Intern Pharmacists Research Articles

Melatonin Use in School-Aged Children and Adolescents: An Exploration of Caregiver and Pharmacist Perspectives

ABSTRACT Objective This study aims to explore the perspectives and experiences of Australian caregivers and community pharmacists about pediatric melatonin use. Methods A convenience sample of caregivers with children (aged 11–16 years) using melatonin as a sleep aid and community pharmacists (including pharmacist interns) were recruited. Participants first completed an online survey followed by an online semi-structured interview. Interviews were guided by a schedule of questions for the respective participant groups, broadly exploring their beliefs about melatonin, experiences in using/supplying melatonin, and perceived facilitators/barriers for melatonin use. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using the Framework Approach. Results Fourteen caregivers of predominantly neurodiverse adolescents and 24 community pharmacists were interviewed. While melatonin was perceived by caregivers of both typically developing and neurodiverse dependants as safer than pharmacological sleep aids, treatment was only initiated after trialling non-pharmacological strategies first. Pharmacists expressed concerns around the ambiguities in practice and the limited scope of existing resources for guiding pediatric melatonin use. Caregivers frequently deferred to the information available online to procure products or self-adjust doses and dosing schedules. Both pharmacists and caregivers emphasized the need for more affordable and age-appropriate proprietary formulations that are readily accessible. Conclusion Melatonin is administered predominantly by caregivers of neurodiverse adolescents to address their sleep disturbances. The findings underscore the need for reliable, evidence-based information to guide safe and appropriate use of melatonin in pediatric populations. Patient education is also warranted to address maladaptive medication-administration practices. Lastly, there is a need for stronger regulatory oversight of melatonin products to ensure their quality and safety of use.

Evaluating knowledge management practices in a hospital pharmacy: A comprehensive investigation

Background: Knowledge management practices in healthcare settings play a crucial role in improving patient care quality and operational efficiency. However, the understanding and implementation of these practices in Oshakati Hospital pharmacy, Namibia, remain unclear. Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered to 26 participants, including pharmacists, pharmacist interns, and pharmacist assistants, to assess knowledge-sharing frequency, documentation practices, technology effectiveness, and the overall knowledge management effectiveness. Results: The study found no significant relationship between work experience and knowledge management practices, indicating potential gaps in understanding and implementation of knowledge management strategies. Participants showed moderate attitudes towards knowledge sharing, with technology perceived as moderately effective in facilitating knowledge management. Conclusion: Enhancing knowledge management practices at Oshakati Hospital pharmacy is crucial to address existing gaps, improve collaboration, and elevate pharmaceutical care standards in the region. Implementing a comprehensive health information system and integrating innovative technologies can enhance knowledge extraction and patient interactions, ultimately improving healthcare outcomes.

Evaluating the role of intern pharmacists in pharmaceutical care in hospitals in Uganda.

In Uganda, there is limited adoption of pharmaceutical care in hospitals due to pharmacist shortages and limited collaboration among healthcare professionals. Intern pharmacists are deployed annually to assist in patient care to address pharmacist shortages. Evaluate intern pharmacist's extent of involvement in pharmaceutical care activities, assess facilitators and barriers, and explore healthcare professionals' perceptions, attitudes, and opinions on implementation of pharmaceutical care. A mixed-method concurrent study was carried out for four months. We conducted an online survey among 107 intern pharmacists from 26 hospitals, including National Referral, Regional Referral, Private Not-For-Profit, and General hospitals; predictors of extent of involvement were identified using linear regression models, using STATA 14. 24 key informants (nurses, prescribers, pharmacists) from five hospitals were interviewed; themes were developed using a deductive thematic analysis approach. Intern pharmacists had a median (Interquartile range[IQR]) age of 25 years (25-27) and 74.7% were male. About half (54.1%) of key informants were female and had a median (IQR) of 10 years (4.0-15.5) of professional experience. Interns focused on patient counseling, lacked documentation, and showed positive attitudes, and knowledge. Key informants supported implementation, but prescribers expressed dissatisfaction with interns' performance. Enhancing pharmacy internship and training through developing policies and guidelines on pharmaceutical care practice, improving working conditions, and mentorship can address gaps impeding pharmaceutical care implementation by intern pharmacists.

Predictors of Intern Pharmacists Job Satisfaction in Federal Teaching Hospitals in Southeast Nigeria

Background: Job satisfaction is a quality assessment standard measure used in evaluation of employers output and outcomes. Increase in job satisfaction correlates positively with employees output. This study assessed the predictors of intern pharmacists job satisfaction ina tertiary hospital in southeast Nigeria. Methods: The study was a questionnaire web and paper-based prospective cross-sectional survey among eligible intern pharmacists who gave their informed consent to participate in the study. Data was summarized with descriptive statistics. Linear regression analysis were used to predict factors affecting intern pharmacist’s job satisfaction while correlation coefficient was used to determine the strength of association. Reliability estimation was done using the Cronbach alpha. All tests for differences between subgroup distributions were regarded as significant if p-values equal to or less than (0.05) (two-tailed test) was reported. Results: Overall, (168) intern pharmacists participated in the study out of which (87) (51.8%) were females. Majority of the respondents were resident outside the hospital premises (136) (86%) while (21) (12.5%) were also locum practitioners. Most of the interns have spent (5-9) months out of the mandatory (12) months (139) (82.7%). Accomodation within the hospital and choice of hospital educational funding had a p-value of (0.864) in the linear regression analysis while the choice of hospital was 0.003. Conclusion: Interns accommodation within the hospital and choice of hospital for inernship training were the major predictors of job satisfaction among the respondents. Job satisfaction is an essential determinant of work output and outcomes.

Work readiness of pharmacy graduates: An exploratory study.

IntroductionThe recent global pandemic of Covid-19 caused various disruptions. Among them were face-to-face teaching and learning activities being switched to virtual sessions in accordance with health authorities recommendations. The impact of these changes on work readiness of pharmacy graduates is unknown. AimThis study aims to determine the impact of pharmacy graduate's work readiness, particularly those that had their studies disrupted from the pandemic. MethodsPracticing pharmacists with supervisory experience were interviewed on their opinions on work readiness of early career and intern pharmacists. Specifically, they were asked to comment on work readiness of pharmacy graduates who had their later stage of pharmacy education impacted by the pandemic. Data was transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. This was also supplemented with quantitative data from graduating students in 2020 and 2021 using the Work Readiness Scale. ResultsQualitative feedback showed four themes related to workforce readiness: work competence, social intelligence, personal characteristics, and organizational acumen. Preceptors interviewed noted differences in communication abilities when interacting with patients. However, this improved with time. Quantitative data collected from graduates via the validated Work-Readiness Scale also showed a more positive agreement towards perceived work readiness. These graduates were comfortable with using technology as they had used these extensively in their learning during the pandemic and thus was comfortable in adopting digital health tools in their practice. ConclusionAlthough graduates reported to be work ready, there were gaps in communication skills and confidence levels when interacting with patients, as reported by supervising preceptors. Graduates also described this sense of ‘missing out’ from not having the opportunity to attend face-to-face activities like their originally planned hospital placements and how it impacted their choice of career. As pharmacists continue to play vital roles as members of the broader healthcare workforce, both in clinical and nonclinical settings, learnings from this study should be considered in designing educational activities to train and develop the workforce of the future.

A realist evaluation of the development of extended pharmacist roles and services in community pharmacies

BackgroundInternationally, community pharmacy models of care have been moving away from a focus on dispensing to extended, clinically-focused roles for pharmacists. ObjectivesTo identify how community pharmacy strategies were being implemented in Aotearoa New Zealand; how changes were expected to influence health and health system outcomes; what extended services were being delivered; the responses of pharmacists, other health professionals and consumers to these developments; and the contexts and mechanisms supporting the successful implementation of new community pharmacy services. MethodsA realist evaluation methodology was employed, to explore a complex policy intervention. Realist evaluation explores the contexts (C) within which initiatives are introduced and identifies the mechanisms (M) triggered by different contexts to produce outcomes (O). Realist evaluation processes iteratively develop, test, and refine CMO configurations. In this study, initial programme theories were developed through key government and professional policy documents, then refined through key informant interviews, a survey and interviews with pharmacists and intern (pre-registration) pharmacists, and finally, 10 case studies of diverse community pharmacies. ResultsFour intermediate health service outcomes were identified: development of extended community pharmacist services; consumers using extended community pharmacist services; more integrated, collaborative primary health care services; and a fit-for-purpose community pharmacy workforce. Enabling and constraining contexts are detailed for each outcome, along with the mechanisms that they trigger (or inhibit). ConclusionsThere are wide-ranging and disparate levers to support the further development of extended community pharmacy services. These include aligning funding with desired services, undergraduate educators and professional leaders setting expectations for the pharmacists’ role in practice, and the availability of sufficient funding and time for both specific extended service accreditation and broader postgraduate training. However, no simple “fix” can be universally applied internationally, nor even in pharmacies within a single jurisdiction, to facilitate service development.

Workplace bullying in pharmacy – a study on prevalence, impacts and barriers to reporting

Purpose The study aims to estimate the prevalence of workplace bullying, personal and work-related impacts, reporting practices for bullying, and the reasons for not reporting bullying incidents in the New Zealand pharmacy sector.Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted among registered pharmacists and pharmacist interns in New Zealand from June to August 2020. The questionnaire comprises both close-ended and semi-structured free-text questions. Goldberg’s 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) assessed the respondents’ general psychological health status, and a 22-item Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) was used to estimate bullying prevalence together with the self-rated/self-labeled questions. The qualitative information obtained from the free-text responses was used to support and elaborate on the quantitative results.Findings The self-labeled prevalence of workplace bullying was 36.9%, with almost 10% reporting it occurring almost daily to several times per week. The 54.7% prevalence based on the NAQ-R assessment compares well with the prevalence of witnessing the incidents (58.5%). Psychological distress symptoms were experienced by 37.1% in pre-COVID and 45.3% during COVID-year 1. Supervisors or direct managers were the commonest perpetrators (32.7%). Only 28.8% of those who experienced bullying had reported the incidents formally.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is cross-sectional, and the relationships indicated are bi-directional. The consistency of the results is reassuring, however inferring causality of effect is challenging. Future studies and analyses should focus on this. This study suggests that in the pharmacy environment bullying from the top is reasonably prevalent, is not commonly reported and requires the design and implementation of prevention and management strategies that take into account and mitigate these bullying factors. Professional pharmacy leadership organizations, National Health Authority and Pharmacy regulators could play a significant role in awareness and training to reduce bullying with the development and promotion of strategies to curb it and improve reporting.Originality/value This is the first paper to describe the prevalence and impact of workplace bullying, and the practices of reporting bullying incidents in the New Zealand pharmacy sector. Based on empirical evidence, pharmacists represent a small share of total healthcare workforce, yet the overall prevalence of bullying is consistent with professions with much larger numbers such as medicine and nursing.

Use of a reference text by pharmacists, intern pharmacists and pharmacy students: a national cross-sectional survey.

Reference texts assist pharmacists by addressing knowledge gaps and enabling evidence-based decisions when providing patient care. It is unknown whether reference text utilisation patterns differ between pharmacists, intern pharmacists and pharmacy students. To describe and compare the self-reported use and perceptions of a reference text, namely the national formulary, by pharmacists, intern pharmacists and pharmacy students. Registered pharmacists, intern pharmacists and pharmacy students living in Australia were surveyed in July 2020. The survey was electronic and self-administered. Questions considered self-reported use of a specific reference text in the preceding 12 months. There were 554 eligible responses out of 774 who commenced the survey: 430 (78%) pharmacists, 45 (8%) intern pharmacists and 79 (14%) pharmacy students. Most participants (529/554, 96%) reported historical use of the text, though pharmacists were significantly less likely than intern pharmacists and students to use it frequently (52/422, 12% versus 16/43, 37% versus 23/76, 30%, P < 0.001). Pharmacists (44%, 177/404) reported using the text as a tool to resolve a situation when providing a service or patient care (177/404, 44%) or as a teaching resource (150/404, 38%). In contrast, intern pharmacists and students most commonly use these to familiarise themselves with the contents (30/43, 70%; 46/76, 61%) or update their knowledge (34/43, 79%; 53/76, 70%). Access and use patterns varied significantly across career stages. A broader understanding of the use of reference texts may help develop interventions to optimise the content and usability. Varying usage patterns across the groups may inform the tailoring of texts for future use.

Pharmacists' use of guidelines for the supply of non-prescription medicines: a cross-sectional survey.

Guidelines support best practice for healthcare practice. In Australia, some non-prescription medicines are only accessible after consultation with a pharmacist and are known as Pharmacist Only medicines. Guidelines for providing some Pharmacist Only medicines are available, however, it is currently unknown if and how these guidelines are used in practice.The objective was to characterise pharmacists', intern pharmacists and pharmacy students' use of guidelines for Pharmacist Only medicines. A cross-sectional electronic survey of Australian registered pharmacists, intern pharmacists and pharmacy students was administered in July 2020. Questions explored the participants' use of Pharmacist Only medicine guidelines (available both in print and online; available online only) in the preceding 12 months. Data were analysed descriptively (i.e. frequencies, percentages). In total, 574 eligible respondents completed the survey. Overall, 396 (69%) reported accessing the online and in-print guidelines in the previous 12 months with 185 (33%) accessing online-only guidelines. The guideline on emergency contraception was used the most out of all guidelines in the past 12 months (278, 48%). Overall, respondents reported accessing guidelines to update knowledge, check their practice reflected best practice and content familiarisation. Respondents' reasons for not accessing guidelines were due to respondents stating they did not need the information or that they had previously accessed the guidelines more than 12 months ago. These reasons varied between respondent groups. Access and use of the Pharmacist Only medicines guidelines varied between pharmacists, interns and students. Further understanding of the influences of the use of these guidelines will help inform professional bodies on how best to develop guidelines to increase consistent use in practice and implement interventions to increase use.

Pharmacists' perspectives and attitudes towards the 2021 down-scheduling of melatonin in Australia using the Theoretical Domains Framework: a mixed-methods study.

In Australia, prescription melatonin became a 'Pharmacist Only Medicine' for people over 55 with insomnia from June 2021. However, little is known about pharmacists' views on melatonin down-scheduling and perceived impacts on practice. To explore Australian community pharmacists' views on and attitudes towards the down-scheduling of melatonin. A convenience sample of community pharmacists and pharmacy interns were recruited. Participants completed a survey capturing demographic and professional practice details, and rated their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes towards melatonin. This was followed by an online semi-structured interview. Interviews were guided by a schedule of questions developed using the Theoretical Domains Framework and explored the perceived role of melatonin, preparation/response to down-scheduling, practice changes and patient interactions. Interviews continued until data saturation and were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using the Framework Approach. Twenty-four interviews were conducted with community pharmacists (n = 19) and intern pharmacists (n = 5), all practicing in metropolitan areas. Pharmacists/intern pharmacists welcomed the increased accessibility of melatonin for patients. However, pharmacists perceived a disconnect between the guidelines, supply protocols and pack sizes with practice, making it difficult to monitor patient use of melatonin. The miscommunication of eligibility also contributed to patient-pharmacist tension when supply was denied. Importantly, most participants indicated their interest in upskilling their knowledge in melatonin use in sleep, specifically formulation differences and dosage titration. While pharmacists welcomed the down-scheduling of melatonin, several challenges were noted, contributing to pharmacist-patient tensions in practice. Findings highlight the need to refine and unify melatonin supply protocols and amend pack sizes to reflect guideline recommendations as well as better educating the public about the risk-benefits of melatonin.

Who would be a pharmacist? A national representative cross-sectional survey of pharmacists and students to explore personality traits and associations with job satisfaction and career outlook.

Pharmacists' response to practice change tends to range from apprehension to excitement. It is unknown if these varying responses are related to differing personality traits. This study aimed to describe the personality traits of Australian pharmacists, pharmacist interns and pharmacy students and any potential associations with their career satisfaction and/or outlook. Australian pharmacy students, pre-registration and registered pharmacists were eligible to participate in the cross-sectional online survey that consisted of participant demographics, personality traits (using a reliable validated instrument, the Big Five Inventory) and career outlook statements (three optimistic and three pessimistic statements). Data were analysed descriptively and using linear regression. The 546 respondents scored highly for agreeableness (4.0 ± 0.6) and conscientiousness (4.0 ± 0.6) and lowest in neuroticism (2.8 ± 0.8)). Pessimistic career outlook statements were predominantly neutral or disagreement, in contrast to the responses to the optimistic outlook statements that were predominantly neutral or agreement. Just over half (198 out of 368, 53%) of the registered pharmacists stated that they intended to practice in the profession for more than 10 years. For pharmacists, age had significant positive associations with the three optimistic career outlook statements and significant inverse relationships with three pessimistic career outlook statements. Neuroticism had significant inverse associations with optimistic statements and positive relationships with pessimistic statements. All demographics tested was overall optimistic about the pharmacy profession with pharmacists scoring highly in agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness.

Assessment of pharmacovigilance activities among pharmacist interns in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundPharmacovigilance (PV) and adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting is at the core of the services and functions of a pharmacist. Pharmacist interns undergoing their one-year mandatory internship program are expected to be armed with this tool kit in order to provide adequate pharmaceutical services in all areas of pharmacy practice.ObjectivesThis study sought to assess the knowledge and perception of pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction reporting among pharmacist interns in Nigeria.MethodsThis study was a cross-sectional study among pharmacist interns in their one-year mandatory internship program across Nigeria. The 32-item semi-structured questionnaires were administered online using simple random sampling with the snowballing technique to recruit the participants in the study. The results were analyzed with IBM SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. The Chi-square test and contingency coefficient were used to determine the association between knowledge of PV and the demographics of the participants.ResultsA total of 450 pharmacist interns participated in this study. The participants' knowledge of pharmacovigilance and ADR is 92.5%. About 96.2% of respondents feel that responses to newly released pharmaceuticals must be recorded, compared to 79.1% for older drugs already on the market. There is a high correlation between the duration of the internship program and understanding of PV and ADR reporting among participants. More than fifty percent of respondents concur that ADR reporting is critical, while more than eighty percent concur that ADR reporting is required for pharmacists, the most significant health professionals in ADR reporting. The participants' length of participation in an internship program and their internship location significantly impact their opinion of ADR reporting. Seventy-four percent (74%) of respondents from tertiary hospitals say their internship center encourages ADR reporting.ConclusionMost participants have a solid understanding of PV and ADR reporting, but perceptions of PV and ADR reporting are substantially correlated with internship location and program length. Active measures should be implemented to ensure that all pharmacy interns comprehend and embrace PV and ADR reporting as their exclusive duty.

Understanding influences on the use of professional practice guidelines by pharmacists: A qualitative application of the COM-B model of behaviour

Pharmacy practice in Australia is guided by professional practice guidelines. The guidelines communicate expected pharmacist behaviours to facilitate a consistently high standard of patient care, but are infrequently used by pharmacists and students. It is therefore essential to understand what influences pharmacists’ use of professional practice guidelines and how best to support positive behaviour change towards utilising these guidelines. To explore perceived influences on the use of professional practice guidelines by Australian pharmacists, and to map these influences to the COM-B model of behaviour. Focus group discussions were undertaken with pharmacists (including intern pharmacists) from various practice settings, locations, and with varying years of experience. Audio-recordings from each focus group were de-identified and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed using the COM-B (‘capability’, ‘opportunity’, ‘motivation’ and ‘behaviour’) model. Nine focus groups with 45 participants were conducted. Limited awareness of professional practice guidelines hindered pharmacists' ‘capability’ to use them. Pharmacists indicated that challenges accessing, and suboptimal content design, limited their ‘opportunity’ to use the guidelines. Pharmacists' professional role and identity (‘motivation’) appeared to inhibit use of the guidelines if they were perceived to not apply to their current role, or if pharmacists believed their experience obviated the need to use them. Motivation to use professional practice guidelines was associated with a belief that the guideline(s) would support pharmacists in their practice. Understanding what influences the use of professional practice guidelines should inform interventions to target and improve pharmacists’ use of the guidelines. The Behaviour Change Wheel offers clear next steps for this process. Awareness, access, and content could be improved in the first instance, and this may also work to improve motivation. Leveraging influences on motivation may serve to ensure that use of professional practice guidelines is embedded in future practice, albeit motivation can be more difficult to target.

Practices and Barriers towards Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reporting among Intern Pharmacists in Nigeria

Background: The practice of Pharmacovigilance (PV) and Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting is very necessary to ensure adequate safety of all drugs in use and is an integral component of post marketing surveillance. Pharmacist, including interns are at a central position in carrying out this important function.&#x0D; Objectives: This study sought to assess the practice of pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction reporting and the perceived barriers towards its implementation among pharmacist interns in Nigeria.&#x0D; Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among pharmacist interns in Nigeria. The 18-item semi-structured questionnaires were administered online using simple random sampling with the snowballing technique to recruit the participants and the results were analyzed with IBM SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. The chi-square test was used to evaluate associations.&#x0D; Results: A total of 450 pharmacist interns participated in this study. The practice of PV and ADR reporting is poor among the respondents, less than 40% of the participants have ever reported ADR before, while only 29.1% have reported ADR since starting their internship program. Only 35.8% said “yes” to documenting ADR. Verbal information (61.1%) is the most widely used method of reporting ADR. Lack of cohesion among healthcare professionals, unavailability of feedback from relevant authorities, and fear of being wrong are the most reported barriers towards PV and ADR reporting among the participants. This is a correlation between the number of months spent in internship program and the practice of PV by the participants. ‘Fear of being wrong’ is an essential barrier to PV and ADR reporting among participants in tertiary hospitals (86.0%).&#x0D; Conclusion: The practice of pharmacovigilance is poor among the participants. Many barriers also affect ADR reporting among the interns. Measures should be taken to encourage ADR reporting and the reported barriers should be reviewed to improve pharmacovigilance activities.

Development of workplace‐based assessment tools to support postgraduate training of provisionally registered pharmacists in Australia

AbstractThe Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) is the national accreditation authority for pharmacy education and training in Australia. In 2020, APC published revised Accreditation Standards and a new Performance Outcomes Framework (POF). The POF details expected performance for pharmacy students at the point of graduation and for pharmacy graduates on completion of postgraduate training. The APC and the pharmacist regulator, the Pharmacy Board of Australia collaborated on a project to develop workplace‐based assessment (WBA) tools for use in assessing performance of pharmacy graduates in the postgraduate training period. The objectives of the project were to; identify and develop an initial suite of WBA tools; develop accompanying guidance and supporting documentation; seek feedback from stakeholders; and pilot the WBA tools in community and hospital settings. The WBA tools were developed through consultative process overseen by a group of education experts (a Technical Working Group) and a governance group. The latter comprising members from the Pharmacy Board and APC. The Technical Working Group agreed on the tools to develop based on an available Intern Year Assessment Blueprint and the tools were then drafted by a consultant. APC held consultative forums and a pilot study to gather feedback from intern pharmacists and preceptors. The project resulted in development of a suite of three types of WBA tools; Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), Case Based Discussions (CbD), and In Training Assessment (ITA) activities covering six areas of focus. All types of tools that were initially agreed upon were made available for use. The WBA tools address 15 performance outcomes in the POF. Future direction will involve further evaluation of the tools in diverse practice settings and expansion of the current suite of tools to cover additional performance outcomes.

An innovative collaboration between a school of pharmacy and community-based organization for substance misuse prevention education

BackgroundPrevention education focused on prescription drug misuse through community-based organizations has been demonstrated as effective in reducing misuse within communities. Collaboration is an essential component to effective community prevention, and when paired with effective strategies like peer-to-peer education and skill building, communities see a shift in their substance use issues. ObjectiveThis study aimed at promoting substance misuse prevention education in schools and high-risk communities through the implementation of a student pharmacist internship program at a regional Prevention Resource Center (PRC). MethodsA student pharmacist internship program was created in 2017 by a state PRC and a school of pharmacy (SOP) to deliver substance misuse prevention education to youth across high-risk counties while providing a valuable public health internship opportunity. Each year, the student pharmacist intern was responsible for implementing prevention and education services through the training of peers and other key community sectors using the Generation Rx program and collecting quality improvement data for their project. Interns were able to determine the approach to delivering the education based on individual interests. ResultsThrough the 5 years of the program, interns have been able to reach a total of 9195 participants across southwest Missouri with prevention education and training. Results from the Missouri Student Survey across 4 specific high-risk counties are reviewed for responses to questions about use, perception of harm of misuse, and availability of prescription and over-the-counter medications over time as compared with overall state responses. ConclusionCollaborative partnerships between PRCs and SOPs may increase the reach and impact of prevention education targeting misuse to a wider audience while providing pharmacy students a unique public health experience.

The National Alliance for Pharmacy Education (NAPE): Leading pharmacy intern training in Australia

Four of Australia’s leading pharmacy schools formed the National Alliance for Pharmacy Education (NAPE) to support the advancement of the pharmacy profession as a critical member of the healthcare team. NAPE builds capacity to design, implement, and evaluate an accredited curriculum framework, learning and assessment strategy, and workplace-integrated learning program for intern pharmacists through a commitment to shared values, collaboration, and engagement with key stakeholders. This article discusses NAPE’s strategies for delivering a consistent, outcomes-driven, accredited pharmacy intern training program (ITP) across Australia. Since the program's commencement 12 years ago, enrolments in the program have increased, accompanied by high completion rates and excellent outcomes. The strategies which underpin the collaboration have been successful in ensuring the program’s quality, consistency, and sustainability.

Novel pictograms to improve pharmacist understanding of the number needed to treat (NNT)

IntroductionNumber needed to treat (NNT) is a clinically useful “yardstick” used to gauge the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. The objective of this project was to develop and pilot a series of pictograms and assess their impact on pharmacist understanding of the NNT. MethodsThree decision aids containing NNT pictograms were developed following a preliminary literature review and three focus groups with current Australian-registered pharmacists and pharmacist interns. Pharmacists then tested the pictograms in a research pilot in clinical encounters until (1) ≥ 3 sessions had occurred or (2) a two-week period had elapsed from commencement. Knowledge assessment was administered both pre- and post-pilot. Transcription and inductive thematic analysis were applied to focus group data. Descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed rank, and McNemar's tests were used to analyse the pilot data. ResultsSix core themes regarding NNT decision aid development were identified with >80% consensus across three focus groups (N = 11). Comparison of the pre-post measures (n = 10) showed an increase in median scores after use of NNT decision aids, correlating to a moderate Cohen classified effect size (d = 0.54). Wilcoxon matched pairs test demonstrated a statistically insignificant influence of NNT pictograms on the knowledge assessment survey (P > .05). ConclusionsWhile the NNT is not a new concept, its incorporation as part of pictograms for health practitioner enrichment is novel. This pilot study suggests that utilizing decision aids with NNT pictograms as counselling adjuncts appears promising in the realm of enhancing pharmacists' understanding of the NNT.

Pharmacy postgraduate education transformation: pharmacist preferences for microcredentials.

To explore micro-credentialing for postgraduate study in pharmacy practice. An online survey of practicing or intern pharmacists in New Zealand was designed to identify learner preferences for education, determine interest and demand for microcredentials and elicit preferred 'willingness-to-pay' thresholds. A total of 430 responses were obtained. A stacked microcredential programme was preferred by 88% over traditional courses. Interest, skill development and career development were the top-ranked aspects. Participants favoured the lowest cost option ($300 NZD per microcredential). Pharmacists in New Zealand are supportive of microcredentials for postgraduate study as an alternative to traditional programmes.

Exploring the experiences and expectations of pharmacist interns in large general hospitals in China: from the perspective of interns

BackgroundHospital-based pharmacy internship (HBPI) is critical for the transition from “pharmacy students” to “professional pharmacists”. This study explores the pharmacist interns’ experiences and expectations for HBPI from their personal experiences intending to provide references for future hospital pharmacy education reform and policy development.MethodsThis is a multicenter qualitative study applying focus group discussions. Pharmacist interns were invited as participants from large teaching hospitals in Henan, China. A thematic analysis was conducted to qualitatively analyze this data. Nvivo 12 was utilized for data management and processing.ResultsThree focus group discussions were conducted, involving 16 interns as participants. Three themes were summarized regarding interns’ expectations and experiences: (1) positive experiences of the HBPI; (2) negative experiences of the HBPI; (3) expectations and suggestions for the HBPI.ConclusionThis study finds that the HBPI improves the professional knowledge, professional skills, and core competencies of interns. Therefore, the HBPI is an important preparation and transition stage for pharmacy students. However, the current pharmacy internship in China still has imperfections such as the insufficient ability of clinical teachers, unreasonable internship models, and unscientific internship content.