Insights Newsletter November 2024: 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. 

Questions About How to Vaccinate Adults Who are Using Immunosuppressive Meds

It is tricky to know which vaccines are okay to give to patients on immunosuppressive meds and when to give them. Some vaccines may be risky to give to these patients and others may not work as well. Our Letter articles discuss common meds and doses that are considered immunosuppressive. We also point out which vaccines should be avoided in these patients, and which are okay to give, along with vaccine dosing considerations for these patients. Readers can find more med-specific guidance in our FAQ chart, Vaccinating Immunocompromised Patients. Read More

Community Topic: Whether to Redose an Oral Med After Vomiting

Patients often ask if they should retake an oral medication after vomiting. Our Letter articles provide an overview of considerations to help with this decision. We give advice on when to lean toward or generally avoid redosing along with several specific medication examples. Readers can get step-by-step guidance in our colorful algorithm, Redosing Oral Medications After Vomiting. Read More

Hospital Topic: Think Outside the Box to Help Conserve IV Fluids

IV fluid shortages stemming from the effects of Hurricane Helene on Baxter’s North Carolina facility are expected to last for months. Our Letter articles provide several strategies to help hospitals conserve IV fluids. We provide guidance about how to optimize use of oral fluids and meds, along with advice about switching IV meds to IV push when possible. We also describe ways to save large-volume fluids and considerations for inventory management. Read More

NatMed Update: Beet Products Dominate Sales Growth

Clinicians will be asked about the role of beet supplements, as these took the top spot in sales growth for herbal supplements in 2023. Our NatMed article reviews evidence for beets for athletic performance and heart health. For example, beet supplements may improve performance during aerobic activities for some people. Also, beets may slightly lower blood pressure in healthy patients, but it is unclear if there is a benefit for patients with hypertension. Additionally, our article addresses safe dosing and possible side effects of beets, including a harmless, but possibly surprising, pink or red discoloration of urine. Read More

Last Tradeshow of the Year

Meet Us at ASHP Midyear and Enter to Win a Free Designer Handbag

Going to ASHP Midyear next month? We will be there too, and we’d love to meet! Stop by the TRC Healthcare booth #1054, or better yet schedule time for a quick meeting.

We have a lot of exciting solutions to share with you ranging from our industry-leading CE and compounding training offerings to the world’s largest natural medicines database, our technician knowledge assessment program that helps expedite onboarding, our pharmacy-specific legislative and regulatory solution, and more!

What We’ll Have at Our Booth:

• Exclusive Product Insights & Demos
• Free CE Giveaway
• Free Michael Kors Handbag Raffle
• Swag, Swag, and More Swag

Don’t forget to secure a meeting so we can discuss how we can best meet your organization’s needs.

Hope to see you in New Orleans!

New Blog! Compounding Chronicles

FDA’s Insanitary Conditions – Not just for Outsourcing Facilities

By Adam West, Course and Curriculum Manager at CriticalPoint

FDA’s “current thinking”
The Insanitary Conditions at Compounding Facilities Guidance for Industry is intended for “compounding facilities” that prepare drugs at any capacity. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that “guidance documents do not establish legally enforceable responsibilities. Instead, guidances describe the Agency’s current thinking on a topic and should be viewed only as recommendations, unless specific regulatory or statutory requirements are cited. Read the blog.

Explore CriticalPoint

Other Covered Topics

Discover the our latest CriticalPoint offering, Sterile Compounding Competency Assessment, that provides high-quality and efficient sterile compounding and hazardous drug-handling training that meets the latest and most stringent state regulatory requirements, and check out our latest Medication Talk episode where pharmacists and prescribers can earn CE credit by tuning in, and more. Read More