypertension. But only one in four of these nearly 108 million people have their blood pressure (BP) under control. While the outcomes of pharmacist-managed hypertension are well-established, reaching the patients who would benefit from such care can be a challenge.

Sonya Collins

A March 2022 report published by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists asks readers to “imagine a pharmacy where the inventory count is always correct, it automatically increments as orders are received and decrements as orders are filled” and the impact this would have on “budget, inventory management, patient care and overall workload.”

Sonya Collins

Treatment options for COVID-19 infections have expanded over the past year, and so has the confusion around which treatments to use and when.

Johanna Taylor Katroscik, PharmD

Drug-induced photosensitivity reactions are cutaneous adverse drug reactions (ADRs) which occur after exposure to both a sensitizing medication and ultraviolet radiation (UVR).

Kimberly M. Crosby, PharmD, BCPS, CDCES, BC-ADM, BCGP; Katherine S. O’Neal, PharmD, MBA, BCACP, CDES, BC-ADM, AE-C, CLS, FADCES

APhA Member News

APhA Staff

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