R. Parrish, Lucy Gilak, Donna Z. Bohannon, Steven Emrick, B. Serumaga, R. Guharoy
Lack of standardization related to compounded drug preparations, especially in the transition of care situations, threatens patient safety by facilitating medication error. This paper outlines progress to-date from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Expert Panel on the Exchange of Compounded Drug Preparation Information in Health IT Systems. The work plan developed for the group is focused on proposing a set of encoding rules that would govern how compounded nonsterile drug preparations (CNSPs) are digitized and exchanged, including patient electronic health records (EHR), pharmacy systems, e-prescribing (eRx), and other Health IT (HIT) systems to ensure a seamless compounding process tailored to the needs of an individual patient. Included in this work are identifying authorized compounding monographs, surveying provider and end-user groups for information about data specificity during e-prescribing, and generating guidelines for the development of a compatible data model for clinical formulation identifiers (CF-IDs). This paper will also discuss how evolving nomenclature standards for CNSPs within HIT systems are part of a quality assurance system for comprehensive medication management (CMM) in children, thereby minimizing medication errors across the continuum of care. Finally, a network approach for the design of medication management systems for children and their families/caregivers is proposed.
{"title":"Minimizing Medication Errors from Electronic Prescription Transmission—Digitizing Compounded Drug Preparations","authors":"R. Parrish, Lucy Gilak, Donna Z. Bohannon, Steven Emrick, B. Serumaga, R. Guharoy","doi":"10.3390/pharmacy7040149","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7040149","url":null,"abstract":"Lack of standardization related to compounded drug preparations, especially in the transition of care situations, threatens patient safety by facilitating medication error. This paper outlines progress to-date from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Expert Panel on the Exchange of Compounded Drug Preparation Information in Health IT Systems. The work plan developed for the group is focused on proposing a set of encoding rules that would govern how compounded nonsterile drug preparations (CNSPs) are digitized and exchanged, including patient electronic health records (EHR), pharmacy systems, e-prescribing (eRx), and other Health IT (HIT) systems to ensure a seamless compounding process tailored to the needs of an individual patient. Included in this work are identifying authorized compounding monographs, surveying provider and end-user groups for information about data specificity during e-prescribing, and generating guidelines for the development of a compatible data model for clinical formulation identifiers (CF-IDs). This paper will also discuss how evolving nomenclature standards for CNSPs within HIT systems are part of a quality assurance system for comprehensive medication management (CMM) in children, thereby minimizing medication errors across the continuum of care. Finally, a network approach for the design of medication management systems for children and their families/caregivers is proposed.","PeriodicalId":19920,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77667591","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 provision of responsible medication therapy to old nursing home residents with comorbidities is a difficult task and requires extensive knowledge about optimal pharmacotherapy for different conditions. We describe a stepwise pharmacist-led medication review service in combination with an interdisciplinary team collaboration in order to identify, resolve, and prevent medication related problems (MRPs). Methods: The service included residents from four rural Norwegian nursing homes during August 2016–January 2017. All residents were eligible if they (or next of kin) supplied oral consent. The interdisciplinary medication review service comprised four steps: (1) patient and medication history taking; (2) systematic medication review; (3) interdisciplinary case conference; and (4) follow-up of pharmaceutical care plan. The pharmacist collected information about previous and present medication use, and clinical and laboratory values necessary for the medication review. The nurses collected information about possible symptoms related to adverse drug reactions. The pharmacist conducted the medication reviews, identified medication-related problems (MRPs) which were discussed at case conferences with the responsible physician and the responsible nurses. The main outcome measures were number and types of MRPs, percentage agreement between pharmacists and physicians and factors associated with MRPs. Results: The service was delivered for 151 (94%) nursing home residents. The pharmacist identified 675 MRPs in 146 (97%) medication lists (mean 4.0, SD 2.6, range 0–13). The MRPs most frequently identified concerned ‘unnecessary drug’ (22%), ‘too high dosage’ (17%) and ‘drug interactions’ (16%). The physicians agreed upon 64% of the pharmacist recommendations, and action was taken immediately for 32% of these. We identified no association between the number of MRPs and sex (p = 0.485), but between the number of MRPs, and the number of medications and the individual nursing homes. Conclusion: The pharmacist-led medication review service in the nursing homes was highly successfully piloted with many solved and prevented MRPs in interdisciplinary collaboration between the pharmacist, physicians, and nurses. Implementation of this service as a standard in all four nursing homes seems necessary and feasible. If such a service is implemented, effects related to patient outcomes, interdisciplinary collaboration, and health economy should be studied.
{"title":"A Stepwise Pharmacist-Led Medication Review Service in Interdisciplinary Teams in Rural Nursing Homes","authors":"K. Halvorsen, Torunn Stadeløkken, B. Garcia","doi":"10.3390/pharmacy7040148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7040148","url":null,"abstract":"Background: The provision of responsible medication therapy to old nursing home residents with comorbidities is a difficult task and requires extensive knowledge about optimal pharmacotherapy for different conditions. We describe a stepwise pharmacist-led medication review service in combination with an interdisciplinary team collaboration in order to identify, resolve, and prevent medication related problems (MRPs). Methods: The service included residents from four rural Norwegian nursing homes during August 2016–January 2017. All residents were eligible if they (or next of kin) supplied oral consent. The interdisciplinary medication review service comprised four steps: (1) patient and medication history taking; (2) systematic medication review; (3) interdisciplinary case conference; and (4) follow-up of pharmaceutical care plan. The pharmacist collected information about previous and present medication use, and clinical and laboratory values necessary for the medication review. The nurses collected information about possible symptoms related to adverse drug reactions. The pharmacist conducted the medication reviews, identified medication-related problems (MRPs) which were discussed at case conferences with the responsible physician and the responsible nurses. The main outcome measures were number and types of MRPs, percentage agreement between pharmacists and physicians and factors associated with MRPs. Results: The service was delivered for 151 (94%) nursing home residents. The pharmacist identified 675 MRPs in 146 (97%) medication lists (mean 4.0, SD 2.6, range 0–13). The MRPs most frequently identified concerned ‘unnecessary drug’ (22%), ‘too high dosage’ (17%) and ‘drug interactions’ (16%). The physicians agreed upon 64% of the pharmacist recommendations, and action was taken immediately for 32% of these. We identified no association between the number of MRPs and sex (p = 0.485), but between the number of MRPs, and the number of medications and the individual nursing homes. Conclusion: The pharmacist-led medication review service in the nursing homes was highly successfully piloted with many solved and prevented MRPs in interdisciplinary collaboration between the pharmacist, physicians, and nurses. Implementation of this service as a standard in all four nursing homes seems necessary and feasible. If such a service is implemented, effects related to patient outcomes, interdisciplinary collaboration, and health economy should be studied.","PeriodicalId":19920,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73325755","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}
Maressa Santarossa, Emily Kilber, E. Wenzler, Fritzie S. Albarillo, Ethan Sterk
Antimicrobial stewardship (ASP) is becoming an increasingly high priority worldwide, yet the emergency department (ED) is an area where stewardship is often neglected. Implementing care bundles, guidelines, and protocols appears to be a rational strategy for ED stewardship given the inherently dynamic and hectic environment of care. Multiple questions still exist such as whether to target certain disease states, optimal implementation of ASP interventions in the ED, and the benefit of unique ED-specific guidelines and protocols. A narrative review was performed on interventions, guidelines, and bundles implemented in the ED setting, in an effort to improve ASP or management of infectious diseases. This review is meant to serve as a framework for the reader to implement these practices at their own institution. We examined various studies related to ASP interventions or care bundles in the ED which included: CNS infections (one study), skin and soft-tissue infections (one study), respiratory infections (four studies), urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections (eight studies), sepsis (two studies), culture follow-up programs (four studies), and stewardship in general or multiple infection types (five studies). The interventions in this review were diverse, yet the majority showed a benefit in clinical outcomes or a decrease in antimicrobial use. Care bundles, guidelines, and antimicrobial stewardship interventions can streamline care and improve the management of common infectious diseases seen in the ED.
{"title":"BundlED Up: A Narrative Review of Antimicrobial Stewardship Initiatives and Bundles in the Emergency Department","authors":"Maressa Santarossa, Emily Kilber, E. Wenzler, Fritzie S. Albarillo, Ethan Sterk","doi":"10.3390/pharmacy7040145","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7040145","url":null,"abstract":"Antimicrobial stewardship (ASP) is becoming an increasingly high priority worldwide, yet the emergency department (ED) is an area where stewardship is often neglected. Implementing care bundles, guidelines, and protocols appears to be a rational strategy for ED stewardship given the inherently dynamic and hectic environment of care. Multiple questions still exist such as whether to target certain disease states, optimal implementation of ASP interventions in the ED, and the benefit of unique ED-specific guidelines and protocols. A narrative review was performed on interventions, guidelines, and bundles implemented in the ED setting, in an effort to improve ASP or management of infectious diseases. This review is meant to serve as a framework for the reader to implement these practices at their own institution. We examined various studies related to ASP interventions or care bundles in the ED which included: CNS infections (one study), skin and soft-tissue infections (one study), respiratory infections (four studies), urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections (eight studies), sepsis (two studies), culture follow-up programs (four studies), and stewardship in general or multiple infection types (five studies). The interventions in this review were diverse, yet the majority showed a benefit in clinical outcomes or a decrease in antimicrobial use. Care bundles, guidelines, and antimicrobial stewardship interventions can streamline care and improve the management of common infectious diseases seen in the ED.","PeriodicalId":19920,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83875399","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}
Koki Urata, Kana Hashimoto, R. Horiuchi, Kiichi Fukui, K. Arai
Background: Patients’ perception of diabetes mellitus is one of the psychosocial factors influencing diabetic behavior. This patients’ perception of the disease is a mental image formed from the experience of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and reportedly reflects the aspect of recuperation. We investigated the relationship between changes in the patients’ perception of the disease and medication adherence, as influenced by the active involvement of community pharmacists. Methods: A prospective cohort study that used patient registry based in community pharmacies was conducted in patients with type 2 diabetes using oral antidiabetic agents at a pharmacy in Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan. Patients responded to the questionnaire at the time of enrollment and at the end of the one-year intervention period. The pharmacist confirmed the patient's medication status and treatment problems via telephone calls at least once every two weeks for one year. Main outcome measures: Type 2 diabetes patients’ perception of the disease related to medication adherence. Results: The study enrolled 113 patients. Among the seven diabetes image factors, “Living an orderly life” and “Feeling of fear” were significantly associated with medication adherence. “Feeling of neglect of health” was significantly associated at the subscale level. Conclusion: All the three factors related to medication adherence indicated self-care ability. To enhance the self-care ability of the patient, pharmacists should assist in self-care interventions for the patients.
{"title":"Impact of Diabetes Perceptions on Medication Adherence in Japan","authors":"Koki Urata, Kana Hashimoto, R. Horiuchi, Kiichi Fukui, K. Arai","doi":"10.3390/pharmacy7040144","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7040144","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Patients’ perception of diabetes mellitus is one of the psychosocial factors influencing diabetic behavior. This patients’ perception of the disease is a mental image formed from the experience of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and reportedly reflects the aspect of recuperation. We investigated the relationship between changes in the patients’ perception of the disease and medication adherence, as influenced by the active involvement of community pharmacists. Methods: A prospective cohort study that used patient registry based in community pharmacies was conducted in patients with type 2 diabetes using oral antidiabetic agents at a pharmacy in Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan. Patients responded to the questionnaire at the time of enrollment and at the end of the one-year intervention period. The pharmacist confirmed the patient's medication status and treatment problems via telephone calls at least once every two weeks for one year. Main outcome measures: Type 2 diabetes patients’ perception of the disease related to medication adherence. Results: The study enrolled 113 patients. Among the seven diabetes image factors, “Living an orderly life” and “Feeling of fear” were significantly associated with medication adherence. “Feeling of neglect of health” was significantly associated at the subscale level. Conclusion: All the three factors related to medication adherence indicated self-care ability. To enhance the self-care ability of the patient, pharmacists should assist in self-care interventions for the patients.","PeriodicalId":19920,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85615709","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}
Suresh Kumar, S. Hasan, P. Wong, D. Chong, T. Kairuz
The use of anticholinergic medications by residents in aged care homes is associated with increased risk of adverse effects. These include cognitive impairment, sleep disturbances, and falls, and necessitate increased healthcare visits and the associated burden on healthcare systems. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between anticholinergic burden and health outcomes such as independence in activities for daily living, frailty, quality of life, and sleep quality. The study was conducted among residents in Malaysian aged care homes, aged 60 years and above. Anticholinergic burden was calculated using the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) scale. Health outcome measures included independence, assessed using the Katz Activities for Daily Living scale (Katz ADL); quality of life, assessed using the Older People’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (OPQOL); frailty, assessed using the Groningen Frailty Index (GFI); and sleep quality, measured using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Just over one-third (36%) of the study population was exposed to at least one medication with anticholinergic effect. An increased anticholinergic cognitive burden was associated with frailty (p = 0.031), sleep latency (p = 0.007), and sleep disturbances (p = 0.015). Further studies are required to assess the effect of prolonged exposure to anticholinergic medications on health outcomes.
{"title":"Anticholinergic Burden, Sleep Quality and Health Outcomes in Malaysian Aged Care Home Residents","authors":"Suresh Kumar, S. Hasan, P. Wong, D. Chong, T. Kairuz","doi":"10.3390/pharmacy7040143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7040143","url":null,"abstract":"The use of anticholinergic medications by residents in aged care homes is associated with increased risk of adverse effects. These include cognitive impairment, sleep disturbances, and falls, and necessitate increased healthcare visits and the associated burden on healthcare systems. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between anticholinergic burden and health outcomes such as independence in activities for daily living, frailty, quality of life, and sleep quality. The study was conducted among residents in Malaysian aged care homes, aged 60 years and above. Anticholinergic burden was calculated using the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) scale. Health outcome measures included independence, assessed using the Katz Activities for Daily Living scale (Katz ADL); quality of life, assessed using the Older People’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (OPQOL); frailty, assessed using the Groningen Frailty Index (GFI); and sleep quality, measured using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Just over one-third (36%) of the study population was exposed to at least one medication with anticholinergic effect. An increased anticholinergic cognitive burden was associated with frailty (p = 0.031), sleep latency (p = 0.007), and sleep disturbances (p = 0.015). Further studies are required to assess the effect of prolonged exposure to anticholinergic medications on health outcomes.","PeriodicalId":19920,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81830647","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}
L. Awdishu, Renu Singh, Ila M. Saunders, Felix K. Yam, J. Hirsch, S. Lorentz, Rabia S. Atayee, Joseph D. Ma, S. Tsunoda, Jennifer M. Namba, Christina Mnatzaganian, N. Painter, J. Watanabe, Kelly C. Lee, C. Daniels, C. Morello
Introduction: The scope of pharmacy practice has evolved over the last few decades to focus on the optimization of medication therapy. Despite this positive impact, the lack of reimbursement remains a significant barrier to the implementation of innovative pharmacist practice models. Summary: We describe the successful development, implementation and outcomes of three types of pharmacist collaborative care models: (1) a pharmacist with physician oversight, (2) pharmacist–interprofessional teams and (3) physician–pharmacist teams. The outcome measurement of these pharmacist care models varied from the design phase to patient volume measurement and to comprehensive quality dashboards. All of these practice models have been successfully funded by affiliated health systems or grants. Conclusions: The expansion of pharmacist services delivered by clinical faculty has several benefits to affiliated health systems: (1) significant improvements in patient care quality, (2) access to experts in specialty areas, and (3) the dissemination of outcomes with national and international recognition, increasing the visibility of the health system.
{"title":"Advancing Pharmacist Collaborative Care within Academic Health Systems","authors":"L. Awdishu, Renu Singh, Ila M. Saunders, Felix K. Yam, J. Hirsch, S. Lorentz, Rabia S. Atayee, Joseph D. Ma, S. Tsunoda, Jennifer M. Namba, Christina Mnatzaganian, N. Painter, J. Watanabe, Kelly C. Lee, C. Daniels, C. Morello","doi":"10.3390/pharmacy7040142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7040142","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: The scope of pharmacy practice has evolved over the last few decades to focus on the optimization of medication therapy. Despite this positive impact, the lack of reimbursement remains a significant barrier to the implementation of innovative pharmacist practice models. Summary: We describe the successful development, implementation and outcomes of three types of pharmacist collaborative care models: (1) a pharmacist with physician oversight, (2) pharmacist–interprofessional teams and (3) physician–pharmacist teams. The outcome measurement of these pharmacist care models varied from the design phase to patient volume measurement and to comprehensive quality dashboards. All of these practice models have been successfully funded by affiliated health systems or grants. Conclusions: The expansion of pharmacist services delivered by clinical faculty has several benefits to affiliated health systems: (1) significant improvements in patient care quality, (2) access to experts in specialty areas, and (3) the dissemination of outcomes with national and international recognition, increasing the visibility of the health system.","PeriodicalId":19920,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice","volume":"35 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91189270","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}
Welcome to the "Pharmacist Services" special issue in the journal Pharmacy, an open access journal with a focus on pharmacy education and practice [...].
欢迎来到《药学》杂志的“药剂师服务”特刊,这是一本关注药学教育和实践的开放获取期刊。
{"title":"Pharmacist Services","authors":"J. Schommer, Anthony W. Olson","doi":"10.3390/pharmacy7040141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7040141","url":null,"abstract":"Welcome to the \"Pharmacist Services\" special issue in the journal Pharmacy, an open access journal with a focus on pharmacy education and practice [...].","PeriodicalId":19920,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88663630","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}
Distance education is becoming more and more common, and today distance education is well established within academic settings. The aim was to investigate first-year pharmacy students’ expectations and perceptions of web-based pharmacy programs and of their future profession. Furthermore, student characteristics were compared over time. A questionnaire was distributed to all first-year students admitted to the pharmacy programs at Umeå University in 2017. The students were asked questions about their background, motives for choosing pharmacy education, and their expectations and perceptions of their education and profession. Factors of most importance when choosing the education were: the education is interesting, leads to an interesting job, and is web-based. The students’ expectations of the education were high, and they want to learn as much as possible and be well prepared for their future profession. Regarding the students’ perception of their future profession, three themes were identified: to help other people, professional development, and employment related issues. Student characteristics have changed over the years, suggesting that the web-based pharmacy education and the flexibility it entails attracts other groups of students today compared with when the programs started.
{"title":"Swedish Pharmacy Students’ Expectations and Perceptions of Their Education and Future Pharmacy Profession","authors":"M. Gustafsson, Sofia Mattsson","doi":"10.3390/pharmacy7040139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7040139","url":null,"abstract":"Distance education is becoming more and more common, and today distance education is well established within academic settings. The aim was to investigate first-year pharmacy students’ expectations and perceptions of web-based pharmacy programs and of their future profession. Furthermore, student characteristics were compared over time. A questionnaire was distributed to all first-year students admitted to the pharmacy programs at Umeå University in 2017. The students were asked questions about their background, motives for choosing pharmacy education, and their expectations and perceptions of their education and profession. Factors of most importance when choosing the education were: the education is interesting, leads to an interesting job, and is web-based. The students’ expectations of the education were high, and they want to learn as much as possible and be well prepared for their future profession. Regarding the students’ perception of their future profession, three themes were identified: to help other people, professional development, and employment related issues. Student characteristics have changed over the years, suggesting that the web-based pharmacy education and the flexibility it entails attracts other groups of students today compared with when the programs started.","PeriodicalId":19920,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81181262","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}
The increasing number of pharmacists in the US has generated concern regarding potential oversupply. A 2018 analysis from the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) in the US projected a best case scenario of an oversupply of more than 18,000 pharmacists in the year 2030. In this commentary, the limitations of this general health labor force analysis by the NCHWA are described. The goal of this work was to provide a more nuanced examination of the pharmacist labor demand in the US. Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) were utilized to examine, annually over a ten year period ending in 2017, the number of pharmacists, the ratio of pharmacists to persons living in the US, the ratio of pharmacists to older adults living in the US, and the ratio of medications to pharmacists. The number of pharmacists grew from 266,410 in 2008 to 309,330 in 2017. As anticipated, despite a growing US population, the ratio of people living in the US per pharmacist dropped unabated from 1141 to 1053 from 2008 to 2017, respectively. However, the reverse trend was observed for the ratio of persons 65 years or older per pharmacist. This ratio increased from 146.1 older adults to each pharmacist in 2008 to 164.3 in 2017. The accelerating demographic shift to an older population is also reversing an overall trend in the number of medications to pharmacist that will continue for the foreseeable future. While the ratio of medications to pharmacist dropped overall from 2008 to 2016, it has begun to rise again from 2016 to 2017. Beyond the increasing number of medications attributable to a rapidly aging population, there is a growing demand for clinical care from pharmacists due to the maturing environment of complex, costly medications for chronic disease treatment. As the portion of total health expenditure is increasingly devoted to medications and the US health delivery system continues its movement to community-based care, the demand for pharmacist care will require a larger number of pharmacists trained for advanced-practice care.
{"title":"Examining the Pharmacist Labor Supply in the United States: Increasing Medication Use, Aging Society, and Evolution of Pharmacy Practice","authors":"J. Watanabe","doi":"10.3390/pharmacy7030137","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7030137","url":null,"abstract":"The increasing number of pharmacists in the US has generated concern regarding potential oversupply. A 2018 analysis from the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) in the US projected a best case scenario of an oversupply of more than 18,000 pharmacists in the year 2030. In this commentary, the limitations of this general health labor force analysis by the NCHWA are described. The goal of this work was to provide a more nuanced examination of the pharmacist labor demand in the US. Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) were utilized to examine, annually over a ten year period ending in 2017, the number of pharmacists, the ratio of pharmacists to persons living in the US, the ratio of pharmacists to older adults living in the US, and the ratio of medications to pharmacists. The number of pharmacists grew from 266,410 in 2008 to 309,330 in 2017. As anticipated, despite a growing US population, the ratio of people living in the US per pharmacist dropped unabated from 1141 to 1053 from 2008 to 2017, respectively. However, the reverse trend was observed for the ratio of persons 65 years or older per pharmacist. This ratio increased from 146.1 older adults to each pharmacist in 2008 to 164.3 in 2017. The accelerating demographic shift to an older population is also reversing an overall trend in the number of medications to pharmacist that will continue for the foreseeable future. While the ratio of medications to pharmacist dropped overall from 2008 to 2016, it has begun to rise again from 2016 to 2017. Beyond the increasing number of medications attributable to a rapidly aging population, there is a growing demand for clinical care from pharmacists due to the maturing environment of complex, costly medications for chronic disease treatment. As the portion of total health expenditure is increasingly devoted to medications and the US health delivery system continues its movement to community-based care, the demand for pharmacist care will require a larger number of pharmacists trained for advanced-practice care.","PeriodicalId":19920,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice","volume":"55 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74180713","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}
Wesley D. Kufel, Wesley D. Kufel, Wesley D. Kufel, J. Justo, P. Bookstaver, Lisa M. Avery, Lisa M. Avery
Penicillin allergies are among of the most commonly reported allergies, yet only 10% of these patients are truly allergic. This leads to potential inadvertent negative consequences for patients and makes treatment decisions challenging for clinicians. Thus, allergy assessment and penicillin skin testing (PST) are important management strategies to reconcile and clarify labeled penicillin allergies. While PST is more common in the inpatient setting where the results will immediately impact antibiotic management, this process is becoming of increasing importance in the outpatient setting. PST in the outpatient setting allows clinicians to proactively de-label and educate patients accordingly so beta-lactam antibiotics may be appropriately prescribed when necessary for future infections. While allergists have primarily been responsible for PST in the outpatient setting, there is an increasing role for pharmacist involvement in the process. This review highlights the importance of penicillin allergy assessments, considerations for PST in the outpatient setting, education and advocacy for patients and clinicians, and the pharmacist’s role in outpatient PST.
{"title":"Penicillin Allergy Assessment and Skin Testing in the Outpatient Setting","authors":"Wesley D. Kufel, Wesley D. Kufel, Wesley D. Kufel, J. Justo, P. Bookstaver, Lisa M. Avery, Lisa M. Avery","doi":"10.3390/pharmacy7030136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7030136","url":null,"abstract":"Penicillin allergies are among of the most commonly reported allergies, yet only 10% of these patients are truly allergic. This leads to potential inadvertent negative consequences for patients and makes treatment decisions challenging for clinicians. Thus, allergy assessment and penicillin skin testing (PST) are important management strategies to reconcile and clarify labeled penicillin allergies. While PST is more common in the inpatient setting where the results will immediately impact antibiotic management, this process is becoming of increasing importance in the outpatient setting. PST in the outpatient setting allows clinicians to proactively de-label and educate patients accordingly so beta-lactam antibiotics may be appropriately prescribed when necessary for future infections. While allergists have primarily been responsible for PST in the outpatient setting, there is an increasing role for pharmacist involvement in the process. This review highlights the importance of penicillin allergy assessments, considerations for PST in the outpatient setting, education and advocacy for patients and clinicians, and the pharmacist’s role in outpatient PST.","PeriodicalId":19920,"journal":{"name":"Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice","volume":"65 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83758448","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}