Clinical Pharmacy Faculty Research Articles

Towards supporting scholarship in research by clinical pharmacy faculty.

The objective of this study was to assess the need for research support, faculty development, and topics of interest to clinical track pharmacy faculty that would facilitate scholarship in research. A cross-sectional survey of pharmacy practice-based faculty at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) completed via the web in November 2005. Of 39 clinical track faculty respondents (48% response rate), 100% indicated they were interested in being co-investigator or 77% lead investigator on a research grant proposal. The majority of respondents expressed "a lot" or "extreme" interest in receiving methodological guidance and administrative support in order to pursue research interests. The greatest interest in research support services related to sample size calculations, selection of appropriate statistical tests, grant writing, and writing for journals. Barriers to research cited by faculty included lack of confidence in ability, the need for balancing responsibilities, and reward for efforts. Suggestions included the creation of specific research interest groups, research seminars, formal mentoring and statistical support services. Clinical-track faculty are interested in research-related scholarship but typically lack the confidence or skills to lead research. While this study was limited to UIC clinical faculty, UIC faculty are attracted from Colleges of Pharmacy across North America and it is notable that such barriers can be quickly identified using a brief web-based survey in order to inform a plan that provides resources and support for research by clinical pharmacy faculty.

Promotion and tenure: Clinical faculty at schools of pharmacy in Canada

As a result of an evolution in roles and responsibilities of pharmacists, pharmacy education in North America has become more clinical in nature. In order to meet teaching and research requirements, Canadian pharmacy schools are hiring non-traditional faculty members who possess advanced clinical degrees and training rather than traditional academic qualifications. Policies with respect to tenure and promotion have not kept pace with these changes in hiring practices. Research was undertaken to examine the application of tenure and promotion policies and guidelines to clinical pharmacy faculty members across Canada. Document review was complemented by key informant interviews. A series of themes emerged indicating areas of concern regarding application of traditional “arts and science” tenuring/promotion policies for clinical pharmacy faculty members. Based on these themes, a model for development of guidelines to acknowledge the value and importance of creative scholarly activity within pharmacy (“the 5 C’s”) is proposed and discussed.

A Review of Clinical Pharmacy Interventions Prior to Implementation of a Personal Digital Assistant Intervention Program in a Community Hospital

PurposeTo evaluate pharmacist interventions and identify areas of improvement prior to decentralization and implementation of a personal digital assistant (PDA) program for documenting interventions. MethodsIntervention data were collected from April 1999 to June 2001 using standardized intervention and activity forms. Following collection, data were analyzed to determine the most common medications requiring intervention, acceptance rates, total and estimated cost savings, interventions performed per care unit, and pharmacist time. ResultsA total of 3030 interventions were captured from April 1999 through June 2001. The most common interventions were dosage or frequency changes (80.6%). The total cost savings for the medication ingredients during the period reviewed was $43,733. The estimated cost savings/cost avoidance of interventions during the study period was $850,417. The most common care units involved in interventions were areas where clinical pharmacy faculty practiced: hematology/oncology, general medicine, and intensive care. From January 2001 to June 2001 a comparison of faculty to clinical pharmacists showed that faculty in three care areas (68 beds) documented 552 interventions, compared with 392 interventions by the clinical pharmacists responsible for the seven other care areas (200 beds) (P< 0.05). ConclusionsThis review reinforces the benefit of interventions on cost avoidance and patient care. Because a high percentage of interventions was lost due to follow up, implementation of a simplified, uniform approach to clinical intervention reporting through a PDA program and additional decentralization is expected to decrease lost interventions and increase estimated cost avoidance.

Workplace correlates and scholarly performance of clinical pharmacy faculty

The workplace, especially the academic department or division, provides an intriguing research site for study of correlates of scholarly performance. The objective of this study was to estimate a correlate model of three-year scholarly performance of clinical faculty in colleges of pharmacy. Two-hundred and ninety-six clinical faculty in pharmacy responded to an author-developed questionnaire. The scholarly performance items factored into three dimensions: “Refereed Research,”, “Grants/Books Research,” and “Nonresearch Scholarship.” A fourth single-item variable, “Contracts,” was also used as a dependent dimension. Eight correlates, including two related to the departmental workplace, emerged as factors significantly explaining the variation in scholarly performance. The two most significant were “Off-Campus Conversations” and “Department: Percent Time in Research.” These results as well as others were contrasted with prior correlate studies and suggestions were made for future additional study.

Evaluating the performance of clinical pharmacy faculty: putting the ACCP template to use.

The responsibilities of clinical faculty members are often multifaceted and may include direct patient care, didactic and experiential teaching, research, and administrative duties. Specialization, poorly defined standards of care, and lack of direct supervision have traditionally made performance evaluation difficult. We implemented a method to evaluate clinical faculty as they carried out patient care activities using a revised template for the evaluation of a clinical pharmacist developed by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Clinical Practice Affairs Committee. In addition, it allows individuals to report and evaluate their own performance in the areas of patient care, instructional activity, university and public service, research and scholarly activities, and administrative duties. Teaching evaluations from clerkship students and residents are also submitted and assessed during the annual interview. To determine the usefulness of the evaluation, including the template, we surveyed the opinions of clinical faculty (nontenured) at four primary practice sites (response rate 92%). Mean scores for responses suggested agreement with statements as to the merits of the evaluation system; however, there was some variation among practice sites. Incorporating the template into a broad evaluation system was effective in facilitating improved job performance and career development. Adaptation of the template may be practice site dependent and should be coordinated by a participative approach. Additional assessment may be facilitated by physician, nurse, or peer evaluation.

The Gap between Basic Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy Practice: Is it Epistemological?

In this article, it is argued that the perceived gap between basic scientists and clinical practitioners originates in the epistemological persuasions of each group, that is, in their view of genuine knowledge and the process by which knowledge is obtained. The broad implications of this disparity for the education of practicing pharmacists are discussed. The Instrumentalist epistemology, adopted, in part, by clinical pharmacy faculty, is proposed as a framework to guide undergraduate, graduate, and continuing pharmacy education. To improve the "fit" between underlying epistemology and clinical instruction, specific changes in curricular content, organization, and delivery parameters is essential to therapy.

A Planned Program for Evaluation and Development of Clinical Pharmacy Faculty

A Planned Program for Evaluation and Development of Clinical Pharmacy Faculty

A Pathophysiology and Pharmacotherapeutics Course Utilizing Physicians and Clinical Pharmacy Faculty

A Pathophysiology and Pharmacotherapeutics Course Utilizing Physicians and Clinical Pharmacy Faculty