Rates of chronic conditions among pediatrics have been steadily increasing and medications used to treat these conditions have also shown a proportional increase. Most clinical trials focus on the safety of solitary medications in adult patients. However, data from these trials are often times extrapolated for use in pediatric patients who have different pharmacokinetic processes and physical profiles. As research increases and more drugs become available for pediatric use, the issue of polypharmacy becomes more of a concern. Polypharmacy is defined as the practice of administering or using multiple medications concurrently for the treatment of one to several medical disorders. With the increased rates of diagnosed complex disease states as prescribed mediations in pediatric patients, the prevalence and effect of polypharmacy in this patient population is largely a mystery. Polypharmacy falls within the realm of expertise of specialized pharmacists who can undertake medication therapy management services, medical chart reviews, and other services in pediatrics. Pharmacists have the time and knowledge to undertake pertinent interventions when managing polypharmacy and can play a major positive role in preventing adverse events. The aim of this paper is to review the literature on pediatric polypharmacy and provide insight into opportunities for pharmacists to help with management of polypharmacy. Information on adverse events, efficacy, and long-term outcomes with regard to growth and development of children subject to polypharmacy has yet to be published, leaving this realm of patient safety ripe for research.

Purpose: To analyze the impact of gender and race on statin prescribing patterns in patients with diabetes in a family medicine clinic. Methods: This study ( n =192) was a single-center, cross-sectional study that examined statin prescribing patterns at a family medicine clinic. Patients were obtained from January 2015 to November 2018, who were considered eligible for statin therapy based on a documented diagnosis of diabetes. The patients were divided into four subgroups for analysis (white males, non-white males, white females, and non-white females). Results: Females were found to have higher rates of prescribed statin therapy and appropriate statin intensity therapy when compared to males ( p >0.05). When evaluating gender and race, white females were more likely to be prescribed an appropriate statin when compared to non-white females ( p <0.05). Conclusion: The study shows that although males had a significantly higher mean 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk score, they were less likely than females to receive the appropriate intensity statin. Previous studies have shown race and gender disparities exist in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. A more collective, unified approach to improve prescribing patterns for statin therapy can eliminate these disparities.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of mono antiplatelet therapy vs dual antiplatelet therapy in reducing recurrent stroke and mortality in patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). A subgroup analysis was conducted to compare outcomes in African‐American patients compared with non–African‐American patients. Methods This is a single‐centre, retrospective, chart review, cohort study conducted at the University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO), New Orleans, Louisiana. This study includes all patients who are admitted to UMCNO with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke or TIA. The subjects were divided into two groups, patients who received mono antiplatelet therapy and patients who received dual antiplatelet therapy. Results A total of 762 stroke patients were included in the study. Of these, 499 (65.5%) received mono antiplatelet therapy and 263 (34.5%) patients received dual antiplatelet therapy. There was no statistical significant difference in the incidence of mortality and recurrent stroke in the mono antiplatelet therapy group compared with the dual antiplatelet therapy group. When comparing primary outcomes between African Americans and non–African Americans, there was no statistical significant difference in mortality rate and recurrent stroke rate between the two groups. Conclusion This study found no statistical significant difference in the incidence of recurrent stroke and mortality between mono antiplatelet therapy and dual antiplatelet therapy among patients who had ischemic stroke or TIA; with similar findings in a subgroup analysis comparing outcomes in African‐American patients compared with non–African‐American patients.

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Introduction: The purpose of this research is to assess the mean change in A1C associated with patients who declined a pharmacy-led diabetes management program and to evaluate effects of predictor variables on the odds of achieving improved A1C in these patients. Study design: Retrospective, single-center, single-group, cohort study. Methods: Patients 18 years or older with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (defined as A1C ≥ 9%) who declined pharmacy-led diabetes management services were included in the study. The primary outcome of the study was to assess the mean change in A1C from time of phone call offering pharmacy management services (initial) to last observed A1C (final recorded A1C). Results: A total of 91 patients were included, 46 males and 45 females. The significant reduction in the mean change from baseline A1C to the final measured A1C was −0.59 (95% CI, −0.9327% to −0.2447%, P-value = 0.0010). This resulted in 8.79% of patients’ final A1C falling into the range of < 7%. Conclusion: Our study found a paradoxical reduction in A1C among patients who declined pharmacy-led diabetes management services, however, our study is limited by having no comparison group. Further research needs to be conducted to identify correlations between characteristics of patients declining diabetes management services in order to assist with identifying patient-specific methods for improving patient outcomes.