Kristyn Williamson, Anna S Milone, Stuart Haines, Amy Pittenger
Introduction: With declining applicant numbers, pharmacy education seeks to effectively communicate the value of the pharmacist on the health care team to attract learners to pharmacy. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) published entrustable professional activities (EPAs) to outline the expected roles and responsibilities of new pharmacy graduates. However, it is unknown whether these statements resonate with the general public and could potentially attract learners to pharmacy. Methods: A survey was administered to all students before and after the completion of an undergraduate overview of pharmacy course. Participants were to respond “yes” or “no” to statements assessing the relevance to pharmacy practice and the expectation of the activity to occur in all pharmacy practice settings. Results: A total of 283 students participated in the pre-course survey, with 258 students completing the post-course survey. Pre-course, 11 of the 15 EPA statements had a high level of agreement (>80%) for relevance to practice. The high level of agreement continued in the post-course survey with five EPA statements exhibiting a significant increase in both the relevance and expectation of the role in pharmacy practice. The secondary analysis revealed no difference among students with varying degrees of prior pharmacy knowledge or exposure. Conclusions: Most students, regardless of prior knowledge of pharmacy, found the EPAs illustrative of pharmacist activities even prior to completing the pharmacy course. Entrustable professional activity statements may be a reasonable means to communicate the value of the pharmacist to the general public.
{"title":"Undergraduate Student Perceptions of Pharmacy Entrustable Professional Activities","authors":"Kristyn Williamson, Anna S Milone, Stuart Haines, Amy Pittenger","doi":"10.24926/iip.v14i4.5076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i4.5076","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: With declining applicant numbers, pharmacy education seeks to effectively communicate the value of the pharmacist on the health care team to attract learners to pharmacy. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) published entrustable professional activities (EPAs) to outline the expected roles and responsibilities of new pharmacy graduates. However, it is unknown whether these statements resonate with the general public and could potentially attract learners to pharmacy. Methods: A survey was administered to all students before and after the completion of an undergraduate overview of pharmacy course. Participants were to respond “yes” or “no” to statements assessing the relevance to pharmacy practice and the expectation of the activity to occur in all pharmacy practice settings. Results: A total of 283 students participated in the pre-course survey, with 258 students completing the post-course survey. Pre-course, 11 of the 15 EPA statements had a high level of agreement (>80%) for relevance to practice. The high level of agreement continued in the post-course survey with five EPA statements exhibiting a significant increase in both the relevance and expectation of the role in pharmacy practice. The secondary analysis revealed no difference among students with varying degrees of prior pharmacy knowledge or exposure. Conclusions: Most students, regardless of prior knowledge of pharmacy, found the EPAs illustrative of pharmacist activities even prior to completing the pharmacy course. Entrustable professional activity statements may be a reasonable means to communicate the value of the pharmacist to the general public.","PeriodicalId":13646,"journal":{"name":"Innovations in Pharmacy","volume":"13 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139256004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rebecca Leung, Hayley Hefford, Ca Chew, Jamie Yuen
Background: The University of British Columbia (UBC) Pharmacists Clinic (the Clinic) is a pharmacist-led patient care clinic serving as a practice site for experiential education in a team-based primary care practice. Given the unprecedented circumstances surrounding COVID-19, pharmacy practice sites have transitioned some of their experiential education activities to a virtual format. Currently, there is limited literature on developing best teaching practices which are conducive to students’ success in a virtual environment. Objective: To determine the factors that enable successful development of a virtual patient care practicum experience at a university clinic from the perspectives of student pharmacists and practice educators. Methods: A qualitative research methodology was used to gain the perspectives of student pharmacists and practice educators. Separate focus group interviews were conducted using a semi-structured approach and consisted of questions aimed at gathering insight into participant perspectives on virtual practicums. The focus group sessions were audio recorded with participant consent and transcribed. A thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data. Results: Three pharmacist practice educators and three student pharmacists participated in their respective focus groups. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Six major themes emerged: (1) technology optimization, (2) patient care related activities, (3) student-practice educator relationship, (4) student skill development, (5) student support, and (6) in-person vs virtual practicum preferences. Proposed strategies to mitigate the limitations of virtual practicums included setting communication guidelines, arranging enriching learning opportunities, and having reliable internet connection. Conclusion: The participants in this study provided insight on factors to support successful development and delivery of a virtual patient care practicum. The results from this study can be applied to other health disciplines and their approach to virtual practicums during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.
{"title":"Strategies Proposed by Students and Pharmacists for Virtual Experiential Patient Care Practicums","authors":"Rebecca Leung, Hayley Hefford, Ca Chew, Jamie Yuen","doi":"10.24926/iip.v14i4.4985","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i4.4985","url":null,"abstract":"Background: The University of British Columbia (UBC) Pharmacists Clinic (the Clinic) is a pharmacist-led patient care clinic serving as a practice site for experiential education in a team-based primary care practice. Given the unprecedented circumstances surrounding COVID-19, pharmacy practice sites have transitioned some of their experiential education activities to a virtual format. Currently, there is limited literature on developing best teaching practices which are conducive to students’ success in a virtual environment. Objective: To determine the factors that enable successful development of a virtual patient care practicum experience at a university clinic from the perspectives of student pharmacists and practice educators. Methods: A qualitative research methodology was used to gain the perspectives of student pharmacists and practice educators. Separate focus group interviews were conducted using a semi-structured approach and consisted of questions aimed at gathering insight into participant perspectives on virtual practicums. The focus group sessions were audio recorded with participant consent and transcribed. A thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data. Results: Three pharmacist practice educators and three student pharmacists participated in their respective focus groups. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Six major themes emerged: (1) technology optimization, (2) patient care related activities, (3) student-practice educator relationship, (4) student skill development, (5) student support, and (6) in-person vs virtual practicum preferences. Proposed strategies to mitigate the limitations of virtual practicums included setting communication guidelines, arranging enriching learning opportunities, and having reliable internet connection. Conclusion: The participants in this study provided insight on factors to support successful development and delivery of a virtual patient care practicum. The results from this study can be applied to other health disciplines and their approach to virtual practicums during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.","PeriodicalId":13646,"journal":{"name":"Innovations in Pharmacy","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139264417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Objective: To assess student perceptions regarding: 1) exercises designed to enhance student comprehension of the roles of pharmaceutical excipients in dosage forms and 2) the use of resources to identify the roles of excipients. Description: In-class exercises regarding the roles of excipients were implemented in a foundational pharmaceutics course. The exercises covered the topics of liquid single-phase systems, liquid multiphase systems, drug delivery to the skin, and parenteral, ophthalmic, and nasal dosage forms. Students were introduced to resources to identify the roles of excipients. The exercises included the presentation of pharmaceutical preparations with various fundamental excipients, followed by student polling and class discussion. A survey was administered to evaluate student perceptions regarding the exercises about the roles of excipients and the use of resources to identify the roles of excipients. Findings: Eighty students participated in the study (response rate = 99%). Student perceptions indicated that the exercises helped them understand the material better and enhanced their performance in the non-sterile compounding course taught concurrently with the pharmaceutics course. Students indicated that the resources they used during the exercises were lecture notes from the course (95%), lists with excipients that the instructor provided (24%), a Web search, e.g., Google, Bing (20%), the sixth edition of the Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients (18%), Micromedex/Martindale (16%), and the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding (6%). Conclusion. Targeted excipient exercises are a practical approach to enhance student understanding and can be utilized in pharmaceutics and non-sterile compounding courses across various pharmacy curricula.
{"title":"In-class Exercises Regarding the Roles of Excipients in a Pharmaceutics Course","authors":"Eytan Klausner","doi":"10.24926/iip.v14i4.4977","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i4.4977","url":null,"abstract":"Objective: To assess student perceptions regarding: 1) exercises designed to enhance student comprehension of the roles of pharmaceutical excipients in dosage forms and 2) the use of resources to identify the roles of excipients. Description: In-class exercises regarding the roles of excipients were implemented in a foundational pharmaceutics course. The exercises covered the topics of liquid single-phase systems, liquid multiphase systems, drug delivery to the skin, and parenteral, ophthalmic, and nasal dosage forms. Students were introduced to resources to identify the roles of excipients. The exercises included the presentation of pharmaceutical preparations with various fundamental excipients, followed by student polling and class discussion. A survey was administered to evaluate student perceptions regarding the exercises about the roles of excipients and the use of resources to identify the roles of excipients. Findings: Eighty students participated in the study (response rate = 99%). Student perceptions indicated that the exercises helped them understand the material better and enhanced their performance in the non-sterile compounding course taught concurrently with the pharmaceutics course. Students indicated that the resources they used during the exercises were lecture notes from the course (95%), lists with excipients that the instructor provided (24%), a Web search, e.g., Google, Bing (20%), the sixth edition of the Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients (18%), Micromedex/Martindale (16%), and the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding (6%). Conclusion. Targeted excipient exercises are a practical approach to enhance student understanding and can be utilized in pharmaceutics and non-sterile compounding courses across various pharmacy curricula.","PeriodicalId":13646,"journal":{"name":"Innovations in Pharmacy","volume":"13 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139273097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
P. B. M. C. Hardik H. Patel, PharmD Betcy Benny, PharmD Candidate Prerna Nahar, Alex Landis PharmD, Candidate
Purpose: There are many challenges that pharmacist led antimicrobial stewardship programs can encounter including lack of resources, costs, and inaccurate antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased resistance especially with gram negative infections. At a small single center community hospital, gram negative infections, particularly Escherichia coli infections, predominately occur. Therefore, this study aims to address gram negative bacteremia burden and its impact on antimicrobial stewardship efforts for combatting Escherichia coli and ESBL organisms with such barriers during the pandemic. Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, patients ≥ 18 years of age from a small community hospital were reviewed. Patients were excluded if their blood cultures were not positive for Escherichia coli and if antibiotics were not initiated during hospital stay. The primary endpoint was to determine the length of hospital stay. Critical secondary endpoints include antibiotic de-escalations, duration of antibiotics, time to definitive antibiotic therapy, serum procalcitonin levels, blood culture availabilities, MIC breakpoints, co-infection of COVID-19, and Clostridioides difficile occurrences. Results: Out of 74 patients with gram negative bacteremia, 41 patients specifically had Escherichia coli bacteremia. The primary endpoint results showed that patients with Escherichia coli bacteremia that stayed in the ICU had a length of stay of 13.6 days. Patients with Escherichia coli bacteremia in the Non-ICU setting has a length of stay of 7.3 days, and patients with ESBL bacteremia in the Non-ICU setting had a length of stay of 6.8 days. Conclusions: Despite the various challenges that antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) face in a single center small community hospital, the ASP at this small community hospital utilizes various policies and tools to increase appropriate antibiotic use and decrease hospital length of stay in patients with Escherichia coli bacteremia.
{"title":"The Impact of Antimicrobial Stewardship in Treating Patients with Escherichia coli Bacteremia in a Small Single Center Community Hospital","authors":"P. B. M. C. Hardik H. Patel, PharmD Betcy Benny, PharmD Candidate Prerna Nahar, Alex Landis PharmD, Candidate","doi":"10.24926/iip.v14i4.5526","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i4.5526","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: There are many challenges that pharmacist led antimicrobial stewardship programs can encounter including lack of resources, costs, and inaccurate antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased resistance especially with gram negative infections. At a small single center community hospital, gram negative infections, particularly Escherichia coli infections, predominately occur. Therefore, this study aims to address gram negative bacteremia burden and its impact on antimicrobial stewardship efforts for combatting Escherichia coli and ESBL organisms with such barriers during the pandemic. Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, patients ≥ 18 years of age from a small community hospital were reviewed. Patients were excluded if their blood cultures were not positive for Escherichia coli and if antibiotics were not initiated during hospital stay. The primary endpoint was to determine the length of hospital stay. Critical secondary endpoints include antibiotic de-escalations, duration of antibiotics, time to definitive antibiotic therapy, serum procalcitonin levels, blood culture availabilities, MIC breakpoints, co-infection of COVID-19, and Clostridioides difficile occurrences. Results: Out of 74 patients with gram negative bacteremia, 41 patients specifically had Escherichia coli bacteremia. The primary endpoint results showed that patients with Escherichia coli bacteremia that stayed in the ICU had a length of stay of 13.6 days. Patients with Escherichia coli bacteremia in the Non-ICU setting has a length of stay of 7.3 days, and patients with ESBL bacteremia in the Non-ICU setting had a length of stay of 6.8 days. Conclusions: Despite the various challenges that antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) face in a single center small community hospital, the ASP at this small community hospital utilizes various policies and tools to increase appropriate antibiotic use and decrease hospital length of stay in patients with Escherichia coli bacteremia.","PeriodicalId":13646,"journal":{"name":"Innovations in Pharmacy","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139276898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarah E. Vordenberg, Paige Whittaker, Ken DeBacker, Michael Dorsch
Description of the problem: Pharmacy students are expected to learn how condition and patient-specific factors influence medication decision-making. Our objective was to create an interactive learning tool that would support students as they learn how individual factors change over-the-counter (OTC) medication recommendations. Description of the innovation: OTC Coach was created to allow student pharmacists to practice making recommendations about OTC medications. First year student pharmacists enrolled in a required self-care therapeutics course were given access to the optional OTC Coach, which included electronic decision algorithms for 10 topics. Student perceptions were collected via an online survey. Critical analysis: Two-thirds of the first-year students enrolled in the self-care therapeutics course activated their OTC Coach account (n=53/79, 67%). Among the students who completed the survey and reported using the tool (n=60/75, 80%), there was agreement that it help them learn the course material (78%), increased their confidence in making appropriate therapeutic recommendations (78%), increased their confidence when answering examination questions (63%), and improved their examination performance (61%). Next steps: Implementing an electronic tool positively supported student learning about OTC medication recommendations, according to student self-report. The tool is being expanded to include an option for students to generate a series of scenarios with randomized patient and condition factors to further allow students to efficiently practice making repeated patient-centered recommendations.
{"title":"Development and Pilot Testing of the OTC Coach Software to Support Student Pharmacist Learning","authors":"Sarah E. Vordenberg, Paige Whittaker, Ken DeBacker, Michael Dorsch","doi":"10.24926/iip.v14i4.5029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i4.5029","url":null,"abstract":"Description of the problem: Pharmacy students are expected to learn how condition and patient-specific factors influence medication decision-making. Our objective was to create an interactive learning tool that would support students as they learn how individual factors change over-the-counter (OTC) medication recommendations. Description of the innovation: OTC Coach was created to allow student pharmacists to practice making recommendations about OTC medications. First year student pharmacists enrolled in a required self-care therapeutics course were given access to the optional OTC Coach, which included electronic decision algorithms for 10 topics. Student perceptions were collected via an online survey. Critical analysis: Two-thirds of the first-year students enrolled in the self-care therapeutics course activated their OTC Coach account (n=53/79, 67%). Among the students who completed the survey and reported using the tool (n=60/75, 80%), there was agreement that it help them learn the course material (78%), increased their confidence in making appropriate therapeutic recommendations (78%), increased their confidence when answering examination questions (63%), and improved their examination performance (61%). Next steps: Implementing an electronic tool positively supported student learning about OTC medication recommendations, according to student self-report. The tool is being expanded to include an option for students to generate a series of scenarios with randomized patient and condition factors to further allow students to efficiently practice making repeated patient-centered recommendations.","PeriodicalId":13646,"journal":{"name":"Innovations in Pharmacy","volume":"7 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139277918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Background: Physicians appear to positively perceive pharmacists, but the perception of future physicians on clinical hospital pharmacists is largely unknown. By identifying medical students’ perceptions, educational efforts could be developed to target areas for improvement and allow for optimal utilization of pharmacists. Objective: To identify medical students’ perception of clinical pharmacists in the hospital setting. Methods: A 27-item survey that analyzed medical students’ knowledge and attitudes toward clinical hospital pharmacists was sent via email to students at eight medical schools in Ohio. Survey items assessed participant’s past interactions with a pharmacist (5 items), understanding of clinical pharmacists’ roles and responsibilities (7 items), and current perceptions of clinical pharmacists (7 items). Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data using thematic analysis. Results: There were 124 participants across 3 medical schools. Students expressed that clinical pharmacists are essential on the healthcare team to support and maintain a patient’s health (Mean ± SD = 4.47 ± 0.829). They were neutral or disagreed that clinical pharmacists are qualified to diagnose a variety of conditions (Mean ± SD = 2.62 ± 1.017) and were neutral or agreed that a clinical pharmacist’s role differs from a community pharmacist’s role (Mean ± SD = 3.95 ± 0.659). In the qualitative analysis, medical students reported that they perceive clinical pharmacists to be medication experts (N=28, 66.7%), important members of the healthcare team (N=23, 54.8%), and useful resources for answering drug-related questions (N=15, 35.7%). Conclusions: Medical students reflected a positive attitude toward clinical pharmacists and affirmed the need for pharmacists to provide medication expertise in the hospital setting. However, many medical students were not fully aware of the responsibilities that a clinical pharmacist provides and could benefit from education on the scope of a pharmacist’s practice.
{"title":"Do Future Physicians Know a Clinical Hospital Pharmacist's Capabilities?","authors":"Bsps Haylee Moser, P. B. Stephanie M. Tubb","doi":"10.24926/iip.v14i3.5595","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i3.5595","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Physicians appear to positively perceive pharmacists, but the perception of future physicians on clinical hospital pharmacists is largely unknown. By identifying medical students’ perceptions, educational efforts could be developed to target areas for improvement and allow for optimal utilization of pharmacists. Objective: To identify medical students’ perception of clinical pharmacists in the hospital setting. Methods: A 27-item survey that analyzed medical students’ knowledge and attitudes toward clinical hospital pharmacists was sent via email to students at eight medical schools in Ohio. Survey items assessed participant’s past interactions with a pharmacist (5 items), understanding of clinical pharmacists’ roles and responsibilities (7 items), and current perceptions of clinical pharmacists (7 items). Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data using thematic analysis. Results: There were 124 participants across 3 medical schools. Students expressed that clinical pharmacists are essential on the healthcare team to support and maintain a patient’s health (Mean ± SD = 4.47 ± 0.829). They were neutral or disagreed that clinical pharmacists are qualified to diagnose a variety of conditions (Mean ± SD = 2.62 ± 1.017) and were neutral or agreed that a clinical pharmacist’s role differs from a community pharmacist’s role (Mean ± SD = 3.95 ± 0.659). In the qualitative analysis, medical students reported that they perceive clinical pharmacists to be medication experts (N=28, 66.7%), important members of the healthcare team (N=23, 54.8%), and useful resources for answering drug-related questions (N=15, 35.7%). Conclusions: Medical students reflected a positive attitude toward clinical pharmacists and affirmed the need for pharmacists to provide medication expertise in the hospital setting. However, many medical students were not fully aware of the responsibilities that a clinical pharmacist provides and could benefit from education on the scope of a pharmacist’s practice.","PeriodicalId":13646,"journal":{"name":"Innovations in Pharmacy","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139308392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
As the opioid epidemic unrelentingly places profound weight on pharmacists, youth, parents, and the nation at large, innovative interventions are critical to prevent potential misuse and untimely death. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to misuse behaviors due to knowledge, attitudinal, and social influences. To best resonate with adolescents, appropriate tools and technologies must be developed and deployed. Few educational tools are more ubiquitous to adolescents than video games. Video games, specifically serious games, have the potential to connect with adolescents and impart critical knowledge related to opioid safety. Engaging youth, parents, and pharmacists in the design, refinement, and evaluation of a serious game is novel and necessary for building a robust, efficacious game. This commentary describes the conceptualization, inception, development, and evaluation of a novel opioid medication safety intervention, MedSMA℞T Families. This two-part intervention is comprised of an adolescent-tailored serious game entitled MedSMA℞T: Adventures in PharmaCity, and a family-focused tool named the personalized Family Medication Safety Plan. This intervention is the first theory-based, family-focused opioid medication safety toolkit co-designed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers, game developers, behavioral health scientists, pharmacists, student pharmacists, addiction medicine physician, adolescent health physician, parents, and teens. Responses from key stakeholders (pharmacists, parents, and teens) have demonstrated positive attitudes and impressions towards both components of the MedSMA℞T Families intervention. Empirical evidence of efficacy from two separate studies denotes improvement in key concepts related to safe behavior in adolescents. Findings to date support the widespread use, implementation, and dissemination of this efficacious intervention to supporting safe opioid prescription practices in families with adolescents. In this paper, we outline and summarize our process of intervention development and use of longitudinal data to validate each step of our process. Future directions include mobile compatibility, refinement based on key stakeholder feedback, and dissemination in various clinical settings where opioid medications are prescribed and dispensed such as emergency departments, pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics.
{"title":"An Overview of the CRoME Lab’s MedSMA℞T Families Intervention for Promoting Opioid Medication Safety among Adolescents and Parents","authors":"Olufunmilola Abraham, T. McCarthy","doi":"10.24926/iip.v14i3.5678","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i3.5678","url":null,"abstract":"As the opioid epidemic unrelentingly places profound weight on pharmacists, youth, parents, and the nation at large, innovative interventions are critical to prevent potential misuse and untimely death. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to misuse behaviors due to knowledge, attitudinal, and social influences. To best resonate with adolescents, appropriate tools and technologies must be developed and deployed. Few educational tools are more ubiquitous to adolescents than video games. Video games, specifically serious games, have the potential to connect with adolescents and impart critical knowledge related to opioid safety. Engaging youth, parents, and pharmacists in the design, refinement, and evaluation of a serious game is novel and necessary for building a robust, efficacious game. This commentary describes the conceptualization, inception, development, and evaluation of a novel opioid medication safety intervention, MedSMA℞T Families. This two-part intervention is comprised of an adolescent-tailored serious game entitled MedSMA℞T: Adventures in PharmaCity, and a family-focused tool named the personalized Family Medication Safety Plan. This intervention is the first theory-based, family-focused opioid medication safety toolkit co-designed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers, game developers, behavioral health scientists, pharmacists, student pharmacists, addiction medicine physician, adolescent health physician, parents, and teens. Responses from key stakeholders (pharmacists, parents, and teens) have demonstrated positive attitudes and impressions towards both components of the MedSMA℞T Families intervention. Empirical evidence of efficacy from two separate studies denotes improvement in key concepts related to safe behavior in adolescents. Findings to date support the widespread use, implementation, and dissemination of this efficacious intervention to supporting safe opioid prescription practices in families with adolescents. In this paper, we outline and summarize our process of intervention development and use of longitudinal data to validate each step of our process. Future directions include mobile compatibility, refinement based on key stakeholder feedback, and dissemination in various clinical settings where opioid medications are prescribed and dispensed such as emergency departments, pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics.","PeriodicalId":13646,"journal":{"name":"Innovations in Pharmacy","volume":"116 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139308528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Devraj, Ashley Castleberry, Nancy Alvarez, Adam Persky, Therese Poirier
Introduction: Leadership development is important both from a curricular standpoint and for continued advancement of the profession. Advice from current leaders in the profession may serve as a powerful motivator to students desiring to be leaders. The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide advice from experienced pharmacy leaders. Methods: Fifty-four pharmacy leaders were identified based on pre-determined, specific criteria and by using a snowball sampling method. Interviews with leaders were conducted via Zoom to learn about their leadership journey, their legacy, and advice they would give students. The interviews were transcribed, de-identified and analyzed using the inductive, modified constant comparison approach for open and axial coding. Advice themes were compared by gender and generational category. Results: The majority of the interviewees were male (69%), belonged to the Baby Boomer Generation (1946-1964, 59.3%), and held leadership positions in education (78%) and health systems (48%). Thirty-seven leadership advice themes were present. The topmost advice to students was to keep an open mind (35%) and to get involved in organizations (32%). Pieces of advice shared by both men and women leaders included: being open minded, getting involved in organizations, taking initiative, trying new or difficult things, and finding your passion. Keeping an open mind, and taking initiative were common across the three generations. Conclusion: Pharmacy leaders have insightful information for students aspiring to be future leaders. Leadership advice was similar by gender and generational category. Students would benefit in developing their leadership based on advice from the lived experience of pharmacy leaders. Future studies could examine students’ perspectives on leadership advice.
{"title":"Pharmacy Leaders’ Advice to Students Pursuing Leadership: A Qualitative Study","authors":"R. Devraj, Ashley Castleberry, Nancy Alvarez, Adam Persky, Therese Poirier","doi":"10.24926/iip.v14i3.5528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i3.5528","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Leadership development is important both from a curricular standpoint and for continued advancement of the profession. Advice from current leaders in the profession may serve as a powerful motivator to students desiring to be leaders. The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide advice from experienced pharmacy leaders. Methods: Fifty-four pharmacy leaders were identified based on pre-determined, specific criteria and by using a snowball sampling method. Interviews with leaders were conducted via Zoom to learn about their leadership journey, their legacy, and advice they would give students. The interviews were transcribed, de-identified and analyzed using the inductive, modified constant comparison approach for open and axial coding. Advice themes were compared by gender and generational category. Results: The majority of the interviewees were male (69%), belonged to the Baby Boomer Generation (1946-1964, 59.3%), and held leadership positions in education (78%) and health systems (48%). Thirty-seven leadership advice themes were present. The topmost advice to students was to keep an open mind (35%) and to get involved in organizations (32%). Pieces of advice shared by both men and women leaders included: being open minded, getting involved in organizations, taking initiative, trying new or difficult things, and finding your passion. Keeping an open mind, and taking initiative were common across the three generations. Conclusion: Pharmacy leaders have insightful information for students aspiring to be future leaders. Leadership advice was similar by gender and generational category. Students would benefit in developing their leadership based on advice from the lived experience of pharmacy leaders. Future studies could examine students’ perspectives on leadership advice.","PeriodicalId":13646,"journal":{"name":"Innovations in Pharmacy","volume":"41 1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139308865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maria Wopat, Federick Dunkerson, Alissa Moss, Chelsea Moyer, Alyssa Pitterle, Edward Portillo
Background: Polypharmacy impacts one-third of older adults and has been shown to lead to adverse health effects. One contributor to polypharmacy includes omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) due to the lack of evidence supporting clinical benefit. Pharmacists can identify and reduce polypharmacy, inspiring this student led deprescribing initiative to introduce a standard of care process for deprescribing fish oil. Purpose/Objectives: The overall objectives of this evaluation are to assess the need for a fish oil deprescribing process, to analyze the role of student pharmacists in deprescribing, and to evaluate the effectiveness of a fish oil deprescribing service. Methods: This project integrated three doctor of pharmacy students in their third year of pharmacy school who were enrolled in a yearlong class about improving healthcare for rural populations and the quality improvement research process. Four primary care clinic patient panels who were prescribed fish oil were assessed. Chart reviews were conducted, and patients were contacted to deprescribe their fish oil by the student and offer statin or lipid therapy modifications, if applicable. Results: A generated report identified 106 patients who had active prescriptions for fish oil. After application of exclusion criteria, 68 patients were included in the evaluation. A total of 76.2% of patients accepted at least one therapy modification offered by the pharmacy student. Conclusion: This evaluation demonstrates the positive impact of the integration of student pharmacists for deprescribing in a primary care setting. Opportunities exist to further explore student pharmacist roles within ambulatory care clinic models.
{"title":"Student Pharmacist Led Fish Oil Deprescribing Initiative at a Veterans Affairs Hospital and Rural Clinics","authors":"Maria Wopat, Federick Dunkerson, Alissa Moss, Chelsea Moyer, Alyssa Pitterle, Edward Portillo","doi":"10.24926/iip.v14i3.5471","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i3.5471","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Polypharmacy impacts one-third of older adults and has been shown to lead to adverse health effects. One contributor to polypharmacy includes omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) due to the lack of evidence supporting clinical benefit. Pharmacists can identify and reduce polypharmacy, inspiring this student led deprescribing initiative to introduce a standard of care process for deprescribing fish oil. Purpose/Objectives: The overall objectives of this evaluation are to assess the need for a fish oil deprescribing process, to analyze the role of student pharmacists in deprescribing, and to evaluate the effectiveness of a fish oil deprescribing service. Methods: This project integrated three doctor of pharmacy students in their third year of pharmacy school who were enrolled in a yearlong class about improving healthcare for rural populations and the quality improvement research process. Four primary care clinic patient panels who were prescribed fish oil were assessed. Chart reviews were conducted, and patients were contacted to deprescribe their fish oil by the student and offer statin or lipid therapy modifications, if applicable. Results: A generated report identified 106 patients who had active prescriptions for fish oil. After application of exclusion criteria, 68 patients were included in the evaluation. A total of 76.2% of patients accepted at least one therapy modification offered by the pharmacy student. Conclusion: This evaluation demonstrates the positive impact of the integration of student pharmacists for deprescribing in a primary care setting. Opportunities exist to further explore student pharmacist roles within ambulatory care clinic models.","PeriodicalId":13646,"journal":{"name":"Innovations in Pharmacy","volume":"49 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139312461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Background: The 340B Drug Pricing Program provides discounted drug prices to safety-net entities which help stretch scarce resources to expand comprehensive services and treat more vulnerable patients. The program has received criticism questioning whether the original intentions are being accomplished. Objective: This qualitative study aimed to understand lived experiences of patients accessing high-cost injectable diabetes medication(s) through a 340B Prescription Cash Discount Program (PCDP) provided at a community health center. Methods: This qualitative study utilized semi-structured individual interviews. We invited patients ≥18 years old with diabetes for >1 year who utilized the 340B PCDP to fill an injectable diabetes medication at least twice between 3/1/2020-3/1/2021 to participate. Trained personnel interviewed ten participants in 11/2021-2/2022 and completed thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews. Results: Themes included 340B feedback, benefits of 340B, consequences of being without 340B, community pharmacy experience, and use of other services. Participants deemed the 340B program as a “lifesaver.” Perceived benefits of the program included improved diabetes control and savings that made their prescriptions more affordable. Consequences of being without the program include that medication was too expensive to take as prescribed and rationing/skipping doses. Participants were pleased with the accessibility of the network of contract pharmacies and described benefiting from services supported by 340B savings. Conclusions: Recent criticisms question whether the 340B program accomplishes its original intentions of stretching scarce federal resources to help safety-net entities expand services and treat more patients. This study provides insight into the personal impact of the 340B program on underserved patients with chronic disease accessing high-cost medication(s). Findings highlight crucial strengths of the program from the patient perspective, which policymakers and other stakeholders should consider to provide support for the continuation of these services.
{"title":"Community Health Center 340B Program: A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Patients with Diabetes","authors":"Ariela Wagner, Jangus Whitner, Ariel Williams, Kristina Hirt, Tessa Miracle, Alexa Valentino","doi":"10.24926/iip.v14i3.5445","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i3.5445","url":null,"abstract":"Background: The 340B Drug Pricing Program provides discounted drug prices to safety-net entities which help stretch scarce resources to expand comprehensive services and treat more vulnerable patients. The program has received criticism questioning whether the original intentions are being accomplished. Objective: This qualitative study aimed to understand lived experiences of patients accessing high-cost injectable diabetes medication(s) through a 340B Prescription Cash Discount Program (PCDP) provided at a community health center. Methods: This qualitative study utilized semi-structured individual interviews. We invited patients ≥18 years old with diabetes for >1 year who utilized the 340B PCDP to fill an injectable diabetes medication at least twice between 3/1/2020-3/1/2021 to participate. Trained personnel interviewed ten participants in 11/2021-2/2022 and completed thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews. Results: Themes included 340B feedback, benefits of 340B, consequences of being without 340B, community pharmacy experience, and use of other services. Participants deemed the 340B program as a “lifesaver.” Perceived benefits of the program included improved diabetes control and savings that made their prescriptions more affordable. Consequences of being without the program include that medication was too expensive to take as prescribed and rationing/skipping doses. Participants were pleased with the accessibility of the network of contract pharmacies and described benefiting from services supported by 340B savings. Conclusions: Recent criticisms question whether the 340B program accomplishes its original intentions of stretching scarce federal resources to help safety-net entities expand services and treat more patients. This study provides insight into the personal impact of the 340B program on underserved patients with chronic disease accessing high-cost medication(s). Findings highlight crucial strengths of the program from the patient perspective, which policymakers and other stakeholders should consider to provide support for the continuation of these services.","PeriodicalId":13646,"journal":{"name":"Innovations in Pharmacy","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135900713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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