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Background: Medication reconciliation is relevant in transitional care, however, given limited resources, it is necessary to identify the patients who benefit most from this activity., Aim: To validate criteria to identify patients at high risk of medication errors undergoing major orthopedic surgery., Method: Delphi Method in 3 phases, April-June 2023, to obtain consensus on the inclusion criteria, previously defined. Each expert rated criteria according to a 5-point Likert scale. Consensus was assumed in round 1 if the rate average was ≥4 (inclusion) or <2 (exclusion) and in rounds 2 and 3 if 50% of the responses were ≥4 (inclusion) or <2 (exclusion). It was possible to suggest the inclusion of new criteria., Results: 10 experts from Faculties of Pharmacy and Medicine participated. In the first phase, consensus was reached on 18 criteria: polypharmacy, anticoagulants, oral chemotherapy (not hormone), immunosuppressants, antiretrovirals, antimyasthenics, insulin, corticoids, neuroleptics, antiarrhythmics, digoxin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, valproate, thyroid drugs, antiglaucoma, antiaggregants, and urgent surgery. Systemic antifungals and opioids were suggested. In the second phase, consensus was reached on 11 criteria: antiparkinsonics, beta-blockers, age ≥ 65 years, length of stay ≥5 days, lamotrigine, diuretics, antidepressants, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, anxiolytics, opioids, and systemic antifungals. In the last phase, 1 criterion reached consensus (sulfonylureas) and 1 criterion did not reach consensus (calcium channel blockers)., Conclusions: We develop and validate a list of 30 criteria to identify patients at high risk of experiencing medication errors undergoing major orthopedic surgery. These may help improve human resource management for clinical pharmacy activities by prioritizing patients who would benefit most., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest This word has been presented previously at International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Congress in 2023., (Copyright © 2024. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.)

Objective: To analyze the role played by the clinical pharmacist and its impact in antibiotic stewardship facing suspected allergy to beta-lactam antibiotics., Method: We performed two different independent bibliographic searches. A total of 35 articles were found, and the final number included in the study was 12. We analysed the articles and collected variables of efficacy, safety and applicability of evaluation tools applied to patients with suspected allergy to beta-lactams. Also, the variation in the consumption and prescription profile of alternative antibiotics was analyzed., Results: The selected studies analysed questionnaires, allergy delabeling, intradermal tests and oral challenge tests performed by pharmacists. Significant differences in the efficacy endpoint were found in 4 studies in favour of pharmaceutical intervention. In the study of Kwiatkowski et al, cefazolin use increased in surgical patients after pharmacist intervention (65 vs. 28%; p < 0.01). In a quasi-experimental study, the mean defined daily dose of aztreonam and the mean days of therapy per 1000 patients/day decreased (21.23 vs 9.05, p <0.01) and (8.79-4.24, p = 0.016), pre and post-intervention, respectively, increasing antibiotic de-escalations (p ≤ 0.01). In another quasi-experimental study, the prescription of restricted-use antibiotics decreased (42.5% vs. 17.9%, p < 0.01) and the use of pre-surgical prophylactic antibiotics alternative to cefazolin (81.9% vs 55.9%, p<0.01) in another study. Other study showed that the mean time per interview was 5.2 minutes per patient. No adverse events were reported in any study., Conclusion: The pharmacist intervention in the evaluation of the patient with suspected allergy to beta-lactams is effective, safe and feasible to implement on daily clinical practice. The standardization of protocols to clarify the history of allergies and development of evaluation tools represent simple screenings to perform delabelling or refer to the Immunoallergology service, improving penicilins use and reducing the need for second line antibiotics. More studies are needed to standardize the desensitization tests made by pharmacists. However, despite these results, the involvement and leadership of the pharmacist in this area is limited and constitutes a future challenge for the profession., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedad Española de Farmacia Hospitalaria (S.E.F.H). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To analyze the role played by the clinical pharmacist and its impact in antibiotic stewardship facing suspected allergy to beta-lactam antibiotics., Method: We performed 2 different independent bibliographic searches. A total of 35 articles were found, and the final number included in the study was 12. We analyzed the articles and collected variables of efficacy, safety, and applicability of evaluation tools applied to patients with suspected allergy to beta-lactams. Also, the variation in the consumption and prescription profile of alternative antibiotics was analyzed., Results: The selected studies analyzed questionnaires, allergy delabeling, intradermal tests, and oral challenge tests performed by pharmacists. Significant differences in the efficacy endpoint were found in 4 studies in favor of pharmaceutical intervention. In the study of Kwiatkowski et al., cefazolin use increased in surgical patients after pharmacist intervention (65% vs 28%; P < .01). In a quasi-experimental study, the mean defined daily dose of aztreonam and the mean days of therapy per 1000 patients/day decreased (21.23 vs 9.05, P <.01) and (8.79-4.24, P = .016), pre- and post-intervention, respectively, increasing antibiotic de-escalations (P = < .01). In another quasi-experimental study, the prescription of restricted use antibiotics decreased (42.5% vs 17.9%, P < .01)and the use of pre-surgical prophylactic antibiotics alternative to cefazolin (81.9% vs 55.9%, P < .01)in another study. Other study showed that the mean time per interview was 5.2 min per patient. No adverse events were reported in any study., Conclusion: The pharmacist intervention in the evaluation of the patient with suspected allergy to beta-lactams is effective, safe, and feasible to implement on daily clinical practice. The standardization of protocols to clarify the history of allergies and development of evaluation tools represent simple screenings to perform delabeling or refer to the Immunoallergology service, improving penicilins use and reducing the need for second-line antibiotics. More studies are needed to standardize the desensitization tests made by pharmacists. However, despite these results, the involvement and leadership of the pharmacist in this area is limited and constitutes a future challenge for the profession., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest None declared., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedad Española de Farmacia Hospitalaria (S.E.F.H). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate effectiveness and safety profile of pemetrexed in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) when it´s used on real clinical practice in Andalusia (a Spanish region with 8.5 million inhabitants, 2014 census data)., Methods: An observational multicentre retrospective study was conducted. Adult patients with locally advanced/metastatic NSCLC who received pemetrexed in any hospital in the Andalusian Public Health System during the last term of 2011 were included. We collected patients´ baseline characteristics, diagnostic and treatment data, effectiveness variables (response to treatment with pemetrexed and overallsurvival) and main adverse reactions detected., Results: 172 patients from 17 hospitals were included (77.33% were men), median age 63 years old (between 34 and 83). The predominant histology was adenocarcinoma (84.30%) and 85.20% were diagnosed of lung cancer with IV-stage. 78.49% had been smokers at some point in their lives. Median overall survival from the start of pemetrexed was 9 months (95%CI, 4.1-13.9). Progression of the disease was the most frequent response (33.14%), only one patient had complete response. Stable disease was associated with a higher probability of survival. Main adverse reactions detected were asthenia, haematological reactions, gastrointestinal reactions and dermal o mucous toxicity. No patients discontinued treatment for serious toxicity., Conclusions: Pemetrexed resulted quite effective in NSCLC when it was used on real clinical practice, with higher survival in non-squamous histology and patients with the best score of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scale. The toxicity profile was well tolerated. Prospective studies would be needed to confirm the effect of prognostic factors observed., (Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is lack of information on the efficacy and safety of piperacillin–tazobactam administered by continuous infusion., Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether continuous infusion of piperacillin–tazobactam is superior in terms of efficacy to a 30 % higher dose administered by intermittent infusion to treat suspected or confirmed infection due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Setting Multicenter clinical trial with 11 third level Spanish hospitals., Method: Randomized, double-blind parallel-group clinical trial, controlled by conventional administration of the drug. Patients randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive piperacillin–tazobactam as continuous infusion (CI) or intermittent (II)., Main Outcome Measure: Primary efficacy endpoint was percentage of patients having a satisfactory clinical response at completion of treatment, defined as clinical cure or clinical improvement. Adverse events were reported. Results 78 patients were included, 40 in the CI group and 38 in the II group. Mean (standard deviation) duration of treatment was 7 (±4.44) days. 58 patients (74.4 %) experienced cure or improvement at the end of the treatment. There were no statistical differences in cure rates between the two treatment arms and no adverse events were reported., Conclusion: Continuous infusion of piperacillin–tazobactam is an alternative administration drug method at least similar in efficacy and safety to conventional intermittent infusion. Multivariate analysis is needed to determine whether continuous administration might be more beneficial than intermittent in certain patient subgroups.

The aim of this study is to determine the profile of the use of pemetrexed in metastatic or locally advanced NSCLC in Andalusia and its variation over 2 years (2010-2011). A prescription-indication observational retrospective multicenter study was conducted. Adult patients with locally advanced/metastatic NSCLC who received pemetrexed in any hospital in the Andalusian Public Health System during the first term of 2010 or the last term of 2011 were included. We collected patients' baseline characteristics, tumour histology and stage, pemetrexed indication and performance status at the start of treatment. In all, 107 and 170 patients (62 ± 11 years old) from 17 hospitals were included in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The predominant histology was adenocarcinoma (85%), 88% of patients had stage IV tumours and 52% Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group stage (ECOG) 1. Pemetrexed indications in 2010 and 2011 were: First line combined with platinum (28.97-37.64%); first line combined with platinum and maintenance with pemetrexed (24.30-28.82%); second line mono-therapy (12.15-7.65%) and maintenance (2.15-7.05%). Off-label use was detected in 22.43% (2010) and 18.84% (2011). In conclusion, pemetrexed combined with platinum is mainly used as first-line treatment in NSCLC patients with stage IV, adenocarcinoma histologic subtype and good performance status. Off-label use is high (especially in 2010). An adequate therapeutic positioning for pemetrexed based on effectiveness and safety analysis should be defined, so that NSCLC patients could be beneficiated with the most cost-effective chemotherapy treatment.

Purpose: The successful use of nadolol as an alternative to propranolol therapy in three cases of infantile hemangioma is reported., Summary: Infantile hemangioma is a benign vascular neoplastic disorder that affects up to 10% of newborns and can lead to deformity or local complications in severe cases. Propranolol, administered alone or in combination with corticosteroids, is increasingly used to treat infantile hemangioma, but its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and potentially cause central nervous system adverse effects has prompted research on alternative β-blocker therapies for the disorder that have more favorable safety profiles, including nadolol. This article describes the use of nadolol to treat three pediatric patients with a buccal or genital hemangioma who developed adverse reactions (mainly, irritability and sleep disturbances) or resistance to initial treatment with propranolol. The patients were 10 months, 12 months, and 4 years of age, respectively, when hemangioma treatment was initiated. The results of nadolol therapy were favorable, with involution of lesions and gradual disappearance of propranolol-associated adverse effects occurring in all three cases. As with any use of β-blocker therapy in a pediatric patient, a cardiac workup is advised before the start of nadolol therapy; blood pressure and heart rate monitoring should be performed at one and two hours after the first dose and continued during dose escalation., Conclusion: Nadolol was an effective alternative to propranolol in three pediatric patients with hemangiomas., (Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To analyze the impact of a multidisciplinary and decentralized safety committee in the pediatric management unit, and the joint implementation of a computing network application for reporting medication errors, monitoring the follow-up of the errors, and an analysis of the improvements introduced., Material and Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, pre-post intervention study was performed. An analysis was made of medication errors reported to the central safety committee in the twelve months prior to introduction, and those reported to the decentralized safety committee in the management unit in the nine months after implementation, using the computer application, and the strategies generated by the analysis of reported errors., Measured Variables: Number of reported errors/10,000 days of stay, number of reported errors with harm per 10,000 days of stay, types of error, categories based on severity, stage of the process, and groups involved in the notification of medication errors., Results: Reported medication errors increased 4.6 -fold, from 7.6 notifications of medication errors per 10,000 days of stay in the pre-intervention period to 36 in the post-intervention, rate ratio 0.21 (95% CI; 0.11-0.39) (P<.001). The medication errors with harm or requiring monitoring reported per 10,000 days of stay, was virtually unchanged from one period to the other ratio rate 0,77 (95% IC; 0,31-1,91) (P>.05). The notification of potential errors or errors without harm per 10,000 days of stay increased 17.4-fold (rate ratio 0.005., 95% CI; 0.001-0.026, P<.001)., Conclusions: The increase in medication errors notified in the post-intervention period is a reflection of an increase in the motivation of health professionals to report errors through this new method., (Copyright © 2013 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Lung cancer accounts for 20 % of cancer deaths in Spain. The most frequent subtype (87 %) is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Pemetrexed is a recently marketed drug added to NSCLC therapeutic arsenal. It seems to have become one of the most used options for the treatment of this condition over the last 3 years., Aim of the Review: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pemetrexed in NSCLC, in the different therapy lines. Method A systematic search of published literature was conducted using the main databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and the Center for Reviews and Dissemination) and subsequently a search of referenced literature was performed. We included clinical trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews. The evaluation of the quality of the articles was performed by pairs using specific assessment scales, Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) adapted for CASP Spain. Then we extracted data on efficacy and safety according to the treatment line assessed., Results: We identified 277 references. Finally, nine clinical trials and a meta-analysis complied with inclusion criteria. In first-line induction, treatment with pemetrexed associated with a platinum was similar in terms of efficacy to other alternative chemotherapy regimens, except in patients with non-squamous histology, in whom survival was higher in the experimental group. In maintenance treatment, greater efficacy was seen with pemetrexed in patients with non-squamous histology. In second-line treatment, there were no significant differences in terms of efficacy and safety for pemetrexed treatment versus other chemotherapy options. The most frequent adverse reactions were: hematological, gastrointestinal and neurological. All were significantly less frequent with pemetrexed versus other alternative therapies, except for liver toxicity., Conclusions: Due to the high degree of uncertainty as to its efficacy in certain subgroups of patients, including conflicting data; to its recent incorporation, and therefore lack of safety data in the medium and long term, and the high budgetary impact of its incorporation into health systems, it seems reasonable to optimize its use, identifying those patients who may benefit most.

Introduction: «High-risk drugs» are those that have a very high «risk» of causing death or serious injury if an error occurs during its use. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has prepared a high-risk drugs list applicable to the general population (with no differences between the pediatric and adult population). Thus, there is a lack of information for the pediatric population. The main objective of this work is to develop a high-risk drug list adapted to the neonatal or pediatric population as a reference model for the pediatric hospital health workforce., Material and Methods: We made a literature search in May 2012 to identify any published lists or references in relation to pediatric and/or neonatal high-risk drugs., Results: A total of 15 studies were found, from which 9 were selected. A model list was developed mainly based on the ISMP one, adding strongly perceived pediatric risk drugs and removing those where the pediatric use was anecdotal., Conclusions: There is no published list that suits pediatric risk management. The list of pediatric and neonatal high-risk drugs presented here could be a «reference list of high-risk drugs » for pediatric hospitals. Using this list and training will help to prevent medication errors in each drug supply chain (prescribing, transcribing, dispensing and administration)., (Copyright © 2013 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The primary objective of this review was to analyse the differences in efficacy between the administration of intermittent and continuous/expanded perfusion of piperacillin-tazobactam. Secondary objectives were to analyse the differences in safety, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic parameters, and cost-effectiveness between the two forms of administration., Method: We performed two different independent bibliographic searches. We encountered a total of 38 articles, and the final number included in the study was 6. We analysed the articles and collected the following variables: design, treatment administered to each group, total number of patients and number of patients in each study, variables collected in each study, and results., Results: We encountered significant differences in the primary variable in two of the six studies favouring continuous/expanded perfusion. The study by Lodise et al found differences (P=.04) in mortality (31.6% for intermittent perfusion vs 12.2% for continuous/expanded perfusion). The study by Lorente et al found differences (P=.001) in terms of clinical recovery (56.5% for intermittent perfusion vs 89.2% for continuous/expanded perfusion). As for secondary variables, we only found differences in one of the studies in relation to cost-effectiveness, in favour of the group who underwent continuous/expanded perfusion method., Conclusion: The analysed data suggest that continuous/expanded perfusion would be at least as effective as intermittent perfusion, and that it could be more effective in severe patients with infections from more resistant micro-organisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Additionally, this form of administration is more cost-effective, at least in theory., (Copyright © 2010 SEFH. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)