Medication Safety News Posts

Be Antibiotics Aware: Protect your Patients
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging healthcare professionals to prescribe antibiotics only when necessary to help fight antibiotic resistance and the spread of superbugs and to protect their patients from antibiotic-related adverse drug...

Connecting the Dots: Antibiotics, Immunizations and Sepsis
Hats, mittens, cough drops and Kleenex become common shopping list items as the winter season approaches. Protection against the cold and supplies to fight a cold seem to be connected. Infections are a growing health concern and the Great Plains Quality Innovation...

CDC COCA Call: What Clinicians, Pharmacists and Public Health Partners Need to Know about Antibiotic Prescribing and COVID-19 | November 18
Thursday, November 18, 2021 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published several studies characterizing antibiotic prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic in outpatient, nursing home, and hospital settings. Findings from...

C. diff is Estimated to Cause Almost a Half a Million Infections In the U.S. Each Year
Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) is a germ that causes diarrhea and inflammation of the colon. The CDC estimates C. diff impacts almost half a million people in the United States each year and an estimated 29,300 deaths. C. diff is a bacteria spread by microscopic...

AHRQ Releases New App to Help Spanish-Speaking Patients Prepare for Medical Appointments
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a Spanish-language update to QuestionBuilder, an app intended to help patients prepare for their in-person or telehealth appointments. QuestionBuilder en español, released in conjunction with Hispanic...

Great Plains QIN Webinar: The Pharmacist – An Invaluable Community Resource | October 19, 2021
October 19, 2021 | 3:00 p.m. CT Individuals experiencing acute or chronic health conditions may engage with and receive prescriptions from multiple healthcare professionals. Tracking all medication, including over-the-counter options, is essential for...

The Pharmacist: An Invaluable Community Resource | Great Plains QIN Webinar – October 19, 2021
October 19, 2021 | 3:00 p.m. CT Individuals experiencing acute or chronic health conditions may engage with and receive prescriptions from multiple healthcare professionals. Tracking all medication, including over-the-counter options, is essential for preventing...

Great Plains QIN Webinar – Collaboration: Essential for Addressing Substance Abuse and Promoting Recovery | September 21, 2021
September 21, 2021 | 3:00 p.m. CT Many individuals are turning to negative coping methods in an effort to manage mental health issues triggered or aggravated by the ongoing pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration among health care and community partners is...

International Overdose Awareness Day: A Time to Remember. Time to Act.
CDC Marks International Overdose Awareness Day with New Research on Benzodiazepine Overdose August 31, 2021, marks International Overdose Awareness Day. It’s a day to remember and grieve those we’ve lost and to strengthen resolve to end overdose injuries and deaths....

Interprofessional Collaborative Efforts to Deprescribe Medications In Long-Term Care | September 20, 2021
Dakota Geriatrics, in partnership with the North Dakota Long Term Care Academy (ND Pharmacists Assn) and the John Hopkins University GWEP will be offering a webinar, Interprofessional Collaborative Efforts to Deprescribe Medications In Long-Term Care. Monday,...