Poster Abstract Examples
Descriptive Report Poster Abstract
PLEASE NOTE: Do not include the field names – Purpose, Methods, Results, and Conclusion – in the body
of your abstract.
Title: Assessing pharmacist competency for processing adult chemotherapy orders in a community
hospital
Purpose: The avoidance of errors in the processing of chemotherapy orders is an important component
in the pharmacy department’s medication-use safety initiatives. Chemotherapy order processing was
identified as a needed competency assessment to heighten awareness in recognizing and preventing
chemotherapy medication errors. This project was designed to uncover and correct gaps in the
knowledge that pharmacists needed for the safe processing of chemotherapy orders at a community
hospital.
Methods: A pharmacist with advanced training (specialty residency) in oncology wrote a certification
module and a competency assessment examination. The certification module included readings, the
hospital policy on processing chemotherapy orders, and a chemotherapy order-processing checklist
designed for the pharmacist. The assessment examination used three actual patient chemotherapy
orders, each with specific patient demographics, laboratory values, and imbedded errors. Pharmacists
taking the examination needed to identify the errors to process the orders safely. All staff pharmacists
were required to complete the examination and instructed to work independently. A score of 100
percent was required to pass the competency assessment.
Results: Twelve pharmacists completed the module. Seven pharmacists correctly identified all the
medication order errors in the competency assessment examination. Five pharmacists needed
additional training in their identified areas of deficiency and took a customized assessment examination
to address those areas specifically. All five pharmacists successfully completed the second assessment
examination. The pharmacy director and clinical coordinators felt that the competency assessment
examination was successful in identifying gaps in knowledge. The pharmacists indicated that they were
more confident processing chemotherapy orders after successful completion of the module and
competency assessment.
Conclusion: Competency assessment was helpful in identifying and correcting knowledge gaps and may
be useful in medication order processing of high risk medications as part of the pharmacy department
medication-use safety plan.
Evaluative Study Abstract
PLEASE NOTE: Do not include the field names – Purpose, Methods, Results, and Conclusion – in the body
of your abstract.
Title: Effect of carvedilol or atenolol combined with a renin-angiotesin blocker on glycemic control
Purpose: Beta-blockers decrease cardiovascular risk in patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus
(DM). However, their use has been associated with increased fasting glucose and HbAlc levels in these
patients. The purpose of this study was to determine whether carvedilol or atenolol had more favorable
glycemic effects on patients with diabetes and hypertension who were also using a renin-angiotensin
(RAS) blocker, which is known to improve glycemic control.
Methods: The institutional review board approved this open-label, randomized, and controlled group
study. Men and women aged 18-65 provided informed consent and enrolled if they had Type 2 DM and
stage 1 or 2 hypertension controlled by medication. Patients taking a non-ocular beta-blocker within the
past 3 months and those with pulmonary, cardiovascular, or kidney disease were excluded.
Antihypertensive treatment must have included an RAS blocker, such as an angiotensin-converting
enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). Following a washout period to
discontinue all other antihypertensive treatments, 48 patients were randomized to receive either
carvedilol (n equals 25) or atenolol (n equals 23) for 24 weeks. Study medication was titrated from
carvedilol 6.25 mg twice daily and atenolol 12.5 mg twice daily to a maximum dose of 25 mg and 100 mg
twice daily, respectively, at two-week intervals toward target blood pressure levels (less than or equal to
130/80 mmHg). The primary outcome measure was a change from baseline in HbAlc
after 6 months of
treatment. Secondary outcomes included changes in blood pressure and heart rate. It was determined
that 23 participants per treatment group would yield 80 percent power to detect a difference of 0.20
percent between groups for the primary outcome. Data are expressed as means with 95 percent
confidence intervals, and evaluation of primary and secondary outcomes utilized analysis of variance.
Results: The mean difference between carvedilol and atenolol in the change in HbAlc
from baseline was
0.21 percent (95 percent CI, 0.04 percent to 0.27 percent, P equals 0.004). HbAlc
levels increased with
atenolol administration (0.23 percent; 95 percent CI, 0.08 percent to 0.31 percent, P less than 0.001) but
did not change significantly with carvedilol (0.02 percent; 95 percent CI, -0.06 to 0.08 percent, P equals
0.65). Effects on blood pressure and heart rate were comparable.
Conclusions: Use of carvedilol in the presence of RAS blockade did not affect glycemic control. However,
atenolol was associated with a slight increase in HbAlc
after 6 months of treatment. The clinical
significance of these effects must be determined in larger, long-term clinical trials.
Case Report Abstract
PLEASE NOTE: Do not include the field name “Case Report” in the body of your abstract. The entire
abstract is entered in the Case Report Field.
Title: Potential risk of transdermal alcohol application in patients on warfarin
Case Report: This case series illustrates the potential risk of transdermal alcohol application in patients
on warfarin. Patient 1 is being treated with warfarin for heart failure. The patient has a goal INR
between 2 and 3 and has had therapeutic INRs at the last twenty-two clinic visits. He presented to clinic
with an INR of 4.2. He denied symptoms of heart failure exacerbation, changes in diet, or changes in
medications. The patient reported that he had been applying rubbing alcohol to a back injury. At this
visit, patient was instructed to discontinue rubbing alcohol, hold two doses of warfarin, and then
resume his current warfarin regimen. He returned to clinic four weeks later and his INR was 2.3. His INR
remained in the therapeutic range for the next three follow-up visits. Patient 2 has been prescribed
warfarin secondary to an atrial valve replacement and has a goal INR range of 2 to 3. After six
consecutive therapeutic visits, the patient presented with an INR of 3.2. She denied medication or diet
changes, but reported that she had applied rubbing alcohol to sore legs several days prior to the clinic
visit. At this visit she was told to discontinue the rubbing alcohol, hold one dose of warfarin, and then
resume her previous regimen. The patient returned to clinic four weeks later and her INR was 1.8.
Patient’s INR remained in the therapeutic range for the next five visits. Patient 3 is being treated with
warfarin for recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) and protein S deficiency. Her therapeutic INR
range is 3.0 to 3.5 due to recurrent VTE despite therapeutic INR levels. Her INR in clinic was 4.3 following
a recent dose increase of her warfarin. She reported that she had been using four ounces of hand
sanitizer daily. She was asked to hold her warfarin dose that night, and then resume her current
regimen. She returned to clinic seven days later and her INR was 3.7. Despite being counselled on the
risk associated with the alcohol-based hand sanitizer, she continued to use approximately four ounces
daily. Over the next two months the patient’s INR fluctuated greatly with all but one INR in the
supratherapeutic range. The patient finally discontinued use of the instant hand sanitizer and her INR
fell to 2.6. Although the patient’s INR was never completely stable the two months following
discontinuation of the hand sanitizer, the INR fluctuations were more predictable. As this case series
suggests, the application of transdermal alcohol has the possibility to affect INRs in patients being
treated with warfarin. Although more study is needed to further elucidate this interaction, it is
important for providers to inquire about the topical application of alcohol and alcohol-containing
products.
