Canadian Pharmacists Journal最新文献

Background: Canada has historically been among the world leaders in hypertension care, but hypertension treatment and control rates have regressed in recent years. This guideline is intended to provide pragmatic primary care-focused recommendations to improve hypertension management in adults at the population level.

Methods: We employed Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation and ADAPTE frameworks in accordance with Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) quality and reporting standards to develop recommendations on managing hypertension for adults aged 18 years and older. We used the HEARTS framework-a model of care developed by the World Health Organization to improve hypertension control and reduce cardiovascular burden-to integrate these recommendations into streamlined, pragmatic, and evidence-based algorithms. The guideline committee predominantly comprised primary care providers and also included patient, methodology, and hypertension specialist representatives. Our process for managing competing interests adhered to Guidelines International Network principles.

Recommendations: The 9 recommendations for managing hypertension in adults are grouped under the categories of diagnosis and treatment. Diagnostic recommendations include a standardized approach to measuring blood pressure (BP) and confirming hypertension, as well as providing a uniform definition for hypertension of BP ≥130/80 mmHg. Treatment recommendations include targeting a systolic BP <130 mmHg, implementing healthy lifestyle changes, and providing stepwise guidance on optimal medication choices for patients requiring pharmacotherapy.

Interpretation: Our aim is to enhance the standard of hypertension care in the Canadian primary care setting. Accurate diagnosis and optimal treatment of hypertension can reduce adverse cardiovascular events and risk of death.

Background: The World Health Organization's right to health underscores the need for accessible, acceptable, and quality health services. Given that most Canadians use the Internet for health information, the readability of online pharmacy services information is crucial for accessibility.

Methods: This study assessed the readability of online information about pharmacy services from Canadian provincial pharmacy regulatory authorities (PRAs) and community pharmacy banners. Public-facing website content was evaluated using various readability tests. Scores were compared to recommended reading grade levels by health organizations, and differences between PRA and community pharmacy banner websites were analyzed.

Results: Website content from 9 PRAs and 10 community pharmacy banners was analyzed in June 2024. Average readability scores exceeded the recommended eighth-grade level, with summary scores ranging from 8.45 to 15.28. International English Language Testing System scores for all websites also surpassed reading benchmarks necessary for Canadian immigration. Mann-Whitney U tests indicated statistically significant differences between PRA and community pharmacy banner websites, with the latter being more readable.

Discussion: The results suggest that both PRAs and community pharmacy banners provide information at an advanced reading level, hindering accessibility. This aligns with other research indicating that online health information is often too complex for the general public. Improving readability, particularly for new Canadians, is essential for better accessibility.

Conclusion: Public health information on PRA and community pharmacy banner websites generally exceeds the recommended readability level, limiting accessibility. Implementing readability assessments and plain-language standards can enhance the accessibility and engagement of online health information.

Background: Understanding gender disparities in the way women pharmacists experience their careers is essential for robust workforce planning, as the profession has undergone substantial feminization in recent decades. This study aimed to quantify gender-related wage gaps in the Canadian pharmacy workforce as a tracer for progress toward gender equity in the wake of COVID-19.

Methods: A national observational study was conducted using gender-disaggregated data among pharmacists from the 2021 population census and integrated income tax records capturing annual professional earnings in 2019 and (pandemic-affected) 2020. Descriptive and multivariate decomposition analyses were used to characterize earnings differentials, with adjustment for several professional, personal, and geographic factors.

Results: Nearly two-thirds (63%) of pharmacists aged 25 to 54 were women. Despite similar levels of education, women's earnings averaged 88 cents for every dollar earned by men. A significant gender wage gap was found, with women earning 9.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.8%-13.8%) less than men on average in 2020 after adjustment for other confounders. Much of the gap was explained by the measured predictors, including gendered earnings differentials observed the previous year, but a significant residual (34% of the gap) remained unexplained in the decomposition analysis.

Discussion: This first nationally representative investigation of wage differentials among Canadian pharmacists found evidence of a persistent gender-related wage gap, one that was only marginally affected by labour disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and which was largely unexplained-an outcome commonly attributed, at least in part, to gender bias and discrimination.

Conclusion: Concerted efforts are needed among multiple stakeholders for achieving women's full economic inclusion in the pharmacy profession.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1177/17151635241291854.].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1177/17151635241300707.].