Opioid overdoses straining hospital ERs

Prescription painkillers were involved in nearly 70% of the opioid-related overdoses treated at hospital emergency rooms in 2010, according to a study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine. » More

Combo pill approved for adults with type 2 diabetes

Xigduo XR is the first once-daily tablet combining a sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor and metformin HCI extended-release, a biguanide, approved in the United States. » More

Vaccine approved for serogroup B meningococcal disease

Meningococcal group B vaccine has been granted accelerated approval by FDA as the first vaccine licensed in the United States for active immunization to prevent invasive meningococcal B disease from Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B. » More

Husband and wife pharmacists create dehydration treatment

The product is available at a few Louisville-area pharmacies. However, the pharmacists are trying to strike deals with big-box pharmacies and Amazon.com. » More.

Continuing Education

Motivational interviewing techniques for chronic disease management: Focus on cardiovascular disease

This month's CE activity is part of a year-long CPE series, Medication Therapy Management Considerations for Adult Patients with Cardiovascular Disease. From February 2014 through January 2015, pharmacists can earn up to 24 hours of CPE credit with 12 monthly knowledge-based activities from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy and Drug Topics.

The goal of this month's activity is to educate pharmacists, particularly in the outpatient setting, regarding the clinical principles, techniques, and benefits of using motivational interviewing to improve cardiovascular outcomes in their patients.

To read and print the article with TEST QUESTIONS, click here.To proceed to the online exams and earn up to 2 CPE credits, click here to log in with the session code 14DT11-YXJ69.

Announcement: Our CE activities have moved to a new learning management system to better serve you. The login to the Online CE Center is https://web2.uconn.edu/pharmacyce/login.php. All current user registration information has been uploaded for your convenience. Current users do not need to register. To review your registration page to ensure the data is up to date or to register, go to https://web2.uconn.edu/pharmacyce/program_register.php For a full list of courses, go to http://pharmacy.uconn.edu/academics/ce/drug-topics-and-uconn-ce/.

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• Pain management and opiate use reduction

Voices

Anticoagulation Update