Free Webinar - "Pharmacy Implications with Enteral Nutrition" with Matthew Wanat, PharmD, BCPS - Wednesday, April 11, 2012, 2:00 PM Eastern. Reserve your seat now.
Pharmacogenetics is a rapidly-growing field of science that's full usefulness is still in question. For example, a recent study in Nature finds that "hundreds of associations between cancer gene mutations and anticancer medication sensitivity or resistance have been uncovered," while another in NEJM says, "a tumor's genetic makeup can vary significantly even within the same tumor sample" making these associations even more complex and costly.
Pharmacogenetic information is currently included in more than 200 drug labels in the United States. There has not yet been a commensurate effort to establish the resources, methods, and infrastructure, which would allow the translation of such evidence, representing a major obstacle in the application of testing.
Medscape recently interviewed Mary Roederer, PharmD, BCPS, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, after she presented a topic on Pharmacogenomics at APhA 2012 where she said that "as many as 1 in 4 prescriptions have some sort of pharmacogenetic variant that's relevant." Answer this week's poll: Do you currently use genetic tests in your treatment of patients?
In our next free webinar, "Putting Pharmacogenomics into Practice: Strategies for Successful Implementation," Leslie Mackowiak, RPh, MS will briefly introduce pharmacogenomics and some standard terminology. She will then review the experience of the pharmacists in supporting the practical application of pharmacogenomics into clinical practice using computer tools. This will involve describing the role of electronic health records and clinical decision support in facilitating drug management using pharmacogenomics. She will identify strategies and techniques for pharmacists to lead the introduction of pharmacogenomics at their practice site.
Mackowiak will describe how Vanderbilt University Medical Center assembled a multidisciplinary, multidepartment team consisting of pathology, informatics, pharmacy, practicing clinicians, ethicists, and legal and regulatory administrators to oversee the implementation of pharmacogenetics. Register now!
Sentri7 clinical surveillance software can help you compare test results to drug orders to provide optimal medication management in the hospital setting. It can give a work-list of patients that need evaluation and education, with drug orders and corresponding lab values updated in real time. Get a demo today.
Now onto the news!
Stay well-informed,
Team Pharmacy OneSource
Top Issue of the Week
A study by Regenstrief Institute and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs investigators provides the first in-depth look at how health care providers react to medication alerts generated by electronic medical record systems.
This Week's Topics
Improving Medication Alerts In Electronic Medical Record Systems Medical News Today
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