Medication Safety News Posts

Recommitting to Antimicrobial Stewardship in North Dakota Post Pandemic
Antibiotic stewardship is the effort to measure and improve how antibiotics are prescribed by clinicians and used by patients. Emily Perry is an antibiotic stewardship pharmacist within the Center for Collaboration and Advancement in Pharmacy (CAP). Perry is less than...

Fentanyl: The Single Deadliest Drug Threat
According to the CDC, 107,375 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in the 12-month period ending in January 2022. A staggering 67 percent of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Some of these deaths were attributed...

Substance Abuse: Treatment is Available
If an individual is thinking about treatment for a substance abuse disorder, he or she is already making a move towards recovery. Fortunately, there are many programs and treatment centers available to help. More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses between...

Nursing Home Single Dose COVID-19 Vaccination Option
As COVID-19 hits its three-year mark, we have seen nursing homes take some of the biggest hits of the virus with their patients and their staff. Nursing homes homes are now able to enroll in CDC's COVID-19 Vaccination Program to obtain single-dose vials of a COVID-19...

What Can We Do About Opioids?
Did you know? The number of drug overdose deaths increased by nearly 30% from 2019 to 2020 and has quintupled since 1999. Nearly 75% of the 91,799 drug overdose deaths in 2020 involved an opioid. 187 people die every day from an opioid overdose.¹ Medical personnel,...

Stop the Stigma: Substance Use Disorders
Substance abuse: the use of illegal drugs or the use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs or alcohol for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be used, or in excessive amounts. Substance abuse may lead to social, physical, emotional and...

#FightFlu – Digital Media Toolkit Available
December 5 - 9, 2022 is National Influenza Vaccination Week; a critical opportunity to remind everyone 6 months and older that there’s still time to protect themselves and their loved ones from the flu this season by getting their annual flu vaccine. Currently, flu...

Join Us: Friday Focus 4 Health Series Launch | December 6, 2022
Series Launch: Join Us! Tuesday, December 6, 2022 | 3:00 p.m. CT [symple_button...

In Case You Missed It I Antibiotic Stewardship: Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections Webinar
In this session, Josh Ohrtman, PharmD, discussed antibiotic stewardship and the CDC's core elements and explain why appropriate use of antibiotics is important. Ohrtman also outlined barriers to antibiotic stewardship and provide resources and opportunities for...

CDC COCA Call: Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain I November 17, 2022
All patients should have access to effective and safe pain treatment options to achieve their optimal health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) support the clinician-patient relationship in providing personalized pain management solutions. The 2022...