PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S F Gardner

Publications and source records attributed to S F Gardner.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Medical versus pharmaceutical continuing education: are both appropriate for the pharmacist?

Continuing education (CE) courses in pharmacy and medicine often overlap with regard to their informational content. At the present time, however, it is feasible that two pharmacists could attend the same national meeting that has continuing medical education (CME) approval status and only one of them would receive CE credit from his state board of pharmacy. Therefore, a survey of 51 state board of pharmacy policies regarding acceptance of CME was conducted. Forty-five of the 51 boards of pharmacy require CE for relicensure. Twenty percent of state boards requiring CE accept CME credit without review, 24 percent do not accept CME credit, and the remaining 56 percent review submitted requests for CME credit. A general lack of uniformity exists among state boards regarding policies pertaining to CE credit. If CME credit was universally accepted, pharmacists would benefit from the increased availability of CE, the building of collegial relationships with other healthcare professionals, and the cost savings of combining courses that mutually benefit both pharmacists and physicians.

Accreditation↗
PubMed1985

A survey on the current status of health care marketing.

This article presents the results of a survey, conducted by Market-PULSE Measurement Systems, reflecting the growth of health care marketing and the marketing perspectives of health care professionals. The survey results echo the opinions of two groups of professionals: chief executive officers of hospitals over 100 beds; and administrators as well as directors of marketing, planning, and public relations who attended a recent health services marketing conference. The survey, a telephone interview, was conducted to determine: The degree to which hospitals are market oriented. The degree to which hospitals use survey research. The following is an analysis of what the surveyors found.

Data Collection↗
PubMedDate not supplied

24-Hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Both the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of Hypertension in Adults and the British Hypertension Society have made recommendations for the use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in select patient populations. This demonstration project explores the feasibility of a 24-hour ABPM service in assisting physicians with decisions regarding the implementation and modification of antihypertensive therapy. METHODS: After physician referral, patients met with a pharmacist for evaluation of their blood pressure. The pharmacist obtained a medication profile and instructed each patient on the proper use of the monitor. Patients completed an activity diary while wearing the monitor. After analysis of the reports, the pharmacist forwarded recommendations and the 24-hour blood pressure data to the referring physician. RESULTS: Sixty patients took part in the demonstration project. The primary reasons for referral included evaluation of suspected isolated office hypertension, drug resistance, blood pressure control in diabetic patients, and suspected drug-induced orthostatic hypotension. The referring physicians accepted 100% of the pharmacists' therapeutic recommendations. Unnecessary therapy was avoided in 12 of 40 of patients with suspected isolated office hypertension (30%), and more aggressive treatment was started in 6 of 7 of patients with type 2 diabetes (87.5%). CONCLUSIONS: This project shows that a 24-hour ABPM consultation service can provide useful information for determining which patients have isolated office hypertension and in guiding drug regimen modification for patients with diabetes, suspected resistant hypertension, or drug-induced alterations in blood pressure.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Community pharmacy data bases to identify patients at high risk for hypercholesterolemia.

We compared the effectiveness of selectively screening pharmacy data bases to identify patients with hypercholesterolemia with that of mass cholesterol screening. Screening data bases of four community pharmacies yielded 426 patients filling prescriptions for beta-blockers, thiazide diuretics, oral hypoglycemics, insulin, sublingual nitroglycerin, nicotine gum, or nicotine patches. They were invited to attend a cholesterol screening. Eighty-eight of the contacted patients attended, as did 97 walk-in persons. Cholesterol readings were higher in the contacted group (p = 0.017). Borderline-high cholesterol levels (200-239 mg/dl) were reported in 36.3% of the contacted group and 29.8% of the walk-in group. High cholesterol levels (> 239 mg/dl) were reported in 31.8% and 18.6%, respectively. Targeting certain drugs that directly contribute to raising cholesterol or indicate other risk factors for coronary artery disease (e.g., diabetes mellitus) was an effective method of identifying patients with hypercholesterolemia.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Combination therapy with low-dose lovastatin and niacin is as effective as higher-dose lovastatin.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine if low-dose lovastatin in combination with niacin causes a greater percentage reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol than lovastatin alone, and to determine if the combination increases the risk of serious adverse effects. design. Prospective, randomized, open-label, clinical trial. setting. Family medicine clinic of a university-affiliated hospital. Patients. Patients with fasting LDL cholesterol concentrations of at least 150 mg/dl after 4 weeks of dietary stabilization and washout of any cholesterol-lowering drugs. INTERVENTIONS: Twenty-eight patients received lovastatin 20 mg/day for 4 weeks after dietary stabilization and washout. If LDL cholesterol remained above 130 mg/dl (100 mg/dl in patients with coronary artery disease), they were randomized to receive either lovastatin 40 mg/day or a combination of lovastatin 20 mg/day and niacin 500 mg 3 times/day. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: There was no difference in actual or percentage reductions of LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides between the groups. A greater increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol occurred with combination therapy (p = 0.024). There was no difference in liver function tests, glucose, or uric acid between the therapies. Based on drug-acquisition cost, combination therapy is approximately 40% less expensive than monotherapy. CONCLUSION: Low-dose niacin plus low-dose lovastatin was as effective as higher-dose lovastatin in lowering total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. The combination may offer benefit in raising HDL cholesterol levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of two formulations of nifedipine during 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine if one commercial extended-release formulation of nifedipine (Adalat CC) is as effective as another (procardia XL) in controlling blood pressure over 24 hours. DESIGN: Open-label, randomized, crossover study. SETTING: University-affiliated family medicine clinic. PATIENTS: Fifteen patients with stage 1-4 primary hypertension. INTERVENTIONS: Procardia XL or Adalat CC once/day was titrated to achieve blood pressure control. The effective dose was continued for 4 weeks, washed out for 1 week, and reinstituted with other study drug. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure was recorded the conclusion of each treatment phase. Treatment phases were compared for mean 24-hour blood pressure, mean daytime (6:00 A.M.-10:00 P.M.) and mean nighttime blood pressure, and mean blood pressure load (percentage of blood pressure measurements > 140/90 mm Hg daytime and > 120/80 mm Hg nighttime). Thirteen patients completed the study. No statistically significant difference was seen in mean 24-hour blood pressure (138/86 mm Hg for Procardia XL vs 137/85 mm Hg for Adalat CC), daytime or nighttime blood pressure, or blood pressure load. Two patients experienced clinically significant adverse effects while taking Adalat CC. CONCLUSIONS: In these patients with primary hypertension, Adalat CC was as effective as Procardia XL at controlling blood pressure for 24 hours. Blood pressure, heart rate, and adverse effects should be monitored 2-4 weeks after any exchange of Adalat CC for Procardia XL.

Adult↗