Continuing Pharmacy Education Programs Research Articles

Longitudinal Exploration of Strategies Advancing Continuing Professional Pharmacy Education in a Major University: an in- Depth Study on Impact

Background: In the dynamic healthcare landscape, pharmacists contend with the challenge of staying current with evolving knowledge. Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) programs, play a pivotal role in addressing this need. This study focuses on a six-year evaluation of CPE programs at a College of Pharmacy, aiming to assess the impact of a multifaceted approach on various educational outcomes. Materials and Methods: The University College of Pharmacy Office of Continuing Professional Education implemented a multifaceted approach from 2017 to 2022. Changes included hiring a full-time coordinator, offering on-site and online programs, establishing partnerships, identifying knowledge gap through surveying participants, and enhancing digital presence beyond others. Data from this period were compared with the preceding six years (2010 2016). Evaluation metrics covered attendee the number and diversity, program growth, and professional impact. Results: The study showcased significant improvements in various aspects of CPE programs. Pharmacist attendees increased by 816.67%, with a notable rise in non-pharmacy participants. Geographical distribution saw a surge in out-of-state and international participants. Program content witnesseda shift towardsinfectious diseases and pain management. The number of CPE programsand awarded hours experienced a fivefold increase, reflecting a commitment to a diverse curriculum. Participant feedback consistently indicated high satisfaction with knowledge enhancement, applicability, and program usefulness. Conclusion: Over the six-year period,the evaluation revealedsubstantial advancements in our CPE programs. Increased pharmacist attendance, diversified participant engagement, and expandedgeographical reach underscored the program's success.The exponential growth in program offerings reflected a commitment to diverse and extensive education. Positive participant feedback, indicating sustained impact on drug therapy management, patient safety, and public health outcomes, affirmedthe enduring effectiveness of the CPE programs. While acknowledging study limitations, this comprehensive analysis highlights the success and ongoing efforts to enhance CPE programs at major university. Future research should address these constraints for a more nuanced understanding of CPE program impact.

An exploratory mixed-methods evaluation of continuing education opportunities related to the care of sexual and gender minority patients from ACPE-accredited providers.

The objective of this analysis was to describe trends in continuing education opportunities for pharmacy professionals across the US related to the care of sexual and gender minority (SGM) patients. Continuing education programs offered by Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)-accredited providers from 2012 through 2022 were identified by searching the ACPE database for titles containing SGM terminology. Data including ACPE provider classification, activity type, format, audience, ACPE topic designator, interprofessional accreditation, contact hours, and learning objectives were collected. Content analysis was used to categorize activities. Following removal of duplicates and non-SGM-focused programming, 726 programs were identified. The most commonly observed program characteristics included a live format (67.6%, n = 491), a pharmacist audience (77.1%, n = 560), knowledge-based activities (90.8%, n = 656), a college or school of pharmacy provider (21.6%, n = 157), an ACPE topic of pharmacy administration (50.6%, n = 367), and a focus on pharmacy rather than interprofessional audiences (87.1%, n = 632). The median program length was 1 hour (interquartile range, 1-1.25 hours). The qualitative analysis identified programs focused on topics of gender-affirming care (pharmacotherapy) (32.1%, n = 233), general SGM (26.7%, n = 194), gender-affirming care (nonpharmacotherapy), sexually transmitted infections (7.2%, n = 52), and health disparities (3.9%, n = 28). Advancement has occurred in the number of available continuing pharmacy education programs focused on the care of SGM patients. Further information regarding specific content and effectiveness of continuing education is necessary to determine strategies to better prepare pharmacy professionals to care for this growing patient population.

A Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) Program Assessing Cannabidiol (CBD) Knowledge and Confidence Among Practicing Pharmacists

Background: Increased patient utilization of cannabidiol (CBD) leads to potential drug interactions with various medications and questions posed to pharmacists. Objective: To quantify the knowledge gap of pharmacists on CBD and CBD-containing products and assess the degree a continuing pharmacy education (CPE) program alters pharmacist confidence and competency on CBD knowledge. Methods: A 1-h CPE activity was offered as a home study from May 9, 2022, through September 30, 2022. Subjects were practicing pharmacy preceptors in Alabama who completed the pre-survey and post-survey for inclusion in matched-pair analyses. The primary outcome measure was participant score improvement between the pre-post surveys. Secondary measures involved pre-post comparisons on self-rated Likert questions concerning participant confidence in counseling, answering drug information questions, and ensuring patient safety regarding CBD. Results: A total of 124 participants completed the course. After matched pairing, 64 and 56 individuals were included in the knowledge-based and confidence ranking analyses, respectively. Participant scoring improved on the knowledge-based questions between the pre-post surveys (50.0% vs 87.8%, P < .001). There was a significant confidence improvement of participants from baseline on counseling patients about prescription or over-the-counter CBD products, answering questions from other healthcare professionals about these products, and ensuring patient safety while using these products (Average 5-level Likert scale increases of 1.75, 1.73, 1.70, respectively; all P < .001). Conclusion: Implementation of a CPE program improved practicing pharmacists’ knowledge on information about CBD, which lead to increased competency on counseling patients, answering drug information questions, and promoting patient safety.

Perceptions of Community Pharmacists Towards Patient Counseling and Continuing Pharmacy Education Programs in Sudan.

Community pharmacists are uniquely positioned at the heart of communities, and their patient counseling role is the cornerstone for achieving the required therapeutic goals. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to explore the perceptions of community pharmacists regarding patient counseling, and their perception towards continuing pharmacy education programs. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was performed among randomly selected 238 community pharmacies in Khartoum locality (Sudan) from September 2022 to December 2022. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire adopted from a previous study with few minor modifications, which was adding three sociodemographic questions. Descriptive statistics were carried out according to the study objective to analyze the pharmacists' responses. The majority of the community pharmacists gave counseling and understood its importance to the patients, most of them (70.6%) took 1-5 minutes during the dispensing process. The dose was the most provided information by community pharmacists (26.7%) followed by administration (23.7%) and duration (22.4%). Few (28.2%) of the patients ask the pharmacists about the cost of the medication. Lack of patients' interest (55%) was the major barrier to effective counseling followed by lack of time (47.9%). Almost all (96.2%) pharmacists in this study were interested in continuing pharmacy education programs, and they preferred programs focusing on common diseases (36.6%), and common drugs (30.3%). This study showed that the majority of community pharmacists in the Khartoum locality had positive perceptions toward patient counseling and they were interested in continuing pharmacy education programs.

Pharmacy personnel comfort and confidence in screening for social needs: A pilot study

BackgroundAddressing social needs (such as lack of adequate housing, food, and transportation) has been shown to improve medication adherence and overall patient outcomes. However, screening for social needs during routine patient care can be challenging due to lack of knowledge of social resources and adequate training. ObjectivesThe primary objective of this study is to explore the comfort and confidence of community pharmacy personnel in a chain community pharmacy when discussing social determinants of health (SDOH) with patients. A secondary objective of this study was to assess the impact of a targeted continuing pharmacy education program in this area. MethodsBaseline confidence and comfort were measured through a brief online survey consisting of Likert scale questions regarding various aspects of SDOH (e.g., importance and benefit, knowledge of social resources, relevant training, workflow feasibility). Subgroup analysis of respondent characteristics was conducted to examine differences between respondent demographics. A targeted training was piloted, and an optional posttraining survey was administered. ResultsThe baseline survey was completed by 157 pharmacists (n = 141, 90%) and pharmacy technicians (n = 16, 10%). Overall, the pharmacy personnel surveyed lacked confidence and comfort when conducting screenings for social needs. There was not a statistically significant difference in comfort or confidence between roles; however, subgroup analysis revealed trends and significant differences between respondent demographics. The largest gaps identified were lack of knowledge of social resources, inadequate training, and workflow concerns. Respondents of the posttraining survey (n = 38, response rate = 51%) reported significantly higher comfort and confidence than the baseline. ConclusionPracticing community pharmacy personnel lack confidence and comfort in screening patients for social needs at baseline. More research is needed to determine if pharmacists or technicians may be better equipped to implement social needs screenings in community pharmacy practice. Common barriers may be alleviated with targeted training programs to address these concerns.

Continuing Pharmacy Education: Exploring the Status and Future Prospects in Nepal

Continuing pharmacy education (CPE) is an educational way for pharmacy professionals to develop competency in providing quality pharmaceutical care to patients. The CPE program helps maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills, increase the professionalism of pharmacists, and positively impact patient health outcomes. However, the concept and practice of CPE are still in their infancy in Nepal. Nepal’s conventional pharmacy education system involves didactic lectures focusing more on theoretical learning than practical and experiential approaches, leading to the generation of pharmacists theoretically knowledgeable but practically non-competent to deliver pharmaceutical care services in independent practice settings. Additionally, in the absence of CPE, the professionals might miss updated information on new therapies, technologies, and approaches in patient management. The community and hospital pharmacies in Nepal are often business-oriented rather than service, and may not even be staffed by pharmacists, so the CPE programs are rarely conducted for the pharmacy professionals. Hence, the present commentary aimed to explore the status of CPE and its barriers or challenges in implementation and to suggest solutions in Nepal.

Evaluation of a Continuing Pharmacy Education Program on Pharmacologic Interventions for Healthy Pregnancies

Purpose. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a novel, live continuing pharmacy education program regarding gained knowledge and comfort in providing interventions to promote healthy pregnancies, as well as pharmacist motivation to incorporate these interventions in their practice.Methods. Pharmacists and student pharmacists completed assessments before and after a continuing pharmacy education program about pharmacologic interventions for healthy pregnancies. The assessments evaluated knowledge, comfort level, and practices on healthy birth spacing, preeclampsia, and preterm birth in a total of 186 participants. Data were analyzed by comparing responses from the pre- and post-assessments using paired t-tests.Results. Following the program, participants’ average knowledge score increased from 40% to 86% on the pre- and post-assessment, respectively (p&lt;0.001). Participants’ comfort level increased in identifying and counseling patients in need of low-dose aspirin for preeclampsia prevention, progesterone injection for preterm birth prevention, and postpartum contraception use for healthy birth spacing (p&lt;0.001). Participants also showed interest in prescribing self-administered hormonal contraception under statewide protocol. Most pharmacists identified logistical hurdles as challenges to incorporating the new knowledge into practice.Conclusion. Pharmacists and student pharmacists significantly increased their knowledge about healthy birth spacing, preeclampsia prevention, and preterm birth prevention after attending a novel continuing pharmacy education program. Participants also reported greater comfort with identifying and counseling patients in need of selected pharmacologic interventions. With motivation to implement relevant interventions in their practice and sufficient training, pharmacists can serve as highly accessible and valuable resources for the provision of reproductive health services to patients in the community.

Implementation and evaluation of an interprofessional physical assessment skills workshop for Wisconsin pharmacists

BackgroundPharmacists have a critical, expanding role in health care delivery. In particular, pharmacists in community pharmacy and ambulatory care settings are important and frequent access points for health care services. ObjectiveWe describe the interprofessional development and implementation of an interactive, broadly applicable physical assessment skills–based continuing pharmacy education program to provide an avenue for the attainment of this warranted set of skills for pharmacists who desire to provide advanced patient care services in their respective practices. MethodsPharmacists, in collaboration with family medicine and emergency medicine physicians, developed workshop content, design, and flow. The structure of the workshops consisted of didactic training, hands-on practical application, simulated practice, and case-based certification examinations. ResultsOn a postworkshop survey, all respondents answered “agree” or “strongly agree” when asked if the workshops were useful, advanced their skills, and advanced their confidence. It was also found that more than 50% of the participants used their physical assessment skills monthly and 11% daily. The most common assessment performed was obtaining an accurate manual blood pressure. ConclusionThe interprofessional development and implementation of workshops dedicated to physical assessment skills education is feasible and led to the incorporation of these skills into pharmacists’ practice, particularly in the community and ambulatory care settings.

An Online Module Series to Prepare Pharmacists to Facilitate Cognitive Pharmaceutical Services

An online module series offered to prepare pharmacists to facilitate cognitive pharmaceutical services. Four e-courses were uploaded in the e-based continuing pharmacy education (CPE) for community pharmacists. The four courses offered were the patient counselling aspects of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, peptic ulcer and asthma. Each course covered the necessary information about the disease, brief pathophysiology, treatment options, lifestyle modifications, expected side effects, ADR of treatment, Dos and Don’ts by the patients. The contents of these courses were presented online in the form of slides in reading format. The presentation included text, pictures and graphs. Out of 70 respondents, about 65.71% of (n=46) were male. Majority of the pharmacists (68.57%), (n=48) found to be D.Pharm. Holders Among 70 pharmacists about 55 pharmacists completed the patient counselling modules Majority of the respondents (n=38; 54%) believed that increasing the knowledge of the pharmacists would help to enhance the present status of pharmacy practice. More than three fourth (n=53; 76%) of the community pharmacists responded that continuing pharmacy education programs to be attended to develop their professional expertise. The feedback on the e-learn modules undergone by the participants was very encouraging and promising. All the participants agreed that the faculty of the module had got sound knowledge, and the modules were practical. This study's results suggest that a series of self-paced online modules with appropriate content can improve pharmacists confidence to provide cognitive pharmaceutical service.

Perceptions and attitudes of community pharmacists towards patient counseling and continuing pharmacy education programs in Iraq

The pharmacist's role in the community is currently directed towards providing drug information and patient care rather than drug compounding and dispensing. Patient counseling is an essential skill for pharmacists. So as to improve the pharmacist role in the community and enhance the patient's education and counseling skills, many continuing education programs are established. The aim of this study is to assess the perceptions and tendency of community pharmacists in Iraq regarding patients counseling and continuing pharmacists’ educational programs.

Impact of Continuing Pharmacy Education on the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Community Pharmacists about ADR Monitoring and Reporting

The present study was aimed to train the community pharmacists in pharmacovigilance and implement adverse drug reaction monitoring and reporting program in their practice. Continuing pharmacy education programs about adverse drug reaction monitoring and reporting were conducted periodically to the community pharmacists both in the study centre and respective pharmacies and their knowledge, attitude, practice were assessed both prior and post education program through a self-administered questionnaire. The participants were followed-up after 6 months to assess the changes if any in their practice. Pharmacists’ awareness about the concept of adverse drug reaction reporting, which form to use for reporting adverse drug reactions, how and where to report adverse drug reactions have significantly increased (p<0.05) to 100 % in the post continuing pharmacy education survey from 84, 45, 51 and 36 % during pre continuing pharmacy education survey, respectively. The knowledge about all the stakeholders of health such as doctors, pharmacists, nurses and patients to report adverse drug reactions also increased from 31 to 100 % (p<0.05) from pre continuing pharmacy education to post test. In the post continuing pharmacy education survey, 100 % of the respondents agreed that reporting adverse drug reactions is necessary. Majority of respondents (72.7 %) strongly agreed that adverse drug reactions reporting is a part of professional role. In the repeat survey conducted after 6 months, 11 % of respondents reported that they have a system of monitoring and reporting adverse drug reactions in their pharmacies in comparison to 0 % at the baseline, which was prior to continuing pharmacy education program and adverse drug reactions from 25 patients were reported to pharmacovigilance program of India by these pharmacists through the investigators of this study. The continuing pharmacy education program resulted in improvement of knowledge, attitude and practice of monitoring and reporting adverse drug reaction among community pharmacists as well as implementation of adverse drug reaction monitoring services in selected community pharmacies in the study region.

The Benefit of Continuing Professional Development for Continuing Pharmacy Education

The Benefit of Continuing Professional Development for Continuing Pharmacy Education

Perception of Community Pharmacy Personnel towards Patient Counseling and Continuing Pharmacy Education Programs in Aden, Yemen

Perception of Community Pharmacy Personnel towards Patient Counseling and Continuing Pharmacy Education Programs in Aden, Yemen

Opinion of hospital pharmacy practitioners toward the Continuing Pharmacy Education program: a study from a tertiary care hospital in central Nepal.

BackgroundMeeting participants’ needs and matching their preferences are important prerequisites for an effective Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) program. The objective of this pilot study was to assess the opinion of hospital pharmacy practitioners with respect to the CPE program.MethodsThe pretested questionnaires were distributed to 20 pharmacy practitioners working in a pharmacy at a tertiary care hospital in Nepal which asked for their opinions and suggestions with respect to the CPE program. Descriptive statistics were performed using IBM SPSS version 20.ResultsTopics related to skills development (75%) and recent innovations in pharmacy practice (65%) were mostly preferred. Live (in-person) presentations (80%) and small group discussion (60%) were the most suitable methods for delivery. Improving knowledge (75%), improving skills (60%) and keeping up-to-date in the latest information (60%) were major motivating factors to participate, while lack of time (75%) was a major barrier. Approximately 55% of the participants believed that face-to-face interview was a suitable method for evaluating the effectiveness. Allocation of separate time for the program, assessing baseline knowledge and skills of the participants along with delivery of quality materials in an understandable way were the top common suggestions for improving the CPE program.ConclusionHospital pharmacy practitioners’ opinions and suggestions were assessed with respect to the CPE program and this was upgraded accordingly to meet their expectations.

Have confidence in your competence by keeping current

Have confidence in your competence by keeping current

Proceedings of the AMCP Partnership Forum: Breaking the Link Between Pain Management and Opioid Use Disorder.

Prescription drug misuse and abuse, especially with opioid analgesics, is the fastest growing drug problem in the United States. Addressing this public health crisis demands the coordinated efforts and actions of all stakeholders to establish a process of improving patient care and decreasing misuse and abuse. On September 9, 2014, the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) convened a meeting of multiple stakeholders to recommend activities and programs that AMCP can promote to improve pain management, prevent opioid use disorder (OUD), and improve medication-assisted treatment outcomes. The speakers and panelists recommended that efforts to improve pain management outcomes and reduce the potential for OUD should rely on demonstrated evidence and best practices. It was recommended that AMCP promote a more holistic and evidence-based approach to pain management and OUD treatment that actively engages the patient in the decision-making process and includes care coordination with medical, pharmacy, behavioral, and mental health aspects of organizations, all of which is seamlessly supported by a technology infrastructure. To accomplish this, it was recommended that AMCP work to collaborate with organizations representing these stakeholders. Additionally, it was recommended that AMCP conduct continuing pharmacy education programs, develop a best practices toolkit on pain management, and actively promote quality standards for OUD prevention and treatment.

APhA honors 2014 Immunization Champions

Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to educate patients on the importance of vaccines and to provide many of those vaccines themselves. They expand the "immunization neighborhood"—an APhA-coined term—and increase the accessibility and convenience of vaccines for patients from all walks of life. Their work eliminates the perceived barriers of appointments, physicians' offi ces, and prescriptions.

Pharmacists’ training, perceived roles, and actions associated with dispensing controlled substance prescriptions

ObjectivesTo examine situations that prompt pharmacists to access a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) database and management of opioid abuse/addiction; assess pharmacists’ actions when abuse is suspected; describe pharmacists’ tasks when dispensing controlled substance prescriptions (CSPs); and their continuing pharmacy education (CPE). DesignCross-sectional mail survey of 1,000 randomly selected pharmacists. SettingTexas from February 2012 to April 2012. Participants1,000 Texas community pharmacists. InterventionMail survey instrument. Main outcome measuresPrompts to use a PDMP and pharmacists' views actions, and related CPE programs. ResultsThe usable response rate was 26.2%. Pharmacists were more supportive of mandated PDMP use by physicians than by pharmacists (mean ± SD 4.1± versus 3.2 ± 1.5; P <0.001), based on a 5-point Likert scale (1, strongly disagree, to 5, strongly agree). Most pharmacists would be prompted to use a PDMP if the prescription contains mistakes (68.1%) or the patient requests an early refill (66.3%). Bivariate statistics showed that men pharmacists, those with BSPharm degrees, and pharmacists ≥50 years of age reported a greater number of CPE hours related to prescription opioid abuse and pain management. An analysis of variance showed that pharmacy owners reported significantly more (P <0.05) CPE compared with manager and staff pharmacists. ConclusionOlder pharmacists with a BSPharm degree may be more willing to provide counseling to patients with opioid addiction based on their work experience and additional CPE related to controlled substances. As PDMP use becomes more prevalent, pharmacists should be prepared to interact and counsel patients identified with aberrant controlled prescription drug use and properly deliver pain management care. Additionally, schools of pharmacy curricula must prepare new pharmacists to prevent abuse and diversion, as well as intervene when aberrant use is identified.

Improving Pharmacist Knowledge of Oral Chemotherapy in the Community

Approximately 10% of chemotherapy agents are administered orally, with anticipated annual growth of this practice. In the future, community pharmacy practitioners will potentially serve a larger role in the management of patients with cancer. To improve pharmacist confidence, knowledge of oral chemotherapy agents, and dispensing behaviors through live continuing pharmacy education (CPE) programs. A prospective cohort study of pharmacists attending live CPE programs in Rhode Island and Maine was conducted between March and May 2010. A survey was administered before and after the educational program; primary outcome measures included change in level of pharmacist confidence in oral chemotherapy knowledge, overall knowledge, and willingness to adjust behavior when dispensing oral chemotherapy agents in community pharmacy. Two hundred fifty-seven of the 410 pharmacists in attendance participated in the survey. Pharmacists significantly improved in confidence level, from no confidence to some confidence (p < 0.001). Counseling the family on the safe handling of oral chemotherapy increased from 37.1% pre-CPE program to 100% post-CPE program. Following the CPE program, behaviors such as (1) using a separate counting tray, (2) wearing gloves, and (3) requiring a double-check improved from 22.5%, 31.5%, and 29.4% baseline to 92.0%, 81.3%, and 81.8%, respectively. All responses to knowledge-based questions improved significantly. A live CPE program on oral chemotherapy designed to improve pharmacist confidence and knowledge, as well as inform about behaviors, is an effective method. Additional education to improve the knowledge of community-based practitioners to safely dispense and properly counsel patients receiving oral chemotherapy is required.

Pharmacists' attitude, perceptions and knowledge towards the use of herbal products in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The purpose of the study was to assess pharmacists' current practice, perception and knowledge towards the use of herbal products in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study assessed the need for incorporating herbal medicine as a separate topic in under- graduate pharmacy student curricula. The study was done on 600 pharmacists employed in Abu Dhabi, who were contacted electronically, out of which 271 had completed the survey. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Pharmacists' use of herbal products is high in the UAE, as they have a high belief on the effectiveness of herbal products, and only age was found to be the most predominant variable that was influencing pharmacists' personal use of herbal products (p-value=0.0171). Pharmacists were more knowledgeable on the uses/indications of herbal products (47%) rather than on other areas. Knowledge of the dispensing mode (prescription only or over the counter medicines) mandated by the Ministry of Health was quite good, however, it is to be noted that the source of information on the dispensing mode was provided by medical representatives (48%). Knowledge of dispensing mode of herbal products was found to be significantly influenced by the place of work with more knowledge of the dispensing mode by pharmacists working in the private sector (p-value 0.0007). The results from the study also underscores the need for including herbal medicine as a separate topic in pharmacy college curriculum and to provide for more seminars and continuing pharmacy education programs targeting pharmacists in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Pharmacists need to be informed on indications, drug interactions, adverse events and precautions of herbal products. Concerned bodies must also provide them with regular continuing education programs apart from putting their efforts to incorporate relevant topics on herbal medicine in the pharmacy students' curriculum.