Drug Safety (DC)

  Drug Safety (DC)

Reducing Adverse Drug Events in the Elderly

Adverse drug events disproportionately affect patients over the age of 65 across all healthcare settings, including hospitals, ambulatory care, and long-term care facilities.

AQIN and Qlarant are working with healthcare providers, patients, and other interested stakeholders in communities across the District of Columbia to reduce and prevent adverse drug events. Our goal is to reduce emergency room visits and hospital readmissions and improve health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries.

Pharmacists also play a vital role in reducing avoidable hospital readmissions. Recent studies show that more than 15% of Medicare beneficiaries are readmitted within 30 days of discharge at an estimated cost of $12 billion annually. Interventions to improve handoffs between hospitals, physician practices, nursing homes, and others along the continuum of care are well documented. Qlarant is working on community-based care transitions programs around the District.

Community Of Practice

The following forums, containing discussions and resources, will be available soon:

• Anticoagulation Safety
• Anticoagulation Forum Excellence in Thrombosis Care (etc) talks
• Venous Thomboembolism (Blood Clots) - Patient Education Resources from the American College of Physicians (ACP)
• Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis
  • Special Issue: Management of Venous Thromboembolism: Clinical Guidance from the Anticoagulation Forum
• Hypoglycemia Avoidance/Diabetes Care
  • Preventing Adverse Drug Events Individualizing Glycemic Targets Using Health Literacy Strategies
  • Diabetes Care - Standard of medical care in diabetes - 2016
  • Diabetes Care - Standard of medical care in diabetes - 2017
  • National Diabetes Education Program - New Beginnings: A Discussion Guide for Living Well with Diabetes 
  • 2017 ISMP Guidelines for Optimizing Safe Subcutaneous Insulin Use in Adults
  • Diabetes Medication Tables
    • Insulins Table
    • Diabetes Agents Table
• Opioid Safety
  • U.S. Surgeon General letter
  • CDC's Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
  • Opioid Prescribing/Use Continuing Education
  • OLDER AMERICANS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH Issue Brief 5: Prescription Medication Misuse and Abuse Among Older Adults
  • CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES (CMS) OPIOID MISUSE STRATEGY 2016
  • Fight The Opioid Crisis Infographic (from the Healthcare Fraud Prevention Partnership – HFPP)
  • Healthcare Payer Strategies to Reduce the Harms of Opioids White paper (The Healthcare Fraud Prevention Partnership’s Commitment to the Management of Opioid Misuse and Opioid Use Disorder)
  • Prescription Drug Monitoring Program State Videos
  • Pain Management (Joint Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs)
    • Department of Veterans Affairs Opioid Prescribing Data
    • VHA Pain Management – Opioid Safety
    • See Clinical Tools – Academic Detailing
    • See STOP PAIN
  • VA Opioid Safety Initiative – how did we get here and what is ahead?
  • DC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines in Emergency Departments
  • CDC Rx Awareness Campaign Overview: Addressing the Prescription Opioid Crisis
    • Rx Awareness resources

  Resources

  • Brown Bag Toolkit
    • Brown Bag Medicine Review Day
    • Patient Medicine Review Form
    • Participant Brown Bag Evaluation Form
    • Participant Information to Remember Sheet
    • Pharmacy DC Board of Pharmacy Information for Consumers – Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet
    • Proper Disposal of Sharps
    • Medicine Drop Off Disposal Locations Near the District of Columbia
    • Pharmacy Assistance Programs_Medicine Access Information
    • Patient Assistance Programs
    • Brown Bag Label
  • Medication Safety and Adverse Drug Event Prevention Toolkit
    • Medication Reconciliation Process Audit
  • Polypharmacy
  • Rational Prescribing
  • Medication Adherence
  • Opioid oversedation, respiratory depression and naloxone administration
  • CDC Opioid Guideline Mobile App is now available for free download on Google Play (Android devices) and in the Apple Store (iOS devices)
  • Healthcare Utilization Project Statistical Brief - HCUP report

  Educational Sessions

  • Successful Medication Management through Transitions of Care – May 19, 2015 (PDF) Video Transcript
  • Opioids: The Painful truth. Understanding Opioids to Improve Outcomes and Safety

  View the video program and then complete the CE Quiz:

  Pharmacists: Click here to access the CE quiz
  Fees for program:  Free for pharmacist participants

  Continuing Education Information:

  ACPE # 0278-0000-16-029-H01-P 1.0 Contact Hours (0.10 CEU) for Pharmacists
  Knowledge Based Program expiration date: 10/27/2019

  Learning Objectives for Pharmacists:

  • Identify the relative effectiveness of common pain medications.
  • Describe common side effects of available pain medications.
  • Examine alternative treatments for pain, both in-patient and out-patient that will improve clinical outcomes and reduce costs.