NHIF > NHIF Infusion Journal > NHIF Infusion Journal Past Issues > NHIF Infusion Journal Volume 1, Issue 2
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Infusion Journal is supported by:

Baxter

Past Issue
Volume 1, Issue 2 | July / August 2022

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Cheyenne Johnson, PharmD, Option Care Health; Daniel Decker, PharmD, MBA, BCACP, Option Care Health; Maria Giannakos, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, BCSCP, Option Care Health

Patients treated with intravenous (IV) vancomycin in the hospital often require outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) after discharge for the continuation of therapy. Despite vigilant monitoring, nephrotoxicity is a common adverse drug event associated with vancomycin in the home infusion setting….
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Danell Haines, PhD, Research Consultant; Connie Sullivan, BSPharm, NHIA; Jennifer Charron, RN, MSN, MBA, NHIA

Patients in the 65+ age group and those receiving outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) in the home setting are increasing. There is a void in research that investigates OPAT satisfaction and outcomes in the 65+ age group. To better serve the home infusion needs of this population, an investigation of the patient’s OPAT success rate and understanding of…
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Mark Wiencek, PhD, Contec, Inc.; Michael Bedenbaugh, PharmD, MBA, MS, Intramed Plus, Inc.; Lauren Pernot, BS, Contec, Inc.; Kate Douglass, MS, RN; Cognitive Design Associates

It is best practice to wipe down surfaces of supplies such as intravenous (IV) bags and vials packaged in cardboard boxes with a disinfectant before bringing the supplies into classified areas of a clean room. Effective decontamination of hazardous drug residues on containers such as IV bags may…

from the editor

Michelle Simpson, PharmD, BCSCP, MWC | Editor-in-Chief, Infusion Journal

A great deal of medical research goes unpublished. In fact, a 2016 analysis of U.S. academic medical centers found that the proportion of clinical trials published within 24 months of study completion ranged from 10.8% to 40.3%.1

Not all findings are fit for publication, but these numbers still suggest a significant loss. Publishing research benefits science and its application to practice. It helps other researchers design their experiments. It is the culmination of the research process, and the research cycle is not complete without communicating its findings to the scientific community. Publishing biomedical research is essential because it helps enhance understanding of health, diseases, and their management, improving medical practice and benefiting patients. Unfortunately, research professionals report a lack of knowledge of research methodology and limited medical writing expertise as 2 barriers to formally writing and submitting a manuscript to a medical journal.

Fortunately, seeing the need for education and support for publishing research in infusion therapies, the National Home Infusion Foundation developed a comprehensive Research Training Certificate Program. The program’s purpose is to support and educate independent researchers on performing studies with the potential to communicate their findings. The Research Training Certificate Program provides education on methods used to collect data and how to use tools to uncover new information and create a better understanding of the results. An entire section of the program details data collection, analysis, and interpretation. This is a solution to problem number one.

In addition, sharing and communicating the findings through publishing in a peer reviewed journal can seem like a monumental undertaking. The Research Training Certificate Program offers comprehensive guidance for writing the study reports and drafting the results, discussion, and conclusion sections. It covers how best to communicate the research, whether presenting a poster at a conference or publishing a manuscript in a journal.

Another common challenge is time. Knowing that it takes a series of dedicated blocks of time to design, conduct, and report out study findings, the Research Training Certificate Program focuses on efficient use of time. The program takes an independent researcher through the entire process, from determining the research topic, literature review, study rationale, methodology, and analysis. The final education session of the program is devoted to writing everything into a format that best communicates the research. Another problem is solved.

The reasons for independent medical research remaining unpublished vary. NHIF encourages independent research and supports researchers studying the effects of infusion therapies. The Research Training Certificate Program, available free to members on NHIA University, provides education and training on performing scientific research, particularly studies with the potential to communicate research in home and alternate site infusion. It closes a gap in training and education empowering researchers to become authors.

If you have a patient case or idea for writing a case report or questions about submitting a manuscript to Infusion Journal, contact: infusionjournal@nhia.org.

Learn more about the journal and review information on manuscript submission.

1. Chen R, Desai N, Ross J, Zhang W, Chau C, et al. Publication and reporting of clinical trial results: cross sectional analysis across academic medical centers. BMJ 2016;352:i637.