Care Pharmacy Research Articles

Assessing the use of an infographic on pre-exposure prophylaxis for Wisconsin community pharmacists

BackgroundPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) treatments reduce the risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, despite proven effectiveness, PrEP use remains low among populations at risk of contracting HIV. Successful PrEP uptake includes developing partnerships with health care providers to implement PrEP-related tools and interventions. Pharmacists are uniquely positioned health professionals who can provide PrEP services in the community, such as pharmacy-led PrEP clinics, to increase uptake, adherence, and retention. Unfortunately, prior evidence shows that not all pharmacists have enough knowledge about PrEP to provide effective care, resulting in low confidence and discomfort in PrEP-related patient consultations. ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess Wisconsin community pharmacists’ intentions of utilizing an infographic on PrEP for HIV prevention to educate themselves on PrEP and in consultations with patients starting PrEP. MethodsAn adaptative survey, using the Theory of Planned Behavior, was conducted to assess pharmacists’ intentions by measuring their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. The Fisher exact tests were performed to examine associations between the 3 theoretical constructs against intentions. ResultsPharmacists reported high intentions of utilizing the infographic to educate themselves (62%) and counsel patients starting PrEP (54%). Their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls were all significantly associated with their intentions. However, their intentions were reported lower than their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, suggesting that additional factors may influence intentions that were not measured in this study. ConclusionThe results from this study demonstrate Wisconsin community pharmacists’ intentions of using an infographic on PrEP for HIV prevention in practice while measuring their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Future research is warranted to explore adapting and using the infographic to better understand its influence in improving pharmacy care among HIV-negative individuals.

Validation of an assessment, medical problem-oriented plan, and care plan tools for demonstrating the clinical pharmacist's activities

BackgroundIdentifying, preventing, and resolving medical problems are some of the most central functions of clinical pharmacy (CP) and pharmaceutical care (PC) practitioners. Usually, the practitioners and researchers find a challenging to link the problem and the appropriate intervention to be included in the care plan. A comprehensive, well-structured, validated, simple use and standardized tool, which fulfill these requirements in daily clinical practice, are currently rare. PurposeTo design and validate a comprehensive medical problem-oriented plan (MPOP) classification system in addition to assessment and care plan tools for use in practicing, researching, and teaching CP and PC. Materials and methodsThe methodology was composed of five steps: literature searching and classification of the problems; developing the assessment of treatments and care plan templates; implementing the tutorial; validation; completion and evaluation of the final version. ResultsThe classification system (MPOP tool) is an open hierarchical structure, where higher levels are broadly defined, consisting of 5 main categories, and lower levels become more specific. In the MPOP tool's final version, a total of 24 major subcategories were distributed to the major five categories as 4 (Indication), 5 (Effectiveness), 7 (Safety), 3 (Patient), and 5 (Miscellaneous). Different minor subcategories (subcategory 2, n = 62) and 95 plans (interventions) were determined. Each of the subcategories and plans includes a notes section that represents a specific detail. There was strong agreement on using the MPOP tool between the two authors (κ = 1.000, p < 0.0005) and between three random clinical pharmacists out of 17 (κ = 0.947, 95% CI, 0.840 to 1.055, p < 0.0005). The validity and reliability statistics demonstrate that the Alsayed_v1 tools are extremely appropriate. The majority of users expressed high satisfaction with all the assessment, MPOP, and care plan tools. ConclusionThe Alsayed_v1 tools introduced in this paper were applied to actual patient cases and were validated. These tools include: assessment of treatments, MPOP, and care plan. Including the interventions in the classification system is important especially in PC research where the type of recommendations should be documented to assess the value and impact of the service and saves the time of practitioners in typing the appropriate interventions. By applying the steps within these Alsayed tools, the clinical pharmacists can actively provide the best practice to achieve the optimal patient outcome.

Demographic Factors Associated With Public Awareness of Chiropractic in Klang Valley, Malaysia: A Cross-sectional Study

ObjectiveThe purposes of this study were to determine the public awareness of chiropractic in Klang Valley and to identify sociodemographic factors associated with this awareness. MethodsA cross-sectional study with a total of 440 respondents was conducted in medical, chiropractic, pharmacy, and dental health care facilities in Klang Valley. A self-administrated questionnaire was enclosed in an envelope and handed to the participants by the health care facilities’ staff. Tables and figures were used to present the descriptive data. Data collected were also analyzed using inferential statistics such as binary logistic regression, odds ratio, and 95% confidence interval. The variables in this study were age, ethnicity, sex, education level, marital status, nationality, employment status, and health status along with awareness of chiropractic. ResultsThe respondents’ ages ranged from 18 to 81 years, and the mean age was 33.1 years. The majority of respondents were single (52.1%), and 43.1% of respondents were married. Most of the respondents were employed (64.4%), followed by students (14.8%). Among the respondents, 40.2% perceived to have a good health status. Good awareness of chiropractic was 50.2%, whereas the poor awareness of chiropractic was 49.8%. Two sociodemographic factors that were statistically significantly associated with the awareness of chiropractic were ethnicity and employment status, with a P value of <.001 and .006, respectively. ConclusionThe level of public awareness of chiropractic was 50.2%, with ethnicity and employment status as statistically significant associated factors.

Pharmacist Role in Providing Inpatient Diabetes Management.

Glycemic management of hospitalized patients remains a growing burden in organizations across the country. Attainment of well-established glycemic targets has shown improved clinical outcomes. Empowered glucose management interdisciplinary teams are critical in organizations attaining improved outcomes. Pharmacists possess diverse knowledge and skills that uniquely position them to take a leadership role in healthcare organizations' efforts to achieve safe and effective glycemic outcomes in hospitalized patients. Various models of pharmacy care have demonstrated success in improving patient outcomes related to acute care glycemic management.The authors of this manuscript will summarize published data related to improved outcomes when pharmacists are utilized in apatient-directed intervention model. In addition, we will describe the implementation of pharmacy stewardship, delineating the roleof the pharmacist in providing oversight and shaping institutions to promote optimal glycemic management on a macrolevel. Pharmacists have demonstrated the ability to aid institutions looking to improve acute glycemic management while serving effectivelyin various models of care across their respective organization.

Valorization of Pineapple Residues from the Colombian Agroindustry to Produce Cellulose Nanofibers

Cellulose nanofiber is the world’s most advanced biomass material. Most importantly, it is biodegradable. In this work, nanofibers were obtained from pineapple leaves, a large solid waste in Colombia, using a combined extraction method (chemical procedures and ultrasound). The native fibers were bleached, hydrolyzed, treated with ultrasound, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared analysis (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As a comparison, a commercial microcrystalline cellulose sample was analyzed, which demonstrated the efficiency of cellulose extraction. The nanofibers had a diameter and a length of 18 nm and 237 nm, respectively, with a maximum degradation temperature of 306 °C. The analysis showed the efficiency of acid treatment combined with ultrasound to obtain nanofibers and confirmed that pineapple residues can be valorized by this method. These results indicate that lignocellulosic matrices from pineapple leaves have potential application for obtaining polymeric-type composite materials. Due to their morphology and characteristic physical properties, the cellulose nanofibers obtained in this work could be a promising material for use in a wealth of fields and applications such as filter material, high gas barrier packaging material, electronic devices, foods, medicine, construction, cosmetics, pharmacy, and health care, among others.

Improving the Experience of Providing Care in Community-Based Pharmacies.

This study applied a human factors and ergonomics approach to describe community-based pharmacy personnel perspectives regarding how work environment characteristics affect the ability to perform the duties necessary for optimal patient care and how contributors to stress affect the ability to ensure patient safety. Data were obtained from the 2021 APhA/NASPA National State-Based Pharmacy Workplace Survey, launched in the United States in April 2021. Promotion of the online survey to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians was accomplished through social media, email, and online periodicals. Responses continued to be received through the end of 2021. A data file containing 6973 responses was downloaded on 7 January 2022 for analysis. Qualitative thematic analysis was applied for developing operational definitions and coding guidelines for content analysis of the data. The patterns of responses for the dependent variables were compared among community-based practice setting types (chain, supermarket/mass merchandiser, and independent) and work positions (manager, staff pharmacist, technician/clerk, and owner). Chi-square analysis was used for determining statistically significant differences. The findings showed that personnel working in community-based pharmacies reported undesirable work environments and work stress that affected their ability to perform assigned duties for optimal patient care and ensure patient safety. Four work system elements were identified that were both facilitators and barriers to the ability to perform duties and ensure patient safety: (1) people, (2) tasks, (3) technology/tools, and (4) organizational context. Acknowledging local contexts of workplaces, giving adequate control, applying adaptive thinking, enhancing connectivity, building on existing mechanisms, and dynamic continuous learning are key elements for applying the HFE (human factors ergonomics) approach to improving the experience of providing care in community-based pharmacies.

Adjunct Digital Interventions Improve Opioid-Based Pain Management: Impact of Virtual Reality and Mobile Applications on Patient-Centered Pharmacy Care.

Digital therapeutics (DTx, mobile medical apps, software as a medical device) are rapidly emerging as clinically effective treatments for diverse chronic diseases. For example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently authorized a prescription virtual reality (VR) app for treatment of moderate to severe low back pain. The FDA has also approved an adjunct digital therapy in conjunction with buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, further illustrating opportunities to integrate digital therapeutics with pharmacotherapies. There are ongoing needs to disseminate knowledge about advances in digital interventions among health care professionals, policymakers, and the public at large. This mini-review summarizes accumulating clinical evidence of digital interventions delivered via virtual reality and mobile apps to improve opioid-based analgesia. We identified relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using Embase and PubMed databases which reported pain scores with a validated pain scale (e.g., visual analog scales, graphic rating scale, numeric rating scale) and use of a digital intervention in conjunction with opiates. Among identified RCTs, the majority of studies reported improved pain scores in the digital intervention group, as compared to “treatment as usual” group. Our work suggests that VR and mobile apps can be used as adjunct digital therapies for pain management. We discuss these findings in the context of how digital health technologies can transform patient-centered pharmacy care.

Factors associated with duration of care in community direct-to-patient (DTP) pharmacies among Chinese cancer patients taking PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors: Results from a real-world study.

e18654 Background: Several PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have been approved in China for multiple cancers. Community DTP pharmacies play an important role in both drug distribution and patient management. Using real-world patient management data, we explored the factors associated with duration of care in community DTP pharmacies among cancer patients using PD-1/PD-L1 in the country. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study using real-world sales and follow-up data routinely collected from 79 Medbanks community DTP pharmacies between Jan 1, 2019 and Mar 31, 2021. Duration of follow-up (DoFU) was defined as the time interval between first PD-1/PD-L1 purchase and last follow-up contact. Duration of drug purchase (DoDP) was defined as the time interval between the first and the last PD-1/PD-L1 purchase date plus a buffer period which was determined based on the amount of last purchase. Covariates included: gender, age, enrollment in a patient access program (PAP), experience of adverse events (AE) during treatment, patient’s awareness of the disease, and follow-up response rate (FRR; &lt; 30%, 30-70%, &gt; 70%). Uni- and multivariate Cox regression models were conducted to assess the association of DoFU/DoDP with predicting variables among both total population and cancer specific sub-populations. Results: A total of 23,559 patients were evaluated (median age: 61 yrs; male: 73%). The three most common cancer types were lung cancer (51.90%), hepatobiliary cancer (19.69%) and esophageal cancer (9.98%). The median DoFU and DoDP were 6.3 month (95% CI: 6.23̃6.50) and 2.3 months (95% CI: 2.27̃2.33). In multivariate Cox regression model, factors associated with longer DoFU included enrollment in PAP (HR = 0.52, p &lt; 0.001), experience of AE during treatment (HR = 0.71, p &lt; 0.001), FRR 30-70% (HR = 0.66, p &lt; 0.001; ref: &lt; 30%) and FRR &gt; 70% (HR = 0.56, p &lt; 0.001; ref: &lt; 30%); factors associated with longer DoDP included enrollment in PAP (HR = 0.90, p &lt; 0.001), experience of AE during treatment (HR = 0.84, p &lt; 0.001) and FRR &gt; 70% (HR = 0.80, p &lt; 0.001; ref: &lt; 30%). The protective effects of PAP, AE and higher FRR on DoFU and DoDP were also observed in the three main cancer specific sub-populations. Conclusions: High quality patient management service provided in community DTP pharmacies is significantly associated with longer duration of care, which implies the important role of DTP pharmacies in the longitudinal care of cancer patients. A comprehensive service package should be developed and applied in community DTP pharmacies for cancer patients in order to better address their medical needs and financial strain.

Abstracts 8th PCNE working symposium ‘Navigating research on pharmaceutical care’. 11–12 February 2022, Lisbon, Portugal

Abstracts 8th PCNE working symposium ‘Navigating research on pharmaceutical care’. 11–12 February 2022, Lisbon, Portugal

Improving care for patients with depression: A collaborative project with community pharmacy and primary care providers

The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021.

How do health and allied health practitioners perceive excellence in residential aged care? An exploratory qualitative study.

To identify factors that health and allied health practitioners consider central to excellence in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) with the objective of supporting improvements in monitoring, accountability and service delivery within the sector. In a qualitative, exploratory designed study, interviews were undertaken with seventeen participants from 10 health and allied health disciplines (general practice, dentistry, pharmacy, psychiatry, psychology, neuropsychology, physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy and palliative care) with experience of working in Victorian RACFs. The interviews focused on how practitioners perceived excellence within RACFs. Data were analysed thematically. Thematic analysis yielded five themes, which correspond with different dimensions or ways of understanding excellence, including resident well-being, residences as a true home, good practice models, effective management and skilled staff, and unmet needs. Under each of these themes, participants referred to issues closely related to the concerns of their particular professions as well as those more general in nature. The diversity in issues to which participants drew attention highlights the importance of obtaining the perspectives of a broad range of practitioners providing services to RACF residents to achieving excellence in the sector. Commonalities in their responses indicate the potential for a greater level of collaboration among the health and allied health professions.

The importance of providing gender-affirming care in pharmacy practice

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals face bias and discrimination across many health care settings including pharmacy. While there is evidence of successful interventions to increase provider awareness of the needs of TGD individuals in medicine, nursing, and social work, little work has been done by the pharmacy profession to recognize and meet the needs of this population. This commentary examines the gaps in pharmacy practice and pharmacy research with regards to the needs of TGD individuals and looks at allied health fields for potential solutions that can be adapted by the pharmacy profession.We first examine the social pressures that TGD individuals face in multiple social contexts and describe how bias and discrimination spill over into their interactions with providers and health care systems. Solutions for improving pharmacy practice research's ability to identify TGD individuals and their needs follows as a measure that will lead to solutions for improving pharmacy practice. A discussion of TGD individuals' responses to actual and perceived discrimination by pharmacists is discussed next, and why their avoidance of pharmacy care can be problematic to their health. The remainder of the paper focuses on how pharmacy education can train future pharmacists to provide inclusive care to TGD individuals, and how interprofessional education and continuing education can enhance future and practicing pharmacists' ability to provide high quality care to TGD individuals.

Research Policy of the Research Data Management in Pharmacy Practice

International Journal of Pharmacology and Clinical Sciences,2022,11,1,20-24.DOI:10.5530/ijpcs.2022.11.5Published:April 2022Type:Review ArticleAuthors:Yousef Ahmed Alomi, Amal Hassan Al-Najjar, Hamidah Qasim Ali Abushomi, Maha Hussein Almadany, and Abeer Hussin Almasoudi Author(s) affiliations:Yousef Ahmed Alomi*, BSc.Pharm, MSc. Clin Pharm, BCPS, BCNSP, DiBA, Critical Care Clinical Pharmacists, TPN Clinical Pharmacist, Freelancer Business Planner, Content Editor, and Data Analyst, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Amal Hassan Al-Najjar, BSc, MSc, Drug and Poison Information Center, Security Forces Hospitals, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Hamidah Qasim Ali Abushomi, BSc, MSc. Clin Pharm Dammam Medical Complex, Dammam, SAUDI ARABIA. Maha Hussein Almadany, Bsc. Pharm. Health Care Quality Management Professional Diploma (HCQM), Pharmacy Quality Department, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Medical City, Al Madina Al Monwarah, SAUDI ARABIA. Abeer Hussin Almasoudi, Bsc. Pharm Director, Administration of Research and Studies, Ministry of Health, Tabuk, SAUDI ARABIA. Abstract:Objectives: This study aims to declare the research policy of Data management in pharmaceutical care services as a new initiative in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This article is a narrative review of pharmacy research. Litterateur researched specific research policies and procedures in pharmacy practice using a variety of databases, including PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar. The period covered for the search is from the 1960s to October 2021. The terms used are in the English language and encompasses narrative reviews, systemic reviews, meta-analyses, and guidelines. The search term includes all hospital and community pharmacy-related services. Besides, there are national and international guidelines for conducting general research in hospital practice. The pharmacy research committee was formed and comprised numerous expert members, including clinical pharmacists, pharmacists specializing in drug information, and clinical research specialists. A member drafted the policy’s guidelines, which were then reviewed and corrected by another member. The research specialist made the third revision. The subject emphasizes the Research policy of Data management in pharmaceutical care services. Results: The data management policy for research at pharmaceutical care services was established. That includes the design of the data collection, the data resources, and the data collector. Additionally, the data preparation for analysis, the data’s reliability and validity, and storage data. Conclusion: The Data management policy for research in pharmacy practice is a new initiative as part of pharmacy departments’ research and development efforts. Data management in pharmacy care services may increase the documentation of pharmacist research and activities. The basic foundation of pharmacy analytics is the new vision of pharmacy career professionals. Keywords:Data management, Pharmaceutical Care, Policy, Research, Saudi Arabia, ServicesView:PDF (141.57 KB) PDFClick here to download the PDF file. Images

Exploring pharmacists' understanding and experience of providing LGBTI healthcare

BackgroundLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people experience health and wellness challenges additional to and separate from those of the wider population. Extant research has identified that LGBTI patients support education for healthcare providers to improve their access to appropriate care. Community pharmacists have a role in providing appropriate care to LGBTI patients. AimsThis study explores the experiences of Australian community pharmacists in providing LGBTI healthcare. MethodsTen pharmacists were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide and the major themes were identified using Braun and Clark's thematic analysis. ResultsAnalysis revealed a demand for professional education in several areas of LGBTI healthcare, especially gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy and safe communication with this group. Barriers to privacy and confidentiality were revealed, including time constraints, Covid-19 social distancing requirements, and the lack of appropriate consultation rooms. Further there is a need to engage LGBTI patients through greater inclusive advertising. ConclusionsWhile there is some improvement, more must be done to promote inclusive pharmacy care for LGBTI people. This study demonstrates a demand from Australian pharmacists for increased professional education on LGBTI related healthcare.

Optimization study of three-stage assembly flowshop problem in pharmacy automation dispensing systems

Along with the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and the increasing complexity of pharmaceutical care, pharmacy automation dispensing systems (PADS)s are utilized to improve the quality of patient care, reduce dispensing-related medication errors, and cut down medication-related expenses. After PADSs fulfill prescription orders, patients still have to dispense medications for each meal by themselves. It is well known that dispensing medications is time-consuming and exhausting, especially for chronic patients. During the manual dispensing process, some unexpected medical errors might appear, which would result in discomfort, harm, and even death. To provide efficient and patient-centered pharmacy care, we proposed automatically dispensing prescriptions by meal orders in PADS. Specifically, we formulated a novel three-stage assembly flowshop problem to fulfill prescription orders at the level of meal orders to minimize the total completion times of packing prescription orders. In our studied PADS, there are fully flexible parallel machines dispensing medication jobs and collating sub-orders (meal prescription orders) in the first and second stages, and one assembly machine packing prescription orders in the third stage. Based on the properties of the optimal schedule, we proposed a branch-and-bound (B&B) algorithm embedded with a constructive heuristic (CH) to obtain a tight upper bound. Since the three-stage assembly flowshop problem in PADS is strongly NP-hard, we also presented an improved tabu search (iTS) heuristic for the practical data size. Finally, we conducted a series of numerical experiments based on artificial data sets guided by characteristics obtained from practical pharmacy data sets. The computational results showed that the proposed CH algorithm is efficient, and when the computational time was allowed, the iTS algorithm could further enhance the performance. Moreover, the efficiency of collating sub-orders has a significant impact on the overall performance of PADS.

Direct patient care practices in community pharmacies in Bayelsa and Rivers State in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria

Direct patient care practiced in community pharmacy settings remains among the best remedy to the ever-emerging meddling practices of allied health and non-health personnel in the health promotion and disease prevention function of the pharmacy profession. The professional strides for totally owning this hub, though in the progress, were not easy in prehistoric times, nor is it getting any easier now. This study determines the extent of practice carried out in direct patient activities (patient counseling, patient care and technology standards) in community pharmacies in Bayelsa and Rivers states as at the year 2017. Of the three hundred and thirty seven (337) questionnaires distributed, three hundred and twelve (312) were retrieved (92.58% retrieval rate). The questionnaire was constructed in likert form with responses as “never”, “rarely”, “sometimes”, “often” and “always”. The results were analyzed using non parametric analysis using SPSS version 23. Young male pharmacists having B.Pharm (177; 56.7%) with 6 to 10 years’ experience (140; 44.9%) in self-owned premises (190; 60.8%) were observed to contribute significantly to the study domains. Pharmacists were reported to always carry out patient counseling activities (44.2%), always carry out patient care activities (35.9%) and never, apply technological applications in community pharmacies (45.9%) in the study area. Community Pharmacy Practice is below recommended standards in the two states. Improvement is needed in the hub of direct patient care to maintain the needed pharmaceutical care practice and philosophy.

Multidisciplinary Stroke Pathway for Children Supported With Ventricular Assist Devices.

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS), including ventricular assist device (VAD) support, is a leading cause of stroke in children; however, existing pediatric stroke recommendations do not apply to many pediatric VAD patients. We sought to develop a multidisciplinary pathway to improve timely and effective acute stroke care and examine the early performance of the pathway in expediting stroke care. Stakeholders from pediatric heart failure, cardiac intensive care, neurology, interventional radiology, neuroradiology, neurosurgery, pharmacy, and adult VAD care convened at Stanford University in August 2017 to discuss the challenges of providing high-quality acute stroke care to children on VAD support, and to develop multidisciplinary acute stroke pathways. Stakeholders identified multiple barriers to providing timely acute stroke care to pediatric VAD patients. These include delayed recognition of stroke, and lack of clarity related to the optimal imaging technique, when to emergently reverse antithrombotic therapy (AT), pediatric indications for thrombectomy and cranial decompression, and strategies to avoid unnecessary serial CTS. Four stroke pathways were created including evaluation and management of the pediatric patient with (1) an acute neurologic change before an imaging diagnosis; (2) an arterial ischemic stroke (AIS); (3) an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH); and (4) a subdural hematoma (SDH). With the implementation of the stroke pathway, the median time-to-first-CT image decreased by 43 minutes from 66 to 23 minutes ( P < 0.001) while the proportion with a CT within 30 minutes increased from 0% to 67% ( P < 0.001). Despite a variety of challenges, multidisciplinary consensus can be achieved on a rapid stroke management pathway for children on VAD support that addresses important barriers to timely stroke care. Although too few stoke events occurred to differentiate clinical outcomes, the time-to-first-CT image was significantly shorter after pathway implementation.

Qualitative exploration of the experiences of community pharmacists delivering the Diabetes MedsCheck service.

What is known and objectiveThe Diabetes MedsCheck (DMC) pharmacist service improves patient medication use and provides education on diabetes self‐management. The original 2012 program evaluation identified barriers and facilitators in implementation. There are no recent studies exploring pharmacists' experiences with the DMC service. This pilot study may contribute to achieving an optimal diabetes management service in Australia. To explore the experiences of community pharmacists in providing the DMC service.MethodsA purposive sampling approach was used to recruit practising Australian community pharmacists from July to December 2019. Inclusion criteria included provision of DMC service for more than 1 year and having delivered the service within 3 months of recruitment. Semi‐structured interviews elicited pharmacists' experience with the DMC service.Results and discussionTwelve interviews of community pharmacist owners, managers and employees (including three who had additional medication review and diabetes qualifications), resulted in four primary themes: benefit of and need for training in diabetes management, challenges of service delivery and implementation, the challenge of patients' diabetes management and the positive effect of DMC on pharmacists' professional satisfaction from the positive impact on patient interactions and diabetes management. Pharmacists highlighted the need for continuous training on diabetes management and patient communication, and a dedicated time and space for service provision for optimal implementation and delivery of DMC. DMC helped to fulfil pharmacists' desires to provide health care. Pharmacists perceived through patient engagement and patient feedback that DMC benefits patient health care.What is new and conclusionPositively, the implementation of the DMC service has promoted engagement with other health professionals while also contributing to pharmacists' professional satisfaction. Patient satisfaction and awareness of the health knowledge that pharmacists provide promotes pharmacist capabilities to the public. To ensure that accessible diabetes care in community pharmacy is optimized for greatest patient care, pharmacists delivering DMC should be supported by provision of contemporary diabetes management training and communication skills. Additional investment in community pharmacy operational set‐up, such as dedicated pharmacist time, dedicated consulting space, upskilling of staff and investment in technology is also required to support optimal delivery of DMC.

In Vivo Wettability of HydraGlyde® Silicone Hydrogel Lens With and Without HydraGlyde® Containing Lens Care Solution

Contact lens care solutions are readily available over-the-counter at any pharmacy, optical shop, or eye care specialist centers. The use of a non-compatible solution may damage or alter the material of the contact lens, and may cause changes in the efficiency of the lens, thereby reducing comfort of the wearer. Hence, this research was carried out to determine the wettability of HydraGlyde® Silicone Hydrogel lens with and without HydraGlyde® containing lens care solutions. The right eye of 25 subjects (mean age: 22.8 ± 1.3 years old) were studied. The subjects needed to come for two visits [1 week apart] at approximately the same time of the day. Each subject received the pre-soaked lenses with and without HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix randomly. The subjects wore the lenses for 8 h. Non-Invasive Tear Breakup Time (NIKBUT) was measured using OCULUS® Keratograph 5M, followed by a subjective questionnaire response.Parametric paired t-test showed no significant differences in PLTF NIKBUT baseline (16.25 ± 3.75 s)and after 8 h of lens wear (15.02 ± 3.81 s) when lenses soaked in a solution with HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix (p &gt; 0.05). However, a significant difference was found in PLTF NIKBUT baseline (16.16 ± 2.79 s), and after 8 h of lens wear (14.74 ± 3.73 s) when lenses were soaked in a solution without HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix (p &lt; 0.05). The change in the PLTF NIKBUT baseline and after 8 h of lens wear for the solution with and without HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix (−1.23 ± 3.89 s and 1.68 ± 3.58 s respectively) were not statistically significant (p &gt; 0.05). The subjective questionnaire revealed a preference towards a solution with HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix with a mean score of 68.84 ± 15.36% compared to without HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix with a mean score of 62.80 ± 14.00% (p &lt; 0.05). A lens care solution con-taining HydraGlyde® Moisture Matrix is advised to be prescribed along with HydraGlyde® silicone hydrogel lens to achieve optimum lens performance.

Adaptation and validation of the patient assessment of chronic illness care in United States community pharmacies

BackgroundRoles for United States (US)-based community pharmacists in caring for persons with chronic conditions have greatly expanded. The Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) was developed to assess patients’ perspectives of care received. However, successful application of this instrument in community pharmacies is uncertain. The objective of this study was to adapt the PACIC for use in community pharmacies (CP-PACIC), assess validity of the CP-PACIC and examine CP-PACIC scale score differences relative to patient characteristics.MethodsThis cross-sectional study surveyed chronically ill adults in Indiana, US who receive care from pharmacists in community pharmacies. The modified CP-PACIC scale consisted of 20-items, which were rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 (none of the time) to 4 (always). The total possible score ranged from 0 – 80. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to assess performance and dimensionality. CP-PACIC validity, including face validity, construct validity (via exploratory factor analysis) and internal consistency were assessed. Relationships between patient characteristics and scale scores were evaluated using appropriate statistical tests.ResultsFive hundred forty-six respondents’ data were analyzed. EFA revealed a 2-factor solution (termed advanced pharmacy chronic illness care (AP) and traditional pharmacy chronic illness care (TP) subscales) accounting for 64.7% of variance; all 20 items were retained. The total 20-item CP-PACIC scale had a Cronbach’s alpha (internal consistency) of 0.96; with a 12-item AP subscale Cronbach’s alpha of 0.97 and 8-item TP subscale Cronbach’s alpha of 0.89. Median total score was 12.0 [interquartile range = 27.3]. Median CP-PACIC sores varied across many respondent demographics (i.e., survey administration type, age, sex, education, health condition, number of pharmacy services received, community pharmacy type) such as whether respondents participated in one or more pharmacy service or not (29 vs. 10; p < .001).ConclusionsUnlike the original 5-subscale (patient activation, delivery system design, goal setting, problem solving, and follow-up/coordination) PACIC, analysis demonstrated a 2-factor (AP, TP) solution for the CP-PACIC scale with good internal consistency. As there are no standardized evaluation tools that exist, community pharmacies could find great value in using this CP-PACIC tool to benchmark performance and inform quality improvement strategies for patient care delivery.