Date of Award
Spring 2023
Degree Type
Thesis
Department
College of Pharmacy
Director of Thesis
Dr. Brandon Bookstaver
First Reader
Dr. Melissa Nolan
Second Reader
Dr. Melissa Nolan
Abstract
Vancomycin is a mainstay of therapy for treating virulent and resistant infections, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, vancomycin requires therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for optimal dosing and treatment. This requires pharmacists to calculate a dosing regimen that correlates to appropriate goal vancomycin concentrations in the blood. Dosing vancomycin can be difficult, as it varies on a patient’s weight, renal function, age, etc. Doses may have to be adjusted in response to out-of-range concentrations, which requires further pharmacy calculations. Inaccurate dosing poses a risk to patient safety and places a resource and time burden on pharmacists. If vancomycin dosing methods do not prove to correlate with patient safety goals and therefore require further pharmacist intervention, then alternative antibiotic regimens could be considered. This article reviews the real-world accuracy of vancomycin dosing, the burden this dosing places on pharmacists, and the alternative antibiotics that may be used to replace vancomycin for certain indications.
First Page
1
Last Page
21
Recommended Citation
Parkhomenko, Kateryna, "Accuracy of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Vancomycin and the Pharmacist Role: A Retrospective Case-series" (2023). Senior Theses. 627.
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/senior_theses/627
Rights
© 2023, Kateryna Parkhomenko
Included in
Bacterial Infections and Mycoses Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Infectious Disease Commons, Medical Pharmacology Commons, Pharmacology Commons, Therapeutics Commons