An international survey of more than 10,000 adults age 65 or older has found that more Americans had multiple chronic conditions and took four or more prescription drugs than their age mates in 10 other countries. The survey, the results of which were published in a paper in the December issue of the journal Health Affairs, found that 68 percent … Read More
The Pharmacist’s Corner: Clopidogrel dosing and genetic variations
By Rachel Sass, PharmD Should providers increase the clopidogrel dose in patients with decreased functioning CYP2C19 enzymes? Clopidogrel (Plavix) is one of the most well studied medications in pharmacogenetics. Clopidogrel is a prodrug, meaning that it needs to be converted to an active metabolite in the body to have an effect. This metabolizing process occurs in part via the polymorphic … Read More
Public-facing genetic registry launched
A genomic research project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) dedicated to finding which genetic variants are most relevant to patient care has launched a registry where people can enter de-identified information about their genetics. The Clinical Genome Resource project has launched its GenomeConnect patient portal, the PharmGKB Blog reports. The patient portal, or registry, is a repository … Read More
Raising awareness of diabetes in November
November is diabetes awareness month in the U.S., a time to learn more about a disease that affects an estimated 30 million American children and adults. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of adults with diabetes nearly tripled between 1980 and 2011, going from 5.6 million people to 20.9 million. The American … Read More
All that wheezes is not asthma: Doctor uses YouScript to solve puzzling patient case
As cardiopulmonologist Mark Pamer, DO, goes about his day at his South Florida practice, one adage from medical school that sticks in his mind is: “All that wheezes is not asthma.” “[As doctors], we probably all heard that. Did we understand it? You know, probably not,” said Dr. Pamer. “We understood it later on in residency or fellowship or in life.” This adage proved itself during Dr. Pamer’s treatment of a puzzling … Read More
Smart medication management key to fall prevention
Falls among the elderly are nothing to take lightly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cite falls as the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries among Americans 65 and older. In 2012, 2.4 million nonfatal falls among this age group were treated in emergency departments, and more than 722,000 of these patients were hospitalized. In 2011, about 22,900 members of this demographic died from unintentional fall injuries. Multiple government and nonprofit … Read More
YouScript cumulative interactions feature: Unique in healthcare software
Drug interaction checkers are common to most EHRs and e-prescribing solutions, but while other types of drug-interaction software will alert you about how two medications could potentially interact, they don’t take into account the effects multiple medications combined could have on each other. These cumulative interactions are more likely to be problematic than a single drug-drug interaction because they are more complex and often additive. In these scenarios, the magnitude of the increase or decrease in drug … Read More
Study: 32 percent of people with cancer have anxiety or other mental health disorder
A recent study has found that just more than 30 percent of people with cancer in Germany also experienced some form of clinically relevant mental health disorder. The article, published earlier this month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that 32 percent of people with cancer, or about one in three, had also experienced a clinically meaningful level of … Read More
The Pharmacist’s Corner: What roles can pharmacists play in pharmacogenetics?
By Rachel Sass, PharmD What is your perception of a pharmacist? Someone in a white coat at the local pharmacy who fills your prescriptions, answers your questions and helps you pick out the right over-the-counter medicine? This is how pharmacists have historically been remembered, and while this area of pharmacy is still critical to the field, the pharmacist’s role has … Read More
Participating in life again: A patient story of pediatric pain
Barbara Granoff, Founding Member of The Coalition Against Pediatric Pain (TCAPP), says her 15-year-old daughter’s life was changed by the DNA drug sensitivity testing Genelex offers. Shira is living with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome as well as dysautonomia, gastroparesis, Mast Cell Activation Disorder and more. “The amount of medications we tried in hopes of controlling the pain is mind boggling,” mother … Read More