Background: Transitioning a patient from the hospital to home is an area of vulnerability for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).  Patients with COPD frequently readmit as they often do not understand their disease state, medications or when to seek medical attention. Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the impact that pharmacist-led education has on a patient’s understanding of their disease state by assessing the results of the Lung Information Needs Questionnaire (LINQ). Methods:  This study uses a quasi-experimental design to formally assess pharmacist-led education provided to patients with COPD using the LINQ. The LINQ was used to assess knowledge of the disease state and medications before and after receiving education on disease state management, smoking cessation and proper medication use.   Results: A total of 17 patients completed the LINQ. The survey results showed a statistically significant improvement in patient understanding in 4 of the 6 targeted areas. Conclusion: Results from the formal assessment using the LINQ suggest that pharmacist-lead education for COPD patients is beneficial and reliable. This study presents a continued need for patient education and research in this high-risk patient population.   Article Type: Original Research

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a complex, high-alert medication that contains up to 40 different ingredients. Surveys have shown that current electronic health record (EHR) systems may lack functionality for safe and optimal delivery of PN. A gap analysis was performed by a multihospital system to identify opportunities to enhance the current PN process using the EHR utilized by the organization.

Chronic Care Management (CCM) is a billable service that pharmacists can provide either in person or via telephone in ambulatory clinics or community pharmacies. Pharmacists may use this service to expand current roles in patient care and add billable services to an ambulatory care practice.  The number of clinics employing CCM is steadily increasing, and to date, there has been limited information published to aid pharmacists who are considering implementing these services.  The purpose of this study is to compare enrollment success in a clinic-based, pharmacist-led CCM service using three recruitment strategies to enroll patients: in person, telephone, and provider referred recruitment.  This pilot study examined the success of three recruitment strategies using 94 patients eligible for CCM services in a rural health clinic. The primary outcome was successful enrollment in the CCM program with differences in recruitment strategy enrollment success examined using a Chi-square test. Overall, 42 of 94 patients (45%) were successfully enrolled in the CCM program with no statistical difference appreciated between telephone, in person, and provider referred recruitment. Nearly 33% (14/42) of patients enrolled in person, 40% (17/42) enrolled via telephone, and 26% (11/42) enrolled when referred from a provider.  Ten patients (11%) declined enrollment outright. The remaining 42 patients were hesitant to enroll and requested follow up.  In conclusion, there was no statistical difference in CCM enrollment success with in person, telephone, or provider referred recruitment, although more patients were enrolled via telephone than with the other two strategies.  Pharmacists implementing new CCM programs may tailor their recruitment and enrollment strategy to suit their specific needs.

Oral allergy syndrome (OAS), a class 2 food allergy, occurs when individuals sensitized to plant pollens ingest foods containing allergens homologous to the plant pollen. Common trigger foods include fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and when consumed, they result in oropharyngeal pruritis, tingling, and edema. Here, we report the case of a 28-yearold female with a history of allergy and exercise-induced asthma who presented with oral urticaria, lower lip edema, and tingling of the lips, mouth, and tongue after switching her daily consumption of whole-wheat bread to sproutedgrain bread. The patient discussed the symptoms with her pharmacist, who suggested OAS as a possible diagnosis and an elimination diet as an initial treatment. She removed fruits and vegetables from her diet, but coincidentally noticed that the ingestion of sprouted-grain bread consumed only during her work week triggered the reaction. The diagnosis of OAS and the implementation of an elimination diet that excluded the spouted-grain bread provided a successful treatment strategy for the OAS in this patient, and such therapy can be easily carried out by a wide variety of practitioners who are well positioned to offer such assistance.