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Pharmacy

Enhanced IV Line Clamp: A New Spin on a Classic
 Enhanced IV Line Clamp: A New Spin on a Classic 1024 683 Madison Storm
By: Madison Storm
Close-up of newly designed IV line clamps that improve patient safety and usability in hospitals by providing secure, easy-to-adjust flow control for intravenous therapy.

Revolutionizing patient care through human-centered design The IV line clamp is a long-standing technology used to deliver intravenous medications and fluids. For over 90 years, the simplistic, gravity-based design has remained unchanged, despite the growing complexity of patient care and significant advancements in medical technology. Enter Jenna Merandi, PharmD, MS, CCPS, medication safety officer, and…

Introducing the Fourth Wave of the Drug Epidemic
 Introducing the Fourth Wave of the Drug Epidemic 1024 575 Alaina Doklovic
By: Alaina Doklovic

Drug overdoses and poisoning are the third leading cause of pediatric death. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of fentanyl-related overdoses, with 15-19 year olds being the most affected. In the Ohio illicit drug supply, as shared by the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC), the emerging drugs, known as…

Nafcillin is a Safe Alternative to Vancomycin for Empirical Treatment of Late-Onset Sepsis Among Infants in the NICU
 Nafcillin is a Safe Alternative to Vancomycin for Empirical Treatment of Late-Onset Sepsis Among Infants in the NICU 1024 681 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD
sleeping infant

Guidelines to reduce vancomycin use at three Ohio NICUs did not impact mortality rate. In 2014, the Neonatal Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital recommended nafcillin rather than vancomycin for empirical therapy of possible late-onset sepsis in infants without a history of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection or colonization. In a new study, researchers…

Treating Intrauterine Opioid Exposure in Infants Born Preterm
 Treating Intrauterine Opioid Exposure in Infants Born Preterm 1024 575 Deborah L. Ungerleider, MD, FAAP
By: Deborah L. Ungerleider, MD, FAAP

We need a protocol to evaluate and treat neonatal abstinence syndrome in preterm infants. Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) occurs when infants who are exposed to opioids in utero develop withdrawal signs and symptoms after birth.1 According to past studies, NAS occurs in 55% to 94% of infants exposed to opioids, with an increasing incidence between…

Global Study Highlights Antibiotic Overuse in the NICU
 Global Study Highlights Antibiotic Overuse in the NICU 1024 683 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller
Baby in NICU

Antimicrobial stewardship programs were associated with lower antibiotic use, regardless of the country’s income level. Excessive antibiotic use among infants born preterm in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) is associated with poor patient outcomes, such as sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and others, and contributes to the emergence of multi-drug resistant microbes. A new…

Inverse Relationship Between Age and Dose of Blood Thinners for Children
 Inverse Relationship Between Age and Dose of Blood Thinners for Children 1024 495 Natalie Wilson
By: Natalie Wilson
blood cells

Infants and young children require higher doses of enoxaparin to treat blood clots than do older children. A blood clot, or thrombosis, isn’t a common problem in children, but it can be a dangerous one. Without proper treatment, a thrombosis can cause a host of long-term problems up to and including permanent damage to patients’…

Pharmacists: The ‘Next Big Thing’ in Population Health Management
 Pharmacists: The ‘Next Big Thing’ in Population Health Management 1020 304 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
Nationwide Children's style illustration showing a row of houses with a prescription in front of it

One of the nation’s largest pediatric accountable care organizations has expanded pharmacists’ role in quality improvement efforts, which could substantially impact prescribing patterns and patient management. Partners For Kids (PFK), one of the country’s oldest and largest pediatric accountable care organizations, is a provider-based organization dedicated to population health management with three key aims: improved…

Medical Marijuana 101: What Does Increasing Legalization of Medical Marijuana Mean for Pediatrics?
 Medical Marijuana 101: What Does Increasing Legalization of Medical Marijuana Mean for Pediatrics? 479 272 Chet Kaczor
By: Chet Kaczor

The legalization of medical marijuana has been front and center in community conversation over the last several years. As more states turn to legalization under specific conditions, the federal law has not changed. Experts in pediatric health care are carefully considering what legalization of medical marijuana could mean for children and adolescents with chronic or…

Free Disposal Bags Increase Rate of Proper Opioid Disposal
 Free Disposal Bags Increase Rate of Proper Opioid Disposal 150 150 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

With or without the bags, families of young children prescribed opioids after surgery properly discard drugs at more than double the rate of adults prescribed post-operative opioids. Handing parents a free drug-disposal bag and discussing its usage significantly increases the rate of proper disposal of unused opioid pain medication leftover after surgery, a study at…

Speedy Development of Support Programs for Second Victims Demands Collaboration
 Speedy Development of Support Programs for Second Victims Demands Collaboration 150 150 John Hofmeister
By: John Hofmeister

Openly sharing research and resources results in rapid development and growth of peer program for health care workers experiencing second victim phenomena. A career in health care brings many rewards — but it also puts its practitioners at risk for depression, anxiety, shame or career burnout whenever a medical error occurs or a patient experiences…

A Better Approach to Prescribing Medication
 A Better Approach to Prescribing Medication 150 150 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips

A small change in the way a doctor prescribes a medication can make a big difference. Officials from the accountable care organization Partners For Kids use this example all the time: Abilify, a behavioral health drug, is usually priced per pill, not by strength of dose. Two 5 mg pills cost nearly twice the amount of…

Specialty Pharmacy for Cystic Fibrosis Improves Access to Medication
 Specialty Pharmacy for Cystic Fibrosis Improves Access to Medication 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

In a project started to increase the number of patients taking Orkambi®, access and adherence increases for all medications. The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Program cares for a large population of patients of all ages with cystic fibrosis.  The program has participated in many recent clinical trials, including one that led to the FDA approval…

The Collapse of Biofilms?
 The Collapse of Biofilms? 1024 575 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips
Illustration showing the precise pattern of a biofilm - a perfect, 3D matrix

Scientists are working to eliminate the causes of countless chronic and recurrent human infections. Before the discoveries that could lead to biofilm eradication, before the idea that he was even working on treatments for the bacterial communities that are crucial to most human infections, Steven Goodman, PhD, had a mystery on his hands. For nearly 15 years. Dr. Goodman, then a biochemist…