Australian Pharmacy Research Articles

Does Australian Continuing Professional Development Activities Prepare Pharmacists to Play a Role in Disasters?

Study/Objective To determine if Australian pharmacy curriculum prepares Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) students to play a role in disasters. Background While health students are unlikely to perform clinical tasks during a disaster, with appropriate training they may provide support in non-clinical roles. Globally, several universities have begun to incorporate disaster education and training for various health professionals into curricula.

MyDispense: Lessons from Global Collaboration in Developing a Pharmacy Educational Simulation Tool

The current focus on global workforce development in pharmacy provides a perfect stage for continued and extended collaboration between educators, researchers, and practitioners. One such global educational project is the MyDispense Project, which is a collaborative journey that started with an educational need. MyDispense is an online pharmacy simulation tool that teaches dispensing skills to students. Development of the tool began as a need for Australian pharmacy students, but has been customized for other parts of the world as well. Since the project’s launch in 2010, the ongoing use and development of the tool is a compelling story of success for global collaboration in pharmacy education. Lessons can be learned from this collaborative endeavour.
 
 Type: Commentary

The SHPA Australian Clinical Pharmacy Award 2016 Oration

The SHPA Australian Clinical Pharmacy Award 2016 Oration

MyDispense: Lessons from Global Collaboration in Developing a Pharmacy Educational Simulation Tool

The current focus on global workforce development in pharmacy provides a perfect stage for continued and extended collaboration between educators, researchers, and practitioners. One such global educational project is the MyDispense Project, which is a collaborative journey that started with an educational need. MyDispense is an online pharmacy simulation tool that teaches dispensing skills to students. Development of the tool began as a need for Australian pharmacy students, but has been customized for other parts of the world as well. Since the project’s launch in 2010, the ongoing use and development of the tool is a compelling story of success for global collaboration in pharmacy education. Lessons can be learned from this collaborative endeavour. Type: Commentary

Hospital pharmacists’ perspectives on the role of key performance indicators in Australian pharmacy practice

AbstractBackgroundTo date, there is no national or international consensus on which key performance indicators (KPIs) should be used to measure hospital pharmacy performance.AimTo explore hospital pharmacists’ perspectives on the role of KPIs and to use their perspectives to suggest a set of KPIs for use in Australian hospital pharmacy practice.MethodsThe study comprised of two parts. Part A involved semi‐structured interviews with hospital pharmacists from major Sydney metropolitan hospitals; interviews were conducted until theme saturation was attained. Part B involved an online survey comprising Likert‐scale responses and open‐ended questions; the survey was distributed nationally to pharmacists via the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) eNewsletter and Facebook page.ResultsPart A: 19 hospital pharmacists were interviewed. Part B: 49 online surveys were received (after excluding incomplete submissions). Overall, the emergent themes identified that hospital pharmacists agreed that KPIs are a valuable tool for individual and departmental performance measurement; the use of KPIs was challenged by data collection difficulties, a lack of engagement from staff, and a lack of clarification regarding the intended use of KPIs and their relevance. The study identified a consolidated set of seven KPIs, proposed as standard measures for hospital pharmacy practice.ConclusionThere is a perceived need to develop national standardised KPIs to demonstrate the value of pharmacy services at the individual and departmental levels. However, there are challenges that will need to be addressed before the implementation of a set of consolidated KPIs that encompasses the full scope of pharmacy activities.

Drugscan

Journal of Pharmacy Practice and ResearchVolume 46, Issue 4 p. 384-396 DrugScan Drugscan Tina Ha, Tina HaSearch for more papers by this authorLeonie Abbott, Leonie AbbottSearch for more papers by this authorNadia Mouchaileh, Nadia MouchailehSearch for more papers by this authorMelanie Morrow, Melanie MorrowSearch for more papers by this authorMatthew Rawlins, Matthew RawlinsSearch for more papers by this authorMark Naunton, Mark NauntonSearch for more papers by this authorMegumi Ng, Megumi NgSearch for more papers by this authorRachel Worthington, Rachel WorthingtonSearch for more papers by this authorRosemary Burke, Rosemary BurkeSearch for more papers by this authorDebbie Rigby, Debbie RigbySearch for more papers by this author Tina Ha, Tina HaSearch for more papers by this authorLeonie Abbott, Leonie AbbottSearch for more papers by this authorNadia Mouchaileh, Nadia MouchailehSearch for more papers by this authorMelanie Morrow, Melanie MorrowSearch for more papers by this authorMatthew Rawlins, Matthew RawlinsSearch for more papers by this authorMark Naunton, Mark NauntonSearch for more papers by this authorMegumi Ng, Megumi NgSearch for more papers by this authorRachel Worthington, Rachel WorthingtonSearch for more papers by this authorRosemary Burke, Rosemary BurkeSearch for more papers by this authorDebbie Rigby, Debbie RigbySearch for more papers by this author First published: 02 December 2016 https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.1301 Edited by Vaughn Eaton, BPharm, MClinPharm, FSHP This review updates you on the international literature on therapeutics. Specialist pharmacy practitioners scan major peer-reviewed journals in areas relevant to Australian pharmacy practice and present precis on major clinical trials, important pharmacoepidemiology studies and pharmacoeconomic research. Interested readers are encouraged to explore the original publications in greater detail. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume46, Issue4December 2016Pages 384-396 RelatedInformation

Quality of claims and references found in Australian pharmacy journal advertisements.

To evaluate the quality of pharmaceutical advertisement claims and supporting references in Australian pharmacy journals that target community pharmacists. All full-page advertisements for a medicinal product, found in two Australian pharmacy journals from the year 2012 to 2015 were included. Advertisement claims and references were evaluated by claim type (unambiguous to immeasurable) and level of evidence (strong to irrelevant) in supporting references. Two hundred and ninety distinct advertisements and 598 claims were identified, with a median of 2 claims per advertisement. Twenty-seven percent of claims were unambiguous, 40% were vague, 16% were emotive/immeasurable and 17% were non-clinical or other marketing claims. Half of all claims were referenced. Although 68% of unambiguous claims were referenced, 63% of those were supported by studies that were funded directly or indirectly by pharmaceutical companies. Only 13% of claims were supported with strong or moderate independent evidence. Pharmaceutical advertisements continue to present vague and emotive claims with little independent supporting evidence. Pharmacists need to be aware of these limitations when providing patient care. Increased awareness of this issue among pharmaceutical companies, Australian pharmaceutical journal publishers, regulators and pharmacists will assist in promoting optimised healthcare outcomes for the Australian public.

Towards comprehensive early abortion service delivery in high income countries: insights for improving universal access to abortion in Australia.

BackgroundImproving access to safe abortion is an essential strategy in the provision of universal access to reproductive health care. Australians are largely supportive of the provision of abortion and its decriminalization. However, the lack of data and the complex legal and service delivery situation impacts upon access for women seeking an early termination of pregnancy. There are no systematic reviews from a health services perspective to help direct health planners and policy makers to improve access comprehensive medical and early surgical abortion in high income countries. This review therefore aims to identify quality studies of abortion services to provide insight into how access to services can be improved in Australia.MethodsWe undertook a structured search of six bibliographic databases and hand-searching to ascertain peer reviewed primary research in English between 2005 and 2015. Qualitative and quantitative study designs were deemed suitable for inclusion. A deductive content analysis methodology was employed to analyse selected manuscripts based upon a framework we developed to examine access to early abortion services.ResultsThis review identified the dimensions of access to surgical and medical abortion at clinic or hospital-outpatient based abortion services, as well as new service delivery approaches utilising a remote telemedicine approach. A range of factors, mostly from studies in the United Kingdom and United States of America were found to facilitate improved access to abortion, in particular, flexible service delivery approaches that provide women with cost effective options and technology based services. Standards, recommendations and targets were also identified that provided services and providers with guidance regarding the quality of abortion care.ConclusionsKey insights for service delivery in Australia include the: establishment of standards, provision of choice of procedure, improved provider education and training and the expansion of telemedicine for medical abortion. However, to implement such directives leadership is required from Australian medical, nursing, midwifery and pharmacy practitioners, academic faculties and their associated professional associations. In addition, political will is needed to nationally decriminalise abortion and ensure dedicated public provision that is based on comprehensive models tailored for all populations.

Evaluation of a survey tool to measure safety climate in Australian hospital pharmacy staff.

Safety climate evaluation is increasingly used by hospitals as part of quality improvement initiatives. Consequently, it is necessary to have validated tools to measure changes. To evaluate the construct validity and internal consistency of a survey tool to measure Australian hospital pharmacy patient safety climate. A 42 item cross-sectional survey was used to evaluate the patient safety climate of 607 Australian hospital pharmacy staff. Survey responses were initially mapped to the factor structure previously identified in European community pharmacy. However, as the data did not adequately fit the community pharmacy model, participants were randomly split into two groups with exploratory factor analysis performed on the first group (n=302) and confirmatory factor analyses performed on the second group (n=305). Following exploratory factor analysis (59.3% variance explained) and confirmatory factor analysis, a 6-factor model containing 28 items was obtained with satisfactory model fit (χ2 (335)=664.61 p<0.001, RMSEA=0.06, CFI=0.93, TLI=0.92), internal reliability (α>0.643) and model nesting between the groups (Δχ2 (22)=30.87, p=0.10). Three factors (blame culture, organisational learning and working conditions) were similar to those identified in European community pharmacy and labelled identically. Three additional factors (preoccupation with improvement; comfort to question authority; and safety issues being swept under the carpet) highlight hierarchical issues present in hospital settings. This study has demonstrated the validity of a survey to evaluate patient safety climate of Australian hospital pharmacy staff. Importantly, this validated factor structure may be used to evaluate changes in safety climate over time.

Incorporating research into current pharmacy practice: the future of Australian pharmacy?

Incorporating research into current pharmacy practice: the future of Australian pharmacy?

Purchasing Over-the-counter medicines from Australian pharmacy: What do the pharmacy customers value and expect?

Background:Over-the-counter medicines (OTC) are widely available and can be purchased without a prescription. Their availability means that a customer may choose to purchase them without the involvement of a pharmacy/pharmacist. It is important to understand customer OTC purchasing perceptions and behaviour from a pharmacy to better understand the needs and opportunities in this space.Objective:This study aimed to examine customers’ key expectations and what they value when purchasing OTC and how the effect of health status/stress and perceived risks/benefits of purchasing OTCs from a pharmacy may influence their OTC shopping behaviour.Methods:Customers from two metropolitan pharmacies across two different suburbs in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia completed a self-administered questionnaire. Data collection was conducted over a six-week period. The questionnaire examined demographics, current level of health and stress, as well as a range of questions (seven-point Likert-scale) examining perceived benefits and risks, what they value, trust and expect when purchasing OTC.Results:A total of 86 customers from a broad range of demographics were captured in this study. When asked about their current health state, 41% and 23% respectively indicated that they were stressed and tense when they arrived at the pharmacy but many were feeling well (38%). Most customers strongly agreed/agreed that trust in the advice from a pharmacy (96%), trust in the products (73%), and the altruistic approach of a pharmacy (95%) were critical to them. Further, 82% and 78% respectively disagreed that time pressures or costs were concerns, despite many feeling tense and stressed when they came in. When asked where they intend to buy their future OTC, 89% indicated pharmacy instead of a supermarket.Conclusions:High levels of trust, confidence and sense of altruism and care were key factors for customers buying OTC from a pharmacy, regardless of time pressures, costs or existing levels of stress and health.

A Shared Focus: Comparing the Australian, Canadian, United Kingdom and United States Pharmacy Learning Outcome Frameworks and the Global Competency Framework.

This paper presents an analysis of the end of degree expectations, expressed as learning outcomes, for pharmacy graduates from Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States. The authors compare the end of degree expectations, through mapping these requirements to the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Competency Framework (GbCF). The anticipated end of degree expectations are similar but also reveal some individual characteristics. Irrespective of degree title, achievement of learning outcomes specified in any one of the four jurisdictions should enable students to become pharmacists who are patient-orientated medicines experts. The mapping provides impetus for cross-border institutional networking to generate a dependable set of assessment tools across national borders developing a common metric for outcome assessment irrespective of different program delivery.

Drugscan

Journal of Pharmacy Practice and ResearchVolume 46, Issue 3 p. 286-298 DrugScan Drugscan Tina Ha, Tina HaSearch for more papers by this authorLeonie Abbott, Leonie AbbottSearch for more papers by this authorNadia Mouchaileh, Nadia MouchailehSearch for more papers by this authorMelanie Morrow, Melanie MorrowSearch for more papers by this authorMatthew Rawlins, Matthew RawlinsSearch for more papers by this authorMark Naunton, Mark NauntonSearch for more papers by this authorMegumi Ng, Megumi NgSearch for more papers by this authorRachael Worthington, Rachael WorthingtonSearch for more papers by this authorRosemary Burke, Rosemary BurkeSearch for more papers by this authorDebbie Rigby, Debbie RigbySearch for more papers by this author Tina Ha, Tina HaSearch for more papers by this authorLeonie Abbott, Leonie AbbottSearch for more papers by this authorNadia Mouchaileh, Nadia MouchailehSearch for more papers by this authorMelanie Morrow, Melanie MorrowSearch for more papers by this authorMatthew Rawlins, Matthew RawlinsSearch for more papers by this authorMark Naunton, Mark NauntonSearch for more papers by this authorMegumi Ng, Megumi NgSearch for more papers by this authorRachael Worthington, Rachael WorthingtonSearch for more papers by this authorRosemary Burke, Rosemary BurkeSearch for more papers by this authorDebbie Rigby, Debbie RigbySearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 September 2016 https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.1261 Edited by Vaughn Eaton, BPharm, MClinPharm, FSHP, AACP This review updates you on the international literature on therapeutics. Specialist pharmacy practitioners scan major peer-reviewed journals in areas relevant to Australian pharmacy practice and present precis on major clinical trials, important pharmacoepidemiology studies and pharmacoeconomic research. Interested readers are encouraged to explore the original publications in greater detail. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume46, Issue3September 2016Pages 286-298 RelatedInformation

Pharmacy students’ rural career intentions: Perspectives on rural background and placements

ObjectiveTo describe the effect of rural placements and rural background on pharmacy students’ intention to practice rurally. MethodsThis cross-sectional study invited 250 pharmacy students to participate in the mixed-methods survey. Pharmacy students were invited to participate at the National Australian Pharmacy Student Association (NAPSA) annual congress held in Bendigo, Victoria in January 2014. This study aimed to investigate the pharmacy students’ intention to pursue a rural career. ResultsA total of 156 participants responded to the survey. Participants were mostly female (68%), and were aged under 30 years with the majority aged 20–24 years (116, 74%). A third of the respondents were (32%) identified with having a rural background, and about half of all the participants (53%) had undertaken a clinical placement. Students who came from a rural background were more likely to work in rural areas than urban after graduation (p < 0.001). However, when both rural and urban background students undertook a rural placement there was no difference in their rural career intentions. Additionally, the majority of students (93%) considered rural placements as beneficial to their training. Standards of health care and social isolation features are major barriers to rural practice and facilitators included increased patient interaction and community engagement. ConclusionThis study shows that rural exposure (rural background or rural placement) can positively affect students’ intentions to participate in the rural workforce regardless of their background. Students have a desire to understand rural health and are likely to consider a rural career.

Knowledge, use and perceived relevance of a profession's Competency Standards; implications for Pharmacy Education.

To determine the extent of use and perceived relevance of the National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia (NCS). Based on these findings, to suggest approaches for the enhancement of pharmacy education for the profession locally and globally. Convenience sampling techniques were employed between November 2013 and June 2014 in conducting an online survey with Australian pharmacy students, interns, pharmacists and educators. Data from 527 participants were included in the final analysis. Fewer students (52%, 96/183) and interns 78% (69/88) knew the NCS framing pharmacy practice compared with pharmacists (86%, 115/134). Despite knowledge that the NCS existed most participants reported poor familiarity with and use of the NCS. Registered pharmacists reported annual use but not for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) plans or annual re-registration requirements. Respondents reported that practical use of NCS (e.g. mentoring interns) increased their use for personal needs. Some participants suggested regular instruction on self-assessment skills development would enhance meaningful use of the NCS. Despite self-assessment against NCS being mandated annually, Australia's practising pharmacists provided explanations for why this is not common in practice. The barriers provided by respondents are interconnected; their enablers are practical solutions to each barrier. The findings reinforce the notion that student pharmacists must have their competency standards, life-long learning and self-assessment skills embedded into their university curriculum to ensure a strong foundation for practice. The opportunity offered by periodic renewal of standards must prompt regular profession-wide evaluation of its education to practice nexus. Insights and author recommendations are portable to the pharmacy profession globally.

Complementary Medicine Use And Regulation – An Australian Perspective

A government funded survey of 1121 Australian pharmacy customers found 72% take over-the-counter complementary medicine products (CMs). They are used to relieve symptoms, prevent disease and enhance health [1]. The use of CMs does not reduce with age, only the pattern of use changes. The majority of CMs are purchased in community pharmacies where customers expect pharmacists to provide information about safety and efficacy; however, surveys show pharmacists are not confident and poorly-equipped to provide evidence-informed guidance. Naturopaths generally consult in clinics however there are now pharmacies employing naturopaths to provide customer advice.

SHPA Australian Clinical Pharmacy Award 2015 - Oration

SHPA Australian Clinical Pharmacy Award 2015 - Oration

Australian and Portuguese pharmacy initiatives win international awards

Australian and Portuguese pharmacy initiatives win international awards

Narrative review: status of key performance indicators in contemporary hospital pharmacy practice

AbstractAimThe aim of this review was to explore the status of key performance indicators (KPIs) in Australian hospital pharmacy practice.Data sourcesFor this narrative review, databases (MEDLINE, PubMed and EBSCO) were searched for relevant publications within the period from April 1980 to April 2014 using the following search terms: hospital pharmacy, key performance indicators, performance measures, clinical indicators and benchmarking. The inclusion criteria were as follows: full text papers (papers only available as abstracts were discarded) and English language. Reference lists of selected papers were also searched to identify additional literature.ResultsWhile there are established competencies, standards and quality use of medicines (QUM) indicators for hospital pharmacy in Australia, there are no standardised KPIs relating to the performance and practice of hospital pharmacy. International research has demonstrated that KPIs are valuable tools for measuring pharmacy performance; the need for KPIs is highlighted in research from the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Particular challenges associated with KPI implementation include: the need for relevance to all stakeholders; difficulties in measuring pharmacists’ activities due to the inherent nature of their work; lack of resources for data collection; limited understanding of KPIs; and negative attitudes toward KPIs by some pharmacists.ConclusionBefore nationally standardised KPIs are introduced into Australian hospital pharmacy practice, attention must be paid to developing relevant measures through careful consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including pharmacists themselves. KPIs should provide relevant results, be easy to measure and highlight the value of hospital pharmacy services in a resource‐friendly manner.

Development and design of injection skills and vaccination training program targeted for Australian undergraduate pharmacy students

IntroductionIn 2014, vaccination was included within the scope of practice for Australian pharmacists. A number of Australian pharmacy schools have either commenced or are planning to incorporate vaccination training into pharmacy curricula. The primary objective of this article is to articulate the process undertaken to develop an Australian vaccination training program with nested injection skills training for pharmacy students. Material and methodsA set of learning outcomes, assessable knowledge, and assessable skills were developed following a critical review of relevant literature, guided by the Australian Pharmacy Council Standards for the Accreditation of Programs to Support Pharmacist Administration of Vaccines. This ensures that the modules will enable students to demonstrate competency required for vaccination, similar to that of current Australian vaccinators: doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. ResultsA vaccination training program with nested injection skills training was developed and validated. The new teaching and learning concepts will be integrated and delivered via spiral curriculum. Knowledge and skills should progressively improve as students advance through the pharmacy course. Core skills will be assessed on a number of occasions. Integrated modules are embedded into the first year, third year, and fourth year of the pharmacy program. ConclusionA vaccination training program with nested injection skills training was developed for Australian pharmacy students.