Interview with Gregory Hughes, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP

Why did you feel that it was important to write A Medication Guide to Internal Medicine Tests and Procedures, 1^st Edition? What does your publication add to the field?  

Year after year on daily patient rounds with physicians and pharmacists in the Internal Medicine setting, I found myself answering the same types of questions and encountering the same types of problems over and over again. Physicians ask me about the appropriate use of medications when they are sending a patient for a test. Pharmacists ask me about tests or procedures because they are not familiar with the multitude of interventions performed in the Internal Medicine setting. Prior to the publication of this text, each professional had to scour various texts, guidelines, studies, and call different specialists to answer their questions. The lack of one orderly and broad resource resulted in wasted time, effort, and money, in addition to contributing to medication errors, confusion, redundancies, delays of care, and generally taking time that would be better spent caring for patients in other ways.  

This publication is the first resource where information about medications and their interactions with tests and procedures is found in a convenient, pocket-sized reference. 

What is the most exciting aspect of A Medication Guide to Internal Medicine Tests and Procedures, 1^st Edition? What chapter or topic covered in the book are you most excited about?  

There are several exciting aspects about this publication. One is that it is organized in an extremely easy-to-use format. Whether the reader is an experienced clinician or a student working up a patient case for the first time, readers can quickly navigate to the information they need. This is made possible by the alphabetical ordering of 54 tests and procedures, the Index, the “Table of Contents”, and the “Expanded Table of Contents.” The “Expanded Table of Contents” helps readers locate the appropriate chapter by including both the medically casual names and terms for tests and procedures in addition to the often longer, more formal names. 

Another exciting aspect about this publication is the neat format and readability of each chapter. Each test and procedure first starts out with a general description, then talks about when the test would be used, what we can learn from the test, and then delves into the medication nuances related to that test. This means that more experienced readers can quickly jump to the section that is most applicable to their current need. Each chapter also includes cross-references to other applicable chapters, as many concepts, tests, and medications overlap among each other. 

A third exciting aspect of this book are the initial chapters that give overviews about anticoagulation, glycemic management, and anesthesia. These topics have broad overlap with nearly every test and procedure in the publication and we felt dedicated chapters written by these experts would better serve readers rather than having each chapter touch on these areas. Where evidence is available, chapters about specific tests and procedures may address individual nuances in something like anticoagulation but the initial chapters lay out the general landscape of the topics giving users the ability to apply their overarching principles across patient care. 

Who will find the greatest value from A Medication Guide to Internal Medicine Tests and Procedures, 1^st Edition and why?  

This book is likely to be valued most by health care professionals in the early parts of their careers, though we expect more experienced professionals also have a great deal to learn. Physicians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other allied health professionals will all find aspects of the book beneficial. Many students, in particular, are required to pass experiential rotations in Internal Medicine and are likely to find this book of great value.  These early experiences can be very daunting for students first encountering a patient case riddled with medical abbreviations, jargon, tests, procedures, and medications. Medical language is its own language in a way and this book can help navigate the murky waters early on in one’s education. 

What new ideas, practices, or procedures do you hope your readers take away from your text?  

Readers of this text are likely to realize that there are more medication implications to tests and procedures than they previously thought. Essentially every test and procedure can have interference or dangers due to certain medications if they are overlooked. It might be surprising to some that there is often evidence to better appreciate these interactions. This concept might not have previously been given enough credence by readers. 

About the Author 

My name is Gregory J. Hughes PharmD, BCPS, BCGP and my primary position is Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Clinical Health Professions at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Additionally, I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.  While my position as a professor includes teaching in a traditional didactic setting, most of my time is spent on clinical work performing direct patient care. My clinical responsibilities include the role of a clinical pharmacist on the inpatient Internal Medicine service at North Shore University Hospital, a quaternary care medical center. I have served in this capacity since completing a residency program at the St. Louis VA Medical Center and the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. I am a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and a Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist. 

Purchase A Medication Guide to Internal Medicine Tests and Procedures, 1st Edition here!