Binghamton University faculty in pharmacy don't just teach, though that's a common assumption. In fact, there are many responsibilities that the public doesn't always hear about. One of the ways in which academic pharmacists are keeping you safe is through medication reviews.
"As a clinical pharmacist and a faculty member, we have different roles, and one of them is disseminating research. It's reviewing the evidence that has already been published and synthesizing it for a general body of practitioners," said Kelly Bach, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice. "Whether it's pharmacists or physicians or nurse practitioners, we provide them a resource article versus doing all that background digging themselves, and that can help pharmacists place someone in a particular therapy more effectively."
Along with Anthony B. Hopkins, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice; Azadeh Nasuhidehnavi, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences; and Rachel Lucas, director of the TRUST Program and clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice, the Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SOPPS) recently completed a medication review on etripamil, the first intranasal treatment for acute symptomatic episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT).
PSVT is a type of abnormal heart rhythm where the heart beats rapidly because of faulty electrical signals. The drug offers a safe, patient-administered option to reduce symptom burden and potentially decrease emergency department utilization. This medication is a good example of how the field is growing and innovating toward a healthier future; it is the first self-administered version for PSVT.
The goal is to synthesize a tidy review for other practitioners to be aware of new medicines. Researchers look at all the data that helped bring the medication to market - How does it work? What is the data supporting its use? Where might it be pertinent in practice? - creating a resource for other pharmacists, physicians, and providers.
"I have seen, over time, therapy options change based on new literature and guidance, and that influences how we treat patients, and hopefully improves patient outcomes, too," Bach added. "We're always looking for better outcomes than what we had in the past. You have to do continuous professional development to keep up with new medications and new guidelines."
Beyond expanding health resources, these opportunities are also great for more junior faculty members, who can grow their career skills with guidance from more seasoned colleagues.
"The team let me take the lead on this, with so much support," Hopkins noted. "Kelly, especially, was instrumental in helping me work through the steps from submission to review. Whether it's a review or original research, the team at Binghamton is always trying to help the less senior faculty and give them opportunities to develop skills, all while we do the same with our students. I'm looking forward to taking what I've learned through this experience and mentoring other junior faculty and students who are interested in submitting medication reviews for publication."
Projects like this have also led to original research. For example, another review team including Bach identified a medication that had no side effects listed in the package insert, and to remedy this, researchers will use the FDA adverse drug reporting system to see what adverse effects have been reported in the real world.
Binghamton researchers are working to make the future a healthier, safer place to live, working to stay on the cutting edge of medication expertise.
"Pharmacy and medicine in general are much more complex now than they were even just a few decades ago. We learn a lot in pharmacy school, but we don't learn everything, and some of what we learned has changed as more research and new medications come out," Hopkins said. "Writing a medication review article is one way we can help to keep our colleagues in healthcare up to date on the latest medication-related information."
