***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: BACKGROUND The collection of a complete , verified medication history is essential to patient safety . The involvement of clinical pharmacists has been shown to improve the completeness and accuracy of medication histories ; however , to our knowledge , involvement of pharmacy technicians has not been studied . OBJECTIVE Our aim was to determine whether verification of medication histories by pharmacy technicians in the emergency department ( ED ) would result in fewer errors in inpatient medication regimens compared to verification by the admitting physician team . METHODS We performed a prospect i ve cohort study of adult ED patients admitted for continuing care . In the intervention group , medication reconciliation was performed by pharmacy technicians in the ED before the creation of physician admitting orders . In the control group , pharmacy technicians conducted their history taking later , after admission . Initial admitting orders were then compared to the pharmacy technicians ' medication reconciliation taken before admission ( intervention group ) or after admission ( control group ) . Medication discrepancies were classified and determined to be justified or unjustified . Unjustified discrepancies were rated for harm potential . RESULTS In our cohort of 113 intervention and 75 control subjects , the mean age was 55 years ( st and ard deviation [ SD ] 16 years ) ; 96 patients ( 51 % ) were male . In the intervention group , 566 changes to home medications were observed on admission ; 352 ( 62 % ) were unjustified . Among controls , 406 changes to home medications were observed ; 228 ( 56 % ) were unjustified . This difference was not statistically significant ( p = 0.0586 ) . The rate of unjustified medication changes per patient was likewise not significantly different ( 3.14 [ SD 2.98 ] in interventions vs. 3.17 [ SD 2.81 ] in controls ; p = 0.9570 ) . The rate of medical errors did not differ between study groups , nor did severity ratings of unjustified changes . CONCLUSIONS Medication reconciliation by pharmacy technicians in the ED did not lead to a significant reduction in unjustified medication discrepancies BACKGROUND Medication reconciliation reduces potential medication discrepancies and adverse drug events . The role of pharmacy technicians in obtaining best possible medication histories ( BPMHs ) and performing reconciliation at the admission and transfer interfaces of care for pediatric patients has not been described . OBJECTIVES To compare the completeness and accuracy of BPMHs and reconciliation conducted by a pharmacy technician ( pilot study ) and by nurses and /or pharmacists ( baseline ) . The severity of identified unintentional discrepancies was rated to determine their clinical importance . METHODS This prospect i ve cohort comparison study involved patients up to 18 years of age admitted to and /or transferred between the Cardiology ward and the Cardiac Critical Care Unit of a pediatric tertiary care teaching hospital . A pharmacy resident conducted two 3-week audits : the first to assess the completeness and accuracy of BPMHs and reconciliation performed by nurses and /or pharmacists and the second to assess the completeness and accuracy of BPMHs and reconciliation performed by a pharmacy technician . RESULTS The total number of patients was 38 in the baseline phase and 46 in the pilot period . There were no statistically significant differences between the baseline and pilot audits in terms of completion of BPMH ( 82 % [ 28/34 ] versus 78 % [ 21/27 ] , p = 0.75 ) or completion of reconciliation ( 70 % [ 23/33 ] versus 75 % [ 15/20 ] , p = 0.76 ) within 24 h of admission . Completeness of transfer reconciliation was significantly higher during the pilot study than at baseline ( 91 % [ 31/34 ] versus 61 % [ 11/18 ] , p = 0.022 ) . No significant differences between the baseline and pilot audits were found in the proportions of patients with at least one BPMH discrepancy ( 38 % [ 13/34 ] versus 22 % [ 6/27 ] , p = 0.27 ) , at least one unintentional discrepancy upon admission ( 21 % [ 7/33 ] versus 10 % [ 2/20 ] , p = 0.46 ) , or at least one unintentional discrepancy at the transfer interface ( 6 % [ 1/18 ] versus 3 % [ 1/34 ] , p = 0.58 ) . None of the 16 unintentional discrepancies were rated as causing severe patient discomfort or clinical deterioration . CONCLUSIONS A trained pharmacy technician can perform admission and transfer medication reconciliation for pediatric patients with completeness and accuracy comparable to those of nurses and pharmacists . Future studies should explore the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of this practice model BACKGROUND Medicare Part D is a voluntary prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries . As part of the coverage , medication therapy management services ( MTMS ) are m and ated for beneficiaries with chronic diseases who take multiple medications covered under part D and who are likely to incur annual costs that exceed a specified level . OBJECTIVE To predict the behavioral intention of pharmacists to provide Medicare medication therapy management services ( MTMS ) using the theory of planned behavior ( TPB ) and to determine the relationship between pharmacists ' characteristics and intention to provide MTMS . METHODS The population for this cross-sectional descriptive study consisted of all community pharmacists in Iowa . Data collection occurred through a self-administered anonymous mail survey . Two surveys each were mailed to 500 pharmacies selected through a stratified r and om sample , 1 survey for the pharmacy manager and 1 survey for a staff pharmacist if applicable . Descriptive statistics and scale reliability were calculated for each of the 4 TPB scales ( attitude , subjective norm , perceived behavioral control , and intention ) . Linear regression was used to predict intent as a function of the other 3 TPB factors , demographic factors , experience , and type of pharmacy . RESULTS Out of 212 surveys received , 203 had usable data . The usable response rate ranged from 21 % to 41 % . Pharmacists ' intent to provide MTMS was generally positive but varied in strength with a mean score of 22.47 ( + /-4.00 ) and a range of 7 - 30 . Pharmacists mostly agreed that they had appropriate training to provide MTMS but lacked time and support . The linear regression analysis found the constructs of attitude , subjective norm , and perceived behavioral control to be significant predictors of intent ( P<.05 ) . Pharmacists with stronger intent to provide MTMS were those who felt they had more control over providing MTMS , felt their peers approved of the provision of MTMS , and had a positive attitude about providing MTMS . Type of pharmacy and pharmacist demographic variables were not significant predictors of intent to provide MTMS . CONCLUSION Pharmacists showed generally positive intent to provide MTMS . Perceived behavioral control , subjective norm , and attitude were significant predictors of intent ( P<.05 ) . Strategies to help pharmacists provide MTMS should focus on finding time and support to provide MTMS rather than individual educational needs OBJECTIVE To assess the effectiveness and sustainability of a 6-month Team Education and Adherence Monitoring ( TEAM ) intervention for black patients with hypertension in community chain pharmacies . DESIGN Cluster r and omized trial . SETTING 28 chain pharmacies ( 14 TEAM and 14 control ) in five Wisconsin cities from December 2006 to February 2009 . PARTICIPANTS 576 black patients with hypertension . INTERVENTION Trained pharmacist-technician teams implemented a 6-month intervention using scheduled visits , Brief Medication Question naires ( BMQs ) , and novel toolkits for facilitating medication adherence and pharmacist feedback to patients and physicians . Control participants received patient information only . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Refill adherence ( ≥80 % days covered ) and changes in systolic blood pressure ( SBP ) , diastolic blood pressure , and blood pressure control using blinded assessment s at 6 and 12 months . RESULTS At baseline , all patients had blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or more . Of those eligible , 79 % activated the intervention ( mean 4.25 visits ) . Compared with control participants at 6 months , TEAM participants achieved greater improvements in refill adherence ( 60 % vs. 34 % , P < 0.001 ) , SBP ( -12.62 vs. -5.31 mm Hg , P < 0.001 ) , and blood pressure control ( 50 % vs. 36 % , P = 0.01 ) . Six months after intervention discontinuation , TEAM participants showed sustained improvements in refill adherence ( P < 0.001 ) and SBP ( P = 0.004 ) , though the difference in blood pressure control was not significant ( P < 0.05 ) compared with control participants . Analysis of intervention fidelity showed that patients who received the full intervention during months 1 through 6 achieved significantly greater 6- and 12-month improvements in refill adherence and blood pressure control compared with control participants . CONCLUSION A team-based intervention involving community chain pharmacists , pharmacy technicians , and novel toolkits led to significant and sustained improvements in refill adherence and SBP in black patients with hypertension The impact on the care of breast cancer patients , of a pharmacy technician-led medication review and counselling clinic , provided in an outpatient setting , was investigated using a controlled r and omised study . Compared to the controls , clinic patients showed a significantly improved level of underst and ing of their chemotherapy support medication ( 95 % CI for difference in mean knowledge rating scores=2.165–2.826 , P<0.001 ) and a significant reduction in the median number of support items required ( two compared to five in the control , P<0.001 ) . This result ed in a significant reduction in mean medication expenditure per patient ( £ 26.70 vs £ 10.20 , 95 % CI for the mean difference in cost £ 6.72–£26.26 , P<0.001 ) . The clinic was also associated with significant reductions in chemotherapy delays ( P<0.001 ) and dose reductions due to side effects ( P=0.003 ) . Other benefits from the clinic were a reduction in pharmacy dispensing time and a highly significant reduction in pharmacy time spent resolving post-clinic prescription queries ( P<0.001 ) . Taking into account the initial technician training cost , the scheme represented an annual saving to the Trust of over £ 15 000 . The clinic serves as a model for those wishing to improve outpatient services to breast cancer patients PURPOSE The ability of a pharmacy technician to support the patient screening and documentation-related functions of a pharmacist-driven osteoporosis management service was evaluated . METHODS A two-phase prospect i ve study was conducted within a large integrated health system to assess a pharmacy technician 's performance in supporting a multisite team of clinical pharmacy specialists providing postfracture care . In phase I of the study , a  specially trained pharmacy technician provided support to pharmacists at five participating medical offices , helping to identify patients requiring pharmacist intervention and , when applicable , collecting patient-specific clinical information from the electronic health record . In phase II of the study , the amount of pharmacist  time saved through the use of technician support versus usual care was evaluated . RESULTS The records of 127 patient cases were review ed by the pharmacy technician during phase I of the study , and a pharmacist agreed with the technician 's determination of the need for intervention in the majority of instances ( 92.9 % ) . An additional 91 patient cases were review ed by the technician in phase II of the research . With technician support , pharmacists spent less time review ing cases subsequently determined as not requiring intervention ( mean ± S.D. , 5.0 ± 3.8 minutes per case compared with 5.2 ± 4.5 minutes under the usual care model ; p = 0.78 ) . In cases requiring intervention , technician support was associated with a reduction in the average pharmacist time spent on care plan development ( 13.5 ± 7.1 minutes versus 18.2 ± 16.6 minutes with usual care , p = 0.34 ) . CONCLUSION The study results suggest that a pharmacy technician can accurately determine if a patient is a c and i date for pharmacist intervention and collect clinical information to facilitate care plan development BACKGROUND Obtaining an accurate and complete medication list ( i.e. , the best possible medication history [ BPMH ] ) is the first step in completing medication reconciliation . The ability of pharmacy technicians to obtain medication histories , relative to that of pharmacists , has not been formally assessed . OBJECTIVES To determine whether pharmacy technicians at the authors ' institution could obtain a BPMH as accurately and completely as pharmacists and if both groups met national norms for unintentional discrepancies and the success index for medication reconciliation . METHODS Pharmacy technicians were trained in obtaining a BPMH at the beginning of the study , before any patients were enrolled . Patients presenting to the emergency department were prospect ively enrolled to be interviewed separately by both a pharmacist and a technician , with information recorded on st and ard medication reconciliation forms . The completed forms for each patient were compared following each set of interviews , and discrepancies were clarified with the 
    Output:
    
Conclusion : Pharmacy technicians are utilized most often to support MTM through assistance in medication reconciliation .
St and ardized training for pharmacy technicians that delineates administrative support from pharmacists ' role of clinical decision making could help pharmacists obtain greater efficiency in MTM delivery