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Biomedical subjects

K E Zenk

Publications and source records attributed to K E Zenk.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
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Pharmacologic treatment of otitis media and sinusitis in pediatrics.

Otitis media and sinusitis are common diseases of childhood whose treatment is essential to long-term health. This article presents an update on the microorganisms involved in these two conditions and the selection and appropriate use of antimicrobial drugs for treatment. The issues of prophylaxis of recurrent otitis media and potential vaccines are discussed. In addition, approaches to increase patient compliance are presented, and the role of the nurse in educating parents about the condition and its treatment is discussed.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
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Notation of allergies and body weight on patient profiles.

The purpose of this study was to increase the documentation of allergy and body weight information on pharmacy medication profile cards for pediatric patients. The intent was to facilitate pharmacist evaluation of medication dosages ordered for these patients. A plastic allergy/weight imprinting card was supplied to each nursing unit and was used to imprint all admitting physician's order sheets. Allergy and weight information was to be filled in by the physician and/or nurse before routing a copy of these orders to the satellite pharmacy. Inservice education was presented and follow-up phone calls were made. During an 18-day control period, baseline data on documentation of allergies and weight were collected. During an 18-day study period, the allergy/weight card was used and follow-up phone calls were made. During an 18-day post-study period, the card and phone calls were removed. Percent of profiles having allergies and weight were, respectively: control period, 33 percent and 28 percent; study period, 80 percent and 76 percent; post-study period, 47 percent and 46 percent. Imprinting "allergy/weight" with space for filling in this information can result in an increased number of pharmacy patient profiles having these data so that medications can be checked prior to dispensing the first dosages of medication.

Body Weight↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of five inservicing methods in an intensive care nursery.

OBJECTIVE: Communicating to nurses new information on therapeutics or pharmacy procedures is a frequent challenge faced by most hospital pharmacists. Pharmacists should use the most efficient and effective methods to inservice nursing staff. The purpose of this study was to compare five methods of inservicing in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to determine which method resulted in the greatest knowledge retention as assessed by a ten-question quiz. DESIGN: Various combinations of written guideline alone, verbal discussion by a pharmacist with and without a written guideline, and verbal discussion by a nurse with and without a written guideline were used to introduce nurses to the use of caffeine for apnea/bradycardia of the newborn. Each nurse completed a quiz to assess knowledge retention. The written guideline and quiz were prepared by a pharmacist. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-eight nurses participated in the study: (1) group 1 (n = 11) received the written guideline only (no verbal discussion); (2) group 2 (n = 14) received verbal discussion by a pharmacist plus a written guideline; (3) group 3 (n = 9) received verbal discussion by a nurse-educator plus a written guideline; (4) group 4 (n = 9) received verbal discussion by a pharmacist (no written guideline); and (5) group 5 (n = 5) received verbal discussion by a nurse-educator (no written guideline). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean quiz scores for all groups were compared and assessed using the Irwin-Fisher test for equality of binomial probabilities on all possible pairs of groups. RESULTS: Mean quiz scores for groups 1 and 3 were 10; for group 2, 8.6; for group 4, 9; and for group 5, 9.2. Using the Irwin-Fisher tests for equality of binomial probabilities on all possible pairs of groups, the probability of obtaining a perfect score on the quiz was the highest for groups 1 and 3 (p < or = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations and the setting of this study, the two most effective methods of nursing inservice were a pharmacist-prepared written guideline followed by a quiz, and the written guideline plus a verbal discussion by a nurse-educator followed by a quiz. Use of these methods can reduce pharmacist inservice time and improve medication knowledge of the nurses and possibly reduce errors in the NICU.

Apnea↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of body weight on gentamicin pharmacokinetics in neonates.

The pharmacokinetics of gentamicin in large-for-gestational-age (LGA) and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) newborn infants were compared in a prospective study. Serum gentamicin concentrations were drawn just before (trough) or after (peak) the third or fourth dose of gentamicin sulfate 2.5 mg/kg given as a 30-minute i.v. infusion every 12 hours to 11 LGA and 12 AGA infants. Peak (Cmax) and trough ( Cmin ) serum concentrations, elimination rate constants (k), volumes of distribution (V), and clearances (CL) were compared between the AGA and LGA groups and within the LGA group between obese (n = 6) and nonobese (n = 5) infants. The serum gentamicin concentrations achieved in the LGA infants were similar to those in the AGA infants, with Cmin values less than 2 micrograms/ml and Cmax values of 4-7 micrograms/ml. The mean pharmacokinetic variables determined were consistent with literature values reported for AGA infants. No significant differences in these variables were observed between the two groups or within the LGA group. Greater variability in Cmax, V, and CL was observed in the LGA group as a whole. The initial dose of gentamicin now recommended for AGA infants should be appropriate for LGA infants. However, serum concentrations should be monitored carefully to detect interindividual variability in pharmacokinetics so that adjustments can be made to ensure therapeutic serum concentrations.

Body Weight↗