• Pain Point: COVID-19 is still leading to thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths per day, but outpatient treatment remains underutilized. There are many treatment barriers, including lack of medication awareness, concerns of “COVID-19 rebound,” and confusion about drug interactions.    
• Solution: Our Pharmacist’s Letter, Prescriber’s Letter, Pharmacy Technician’s Letter, and Hospital Pharmacist’s Letter articles provide advice to help clinicians emphasize the treatment benefits of antivirals for COVID-19.  We discuss the first-line use of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) for most at-risk outpatients. We also give guidance for talking to patients about “COVID-19 rebound” and tips for managing drug interactions. Our resource, Outpatient COVID-19 Treatment Options, provides an algorithm to help readers determine the most appropriate medications for patients

• Pain Point: Updated federal law eliminates the “X” DEA number requirement for buprenorphine prescriptions for opioid use disorder (OUD) and the limit on the number of patients that a prescriber can treat for OUD. The goal is to improve medication access, since only about 10% of patients with OUD receive treatment.  
• Solution: Our Pharmacist’s Letter, Prescriber’s Letter, Pharmacy Technician’s Letter, and Hospital Pharmacist’s Letter articles highlight changes to the federal law regarding buprenorphine prescriptions. We give advice on how to help minimize stigma with opioid use disorder treatment. Our recommendations also include pearls on how to get patients started on buprenorphine, usual buprenorphine doses, and duration of treatment. We also include tips to reduce barriers to buprenorphine and help new patients. Our resource, Management of Opioid Use Disorder, gives readers a comparison of medications, a quick guide for initiation, and more. 

• Pain Point: Malignant hyperthermia is a rare, but life-threatening, emergency. Patient outcomes depend on a quick response time, and regulatory agencies may assess preparedness.  
• Solution: Our Hospital Pharmacist’s Letter and Hospital Pharmacy Technician’s Letter articles provide practical tips for prompt management of malignant hyperthermia. We help hospitals identify contents for malignant hyperthermia kits, with considerations for the cost of kit components and tips for error prevention. We advocate for mock drills to ensure hospitals can start treatment within 10 minutes of symptom onset. We also provide practice pearls, including guidance for temperature targets and monitoring.  

Prepares technicians to manage controlled substances with courses covering everything from be

Prepares PTCB-certified technicians to pass the CSPT™ exam through didactic and simulation courses that focus on the essential compounding knowledge standards. 

Provides technicians with an ACPE-accredited series of online courses, simulations, and skill assessments, covering the full range of competency needed to successfully administer vaccines — from preparing patients to completing administrative protocols. 

Ensures technicians practice safely by providing efficient, in-depth training and assessment tools for handling hazardous drugs to meet USP <800> requirements. 

Delivers efficient technician training on essential and commonly used calculations in community and hospital pharmacy settings, increasing their confidence and reducing errors. 

Trains technicians to master the necessary skills to administer tests safely, identify candidates for testing, and complete vital administrative tasks. 

Helps technicians build and develop essential competencies that lead to safer, patient-centered care and improved staff retention. 

This month’s TRC Hot Topic on-demand webinar features an expert panel discussion and clinical guidance on improving access to buprenorphine for opioid use disorder. Listen in as special guest, Nicole Gastala, MD, Assistant Professor from the University of Illinois Chicago Department of Family Medicine and Director of Behavioral Health and Addiction at the Mile Square Health Center, and other panelists discuss and answer common clinical questions. Watch the webinar.

Build competence and in-demand compounding skills with CriticalPoint's upcoming 2023 virtual trainings. Learn more and view the training schedule here.