Pub Date : 2024-04-12DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100442
Thao Linh Pham , Gregory M. Peterson , Alicia Martin , Mark Naunton
Introduction
In the dynamic landscape of healthcare, pharmacists play a critical role in ensuring the well-being of communities, and having solid professional organisations to support pharmacists is essential in crucial activities, including continuing education, advocacy and establishing service standards. Eight pharmacy organisations play vital roles in representing pharmacists in various sectors and collectively contribute to developing, regulating, and promoting the pharmacy profession in Australia. However, a notable lack of female representation in these organisations' leadership roles has led to an increased focus on gender balance and equity.
Objective
To determine if the gender distribution in pharmacy leadership aligns with the pharmacy workforce in Australia (64% women) and how it has changed in the five years since our last study on the issue.
Setting
Australia.
Method
Eight key Australian pharmacy organisations were identified. The website for each organisation was accessed, and data were recorded for their 2023 boards/committees/councils based on annual reports. Data recorded include name, number of males, number of females, and the gender of the president/chair of each board/committee/council.
Results
Data were obtained for 340 separate professional committee members from the eight organisations (including state/territory branches) in 2023. Gender balance in pharmacy organisations has increased significantly since 2018, with women's representation in leadership positions now at 58% (47% 2018).
Conclusion
Gender equity within Australian pharmacy professional organisations has significantly progressed.
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Pub Date : 2024-04-10DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100443
Fernando de Castro Araújo-Neto , Aline Santana Dosea , Francielly Lima da Fonseca , Thaís Maria Tavares , Déborah Mônica Machado Pimentel , Alessandra Rezende Mesquita , Divaldo Pereira de Lyra-Jr.
Introduction: Autonomy is considered a vital principle of professionalism. In recent years, despite important advances, the Pharmacy and pharmacists' autonomy has been questioned due to conflicts that jeopardize the consolidation of this profession in the division of work in health. Objective: to understand the construct of autonomy based on perceptions of formal leaders associated with professional organizations. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted through interviews with key informants. The data obtained were submitted to content analysis. Results: Perceptions about the autonomy in pharmaceutical practice were categorized according to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to this construct. Conclusion: The findings allowed us to understand the autonomy of pharmaceutical practice in Brazil, generate hypotheses about the future of Pharmacy, and build strategies to maintain its occupational status.
{"title":"Formal leadership perceptions about the autonomy of Pharmacy: a SWOT analysis","authors":"Fernando de Castro Araújo-Neto , Aline Santana Dosea , Francielly Lima da Fonseca , Thaís Maria Tavares , Déborah Mônica Machado Pimentel , Alessandra Rezende Mesquita , Divaldo Pereira de Lyra-Jr.","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100443","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100443","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Introduction: Autonomy is considered a vital principle of professionalism. In recent years, despite important advances, the Pharmacy and pharmacists' autonomy has been questioned due to conflicts that jeopardize the consolidation of this profession in the division of work in health. Objective: to understand the construct of autonomy based on perceptions of formal leaders associated with professional organizations. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted through interviews with key informants. The data obtained were submitted to content analysis. Results: Perceptions about the autonomy in pharmaceutical practice were categorized according to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to this construct. Conclusion: The findings allowed us to understand the autonomy of pharmaceutical practice in Brazil, generate hypotheses about the future of Pharmacy, and build strategies to maintain its occupational status.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667276624000398/pdfft?md5=2bfe8ea739a176b04e296b397b341275&pid=1-s2.0-S2667276624000398-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140554191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-10DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100441
Julie Faria Ferreira de Souza , Brígida Dias Fernandes , Inajara Rotta , Marília Berlofa Visacri , Tácio de Mendonça Lima
Background
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are a set of indicators that improve the quality of services provided by pharmacists. They enable the monitoring and evaluation of result progress and optimize decision-making for stakeholders. Currently, there is no systematic review regarding KPIs for pharmaceutical services.
Objectives
To identify and assess the quality of KPIs developed for pharmaceutical services.
Methods
A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and LILACS from the inception of the database until February 5th, 2024. Studies that developed a set of KPIs for pharmaceutical services were included. The indicators were evaluated using the Appraisal of Indicators through Research and Evaluation (AIRE) instrument. Two independent reviewers performed the study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment.
Results
Fifteen studies were included. The studies were conducted in different regions, most of which were developed for clinical services in hospitals or ambulatory settings, and used similar domains for the development of KPIs such as medication review, patient safety, and patient counseling. Literature review combined with the Delphi technique was the method most used by the studies, with content validity by inter-rater agreement. Regarding methodological quality, most studies described information on the purpose, definition, and stakeholders' involvement in the set of KPIs. However, little information was observed on the strategy for risk adjustment, instructions for presenting and interpreting the indicator results, the detailed description of the numerator and denominator, evidence scientific, and the feasibility of the set of KPIs. Only one study achieved a high methodological quality in all domains of the AIRE tool.
Conclusion
Our findings showed the potential of KPIs to monitor and assess pharmacy practice quality. Future studies should expand KPIs for other settings, explore validity evidence of the existing KPIs, provide detailed descriptions of evidence, formulation, and usage, and test their feasibility in daily practice.
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Pub Date : 2024-04-08DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100435
Michelle Santos Menezes , Grace Anne Azevedo Doria , Fernanda Valença-Feitosa , Sylmara Nayara Pereira , Carina Carvalho Silvestre , Alfredo Dias de Oliveira Filho , Iza Maria Fraga Lobo , Lucindo José Quintans-Júnior
Background
High-alert medication (HAM) is more predictable to cause significant harm to the patient, even when used as intended. The damage related to the HAM lead not only suffering to the patient, but also raise the additional costs associated with care.
Objective
Evaluate the incidence of drug-related adverse events related to the use of high-alert medications.
Methods
It was conducted an active search for information through COCHRANE databases, LILACS, SciELO, SCOPUS, PubMed/MEDLINE and WEB OF SCIENCE. The search strategy included the following terms: “Patient safety”, “Medication errors” and “Hospital” and “High Alert Medications” or “Dangerous Drugs” in different combinations. Then two reviewers independently conducted a preliminary evaluation of relevant titles, abstracts and finally full-text. Studies quality was evaluated according to PRISMA declaration.
Results
The systematic review evaluated seven articles, which showed that only 11 HAM identified in the literature could have serious events. The most frequently cited were warfarin (22.2%) which progressed from deep vein thrombosis to gangrene, suggesting lower initial doses, followed by cyclophosphamide (22.2%) and cyclosporine (22.2%) which presented invasive fungal infection and death. In addition to these, morphine was compared with its active metabolite (M6G), with M6G causing fewer serious clinical events related to nausea and vomiting, reducing the need for concomitant use of antiemetics.
Conclusions
The most reported drug classes in the articles included that were related to incidence of drug-related adverse events in use of high-alert medications: morphine, M6G-glucuronide, haloperidol, promethazine, ivabradine, digoxin, warfarin, ximelagatran, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, and ATG. The formulate protocols for the use of these medications, with importance placed on evaluating, among the classes, the medication that causes the least harm.
背景高警戒性药物(HAM)更容易对患者造成重大伤害,即使是在按规定使用的情况下。方法通过 COCHRANE 数据库、LILACS、SciELO、SCOPUS、PubMed/MEDLINE 和 WEB OF SCIENCE 进行主动搜索。搜索策略包括以下术语:"患者安全"、"用药错误"、"医院"、"高度警戒药物 "或 "危险药物 "等不同组合。然后由两名审稿人独立对相关标题、摘要和全文进行初步评估。结果该系统性综述评估了 7 篇文章,结果表明文献中仅有 11 种 HAM 可能发生严重事件。最常引用的是华法林(22.2%),它从深静脉血栓发展为坏疽,这表明初始剂量较低;其次是环磷酰胺(22.2%)和环孢素(22.2%),它们出现了侵袭性真菌感染和死亡。除此之外,还将吗啡与其活性代谢物(M6G)进行了比较,M6G引起的恶心和呕吐等严重临床事件较少,从而减少了同时使用止吐药的需要。结论 在收录的文章中,报道最多的与使用高警戒药物时药物相关不良事件发生率有关的药物类别是:吗啡、M6G-葡萄糖醛酸、氟哌啶醇、异丙嗪、依维布雷定、地高辛、华法林、西美拉格伦、环磷酰胺、环孢素和ATG。制定这些药物的使用规程,重点是在各类药物中评估伤害最小的药物。
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Pub Date : 2024-04-06DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100439
Christina Kenny , Shawn Chavrimootoo , Anushree Priyadarshini
Background
Chronic diseases are at epidemic proportions and continuing to increase in both incidence and prevalence globally. Therefore, there is a growing need to assess and improve on the value currently provided within chronic care pathways. Examining the costs associated with care pathways is a critical part of assessing this value in order to better understand and introduce potential cost-saving interventions.
Objectives
Examining one such chronic disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), this study aimed to assess the cost associated with RA in primary care within the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland.
Methods
Following mapping of the care pathway, patient vignettes based on exemplar RA patient types were used to conduct semi-structed interviews with every member (N = 21) of the primary care RA pathway. Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) was then used to calculate the overall cost of each patient (vignette) type.
Results
RA is an expensive condition regardless of disease stage. However, newly diagnosed patients as well as those with advanced disease in need of surgical interventions demonstrated the highest costs in terms of primary care personnel use. Additionally, patients prescribed Biological Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (bDMARDs) cost significantly more than those on Conventional Synthetic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (csDMARDs) regardless of disease stage or personnel resource use.
Conclusion
RA and a subset of RA patients that exert the highest healthcare costs are growing in prevalence. Therefore, this study contributes by assessing the costs associated with RA in HSE primary care that can facilitate better understanding the current value being provided and improve upon the current care pathway to cut future costs.
背景慢性病正处于流行阶段,并且在全球范围内的发病率和流行率都在持续上升。因此,评估和改善目前慢性病护理路径所提供的价值的需求与日俱增。本研究旨在评估爱尔兰卫生服务执行局(HSE)初级医疗中与类风湿性关节炎(RA)相关的成本。方法在绘制医疗路径图后,使用基于典型类风湿性关节炎患者类型的患者小故事,对初级医疗类风湿性关节炎路径中的每位成员(N = 21)进行半结构化访谈。然后使用时间驱动活动成本法(TDABC)计算每个患者(小案例)类型的总体成本。然而,新诊断的患者和需要手术治疗的晚期患者在初级保健人员使用方面的成本最高。此外,无论疾病处于哪个阶段或使用了哪些人员资源,使用生物改良性抗风湿药物(bDMARDs)的患者花费明显高于使用传统合成改良性抗风湿药物(csDMARDs)的患者。因此,本研究通过评估 HSE 初级医疗中与 RA 相关的成本,有助于更好地了解当前提供的价值,并改进当前的医疗途径,以削减未来的成本。
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Pub Date : 2024-04-04DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100438
Letitia N. Warunek PharmD, BCPS, Brenda Gruver PharmD, Liam Bartko PharmD, Jaycee Blair PharmD
Background
Pharmacists play an important role in transitions of care, where successful communication is vital. The primary objective of this study was to assess the extent of intradisciplinary communication between pharmacists during patient transitions of care. Secondary objectives were to evaluate pharmacist communication practices and to explore the potential barriers and facilitators to effective health communications.
Methods
A twenty item online survey was administered by email to all pharmacists practicing within a multisite regional healthcare system in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Statistical analysis consisted of descriptive statistics for multiple choice, select all that apply, and Likert-type questions. Themes were summarized for open ended questions.
Results
A total of 132 (32%) pharmacists responded to the survey of which 90 responses were included in the analysis. The majority of pharmacists felt either extremely comfortable (53.3%) or somewhat comfortable (33.3%) reaching out to another pharmacist within the same health system. However, most contacted other pharmacy disciplines within the health system ≤25% of their work week. The ability to reach the pharmacist was the most important factor to pharmacist comfort (extremely important n = 56, somewhat important n = 27). Not knowing who to contact was the biggest barrier (44.8%). The electronic messaging systems Microsoft Teams (almost always n = 33, often n = 25) and TigerText (almost always n = 17, often n = 23) were the forms of communication utilized most often.
Conclusions
Pharmacists feel comfortable communicating with pharmacists across different entities within the health system, however, intradisciplinary communication related to transitions of care activities is limited. Improving awareness of system-wide pharmacist directories (34.2%) and distribution of pharmacist schedules (18.4%) were identified as tools that may improve communication.
背景药剂师在护理过渡中发挥着重要作用,而成功的沟通对于护理过渡至关重要。本研究的主要目的是评估在患者护理过渡期间药剂师之间的学科内沟通程度。次要目标是评估药剂师的沟通实践,并探讨有效健康沟通的潜在障碍和促进因素。方法:通过电子邮件向宾夕法尼亚州中部和东北部一个多站点区域医疗保健系统内的所有执业药剂师发放了一份包含 20 个项目的在线调查问卷。统计分析包括多选、全选和李克特类型问题的描述性统计。结果 共有 132 名药剂师(32%)对调查做出了回复,其中 90 份回复纳入了分析。大多数药剂师认为,与同一医疗系统内的其他药剂师联系非常方便(53.3%)或比较方便(33.3%)。然而,大多数药剂师在工作周内联系医疗系统内其他药学学科的比例不超过 25%。能够联系到药剂师是让药剂师感到舒适的最重要因素(极其重要 n = 56,比较重要 n = 27)。不知道与谁联系是最大的障碍(44.8%)。电子信息系统 Microsoft Teams(几乎总是 n = 33,经常 n = 25)和 TigerText(几乎总是 n = 17,经常 n = 23)是最常用的沟通方式。提高对全系统药剂师目录的认识(34.2%)和分发药剂师日程表(18.4%)被认为是可以改善沟通的工具。
{"title":"Assessing intradisciplinary pharmacy communication related to transitions of care","authors":"Letitia N. Warunek PharmD, BCPS, Brenda Gruver PharmD, Liam Bartko PharmD, Jaycee Blair PharmD","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100438","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100438","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Pharmacists play an important role in transitions of care, where successful communication is vital. The primary objective of this study was to assess the extent of intradisciplinary communication between pharmacists during patient transitions of care. Secondary objectives were to evaluate pharmacist communication practices and to explore the potential barriers and facilitators to effective health communications.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>A twenty item online survey was administered by email to all pharmacists practicing within a multisite regional healthcare system in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Statistical analysis consisted of descriptive statistics for multiple choice, select all that apply, and Likert-type questions. Themes were summarized for open ended questions.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>A total of 132 (32%) pharmacists responded to the survey of which 90 responses were included in the analysis. The majority of pharmacists felt either extremely comfortable (53.3%) or somewhat comfortable (33.3%) reaching out to another pharmacist within the same health system. However, most contacted other pharmacy disciplines within the health system ≤25% of their work week. The ability to reach the pharmacist was the most important factor to pharmacist comfort (extremely important <em>n</em> = 56, somewhat important <em>n</em> = 27). Not knowing who to contact was the biggest barrier (44.8%). The electronic messaging systems Microsoft Teams (almost always <em>n</em> = 33, often <em>n</em> = 25) and TigerText (almost always <em>n</em> = 17, often <em>n</em> = 23) were the forms of communication utilized most often.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Pharmacists feel comfortable communicating with pharmacists across different entities within the health system, however, intradisciplinary communication related to transitions of care activities is limited. Improving awareness of system-wide pharmacist directories (34.2%) and distribution of pharmacist schedules (18.4%) were identified as tools that may improve communication.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667276624000349/pdfft?md5=30b24ff17e9efdc484a11f725b0b4e7f&pid=1-s2.0-S2667276624000349-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140548279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-04DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100440
Esteban Zavaleta-Monestel , Bruno Serrano-Arias , Sebastián Arguedas-Chacón , Alonso Quirós-Romero , José Pablo Díaz-Madriz , Arturo Villalobos-Madriz , Allan Robles-Calderón , Jorge Bucknor-Masís , José Miguel Chaverri-Fernández
Introduction
The intricate nature of certain diseases necessitates complex medication regimens, utilization including high-cost medications, and continual vigilance to avoid potential complications. To address these exigencies, numerous healthcare institutions have instituted multidisciplinary management teams, exemplified in pharmaceutical care through Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) programs. These programs oversee diverse facets such as patient education, medication adherence promotion, clinical monitoring, dose adjustments, and scrutiny of prescribed drug therapies. Given the emphasized significance, it is relevant to possess evidence to continue endorsing these initiatives from management positions within health centers, and it is for this reason that this study aims to evaluate the clinical and economic benefits provided by a CMM program within a private hospital in Latin America, by analyzing the effects of clinical interventions.
Methods
A retrospective examination was conducted involving documented pharmaceutical interventions in an outpatient setting from January 2019 to September 2022. To assess the interventions' repercussions, a retrospective analysis was undertaken. The collated data included patients' basic characteristics, a comprehensive pharmacist-generated description of interventions, potential associated complications, and avoided medical services. Multiple clinical projections, which were endorsed by internal medicine physicians, were developed to explore potential scenarios in the absence of pharmaceutical care. These projections were associated with conceivable complications, aligned with the most plausible circumstances. Subsequently, utilizing the average cost of healthcare within a private hospital in Latin America, the cumulative savings were quantified. These savings were then attributed to the intrinsic advantages offered by pharmaceutical care.
Results
The study discloses demographic trends among patients within distinct age groups in the CMM program. Rheumatology predominated as the main referral source, and interventions centering on monitoring emerged as the pivotal drug-related concern. This encompassed a collaborative approach, involving interdisciplinary efforts toward patient education and critical parameter monitoring. Of the total 347 pharmaceutical interventions, 66.3% (N = 230) specialty office visits, 14.1% (N = 49) general practitioner consultations, 12.4% (N = 43) hospitalizations, and 7.2% (N = 25) ER visits were avoided. The economic analysis underscores cost savings ensuing from pharmaceutical interventions, amounting to a cumulative 603,792.82 USD. Extrapolating these findings to a patient cohort of 400 enrolled in the pharmaceutical care program approximates per-patient savings of 361.47 USD.
Conclusion
This study reveals the significant clinical and economic ben
{"title":"Effects of clinical interventions through a comprehensive medication management program: A retrospective study among outpatients in a private hospital","authors":"Esteban Zavaleta-Monestel , Bruno Serrano-Arias , Sebastián Arguedas-Chacón , Alonso Quirós-Romero , José Pablo Díaz-Madriz , Arturo Villalobos-Madriz , Allan Robles-Calderón , Jorge Bucknor-Masís , José Miguel Chaverri-Fernández","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100440","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100440","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>The intricate nature of certain diseases necessitates complex medication regimens, utilization including high-cost medications, and continual vigilance to avoid potential complications. To address these exigencies, numerous healthcare institutions have instituted multidisciplinary management teams, exemplified in pharmaceutical care through Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM) programs. These programs oversee diverse facets such as patient education, medication adherence promotion, clinical monitoring, dose adjustments, and scrutiny of prescribed drug therapies. Given the emphasized significance, it is relevant to possess evidence to continue endorsing these initiatives from management positions within health centers, and it is for this reason that this study aims to evaluate the clinical and economic benefits provided by a CMM program within a private hospital in Latin America, by analyzing the effects of clinical interventions.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>A retrospective examination was conducted involving documented pharmaceutical interventions in an outpatient setting from January 2019 to September 2022. To assess the interventions' repercussions, a retrospective analysis was undertaken. The collated data included patients' basic characteristics, a comprehensive pharmacist-generated description of interventions, potential associated complications, and avoided medical services. Multiple clinical projections, which were endorsed by internal medicine physicians, were developed to explore potential scenarios in the absence of pharmaceutical care. These projections were associated with conceivable complications, aligned with the most plausible circumstances. Subsequently, utilizing the average cost of healthcare within a private hospital in Latin America, the cumulative savings were quantified. These savings were then attributed to the intrinsic advantages offered by pharmaceutical care.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>The study discloses demographic trends among patients within distinct age groups in the CMM program. Rheumatology predominated as the main referral source, and interventions centering on monitoring emerged as the pivotal drug-related concern. This encompassed a collaborative approach, involving interdisciplinary efforts toward patient education and critical parameter monitoring. Of the total 347 pharmaceutical interventions, 66.3% (<em>N</em> = 230) specialty office visits, 14.1% (<em>N</em> = 49) general practitioner consultations, 12.4% (<em>N</em> = 43) hospitalizations, and 7.2% (<em>N</em> = 25) ER visits were avoided. The economic analysis underscores cost savings ensuing from pharmaceutical interventions, amounting to a cumulative 603,792.82 USD. Extrapolating these findings to a patient cohort of 400 enrolled in the pharmaceutical care program approximates per-patient savings of 361.47 USD.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>This study reveals the significant clinical and economic ben","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667276624000362/pdfft?md5=dec68d3f36ae63c88749baa6f2d1e70b&pid=1-s2.0-S2667276624000362-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140539255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A Virtual Clinical Pharmacy Service (VCPS) was introduced in selected rural and remote NSW hospitals in 2020 to address a gap in onsite clinical pharmacy services. Follow-up research determined hospital staff and patients at these locations perceived the service as a safe, effective and efficient system for delivering clinical pharmacy services. Community pharmacists are key stakeholders in medication safety and continuity of management in these regions, however, their insight on the VCPS had not yet been sought.
Objective
To understand perspectives of community pharmacists on the implementation of VCPS in rural and remote hospitals and impacts on medication management at transitions of care.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted via videoconference with seven community pharmacists with at least three months exposure to VCPS following service implementation. Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews was conducted influenced by Appreciative Inquiry.
Results
Participants identified that the VCPS had supported and enhanced their community pharmacy practice and acknowledged its future potential. Identified themes were interaction with VCPS, acceptability of VCPS, community pharmacy workflow, and involvement in patient care. Suggested improvements included involving community pharmacists early in the implementation of the service and establishing clear expectations and procedures.
Conclusions
The experiences of community pharmacists with VCPS were positive and there was a consensus that the introduction of the service had assisted interviewees in providing medication management to patients at transition of care. The ease of communication and efficiency of the service were recognised as key factors in the success of VCPS for community pharmacists.
{"title":"Community pharmacists' perceptions of a hospital based virtual clinical pharmacy service: Findings from qualitative research","authors":"Lucy Bucknell , Brett Chambers , Shannon Nott , Emma Webster","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100437","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100437","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>A Virtual Clinical Pharmacy Service (VCPS) was introduced in selected rural and remote NSW hospitals in 2020 to address a gap in onsite clinical pharmacy services. Follow-up research determined hospital staff and patients at these locations perceived the service as a safe, effective and efficient system for delivering clinical pharmacy services. Community pharmacists are key stakeholders in medication safety and continuity of management in these regions, however, their insight on the VCPS had not yet been sought.</p></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><p>To understand perspectives of community pharmacists on the implementation of VCPS in rural and remote hospitals and impacts on medication management at transitions of care.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Semi-structured interviews were conducted via videoconference with seven community pharmacists with at least three months exposure to VCPS following service implementation. Thematic analysis of transcribed interviews was conducted influenced by Appreciative Inquiry.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Participants identified that the VCPS had supported and enhanced their community pharmacy practice and acknowledged its future potential. Identified themes were interaction with VCPS, acceptability of VCPS, community pharmacy workflow, and involvement in patient care. Suggested improvements included involving community pharmacists early in the implementation of the service and establishing clear expectations and procedures.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The experiences of community pharmacists with VCPS were positive and there was a consensus that the introduction of the service had assisted interviewees in providing medication management to patients at transition of care. The ease of communication and efficiency of the service were recognised as key factors in the success of VCPS for community pharmacists.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667276624000337/pdfft?md5=7dec43d99002295c72cc04fb4605ca54&pid=1-s2.0-S2667276624000337-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140557821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-18DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100434
Natalie Rosario, Joshua Wollen
Pharmacists have many identities within the profession from medication experts, clinicians, educators, mentors, patient advocates, and more. It can be especially challenging for racially and ethnically minoritized persons (REMPs) to form a professional identity when they are surrounded by stereotypes and biases which are pervasive in the community, academia, and pharmacy practice settings. As pharmacist educators, preceptors, and mentors, it is important to create safer spaces that decrease stereotyping and biases for students so they may envision themselves thinking, acting, and feeling like a pharmacist. Here, literature on professional identity formation in underrepresented groups in the United States is reviewed to continue the conversation of creating safer spaces for underrepresented students as they develop their professional identity.
{"title":"Mitigating stereotypes and bias in professional identity formation for those with marginalized identities","authors":"Natalie Rosario, Joshua Wollen","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100434","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100434","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Pharmacists have many identities within the profession from medication experts, clinicians, educators, mentors, patient advocates, and more. It can be especially challenging for racially and ethnically minoritized persons (REMPs) to form a professional identity when they are surrounded by stereotypes and biases which are pervasive in the community, academia, and pharmacy practice settings. As pharmacist educators, preceptors, and mentors, it is important to create safer spaces that decrease stereotyping and biases for students so they may envision themselves thinking, acting, and feeling like a pharmacist. Here, literature on professional identity formation in underrepresented groups in the United States is reviewed to continue the conversation of creating safer spaces for underrepresented students as they develop their professional identity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667276624000295/pdfft?md5=3b09b59f12263730546c09828845c86b&pid=1-s2.0-S2667276624000295-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140191150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-16DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100432
Dana Borowitz , Shanna Trenaman , Anastasia Shiamptanis
Pharmacy professionals report experiencing burnout and stress in the workplace. Concerns exist that burnout and stress in the pharmacy profession are having an impact on patient care and may be affecting the sustainability of the pharmacy profession. In response, pharmacy regulatory authorities worldwide are exploring how to address workplace wellness. Jurisdictions have varied in terms of the approaches taken, which range from surveys of pharmacy professionals, formation of committees or working groups, and legislative changes. The approach taken by the New Brunswick College of Pharmacists (NBCP) consisted of a literature review of the current state of pharmacy workplace wellness, an environmental scan of approaches to wellness taken in other jurisdictions, a workforce planning survey to gain insight into workplace wellness of pharmacy professionals, and the formation of a task force to make recommendations for improving workplace wellness of New Brunswick pharmacy professionals. Outlining the approach taken in New Brunswick, Canada provides insight that may help other pharmacy regulatory authorities who are considering, or in the process of, implementing a pharmacy workplace wellness initiative.
{"title":"Evaluation of community pharmacy workplace wellness: Literature review, environmental scan, and task force recommendations","authors":"Dana Borowitz , Shanna Trenaman , Anastasia Shiamptanis","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100432","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100432","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Pharmacy professionals report experiencing burnout and stress in the workplace. Concerns exist that burnout and stress in the pharmacy profession are having an impact on patient care and may be affecting the sustainability of the pharmacy profession. In response, pharmacy regulatory authorities worldwide are exploring how to address workplace wellness. Jurisdictions have varied in terms of the approaches taken, which range from surveys of pharmacy professionals, formation of committees or working groups, and legislative changes. The approach taken by the New Brunswick College of Pharmacists (NBCP) consisted of a literature review of the current state of pharmacy workplace wellness, an environmental scan of approaches to wellness taken in other jurisdictions, a workforce planning survey to gain insight into workplace wellness of pharmacy professionals, and the formation of a task force to make recommendations for improving workplace wellness of New Brunswick pharmacy professionals. Outlining the approach taken in New Brunswick, Canada provides insight that may help other pharmacy regulatory authorities who are considering, or in the process of, implementing a pharmacy workplace wellness initiative.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667276624000271/pdfft?md5=2c585a67795bf5bb2c67a139cbc9e797&pid=1-s2.0-S2667276624000271-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140190991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}