Insights Newsletter August 2026: Emerging Trends for Clinical Leadership

This month’s Insights Newsletter covers the latest practice-changing pharmacy updates, emerging trends, and popular natural medicine topics and resources. 

Vaccines in Pregnancy: What’s Recommended and When

Your team is in the prime position to help ensure pregnant patients get the right vaccines at the right times. Our articles clarify when to give Tdap during each pregnancy, when vaccination is appropriate for RSV protection, and why injectable flu and updated COVID-19 vaccines are recommended in any trimester. We also outline which additional vaccines may be given based on risk factors or vaccination history. We also point out which vaccines should generally be deferred or avoided during pregnancy. Your team can refer to our other vaccine-specific resources for more guidance including our Tetanus Prevention and Vaccination, RSV Vaccines, and Communicating About Flu Vaccination. Read More

Community Pharmacies: Beyond “Great Job”: Giving Feedback to Grow Learners

It can be tough to provide students, residents, and trainees with effective and meaningful feedback. Our articles describe how to set expectations, encourage learner self-assessment, and use a conversational, collaborative approach. We also outline how to give timely, specific, actionable feedback with clear examples and measurable next steps. We also point out the importance of follow-up, learner acceptance, and modeling openness to feedback. Readers can dive deeper into this topic with our comprehensive Preceptor’s Guide. Read More

Hospitals: Unpack the Evidence About Sodium Bicarbonate Use in Cardiac Arrest and Acidosis

Hospital pharmacists should be ready to guide decisions about the use of IV sodium bicarbonate in cardiac arrest and acidosis from acute kidney injury (AKI). Our articles review evolving evidence around bicarb use in cardiac arrest and severe acidosis, including when benefits are uncertain and when use may still be appropriate. We also highlight practical considerations for monitoring, safety, and preventing fluid-related mix-ups. Teams can explore our IV Fluid Safety FAQ for tips to prevent mix-ups between bicarb and other fluids at the bedside. Read More

NatMed:

Biotin Beauty Claims: What Does the Evidence Show?

Patients ask about biotin for hair, skin, and nail health, but few realize it can also interfere with common lab tests. Our NatMed article reviews the evidence and a key safety issue. Biotin only modestly helps brittle nails, and any hair-growth benefit requires combination therapy – there’s no evidence of benefit for skin health. More importantly, biotin can distort thyroid, cardiac troponin, and hormone lab results. Advise patients taking 5 mg or more to stop at least 8 hours before testing, or about 72 hours before if taking 100 mg or more, to avoid misdiagnosis. Read More

Pharmacy & Prescriber Podcasts

Medication Talk

Listen to this month’s podcast episode, Estimating Kidney Function in Chronic Kidney Disease, as our expert panel untangles the latest recommendations for using equations to estimate kidney function. You’ll hear their insights on when and how to use creatinine, cystatin C, or both to help safely adjust medication doses in kidney disease. Read More

Rumor vs Truth

Listen to the latest episode, Laxatives, as our editors tackle some of the most common claims healthcare professionals hear about constipation treatment—and explore what the research really says. Read More

Clinical Capsules

Listen to our latest episode, New Therapies for MASH: What Healthcare Teams Need to Know, as our Associate Editor and Clinical Pharmacist Sara Klockars, PharmD, explores the growing prevalence of MASLD and MASH. She reviews newly approved treatment options, including semaglutide and resmetirom, and discusses how healthcare teams can help identify, support, and manage patients throughout their care journey. Read More

Other Covered Topics

Be sure to listen to our new Natural Medicines: Evidence in Practice podcast, Methylene Blue: Trendy, Clinical, and Not So Simple, learn how the new NatMed + Letters Search Integration allows for greater visibility into unmet information needs and actionable insight into where your teams are looking for supplement information and  watch our recent webinar, Your Workforce Readiness in One View: A First Look at Partner Hub, for guided walkthrough of Partner Hub, now available with Pharmacy Technician University (PTU) data.

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