Profession: Nurse

The identification and reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is essential to ensure safe and effective medication use. Despite ongoing pharmacologic advances, healthcare professionals continue to be hindered by barriers that include a lack of true consensus on both the definition and the value of reporting ADRs. This program is intended to identify the barriers of ADR reporting and to support the development of a consensus and recognized shared value of reporting these events to the entire medication safety community.

USP <795> nonsterile compounding standards have recently been revised and approved for implementation in November 2022. This new revision brings many changes that will impact all facilities that compound nonsterile compounds for human and animal patients. This session seeks to discuss the key changes in the USP <795> standards, identify challenges to addressing and implementing these changes, and discuss some strategies for implementing the changes successfully before the enforcement deadline of November 1, 2023.

While menopause is a normal part of aging there are many symptoms that are overlooked by clinicians as well as patients. There is also lack of awareness and access to menopause-related information for many patients. There are numerous health conditions that may be associated with menopause which both clinicians and patients need to be aware of. An update on the use of hormonal therapy is warranted with new information regarding the WHI study. In addition, this program would review new medications that are available to treat specific menopause symptoms.

Recently, new guidelines were published for the management of acetaminophen poisoning. These guidelines suggested a new toxic dose, made recommendations for when to start and stop acetylcysteine empirically, and other changes. Additionally, many people are using fomepizole and high-dose n-acetylcysteine for the treatment of acetaminophen poisoning, but the data are quite limited. Finally, emerging evidence suggests that prolonged administration of acetylcysteine may actually be harmful. This presentation will address these updates, alternative therapies, and emerging data.

Pharmacists are medication experts who are able to provide expert knowledge regarding many drug therapies. However, the role of nonstatin therapies is quickly. The intricate understanding of recommendations and evolving clinical data regarding the management of patients with cardiovascular disease or risk for cardiovascular disease play a key role in selecting appropriate drugs for these patients. Pharmacists play a key role in making these recommendations and helping manage patients who require additional cholesterol lowering.