Clinical Pharmacy Education Research Articles

Integrating learners into research and quality improvement projects: A joint opinion of the Adult Medicine and Education and Training Practice Research Networks of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy

AbstractResearch plays a vital role in advancing the pharmacy profession and improving patient care. It is a fundamental skill for learners to develop during their training under guided mentorship. Incorporating learners into research and quality improvement (QI) projects can yield numerous benefits for the learner, mentor, and institution. Despite this, there are barriers to integrating learners into research and QI projects which may stem from institutions and individuals. To ensure success when engaging in the research process, strategies centered around clear communication and illustrating the value should be implemented. Successful research programs require planning strategically, setting clear expectations, providing mentorship, and remaining adaptable to overcome barriers encountered during the process. The purpose of this paper is to discuss barriers to incorporating learners into research and QI projects and provide both mentors and learners strategies, tips and examples for success with perspectives and opinions from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Adult Medicine and Education and Training Practice Research Networks.

Artificial intelligence in academic writing and clinical pharmacy education: consequences and opportunities.

The current academic debate on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and teaching has been ongoing since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. It mainly focuses on ethical considerations, academic integrity, authorship and the need for new legal frameworks. Time efficiencies may allow for more critical thinking, while ease of pattern recognition across large amounts of data may promote drug discovery, better clinical decision making and guideline development with resultant consequences for patient safety. AI is also prompting a re-evaluation of the nature of learning and the purpose of education worldwide. It challenges traditional pedagogies, forcing a shift from rote learning to more critical, analytical, and creative thinking skills. Despite this opportunity to re-think education concepts for pharmacy curricula several universities around the world have banned its use. This commentary summarizes the existing debate and identifies the consequences and opportunities for clinical pharmacy research and education.

51st ESCP symposium on clinical pharmacy 31 October-02 November 2023, Aberdeen, Scotland : Innovations in clinical pharmacy practice, education and research.

51st ESCP symposium on clinical pharmacy 31 October-02 November 2023, Aberdeen, Scotland : Innovations in clinical pharmacy practice, education and research.

Interventions and impact of pharmacist-delivered services in perioperative setting on clinically important outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The perioperative arena is a unique and challenging environment that requires coordination of the complex processes and involvement of the entire care team. Pharmacists' scope of practice has been evolving to be patient-centered and to expand to variety of settings including perioperative settings. To critically appraise, synthesize, and present the available evidence of the characteristics and impact of pharmacist-led interventions on clinically important outcomes in the perioperative settings. A systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL from index inception to September 2023. Included studies compared the effectiveness of pharmacist-led interventions on clinically important outcomes (e.g. length of stay, readmission) compared to usual care in perioperative settings. Two independent reviewers extracted the data using the DEPICT-2 (Descriptive Elements of Pharmacist Intervention Characterization Tool) and undertook quality assessment using the Crowe Critical Appraisal (CCAT). A random-effect model was used to estimate the overall effect [odds ratio (OR) for dichotomous and standard mean difference (SMD) for continuous data] with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Twenty-five studies were eligible, 20 (80%) had uncontrolled study design. Most interventions were multicomponent and continuous over the perioperative period. The intervention components included clinical pharmacy services (e.g. medication management/optimization, medication reconciliation, discharge counseling) and education of healthcare professionals. While some studies provided a minor description in regards to the intervention development and processes, only one study reported a theoretical underpinning to intervention development. Pooled analyses showed a significant impact of pharmacist care compared to usual care on length of stay (11 studies; SMD -0.09; 95% CI -0.49 to -0.15) and all-cause readmissions (8 studies; OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.39-0.91). The majority of included studies (n = 21; 84%) were of moderate quality. Pharmacist-led interventions are effective at improving clinically important outcomes in the perioperative setting; however, most studies were of moderate quality. Studies lacked the utilization of theory to develop interventions; therefore, it is not clear whether theory-derived interventions are more effective than those without a theoretical element. Future research should prioritize the development and evaluation of multifaceted theory-informed pharmacist interventions that target the whole surgical care pathway.

Clinical pharmacy experiential education and training: A White Paper on preceptor development

Pharmacist’s responsibility has grown with increased clinical pharmacy education and practice in the experiential training curriculum. This transition necessitates acquiring advanced clinical skills and experiential training by pharmacists and pharmacy educators. An experiential curriculum should complement the didactic curriculum and align with the overall program goals of the school of pharmacy. When developing an experiential curriculum, vital phases must be addressed including analysis, design, practice site development, identifying preceptors, and implementation. The analysis phase of rotation development collects and evaluates data regarding the student, preceptor, and practice site. The design phase is the nucleus or central coordinating function that assures the alignment and coordination of learning objectives, activities, and evaluations. Next, developing pharmacy practice sites that are designed to create opportunities for students to gain practice experiences commensurate with the expectations of the curriculum set forth by the pharmacy program is essential. There also needs to be a detailed and ongoing process instituted to ensure the selection and development of qualified practitioners/preceptors. Lastly and most importantly, the implementation phase is where the actual training delivery occurs. During this period, all the tools and materials for the rotation are gathered, and the procedure for training both preceptors and students is delivered and refined. There also needs to be detailed and prompt feedback on performance paired with opportunities to put this feedback into practice. A well-defined experiential curriculum including the prerequisites for practice sites and preceptors should be available at pharmacy schools.

ChatGPT and Clinical Training: Perception, Concerns, and Practice of Pharm-D Students.

The emergence of Chat-Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) by OpenAI has revolutionized AI technology, demonstrating significant potential in healthcare and pharmaceutical education, yet its real-world applicability in clinical training warrants further investigation. A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and May 2023 to assess PharmD students' perceptions, concerns, and experiences regarding the integration of ChatGPT into clinical pharmacy education. The study utilized a convenient sampling method through online platforms and involved a questionnaire with sections on demographics, perceived benefits, concerns, and experience with ChatGPT. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, including descriptive and inferential analyses. The findings of the study involving 211 PharmD students revealed that the majority of participants were male (77.3%), and had prior experience with artificial intelligence (68.2%). Over two-thirds were aware of ChatGPT. Most students (n= 139, 65.9%) perceived potential benefits in using ChatGPT for various clinical tasks, with concerns including over-reliance, accuracy, and ethical considerations. Adoption of ChatGPT in clinical training varied, with some students not using it at all, while others utilized it for tasks like evaluating drug-drug interactions and developing care plans. Previous users tended to have higher perceived benefits and lower concerns, but the differences were not statistically significant. Utilizing ChatGPT in clinical training offers opportunities, but students' lack of trust in it for clinical decisions highlights the need for collaborative human-ChatGPT decision-making. It should complement healthcare professionals' expertise and be used strategically to compensate for human limitations. Further research is essential to optimize ChatGPT's effective integration.

A service evaluation and stakeholder perspectives of the ‘Pharmacy Support and Development’ Service across a GP Federation

Abstract Introduction Since 2019 in England, introduction of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), which includes pharmacists and pharmacy technicians1, has led to staggering growth in General Practice (GP) pharmacy workforce. According to workforce data, in 2017 there were 584 pharmacists and 0 pharmacy technicians in GP, and in 2021 numbers soared to 4684 and 989, respectively2. In 2022, The King’s Fund explored issues affecting implementation and integration of ARRS roles in GP and found that roles are inadequately supported and not implemented effectively3. They concluded that critical to the effective integration of ARRS roles within GP is support involving clinical supervision and peer support3. In South & East Leeds (SEL) GP Group (a GP Federation), provision of the Pharmacy Support and Development service, consisting of a Head of Clinical Pharmacy and Advanced Education & Training Pharmacist, has been in place since 2019. It aims to facilitate training and provide peer support and clinical supervision for pharmacy professionals employed across the seven Primary Care Networks (PCN), and member practices within SEL GP Group. Aim To evaluate the Pharmacy Support and Development service at SEL GP Group by assessing effectiveness of current provision through exploration of stakeholder perspectives and identifying levels of satisfaction. Methods Two digital surveys were created and sent via email to all SEL GP members (PCN managers and Clinical Directors, n=13) and all SEL GP pharmacy staff (PCN Pharmacy technicians and Pharmacists, n=37). Questions focussed on obtaining perspectives from stakeholders on current provision and seeking suggestions for improvement. Data was collected between January-February 2023. All surveys were anonymous, and participants aware of this before completing the survey. No ethical approval was required for this service evaluation involving only SEL GP employees, and this was agreed within the organisation. Results There were 8 responses (62%) from SEL GP members and 26 (70%) from SEL GP PCN pharmacy staff. For members: 88% felt the service supported retention of pharmacy ARRS staff, 63% felt the service positively influenced their decision to recruit pharmacy ARRS staff, and 88% ‘Agree’ or ‘Strongly Agree’ that offering this service is attractive to prospective employees. Overall, 88% described the service as ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Excellent’. For pharmacy staff: 96% felt the service helped them integrate as new starters, 100% agreed the service supported understanding of their role, 88% ‘Agree’ or ‘Strongly Agree’ that having this service aids recruitment of pharmacy ARRS roles, and 96% felt they receive appropriate support and supervision. Overall, 85% felt ‘Very Satisfied’ with the service. Discussion/Conclusion The findings suggest that the Pharmacy Support and Development service at SEL GP Group is favourably perceived by stakeholders and thus far, has had a positive impact on integration and continued recruitment of pharmacy ARRS staff. Questionnaires were not returned by 38% of SEL GP members and 30% of SEL GP PCN pharmacy staff, and this is a potential limitation. However, since the findings indicate that the Pharmacy Support and Development service has been instrumental to staff retention and integration into practice teams, our next steps are to consider adopting this model for non-pharmacy ARRS staff within SEL GP Group.

Standards of practice for clinical pharmacists

AbstractThis document sets forth ACCP's expectations for clinical pharmacists within the United States and countries around the world where clinical pharmacy is emerging or already well established. It is also intended to serve as a reference for those designing and assessing clinical pharmacy education and training programs. In addition to articulating the clinical pharmacist's process of care, the eight standards described within address the clinical pharmacist's involvement in collaborative team‐based, patient‐centered care; credentialing and privileging; professional development and maintenance of competence; professionalism and ethics; research and scholarship; and other professional responsibilities. The standards define for the public, healthcare professionals, and policymakers what they can and should expect of clinical pharmacists.

Accreditation Standards of Clinical Pharmacy Education in Three Leading Countries

The Article Abstract is not available.

Validation and reliability of the Turkish version of the student satisfaction and self-confidence in learning scale for clinical pharmacy education

Validation and reliability of the Turkish version of the student satisfaction and self-confidence in learning scale for clinical pharmacy education

How Should We Think About Pharmaceutical Excipients in Clinical Pharmacy Education?

Abstract: Background: As the pharmaceutical industry shifts to a patient-oriented approach, pharmaceutical education has fairly garnered increasing attention from educators, so that the teaching course centered on pharmaceutical excipients is becoming more and more popular. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of pharmaceutical excipients in clinical pharmaceutical education by a single-blind and parallel group design. Materials and Methods: The course was given in the form of small classes at Zhejiang University. The control group was taught in a traditional mode, while the intervention group mainly focused on the importance of pharmaceutical excipients in teaching. Likert five-point scale was used to analyze the test difficulty and learning effect of students in both groups. Results: Firstly, we investigated the test difficulty and learning time of the two groups of students, no significant difference was detectable between the two groups (p>0.05). Then, we investigated the learning effect of the two groups from four dimensions: accessibility of teachers’ teaching concept, inspiration of the teaching methods, independence of students in the teaching process, and the extent to which the curriculum expanded student’s horizons. It was found that the learning effect was much preferred in the intervention group as compared with the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that the emphasis on the integration of pharmaceutical excipients in pharmacy education had a positive impact on students' learning. Therefore, it is worth to reevaluate the role of pharmaceutical excipients in clinical pharmacy education. Keywords: Clinical pharmacy education, Pharmaceutical excipients, Parallel group design, Teaching improvement.

Clinical pharmacy undergraduate education in China: a comparative analysis based on ten universities’ training programs

BackgroundIn recent years, the scale of personnel training for clinical pharmacy professionals in China has expanded increasingly, however, the shortage of clinical pharmacists is still prominent. In 2018, the Ministry of Education of China released national standards for the teaching quality of undergraduate majors at regular colleges and universities, which has developed a core policy for undergraduate clinical pharmacy training. To explore the training methods for clinical pharmacy professionals in China and to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the clinical pharmacy education system. This study comparatively analyzed the training programs for clinical pharmacy undergraduates in China’s ten universities, discussed training programs suitable for clinical pharmacy professionals in China.MethodsThe clinical pharmacy education programs in these ten universities were obtained through official school websites or by interviewing relevant people, and then compared and analyzed.ResultsThe school with the largest number of courses and the most class hours in general courses is University A1 (34 courses, 1316 class hours), and the school with the most credits is University B1 (75.5 credits). The schools with the largest number of courses and the most class hours in the basic courses are University A1 (50 courses, 1997 class hours), and the schools with the most credits are University B3 and University B1 (105.5 credits). The schools with the largest number of courses in the core courses are University C1 (23 courses), and the school with the most credits and class hours is University B2 (51 credits, 914 class hours). The school with the most class hours in practical teaching is University B6 (1406 class hours), and the schools with the longest internship time are University A1 and University B6 (52 weeks).ConclusionsThere was substantial variation in programs. There remains a gap between the existing educational model and clinical training in pharmacy in China and developed countries. China should explore the most appropriate method for undergraduate education in clinical pharmacy based on studying foreign excellent educational models and the experience of China.

Perceptions of European students' representative associations about clinical pharmacy undergraduate education

Background: Clinical pharmacy education is an enabler of advanced pharmacy practice for the future workforce. Objective: To explore perceptions of students’ representative associations on the adequacy of undergraduate clinical pharmacy education and students’ preparedness to perform clinical activities. Methods: Cross-sectional study using an online survey disseminated through the European Pharmaceutical Students’ Association to affiliated national pharmacy students’ associations. The survey collected information about preparedness to perform clinical pharmacy activities, perceived fitness for practice, perceived adequacy of theoretical and practical education in clinical pharmacy, and learning methods used and desired. Results: Students’ representative associations from 16 European countries participated and unanimously stated that clinical pharmacy practical training was insufficient. Most respondents (n=12; 75.1%) reported being unfit or unsure about their fitness to perform clinical activities. Conclusion: Although clinical pharmacy is embedded in pharmaceutical sciences education, students felt unprepared to perform clinical activities and desired more practical training to increase job readiness.

Computational medicinal chemistry role in clinical pharmacy education: Ingavirin for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) discovery model.

Given the major shift to patient-directed education, novel coronavirus (nCoV) provides a live example on how medicinal chemistry could be a key science to teach pharmacy students. In this paper, students and clinical pharmacy practitioners will find a stepwise primer on identifying new potential nCoV treatments mechanistically modulated through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). First, we identified the maximum common pharmacophore between carnosine and melatonin as background ACE2 inhibitors. Second, we performed a similarity search to spot out structures containing the pharmacophore. Third, molinspiration bioactivity scoring enabled us to promote one of the newly identified molecules as the best next candidate for nCoV. Preliminary docking in SwissDock and visualization through University of California San Francisco (UCSF) chimera made it possible to qualify one of them for further detailed docking and experimental validation. Ingavirin had the best docking results with full fitness of -3347.15 kcal/mol and estimated ΔG of -8.53 kcal/mol compared with melatonin (-6.57 kcal/mol) and carnosine (-6.29 kcal/mol). UCSF chimera showed viral spike protein elements binding to ACE2 retained in the best ingavirin pose in SwissDock at 1.75 Angstroms. Ingavirin has a promising inhibitory potential to host (ACE2 and nCoV spike protein) recognition, and hence could offer the next best mitigating effect against the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Experience and attitude of Malaysian undergraduate pharmacy students towards clinical pharmacy education

Clinical pharmacy education (CPE) is an important element in the undergraduate pharmacy programmes as the pharmacy profession had changed from product-oriented to patient-oriented services. This study was designed to assess the experience and attitude of Malaysian undergraduate pharmacy students on clinical pharmacy education, to compare attitude score according to different demographic characteristics and experiences, and to identify preferred teaching and learning methods for CPE. This was a cross-sectional study conducted using an adopted and adapted questionnaire which was distributed via email. A total of 305 final year Bachelor of Pharmacy students from all universities offering pharmacy programme were recruited through convenient sampling and the mean (SD) age of the respondents was 23.03 (1.589) years. This study revealed that almost 50% of respondents started CPE in Year 3 of their study. The highest proportion of respondents spent 31- 50 contact hours per semester for clinical pharmacy courses and the biggest percentage of contact hours were spent in traditional lectures.

Introducing m-Health and Digital Diabetes Apps in Clinical Pharmacy Education in Germany

Germany was the first country worldwide to introduce prescription and reimbursement of digital health apps. To keep pace with recent digital healthcare developments and to prepare our pharmacy students for the digital pharmaceutical care services, the Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapy Heinrich Heine University (HHU) Düsseldorf introduced a one-of-a-kind elective practical course in m-Health and diabetes.

The role of clinical pharmacist in enhancing hemodialysis patients’ adherence and clinical outcomes: a randomized-controlled study

Adherence to treatment recommendations is challenging in hemodialysis (HD) patients, yet it has been found to be extremely crucial in obtaining positive clinical and health outcomes. To evaluate the influence of implementing an educational process provided by the clinical pharmacist on HD patients' adherence to treatment recommendations and clinical outcomes. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in which patients from three HD units in Jordanwere randomly allocated to either an intervention (n = 60) or a control group (n = 60). During a three-month period, the intervention group received a monthly educational approach from a clinical pharmacist with recommendations for improving medication, nutrition, and fluid adherence, whereas the control received standard medical care. The primary outcome was patient adherence to HD-relatedrecommendations. Quality of life (QOL), disease awareness, hospitalization, and changes in biochemicals were secondary outcomes. The final analysis included 114 patients (n = 57/group). In the intervention group, there was a significant improvement in total adherence score versus control (1170.6 ± 44.1 vs. 665.8 ± 220.7, p < 0.001), and adherence to various aspects including episodes/duration of shortening HD, dietary guidelines, fluid restriction, and prescription medications. The clinical pharmacist intervention enhanced patients' QOL and improved awareness and perspective of the disease. Following the intervention, laboratory values for urea, creatinine, phosphorus, and hemoglobin were considerably improved. Additionally, the intervention group had fewer hospitalizations than the control group (0.54 ± 0.07 vs. 0.78 ± 0.26, p < 0.001). Providing clinical pharmacy education to HD patients improved adherence behavior and clinical outcomes. This illustrates the importance of clinical pharmacists as interdisciplinary team members in dialysis care. Trial registration This trial has been registered in ISRCTN Register (ISRCTN75517095). https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/ISRCTN75517095.

Clinical Pharmacist Core Competencies in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Society of Clinical Pharmacy (SSCP) is striving to enhance the concept of clinical pharmacy within Saudi Arabia (SA) at all levels. Given the differences that exist between clinical pharmacy education, training, and practice settings in SA and other countries, the SSCP believes that it can play a proactive role in highlighting and streamlining various aspects of clinical pharmacy in SA. By gaining new knowledge, skills, and values through entering clinical practice, clinical pharmacists should be equipped with certain competencies to meet the expectations of the SSCP clinical pharmacy definition. In 2019, the SSCP established an expert writing task force of clinical pharmacy specialists representing different private and governmental sectors to lead and write a series of position statements relating to clinical pharmacy within SA. This position statement seek to identify the core competencies of clinical pharmacists in SA. The SSCP is calling on all educational institutions, postgraduate training programs, and professional organizations to collaborate to guarantee that these competencies are adopted to ensure the professional growth of clinical pharmacists and that optimal individual and population health outcomes are achieved.

Reintroduction of Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD, Post-Bac) Program in Nepal: Exploration of the Obstacles and Solutions to Move Forward.

This commentary article highlights the status of clinical pharmacy education in Nepal, explores the challenges and solutions in sustainably reintroducing Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD, Post-Bac) in Nepal, as was previously launched by Kathmandu University (KU) Department of Pharmacy in 2010, and suggests a few prospects forward. Clinical pharmacy practice has remained on the sidelines and subordinate to physicians in Nepal. KU launched the PharmD (Post-Bac.) as a postgraduate program to establish the professional identity of clinical pharmacists in the country. However, despite unremitting efforts, the program did not thrive long and held since 2014. This paper aimed to explore challenges that remained at the forefront of the program and provide possible solutions for its reintroduction. The KU produced three batches of PharmD Post-Bac. graduates and now the revival of the program is crucial. Undoubtedly, a well-trained clinical preceptor can bring significant changes in the quality and competency of the PharmD graduates. Advocacy programs to foster the role of clinical pharmacists in the patient care services and revisiting of Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) curriculum to complement the necessity of the PharmD program are needed. The non-sustenance of the PharmD program is emblematic of the dire mosaic that the clinical pharmacists are facing while delivering patient-oriented services in the country. Hence, strategies need to be formulated for the revival and sustainability of the program.

Clinical pharmacy education in Japan’s universities pharmacy faculties:

Clinical pharmacy education in Japan’s universities pharmacy faculties: