CONTACT: Ellen Wilcox
Director, ASHP Public Relations Division
(301) 657-3000, ext. 1224
[email protected]
http://www.ashp.org
ASHP ANNUAL MEETING 2000, JUNE 4-7, PHILADELPHIA
Meeting Highlight Tips
The following news tips are based on research expected to be presented at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Annual Meeting 2000 Education and Exhibits to be held June 4-7 in Philadelphia.
Presentations
-- Update on the Institute of Medicine Report on Building a Safer Health System and Implications for Pharmacy Practice
Monday, June 5, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Linda T. Kohn, Ph.D., M.P.H., senior program officer with the Division of Health Care Services at the Institute of Medicine will lead a lively discussion on the Institute's report, "To Err is Human." She will talk about recent developments related to medical safety and answer audience questions. Philip J. Schneider, M.S., director of the Latiolais Leadership Program at the Ohio Sate University School of Pharmacy will discuss the implications that this report has on pharmacy practice and how medication safety contributes to a safer medical system.
-- Strategies to Minimize and Potentially Reverse Trends in Bacterial Resistance
Tuesday, June 6, 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Bacterial resistance is widespread and increasingly contributes to poor patient outcomes and escalating health care costs. This study looks at the many strategies for managing bacterial resistance and their effectiveness. In addition, the results of a recent prospective study demonstrating that involvement by a clinical pharmacist in a multidisciplinary antibiotic therapy team improve patient outcomes will be presented. This study shows that pharmacist participation in treating bacterial infections reduces length of stay, mortality, and patient care costs.
-- Strategies and Methods for Implementing Complementary and Alternative Medicine in an Acute Care Hospital
Monday, June 5, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
More and more Americans are turning to alternative medicine to meet their health care needs. This presentation addresses strategies and methods used to implement complementary and alternative medicine at a 162-bed acute care hospital. A multidisciplinary team was formed to assess whether complementary and alternative medicine modalities such as acupuncture and massage therapy could be successfully integrated in the acute care setting. Results indicate that by introducing integrative medicine into the acute care setting, patients benefit from conventional medicines and other systems of healing, all under the direction of a physician.
Poster Presentations
-- Searching for the Fountain of Youth
Monday, June 5, 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Numerous anti-aging products claiming to enhance longevity and restore vitality are offered for sale over the Internet. However, little or no scientific data is available on the effectiveness of these products. Using Lycos, pharmacy practitioners conducted a Web search for anti-aging therapies. Results were analyzed to identify those products that were pharmacologically active, the types of products sold, and the products' purported claims. Anti-aging products primarily fell within two classes: hormonal agents and antioxidants. Growth hormone was the most widely touted anti-aging preparation. Pharmacists and other health care practitioners need to learn about these substances, including their purported beneficial claims, so that they may educate patients and avoid potentially harmful outcomes.
-- Giving Acetaminophen Product to Infant and Children
Tuesday, June 6, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Proper dosing is critical when treating children with over-the-counter acetaminophen. This presentation discusses the effectiveness of a community educational program to teach parents and caregivers how to appropriately administer over-the-counter medications to infants and children. The program consisted of a presentation by a pharmacist, informational handouts, demonstrations, and opportunities for parents to practice measuring and dosing acetaminophen products. The program successfully educated 267 participants.
For more information about programs at ASHP Annual Meeting 2000, visit the Society's Web site at http://www.ashp.org. For press registration, contact Carla Reimche, ASHP Public Relations Specialist, at (301) 657-3000, ext. 1203 or send e-mail to [email protected].
ASHP is the 30,000-member national professional association that represents pharmacists who practice in hospitals, health maintenance organizations, long-term care facilities, home care, and other components of health care systems. ASHP, which has a long and distinguished history of medication error prevention efforts, believes that the mission of pharmacists is to help people make the best use of medicines. Assisting pharmacists in fulfilling this mission is ASHP's primary objective.
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