Pharmacists are challenged with providing appropriate pharmacotherapy for patients experiencing pain, agitation, and/or delirium during their acute illness. Additionally, critically ill patients are often at risk for acquiring iatrogenic complications, further complicating their pharmacotherapy regimen. Finally, pharmacists are faced with special populations with complex drug regimens in the cardiac and vascular surgical patient, in solid organ transplantation, and the neurologically injured. The third book in ACCP’s new Critical Care Self-Assessment Program (CCSAP) presents key reviews of matters related to pain, agitation, and delirium, preventative medicine, and approach to caring for special patient populations.

Pain and Sedation/Support and Prevention has 15 available continuing pharmacy education (CPE) credits. The book was developed under the leadership of Faculty Panel Chair Amy L. Dzierba, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM.

The first module deals with the approach to managing critically ill patients experiencing pain and agitation in the ICU. The second module reviews the benefits of the ABCDEF bundle in critically ill patients, as well as evidence-based strategies to detect and reduce the burden of delirium in critically ill adults, and strategies that can improve outcomes for adults with disrupted sleep in the ICU.

The third module addresses two common, yet preventable complications in ICU patients: GI bleeding related to stress-related mucosal damage; and venous thromboembolism. The module also addresses rational pharmacotherapy in the cardiovascular surgical setting, the use of immunosuppressive medications in solid organ transplantation, and pharmacotherapy conundrums in the neurologically injured.

Each CCSAP release includes two full-color online formats: (1) interactive PDFs you can save to your desktop or print; and (2) an e-media version you can view on an e-reader, tablet, iOS or Android smart phone.

All CCSAP chapters are fully referenced, with clickable hyperlinks to literature compilers such as PubMed. Other links provide ready access to clinical practice guidelines, official recommendations, and patient assessment tools. Graphic features focus on pivotal studies, patient care scenarios, and take-home points that can be readily integrated into clinical practice.

Publisher: ACCP, 150 pages, September 2016; ISBN-13: 978-1-939862-34-1

• Release date: September 15, 2016
• BCCCP credit expiration date: January 17, 2017
• ACPE credit expiration date: September 14, 2019
• Table of Contents
• Sample Chapter
• Technical Requirements: Internet browser and Adobe Reader