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Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background: Since 2022, it has been mandatory in Québec to report all incidents and accidents (I&As) occurring in health-care facilities. Since 2011, a summary report of these I&As has been published each year. However, it is difficult to compare health facilities given that no denominator is specified and ratios are not calculated., Objective: The primary objective was to calculate the ratios of total I&As and medication-related I&As per 1000 inpatient-days per type of facility for all health-care facilities in Québec., Methods: This retrospective descriptive study was based on data from the period of April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2021. Data were extracted from the National Register of Incidents and Accidents Occurring during the Provision of Health Care and Social Services in Québec (Registre national des incidents et accidents survenus lors de la prestation des soins et services de santé au Québec) and financial reports. The ratios of total I&As/1000 inpatient-days and medication-related I&As/1000 inpatient-days, expressed as the mean ± standard deviation and median [minimum; maximum], were calculated., Results: A total of 85 health-care facilities had usable data, specifically 33 acute-care facilities, 45 long-term care facilities, and 7 rehabilitation facilities. The mean ratio for total I&As/1000 inpatient-days varied from 33 ± 19 to 38 ± 22 in acute-care facilities, from 14 ± 5 to 16 ± 7 in long-term care facilities, and from 99 ± 39 to 147 ± 55 in rehabilitation facilities. The mean ratio for medication-related I&As/1000 inpatient-days varied from 11 ± 7 to 12 ± 7 in acute care facilities, from 3 ± 2 to 4 ± 3 in long-term care facilities, and from 24 ± 10 to 40 ± 21 in rehabilitation facilities., Conclusions: This exploratory study demonstrated the feasibility of calculating I&A ratios from the National Register of Incidents and Accidents Occurring during the Provision of Health Care and Social Services in Québec. These ratios facilitate discussion of the reporting culture of I&As within the health-care system. It is hoped that these ratios will be added to future annual reports from the Québec I&A register., (2024 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.)

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship is a standard practice in health facilities to reduce both the misuse of antimicrobials and the risk of resistance., Objective: To determine the profile of antimicrobial use in the pediatric population of a university hospital centre from 2015/16 to 2018/19., Methods: In this retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study, the pharmacy information system was used to determine the number of days of therapy (DOTs) and the defined daily dose (DDD) per 1000 patient-days (PDs) for each antimicrobial and for specified care units in each year of the study period. For each measure, the ratio of 2018/19 to 2015/16 values was also calculated (and expressed as a proportion); where the value of this proportion was ≤ 0.8 or ≥ 1.2 (indicating a substantial change over the study period), an explanatory rating was assigned by consensus., Results: Over the study period, 94 antimicrobial agents were available at the study hospital: 70 antibiotics (including antiparasitics and antituberculosis drugs), 14 antivirals, and 10 antifungals. The total number of DOTs per 1000 PDs declined from 904 in 2015/16 to 867 in 2018/19. The 5 most commonly used antimicrobials over the years, expressed as minimum/maximum DOTs per 1000 PDs, were piperacillin-tazobactam (78/105), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (74/84), ampicillin (51/69), vancomycin (53/68), and cefotaxime (55/58). In the same period, the care units with the most antimicrobial use (expressed as minimum/maximum DOTs per 1000 PDs) were hematology-oncology (2529/2723), pediatrics (1006/1408), and pediatric intensive care (1328/1717)., Conclusions: This study showed generally stable consumption of antimicrobials from 2015/16 to 2018/19 in a Canadian mother-and-child university hospital centre. Although consumption was also stable within drug groups (antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals), there were important changes over time for some individual drugs. Several factors may explain these variations, including disruptions in supply, changes in practice, and changes in the prevalence of infections. Surveillance of antimicrobial use is an essential component of an antimicrobial stewardship program., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (2021 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.)

Competing Interests: Conflits d’intérêts: Aucun déclaration.

Background: The use of controlled substances, especially opioids, is a public health concern. Canada is the country with the second greatest opioid use in the world. The use of these substances is associated with problems of misuse, as evidenced by North America's opioid crisis., Objectives: To describe and analyze usage patterns for controlled substances in a health care facility from 2003/04 to 2017/18, and to propose a tool for monitoring the use of controlled substances in this setting., Method: In this retrospective descriptive study, usage data for all controlled substances were extracted from the institution's supply management software for the period April 1, 2003, to March 31, 2018. The data are presented according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification in terms of number of Defined Daily Doses (DDD) per 1000 inpatient-days, using the DDD values proposed by the World Health Organization. Only descriptive statistics were determined., Results: During the last 15 years, use of controlled substances at the study facility dropped by 43% (min. 739 and max. 1292 DDD/1000 inpatient-days per year). From 2003/04 to 2017/18, the main therapeutic classes consumed (in decreasing order) were opioids, hypnotics and sedatives, anxiolytics, and general anesthetics. The main opioid molecules consumed in 2017/18 were hydromorphone and injectable morphine., Conclusions: This retrospective descriptive study showed a decrease in the consumption of controlled substances in the study facility from 2003/04 to 2017/18. It also demonstrated the feasibility of developing a tool for monitoring the use of controlled substances in a health care facility. This approach could be implemented at a larger scale to foster comparisons between facilities., Competing Interests: Conflits d’intérêts: Aucun déclaré., (2020 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.)

Background: In the hospital setting, the medication-use system is complex, having more than 50 steps. To assess the compliance of the study organization's medication-use system with established criteria, an annual audit process was developed., Objectives: The primary objective was to describe the compliance of certain steps in the medication-use system (mainly medication management) in care units and outpatient clinics of a mother and child university hospital centre. The secondary objective was to compare the current results with those of previous audits., Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out in summer 2018 in patient care units ( n = 34) and outpatient clinics ( n = 28) of the study hospital. Data were collected according to an audit matrix., Results: In 2018, the rate of compliance with audit criteria varied between 32% and 100% for the patient care units. Relative to the previous year, the compliance rate remained unchanged for 30 criteria and worsened for 4 criteria. For 35% of the criteria (12/34), compliance was greater than 85%. In 2018, the rate of compliance with audit criteria varied between 0% and 100% for the outpatient clinics. The compliance rate increased for one criterion, remained unchanged for 21 criteria, and worsened for 2 criteria. For 32% of the criteria (9/28), compliance was more than 85%. Thirty-five recommendations were made to the pharmacy and nursing care committee, and a personalized report was sent to managers., Conclusions: This cross-sectional descriptive observational study reports the degree to which the medication-use system complies with medication management criteria, mainly in patient care units and outpatients' clinics. This original approach from the Pharmacy Department led to the formulation of 35 recommendations to the pharmacy and nursing care committee, which helped to improve the safety of the medication-use system in patient care units and outpatient clinics., Competing Interests: Conflits d’intérêts: Aucun déclaré., (2020 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.)

Competing Interests: Conflits d’intérêts: Aucun déclaré

Background: Many strategies aim to reduce the risk of work-related exposure to hazardous drugs for health care workers; these strategies include the use of specific systems to prepare and administer these drugs., Objective: To compare the cost of supplies used for preparing and administering one IV dose of antineoplastic in an adult health care facility in Canada between the traditional approach and one using a closed-system drug transfer device (CSTD)., Method: This study was a cost reduction analysis conducted from the perspective of a typical university health care facility. The assessment focused only on the cost of supplies used to prepare and administer one IV dose of antineoplastic. It was not necessary to account for discounting. We developed 12 scenarios involving some of the 11 possible steps in preparing and administering one IV dose of antineoplastic., Results: The cost of supplies used to prepare and administer one IV dose of antineoplastic ranged between $9.89 and $22.37 per dose with the classical system, and between $12.34 and $64.19 per dose for systems involving a CSTD. The annual average extra cost of systems involving a CSTD was 1.63 to 3.15 higher than the cost with the classical system and represents extra spending of between $363 566 and $1 238 072 each year for a typical adult health care institution., Conclusion: This cost reduction analysis presents original data relating to the preparation and administration of IV antineoplastics. Given the significant costs associated with preparing and administering antineoplastic drugs, decision-makers should perform a thorough analysis of costs and consequences to allow informed decisions to be made., Competing Interests: Conflits d’intérêt: Aucun déclaré., (2020 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.)

Background: Many different teaching strategies are used to promote learning in an academic or professional environment. Among these can be noted the emergence of simulation, based on the concept of escape games., Objective: To identify methodologies relating to the use, design, and implementation of escape games in health care., Data Sources: The Pubmed, Embase, and CINAHL databases were searched up to December 3, 2018., Study Selection: All studies focusing on the design or development of escape games in the health care field (published in English or French) were included., Data Extraction: For each study, the country, target population, design, development, method of evaluation, and results were extracted for analysis., Data Synthesis: Seven poster abstracts and 9 published articles were included. Twelve escape games were developed in the United States. They were used in medicine ( n = 5), pharmacy ( n = 4), nursing ( n = 4) and other fields ( n = 3), mainly within academic teaching contexts ( n = 12) but also in professional settings ( n = 4). Their goals were to improve knowledge ( n = 8), to increase participants' interest and motivation regarding a specific topic ( n = 2), and to improve cohesion and communication within a team ( n = 2). Ten of the escape games described in the articles were based on a clinical scenario. Ten of the research teams held debriefings with participants, and one did not; 5 articles did not report information about debriefing., Conclusions: Few data exist concerning the use of escape games in the health care setting, and it is too early to judge the efficiency of this approach to learning. However, growing interest justifies systematic monitoring of the literature to follow the evolution of such strategies and to better understand their place in health care education., Competing Interests: Conflits d’intérêts : Aucune déclaration., (2019 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.)

Background: Surfaces in health care centres are often contaminated with traces of antineoplastic drugs. Such contamination should be limited as much as possible, to reduce workers' exposure., Objectives: The primary objective was to monitor environmental contamination with 9 antineoplastic drugs in oncology pharmacy and patient care areas of Canadian health care centres. The secondary objective was to explore the use of sodium hypochlorite as a cleaning agent for cyclophosphamide contamination., Methods: This cross-sectional evaluation was conducted from January to April 2018. Twelve standardized sites were sampled at each participating centre: 6 in the oncology pharmacy and 6 in patient care areas. Six of the antineoplastic drugs (cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, methotrexate, gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil, and irinotecan) were quantified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry. For the other 3 antineoplastic drugs (docetaxel, paclitaxel, and vinorelbine), samples were screened for contamination but not quantified. The effect of using sodium hypochlorite as a cleaning agent was evaluated with a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for independent samples., Results: Of 202 Canadian centres invited, 79 participated. A total of 887 surface samples were analyzed, 467 from pharmacy areas and 420 from patient care areas. Cyclophosphamide was the drug most often found as a contaminant (32.2% [286/887] of samples positive, 75th percentile of measured contamination 0.0017 ng/cm 2 , 90th percentile 0.021 ng/cm 2 ). The front grille inside the hood (80.8% [63/78] of samples positive for at least one antineoplastic drug), treatment chair armrest (78.9% [60/76]), storage shelf in pharmacy (61.5% [48/78]), and floor in front of the hood (60.3% [47/78]) were the most frequently contaminated surfaces. Cleaning with a sodium hypochlorite solution was highly variable. Among centres that reported using sodium hypochlorite to clean armrests on patient chairs, the concentration of cyclophosphamide was lower (0.00866 versus 0.0300 ng/cm 2 , p = 0.014)., Conclusions: Despite growing awareness and implementation of new safe-handling guidelines, surfaces in health care centres were contaminated with traces of many antineoplastic drugs. Providing centres with attainable goals (e.g., 75th to 90th percentile relative to other similar centres) would help in identifying the sampling sites where improvements are needed and in achieving lower surface contamination., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (2019 Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists. All content in the Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy is copyrighted by the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy. In submitting their manuscripts, the authors transfer, assign, and otherwise convey all copyright ownership to CSHP.)

Background: Pharmacists are required to maintain a secure inventory of medications and to ensure proper, safe, and diversion-free dispensing practices., Objectives: The primary objectives of this study were to determine compliance with recommended practices for the management of controlled substances in a mother-child teaching hospital and to identify actions to improve compliance. The secondary objective was to identify steps in the drug pathway for controlled substances and associated failure modes in the study hospital., Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study used a framework developed by the California Hospital Association (CHA) to assess compliance with recommended practices for the management of controlled substances in hospitals. For each criterion, a research assistant observed practices within the pharmacy, on patient care units, at outpatient care clinics, and in operating and delivery rooms. The level of compliance was recorded as compliant, partially compliant, or noncompliant. An Ishikawa diagram was developed to illustrate steps in the drug pathway and associated failure modes related to the use of controlled substances in the study hospital., Results: The pathway for controlled substances at the study hospital was compliant for 56 (49.6%) of the 113 CHA criteria, partially compliant for 27 (23.9%) of the criteria, and noncompliant for 24 (21.2%) of the criteria; the remaining 6 (5.3%) criteria were not applicable. This practice evaluation highlighted 22 corrective actions, 12 (55%) that could be implemented in the short term, 8 (36%) suitable for implementation in the medium term, and 2 (9%) suitable for both the short and medium term. A total of 57 potential failure modes related to the use of controlled substances were identified., Conclusions: The pathway for controlled substances at the study hospital was compliant with almost half of the CHA criteria, and 22 corrective actions were identified. Pharmacists, physicians, and nurses should be mobilized to optimize the use of controlled substances throughout the drug-use process., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background: Drug shortages represent a complex global problem affecting patients and health care professionals on a daily basis., Objectives: To identify, describe, and compare drug shortages in health care facilities in Canada and 4 European countries in early 2018., Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 1 hospital in each of 5 countries: Canada, France, Belgium, Spain, and Switzerland. Over a 4-week period, shortage data were collected daily by each hospital using a standardized grid and a standard process., Results: From January 8 to February 2, 2018, there were a total of 84 shortages (median duration 32 days) in the Canadian hospital, 62 shortages (median duration 9 days) in the French hospital, 46 shortages (median duration 37 days) in the Belgian hospital, 28 shortages (median duration 25 days) in the Spanish hospital, and 98 shortages (median duration 68 days) in the Swiss hospital. The number of manufacturers implicated in the shortages was 28 for the Canadian hospital, 30 for the French hospital, 19 for the Belgian hospital, 16 for the Spanish hospital, and 42 for the Swiss hospital. Most of the shortages involved parenteral drugs, with both innovative and generic manufacturers being affected. Most therapeutic classes were affected by shortages to some extent, with the top 3 classes being anti-infective agents (accounting for 21.1% of shortages overall), central nervous system drugs (11.3%), and cardiovascular drugs (8.2%)., Conclusions: Drug shortages occurred almost daily in all of the study hospitals. Across the 5 hospitals, the frequency of shortages varied by a factor of 3, which may imply similar variability at the national level. All stakeholders should work more diligently to prevent and manage drug shortages., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background: Failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) is a systematic and proactive risk analysis method to determine major failures in complex processes., Objective: To identify all articles involving the use of failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), FMECA, or FMECA in health care within the medication use system., Data Sources Study Selection and Data Extraction: The MEDLINE database was searched, for the period January 1990 to January 2017. The search included studies using the FMECA method, in part or in full, and dealing with one or several components of the medication use system. The reference lists of articles identified in the initial search were checked manually for additional pertinent references., Data Synthesis: The researchers identified 171 articles, and retained 39 for analysis: 32 describing use of the FMEA or FMECA approach and 7 describing use of the FMECA in health care approach. They identified between 4 to 378 failure modes, according to the published studies. Among the 39 articles, 10 reported a pre- and post-implementation analysis of corrective measures. In 4 of those 10 articles, the analysis was conducted on a theoretical basis, that is, before the corrective measures were actually implemented. Using the articles retained for analysis, a summary table was developed with the following elements: publication year, main author, country, primary objective, secondary objectives, descriptions of both method and results, and comments. The summary table gave the opportunity to comment on the use of the FMECA-type analysis within the medication use system., Conclusions: This literature review included 39 published articles using an FMEA, FMECA, or FMECA in health care approach within the medication use system. Most studies used either the FMEA or the FMECA approach, whereas the FMECA in health care approach was used only rarely. Only a minority of studies assessed the effects of corrective measures that were implemented. This overall approach allows for mapping of a care process, determination of failure modes, and prioritization of corrective measures. Its use for the assessment of the medication use system should be promoted.

Background: Pharmacists have been involved in the care of transplant recipients for several decades, and a growing body of literature shows the beneficial effects of clinical pharmacist care on important outcomes for these patients., Objectives: The primary objective was to describe the roles and impacts of pharmacists in a solid organ transplant setting. The secondary objective was to describe and rate the pharmacists' interventions., Data Sources: Three databases-PubMed, Embase, and Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews-were searched from January 1, 1990, to June 16, 2015., Study Selection and Data Extraction: All studies addressing the roles of pharmacists and the impacts of clinical pharmacy services on the care of solid organ transplant recipients were considered. Only studies providing a statistical analysis were included. Design, setting, sample size, patient characteristics, pharmacists' interventions, study bias, and outcomes were extracted for analysis., Data Synthesis: Four randomized controlled trials, 4 cohort studies, 3 pre-post studies, and 1 quasi-randomized controlled trial were included in the review, representing a total of 1837 patients. Of the 12 studies included, 8 specifically focused on renal transplant, and 1 each focused on liver, lung, abdominal organ, and general solid organ transplant. The pivotal pharmacist activities leading to the main patient outcomes were medication counselling ( n = 8 studies), medication reconciliation ( n = 5), and reviewing and optimizing drug therapy ( n = 3). Improvements to medication adherence ( n = 6 studies), morbidity ( n = 4), costs ( n = 2), and medication errors ( n = 2) were reported., Conclusion: Currently available evidence suggests that pharmacists can improve patient outcomes in the solid organ transplant setting. Adherence, morbidity, costs, and medication errors were identified as the main outcomes that were improved by pharmaceutical interventions. Transplant programs need to invest more in this resource., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background: The scientific literature on knowledge translation (KT) is vast and complex, and most publications concerning health care interventions involve physicians and nurses. To the authors' knowledge, there have been no literature reviews on KT and its impact on pharmacy practice., Objective: To determine the profile of interventions relating to KT in pharmacy practice., Data Sources: The term "pharmacist" was used to search the web platform Knowledge Translation+ (KT+) to identify pertinent articles published between January 2010 and December 2016., Study Selection and Data Extraction: The main variables analyzed to determine the profile of KT interventions in pharmacy practice were the study's research protocol, the geographic location of the intervention, pharmacist roles, the types of knowledge transferred, and impacts of the interventions. The nature of pharmacy interventions was coded according to the classification on the Impact Pharmacie website., Data Synthesis: A total of 114 articles were selected: systematic reviews ( n = 25, 22%), randomized controlled trials ( n = 45, 40%), retrospective studies ( n = 21, 18%), prospective studies ( n = 13, 11%), and pre-post intervention studies ( n = 10, 9%). Most of the studies (74%) were conducted in a health care institution. The majority of interventions targeted pharmaceutical care steps, therapeutic educational sessions, and patient education. There was a lack of methodological rigour during the development of interventions and in their description., Conclusion: Pharmacists are key generators of knowledge, and their interventions related to KT are directed toward patients or other health care professionals. These interventions have mainly addressed the pharmaceutical care process and interdisciplinary work. The implementation of initial and continuing education, the management of information, and the designation of a pharmacist responsible for KT in each pharmacy department might promote the development of such KT. This concept might in turn support the design of a coherent pharmacy practice model., Competing Interests: Intérêts concurrents : Aucun déclaré.

Background: Several studies have compared cleaning procedures for decontaminating surfaces exposed to antineoplastic drugs. All of the cleaning products tested were successful in reducing most of the antineoplastic drug quantities spilled on surfaces, but none of them completely removed residual traces., Objective: To assess the efficacy of various cleaning solutions for decontaminating a biological safety cabinet workbench exposed to a defined amount of cyclophosphamide., Methods: In this pilot study, specific areas of 2 biological safety cabinets (class II, type B2) were deliberately contaminated with a defined quantity of cyclophosphamide (10 μg or 10 7 pg). Three cleaning solutions were tested: quaternary ammonium, sodium hypochlorite 0.02%, and sodium hypochlorite 2%. After cleaning, the cyclophosphamide remaining on the areas was quantified by wipe sampling. Each cleaning solution was tested 3 times, with cleaning and wipe sampling being performed 5 times for each test., Results: A total of 57 wipe samples were collected and analyzed. The average recovery efficiency was 121.690% (standard deviation 5.058%). The decontamination efficacy increased with the number of successive cleaning sessions: from 98.710% after session 1 to 99.997% after session 5 for quaternary ammonium; from 97.027% to 99.997% for sodium hypochlorite 0.02%; and from 98.008% to 100% for sodium hypochlorite 2%. Five additional cleaning sessions performed after the main study (with detergent and sodium hypochlorite 2%) were effective to complete the decontamination, leaving no detectable traces of the drug., Conclusions: All of the cleaning solutions reduced contamination of biological safety cabinet workbenches exposed to a defined amount of cyclophosphamide. Quaternary ammonium and sodium hypochlorite (0.02% and 2%) had mean efficacy greater than 97% for removal of the initial quantity of the drug (10 7 pg) after the first cleaning session. When sodium hypochlorite 2% was used, fewer cleaning sessions were required to complete decontamination. Further studies should be conducted to identify optimal cleaning strategies to fully eliminate traces of hazardous drugs., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background: With growing financial pressure and the range of new and expensive drugs, hospital administrators, clinicians, and pharmacy directors are facing tough decisions on how to manage drug budgets. At a Canadian mother-child hospital, a policy for new and expensive drugs was developed, with the goal of managing their use and costs., Objectives: To describe the development and implementation of a policy for new and expensive drugs in a mother-child teaching hospital and to describe the profile of requests for these therapies over a 12-month period., Methods: A brainstorming session was conducted with members of the pharmacy and therapeutics committee to define the criteria for new and expensive drugs at the study hospital and a new process to evaluate requests for these drugs. Over the 12-month period following implementation of the policy, all requests for new and expensive drugs were evaluated through collection and analysis of relevant data., Results: The new drug policy was launched on October 1, 2014. Over the following 12-month period, a total of 58 requests for new and expensive drugs were discussed, but only 47 request forms were completed and signed by a physician and a clinical pharmacist., Conclusions: New and expensive drugs represent a challenge for clinicians and hospital stakeholders. This study illustrates the implementation of a new policy for these drugs in a mother-child teaching hospital over a 12-month period., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background: There is increasing evidence that traces of hazardous drugs occur in the urine of health care professionals who are exposed to these drugs., Objective: To review the scientific literature regarding urinary monitoring of health care professionals exposed to antineoplastic drugs through their work., Data Sources: A search of PubMed using the Medical Subject Headings 'occupational exposure' and 'antineoplastic agents' and of Google Scholar using the terms 'antineoplastic', 'urine', and 'occupational exposure'., Study Selection and Data Extraction: The analysis covered all articles in English or French pertaining to health care professionals exposed to hazardous drugs in the workplace, published from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2015. Articles that did not discuss the results of urine tests and those concerning veterinarians, as well as literature reviews, editorials, letters to the editor, and conference abstracts, were excluded., Data Synthesis: Twenty-four articles were retained. The studies were conducted in 52 health care institutions in 7 countries. They included 826 workers exposed to hazardous drugs and 175 controls, specifically nurses ( n = 16 studies), pharmacists ( n = 10), pharmacy technicians ( n = 8), physicians ( n = 7), health care aides ( n = 2), and others ( n = 8). Various analytical methods were used to quantify the presence of 13 hazardous drugs, primarily cyclophosphamide ( n = 16 studies), platinum-based drugs ( n = 7), and alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine, a urine metabolite derived from 5-fluorouracil ( n = 3). The proportion of workers with positive results ranged from 0% ( n = 10 studies) to 100% ( n = 4). Considering only those studies that allowed calculation of the rate of workers with at least one positive urine sample ( n = 23), the total proportion was 21% (173/809 workers, for all methods and drugs combined)., Conclusion: Twenty-four studies on urine monitoring were conducted in 7 countries between 2010 and 2015. In several studies, no traces of drugs were detected in urine.

Background: Occupational exposure to hazardous drugs may lead to adverse reproductive effects. There is no safe exposure limit for health care professionals., Objectives: To monitor levels of cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and methotrexate contamination in oncology pharmacy and patient care areas in Canadian health care institutions., Methods: The study was conducted in 2014. Hospitals with at least 50 acute care beds were invited to participate. At each participating centre, 12 standardized sites (6 in pharmacy areas and 6 in patient care areas) were sampled. The samples were analyzed for the presence of cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and methotrexate by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry technology. The limits of detection were 0.36 pg/cm(2) for cyclophosphamide, 0.95 pg/cm(2) for ifosfamide, and 0.97 pg/cm(2) for methotrexate. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed to determine the median, 75th percentile, and maximum levels., Results: Fifty-one hospitals participated in this descriptive study, and a total of 584 samples were quantified. Overall, 294 (50%) of the samples were positive for cyclophosphamide, 125 (21%) for ifosfamide, and 54 (9%) for methotrexate. The most frequently contaminated sampling sites in pharmacy areas were the front grille inside the hood and the floor in front of the hood and, in patient care areas, the armrest and outpatient clinic counter. The 75th percentiles for surface concentration were 10.8 pg/cm(2) for cyclophosphamide, 1.59 pg/cm(2) for ifosfamide, and below the limit of detection for methotrexate., Conclusions: Relative to 3 other multicentre studies conducted in Quebec over the past few years, the proportion of positive samples remained constant. Nonetheless, the 75th percentile surface concentration of antineoplastic drugs has been decreasing and seems to have reached a plateau. Local (country-specific or region-specific) and attainable goals for surface contamination with hazardous drugs should be set annually, so long as no health-based limit is known.

Background: Tyrosinemia type I is a rare but severe genetic metabolic disorder. Nitisinone combined with a diet low in tyrosine and phenylalanine became first-line therapy in 1994., Objectives: To estimate the direct medical costs of health care services related to the treatment of tyrosinemia type I, taking into consideration the real-life efficacy of nitisinone., Methods: A cost-consequence analysis was performed for all children with a confirmed diagnosis of tyrosinemia type I who were treated in Quebec between January 1, 1984, and January 1, 2009. The costs of care were compared for 3 consecutive historical groups: no nitisinone (1984 to 1994), late intervention with nitisinone (first dose received between 1994 and 1997), and early intervention with nitisinone (first dose received between 1997 and 2008). Data were derived from patient charts, hospital databases, and the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec and MED-ÉCHO administrative databases. Costs were reported in 2008 Canadian dollars., Results: Nitisinone treatment was associated with significant reductions in the number and duration of hospital admissions, the number of admissions to a pediatric intensive care unit, and the number of liver transplants. The cost of hospitalization per person-year was significantly lower in the 2 groups treated with nitisinone: $673 and $5 590 for the early-intervention and late-intervention groups, respectively, as compared to $12 980 for the no-nitisinone group (p < 0.001). Hospital costs per person-year for liver transplant were $3 198 for the late-intervention group and $5 044 for the no-nitisinone group: there were no transplants in the early-intervention group. The cost of nitisinone per person-year was $51 493 for the early-intervention group and $64 895 for the late-intervention group., Conclusions: Nitisinone treatment significantly improved the outcomes of patients with tyrosinemia type I, while decreasing utilization of health care resources, liver transplants, and associated costs.

Background: Evidence for the value of pharmacists' interventions in the care of patients is strong and continues to grow, but the rate at which these new practice opportunities are being integrated into daily practice has not kept pace. The knowledge translation literature suggests that before effective change strategies can be implemented, a better understanding of the current environment must be obtained. Two important factors within the practice environment are the professional culture and personality traits of group members., Objective: To gain insight, at a national level, into the culture of hospital pharmacy, using the Organizational Culture Profile, and into hospital pharmacists' personality traits, using the Big Five Inventory., Methods: A cross-sectional survey of hospital pharmacists from across Canada was conducted intermittently over the period August 2012 to September 2013. The online survey contained questions about demographic characteristics and practice setting, as well as questions from the Organizational Culture Profile and Big Five Inventory. The survey link was distributed directly to hospital pharmacists or made available through provincial monthly newsletters. All data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially., Results: In total, 401 surveys were returned. Descriptive analyses from the Organizational Culture Profile revealed that most respondents perceived value in the factors of supportiveness, competitiveness, and stability. Descriptive analyses from the Big Five Inventory revealed that respondents may have been more likely to exhibit behaviours in line with the trait of conscientiousness. Several significant subgroup differences were noted in relation to levels of education, regions of practice within Canada, years in practice, and proportion of time spent conducting clinical duties., Conclusions: The results from this survey provide preliminary insight into the professional culture and personality traits of Canadian hospital pharmacists. It will be important to explore these findings in more depth to maximize the success of any future practice change initiatives.

Background: Honorary and ghost authorship, as well as competing interests, are well documented concerns related to the publication of scientific articles. Guidelines for writing and publishing scientific manuscripts are available, including those of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)., Objectives: The primary objective of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to identify, in the instructions for authors of pharmacy practice journals, guidance on authorship and competing interests. The secondary objective was to suggest suitable corrective measures for more transparent authorship., Methods: The first step of the project was to identify journals in the area of pharmacy practice. The instructions for authors of each journal were then reviewed to determine recommendations for avoiding problems related to authorship and competing interests. Finally, the members of the research team formulated potential corrective measures for researchers., Results: Of 232 pharmacy journals identified, 33 were deemed to focus on pharmacy practice. A total of 24 (73%) of these journals mentioned that they followed ICMJE policies, 14 (42%) asked authors to complete a competing interests disclosure form at the time of submission, 17 (52%) had a formal definition of authorship, and 5 (15%) asked for details of each author's contribution. A list of 40 criteria was developed to define authorship status., Conclusion: Fewer than half of the journals asked authors to provide a competing interests disclosure form upon submission of an article, and only half had a formal definition of authorship. The scientific publication of papers relevant to pharmacy practice is not free from issues related to publication transparency. Publishing articles online and using a checklist to detail each author's contribution may help to limit the associated risks. [Publisher's translation].

Background: A recent symposium on change management highlighted the relatively slow pace of change in the drug-use process. This study was undertaken to determine the degree of concordance between different sources that document levels of conformity with optimal drug-use processes., Objective: The primary objective was to compare aggregate national results from the Managing Medications Standards (MMS) of Accreditation Canada and results from the biennial Hospital Pharmacy in Canada survey. The secondary objective was to discuss any significant discrepancies between the 2 sources., Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, attempts were made to pair each Accreditation Canada MMS criterion with specific results from the Hospital Pharmacy in Canada 2009/2010 Report. Average conformity per criterion from the 2010 Accreditation Canada on-site surveys was compared with conformity as documented in the Hospital Pharmacy in Canada 2009/2010 Report. A discrepancy ratio was calculated for each criterion, with ratios less than 0.80 or greater than 1.20 being considered significant., Results: Overall, 82 (61%) of 134 MMS criteria could be paired with results from the 2009/2010 Hospital Pharmacy in Canada survey. The average calculated discrepancy ratio (± standard deviation) between the 2 sets of results was 0.62 ± 0.29 (range 0.05 to 1.19). The average discrepancy ratios by domain were as follows: 0.49 for safely administering medications, 0.58 for accurately preparing and dispensing medications, 0.61 for working together to promote medication safety, 0.62 for carefully selecting and procuring medications, 0.69 for monitoring quality and achieving positive results, 0.71 for appropriately ordering medications and transcribing medication orders, and 0.76 for properly labelling and storing medications. For 59 criteria, there was a significant discrepancy between the 2010 MMS on-site surveys and the 2009/2010 Hospital Pharmacy in Canada survey., Conclusion: Nearly two-thirds of the MMS criteria could be paired with results from the Hospital Pharmacy in Canada survey, but the average discrepancy ratio of 0.62 indicates substantial discrepancies in the data collected by these 2 methods. Further studies are required to explore the reasons for such discrepancies.