The art of the excuse

Excuses are a great way to deflect work. And just like everyone else I’ve ever met I’m guilty of using them when they suite my needs. But it feels like I’ve run into more than my fair share of people lately that have nearly perfected the art of the excuse.

Read more

Realistic view of medication reconciliation?

Hospitals & Health Networks: “Despite progress, medication reconciliation remains a bitter pill. Un-intended changes in medications occur in one-third of all patients transferred between hospital departments, and in 14 percent of patients at hospital discharge, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Most medication inconsistencies could be avoided if reconciliation were performed at … Read more

Pharmacists and medication adherence

WSJ: “”Retail pharmacists appear to be able to play a really substantial role in encouraging patients to use their medications better,” says William Shrank, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of pharmacoepidemiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “They are an underutilized resource.” A study by researchers at the Walter Reed Army … Read more

Where will automation and technology make the biggest impact in pharmacy?

I was planning on writing a rant this morning about lack of motivation, leadership and dumbasses – hey, I was in a fould mood when I got up – but then I opened an email from a friend. He asked me “How can retail pharmacists get involved in this [pharmacy informatics] industry?”. My first thought was … Read more

Tablet tid-bits

This morning at breakfast I sat across the table from an older gentleman in an Air Force flight suite. He was eating his cereal, drinking his coffee and playing with his iPad. I don’t often see older men in flight suites using an iPad so I felt compelled to strike up a conversation. I simply … Read more

Cool pharmacy technology – UCSF Robotics

UCSF: “Although it won’t be obvious to UCSF Medical Center patients, behind the scenes a family of giant robots now counts and processes their medications. With a new automated hospital pharmacy, believed to be the nation’s most comprehensive, UCSF is using robotic technology and electronics to prepare and track medications with the goal of improving … Read more

Lenovo continues to impress

Electronista: “Lenovo gave its ThinkPad X series a major refresh on Tuesday with a generational leap. The X220 notebook and X220t tablet both use a newer 12.5-inch, IPS-based rich color display but thrive with a new external ThinkPad battery pack. They can last up to nine and eight hours respectively on extended internal batteries, but … Read more