This study demonstrated that a pharmacy technician, if adequately trained, can interview patients to obtain an accurate BPMH. The technician and the pharmacists disagreed on 15 of 1334 medication orders, for a disagreement rate of 1.1%. Although there was not total agreement, the difficulty of obtaining consistent information from certain patients should be recognized. Such [...]

Continue reading " Best Possible Medication History for Hemodialysis Patients Obtained: DISCUSSION "

A total of 99 patients were interviewed over the 4-month study period. The mean age of the patients was 67 years (range 19 to 96 years), and 55 (56%) were men. The mean number of medications was 13.5 (range 5 to 23) per patient. Of the 1334 medication orders reviewed, the technician and pharmacists disagreed [...]

Continue reading " Best Possible Medication History for Hemodialysis Patients Obtained: RESULTS "

The study protocol was approved by the Providence Health Care Research Ethics Board. All patients admitted to the hemodialysis unit at St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, and not requiring an interpreter were included. Patients or caregivers who were unable to participate in an in-person interview were excluded. The study was conducted from May [...]

Continue reading " Best Possible Medication History for Hemodialysis Patients Obtained: METHODS "

INTRODUCTION Medication reconciliation has been identified as a focus area in the Safer Healthcare Now! initiative. Medication errors are common at each interface of care (i.e., admissions, transfers, and discharges). Adverse drug events and medication errors contribute from 20% to 72% of adverse events around the time of a hospital stay. In one study medication [...]

Continue reading " Best Possible Medication History for Hemodialysis Patients Obtained "

Assessment of quality of life in chronic illnesses has become a vital tool not only in the monitoring of treatment outcomes but also because it has been established to significantly influence morbidity and mortality. HRQOL assessment can be carried out using general or disease-specific instruments, which could be objective or subjective, or satisfaction- or function-based. [...]

Continue reading " Correlation Between Karnofsky Performance Status Scale: DISCUSSION "

Data analysis was based on the 55 patients (27 males and 28 females) that completed the study. The age range was 20-65 years (mean=40.76 ± 11.05 years). Table 2 shows the baseline data, while Table 3 shows the mean laboratory parameters and body mass index (BMI) of the studied population. Table 4 shows the means, [...]

Continue reading " Correlation Between Karnofsky Performance Status Scale: RESULTS "

Patients This comparative study was carried out between July 2001 and February 2002. Sixty-two patients on regular maintenance HD in the King Fahd and Ghonaimy Dialysis Units of the Cairo University Hospital were recruited after an informed consent. Patients being prepared for renal transplantation were excluded as well as those that did not consent.

Continue reading " Correlation Between Karnofsky Performance Status Scale: PATIENTS AND METHODS "