Pharmacy最新文献

Audits of medication charts conducted by Royal Hobart Hospital Pharmacy revealed that dose omission was the most common medication error experienced by patients. Investigation of these errors also found that nurses spend significant time organising medication for inpatients. To address the issues contributing to these problems, an alternative model of medication management was implemented and tested. This model of bedside medication management involves medication supply managed by ward pharmacy technicians who review charts daily for changes to medicines and obtain the medicines needed for each patient. Outcomes on two intervention wards showed that the model, combined with technician involvement in controlled medicines stock management, resulted in 29.78 h of nursing time released to patient care per 20-bed ward per week, for an investment of 22.28 h of ward pharmacy technician time; a 75% reduction in delayed doses; a 44% reduction in missed doses; and an average decrease of two hours in the turnaround time for supply of inpatient medication. Introducing bedside medication management and controlled medicines stock management activities can release 1.34 h of nursing time to patient care for every hour of ward pharmacy technician time (at a lower hourly salary cost), decrease dose delays and omissions, and improve patient safety.

Background: Clinical pharmacy services (CPS) have been shown to confer significant advantages in patient care. It remains to be clarified how CPS resources are allocated across routine care settings. It remains to be clarified which recommendations are made to resolve the drug-related problems (DRP) identified by CPS and which adverse drug reactions (ADR) actually arise from the identified DRP. Methods: Following positive ethical approval, patient chart analyses, evaluation of pharmacy documentation on CPS and pharmacist interviews were performed to characterize CPS at all medical departments of the Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg. We developed and pre-tested instruments for standardization: A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the practical exercise and documentation of CPS by the pharmacists performing them, a standardized form (checklist) for retrospective data collection as part of this study, and a standardized questionnaire for conducting the pharmacist interviews including a risk assessment according to the NCC-MERP score. Results: In total, 1000 CPS were documented in 504 patients (mean age: 69.95 years; 229 female) on 16,705 treatment days. A total of 66.87% CPS was initiated when pharmacists participated in ward rounds. In all CPS, "Indications" was the topic addressed most frequently (37.70%). "Agents for obstructive respiratory diseases" was the most frequently involved drug class (11.32%). The most frequent processing time per CPS was 16-30 min (48.61%). The number of CPS ranged from 0.36/100 treatment days in dermatology to 12.47 in oncology. Severity of 358 DRP was classified "very severe" (5.03%), "severe" (42.74%), "moderate" (34.36%), "low" (15.08%), "very low" (1.40%), or "without impact" (1.40%). The probability of DRP occurrence was classified as "high" in 13.13% and "very high" in 3.35%. In 15.36% of the DRP, an ADR actually occurred. In 504 patients, 932 specific recommendations were forwarded to solve the DRP identified during CPS. Of those, 53.97% were implemented. Conclusions: In almost all CPS, a considerable number of DRP with serious clinical consequences were identified. Half of the forwarded recommendations were implemented.

Background/objectives: Job satisfaction is an essential element for organizational functions. Working entities would not effectively operate without employee contentment. This study aimed to determine the level of job satisfaction among pharmacists and investigate its correlation with demographic variables and professional personal experience.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey targeting registered pharmacists in Saudi Arabia was conducted from September to November 2024 using an IRB-approved structured questionnaire adapted from validated instruments. Reliability and validity were confirmed (Cronbach's α = 0.8), and a target sample of 380 was calculated to ensure representativeness. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses utilizing SPSS v28, with significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: A total of 330 pharmacists responded to the survey, representing 86.8% of the calculated sample size. Of those, 57% were male and 68.5% were staffing pharmacists. More than half of participants had professional experience of ≤5 years (57.3%), while 31.8% had 5 to 15 years of experience. Approximately 60% of participants worked in shift systems and reported dissatisfaction with their pay (70%) and lack of benefits (66.7%). Of all participants, only 26.4% confirmed satisfaction with their job and no intention to quit, while 23% clearly reported job dissatisfaction and an intention to quit; the rest of the participants were undecided (50.6%). Significant correlations were found between job satisfaction and variables such as education, current position, organization type, monthly income, and professional experience. Additionally, most of the items assessing professional personal experience such as working in a shift system, working as a team member, gaining financial benefits, and having accomplishments or growth opportunities at work were significantly correlated with job satisfaction. Opportunities for professional development, promotion, and a positive work environment were also frequently selected as factors contributing to job satisfaction (60.6%, 75.2% and 75.5%, respectively). Interestingly, motivation showed minimal impact on participants' opinions regarding job satisfaction and decisions over whether to quit their jobs. Finally, occupation and age were found to significantly influence work environments, promotions, and opportunities, which consequently impact participants' satisfaction towards their jobs.

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that Saudi pharmacists experience low-to-moderate job dissatisfaction, with a significant percentage considering quitting form their jobs. Improving monetary rewards, recognition, and career advancement opportunities could improve job satisfaction and retention in this crucial workforce.

"Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Winston Churchill. In recent times, globally, approximately three pandemics and thousands of natural disasters and political upheavals have been recorded. In most cases, tens to hundreds of thousands of people have died as a result, whether from droughts, famines, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, landslides, cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes, extreme heat, emerging or resurgent diseases or longer-term issues such as sustainability, climate change and/or global warming. Whilst many accommodations may have been made to cope with these, we propose that pharmacy education and professional practice benefit from learning from the past, from collaboration globally to manage the hectic and uncertain times that result from these disruptions and from curation and evaluation of these initiatives for ongoing and/or future use.

Background: The pharmacy workforce in Vietnam is rapidly evolving, but little is known about how gender and socioeconomic factors shape career intentions and sector preferences of students. Understanding these determinants is essential for healthcare workforce planning.

Objective: To investigate how gender and socioeconomic determinants influence intention of pharmacy students to pursue a career and their preferred sector in Vietnam.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 462 students from 2nd to 5th year at a Vietnamese university. Demographic data, socioeconomic background, and career intentions were analyzed using chi-squared tests, multinomial logistic regression, and binary logistic regression.

Results: Of 462 respondents, 71.9% intended to pursue a pharmacy career, 2.6% reported no, while 25.5% were unsure. Gender differences were evident but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.083). Female students were more likely to choose clinical, hospital pharmacy or regulation, whereas male students showed higher preference for community, industry and academia. Binary logistic regression revealed that urban origin (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.01-1.78, p = 0.041) and family encouragement (OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.60-3.99, p < 0.001) significantly predicted career intention, while gender and income were non-significant.

Conclusions: Family encouragement and urban upbringing influence pharmacy career pursuit, while gender may shape sectoral preferences. Policies should address gender equity and enhance support for students from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds.

Pharmacist interventions (PIs) are central to optimising pharmacotherapy, preventing drug-related problems, and improving patient outcomes. In Portugal, the absence of a validated tool to consistently document and classify PIs limits data comparability and service development. Given these gaps, this study aimed to describe hospital pharmacists' attitudes towards PI documentation and classification, following confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of a survey instrument, and to provide a comprehensive overview of current practices and behaviours in hospital settings across Portugal. An online questionnaire, previously validated, was distributed online to all hospital pharmacists registered with the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Society (October-December 2024). Sociodemographic data and the cognitive and behavioural domains of pharmacists' attitudinal model were analysed descriptively, and CFA tested the three-factor structure (Process, Outcome, Satisfaction) of the attitudinal affective domain. Of 1848 pharmacists, 260 responded (14%). Respondents reported performing a mean of 49 PIs/month (SD = 196), although many never recorded (28.8%), classified (56.2%), or analysed (52.3%) interventions. Only 2.7% declared to use a validated classification framework. The CFA supported the structural coherence of the Process factor but revealed some overlapping between Process and Outcome and instability in the Satisfaction factor. The nationwide scope and application of CFA provided partial support for the hypothesised model and highlighted areas for refinement, including revision of Satisfaction items and reconsideration of Process and Outcome as overlapping constructs. Findings highlight strong professional commitment to PIs but persistent barriers, including less clear procedures and satisfaction, underscoring the need for a unified, standardised national system to support consistent recording, classification, and evaluation.

MyDispense is a high-fidelity, low-stakes community pharmacy simulation, allowing students to practice dispensing skills. A systematic review was conducted to identify students' perceptions regarding barriers and facilitators of MyDispense in pharmacy education. PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases were searched from 2015 to 2025 in January 2025 using combined keywords, proximity searching and Boolean operators. Studies investigating MyDispense and gathering students' perceptions were included. Record screening was conducted by two independent reviewers (OC and LS). Any identified records from database searching and hand searching of included study reference lists were imported to Rayyan and subjected to independent review. Conflicts were resolved through a third party (RMcC), and discussions were held until consensus was reached. Fifteen studies were included in this review. Seven studies were conducted in USA, six in Asia, one in UK, and one in Australia. All studies utilised purposive sampling. Sample sizes ranged from 33 to 322 students. All studies included surveys to gather student perceptions. Other data collection methods included semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions for students to further elaborate on survey responses. Identified facilitators were mapped to four overarching themes; "Develops competency", "User-Friendliness", "Engaging Learning Experience" and "Safe Learning Environment." Key barriers were encompassed to three themes: "Learning Curve", "IT issues" and "Limited Realism and Applications". Barriers included (i) the learning curve of the platform, (ii) technical issues, and (iii) limited realism. Facilitators included perceptions of (i) improved dispensing and counselling skills and a deeper understanding of pharmacy legislation, (ii) accessibility, interactivity of the learning environment and (iii) immediate feedback. Synthesis of the evidence in this review identified students' perceptions of barriers and facilitators of MyDispense in pharmacy education. This may serve as a guide to educators considering the adoption of MyDispense into their curricula.

Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) are units of professional practice entrusted to learners once they have attained the required competencies to perform them. This scoping review described how Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) have been implemented in pharmacy education. MEDLINE (PubMed), Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched (on 8 July 2025) to identify relevant literature from 2016 to 2025. Studies that describe EPAs implemented in pharmacy programs, assess the perspectives on EPAs implemented, or evaluate student performance on EPAs were included. Studies that did not assess actual experience of EPAs' implementation were excluded. The data were described narratively and through frequencies and tables. Twenty-four studies were included in the review. Most studies pointed out that the EPAs' framework has been adopted mostly in practice experiences, but with a few experiences in course activities. The most frequent approach to assess student performance on EPAs was direct practice observation. Student performance on EPAs improved after participating in educational activities. From the perspectives of students, preceptors, and faculty members, EPAs facilitated student assessment of competencies; however, there are challenges in their implementation, such as heavy workload. The findings of this review can inform faculty members and health professionals who intend to implement EPAs' framework.

Increasing healthcare demands and physician shortages have prompted many countries to expand clinical responsibilities of pharmacists. Although Canada, the UK, and the US have implemented pharmacist prescribing, other nations lag behind. This review compares international roles, identifies inferred competencies, and explores implications for role expansion. A systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library was conducted using the PICO framework; studies were appraised with Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists, and interrater reliability assessed via Cohen's Kappa. Data from 23 studies were thematically synthesized following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Four themes emerged: (1) expanding clinical and public health roles and pharmacists' self-perceived readiness; (2) regulatory frameworks defining legal authority, qualifications, and temporary pandemic exemptions; (3) inferred competencies, including micro-skills (patient assessment, guideline application) and macro-capabilities (clinical judgment, accountability, reflective practice); and (4) contextual barriers such as training gaps, limited funding, unclear legal provisions, and workflow challenges. Implementation implications were synthesized and included training, funding, acceptance, and integration. Evidence indicates pharmacist prescribing is safe and patient-centered when supported by regulation, structured training, and systemic integration. Insights from established models can guide incremental implementation, optimizing medication management, enhancing healthcare access, and promoting equitable care.

This study describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a Competency-Based Pharmacy Education (CBPE) program for 120 direct-to-patient (DTP) pharmacists in China, aimed at improving pharmaceutical care and pharmacotherapy skills. The program, which integrated Case-Based Learning (CBL) and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), included both online and in-person sessions. A cross-sectional analysis of participant performance and satisfaction showed a mean total OSCE score of 68.31. Participants demonstrated strengths in communication and documentation, with one-third of participants achieving high scores, while weaknesses were noted in patient education and care planning. Participant surveys revealed significant perceived improvements in communication and patient education skills among 62.5% of the participants. These findings suggest that CBPE is a promising approach for pharmacist training, advocating for its broader adoption to meet the evolving demands of healthcare and improve patient outcomes.