Studies based on reviews of medical records have limitations. The accuracy of the data depends on the adequacy of documentation and the ability to identify all eligible patients who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria. To minimize the potential impact of these methodologic limitations in this study, patients with toxic exposure referred to the TCS [...]
Pharmacy-managed toxicology consult services are uncommon in North America. In this report, we have described a program that provides a unique service within our hospital and a valuable learning experience for pharmacy residents. This study sets a benchmark for our own quality assurance and educational initiatives and also offers a model for other residency programs. [...]
Survey of Former Pharmacy Residents Pharmacy residents who had completed the Pharmacy Residency Program and participated in the TCS during a 10-year convenience sample (from 1995 to 2005, excluding residents who were co-investigators for the current study) were identified from pharmacy records. During this time frame, there were no major changes in the background or [...]
To identify the components of the written consultation note that users of the service felt were essential, a questionnaire was created with input from both physicians and pharmacists who had various levels of involvement with the service. We identified staff ICU physicians, fellows, and emergency physicians from departmental administration records and asked them to complete [...]
The TCS was evaluated with the following objectives: first, to describe the epidemiology of patients referred to the service over a 1-year period; second, to evaluate written consultation notes for the same 1-year period to determine the presence of components perceived as essential by referring physicians; and third, to survey former pharmacy residents to determine [...]
INTRODUCTION The role of clinical pharmacy services in acute care settings such as the emergency department and the intensive care unit (ICU) has been documented since the 1970s. These studies have demonstrated that the participation by pharmacists in direct patient care exerts a positive influence on patient outcomes, cost containment, and prevention of adverse drug [...]
The most surprising finding of this investigation was that most neonates with respiratory symptoms were not classifiable by standard diagnostic criteria for textbook pulmonary disorders, even applying the broadest definitions. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to classify acute respiratory disorders in the newborn in three decades in North America. Interestingly, similar to [...]
