Access To Pharmacists Research Articles

Family physician perceptions of barriers and enablers to integrating a co-located clinical pharmacist in a medical clinic: A qualitative study

ObjectivePharmacists from The University of British Columbia Pharmacists Clinic provide comprehensive medication management services once to twice a month through the co-location model at multiple general practice clinics beginning from 2014 and consistently since 2016. For some of the clinics, this was the first experience with a co-located allied health professional. The objective of this study was to examine the perspectives of physicians who had a relatively long-standing relationship with a co-located pharmacist to identify barriers and facilitators to integrating a clinical pharmacist. MethodsA qualitative research methodology was used to gain the perspectives of physicians. Data were collected through convenience sampling and one-on-one semistructured interviews. In-person or telephone interviews were conducted from August 12, 2019, to September 10, 2019, and audio was recorded with the participants’ consent. The recorded interviews were transcribed, and a thematic analysis with an inductive approach was used to analyze the data. ResultsEight physicians from 4 general practice clinics were interviewed. Analysis of the interviews identified 6 themes that contained barriers or enablers to the integration of a co-located pharmacist: (1) electronic medical record (EMR) use, (2) identifying patients and the referral process, (3) workload and logistics, (4) patients’ willingness, (5) impact of in-person communication, and (6) shifting physicians’ perspectives. The enablers included the use of an EMR to proactively identify patient referrals, a dedicated pharmacist workspace, a physician champion, and intentional scheduling of in-person physician-pharmacist case conferences. The barriers included identifying patients for referral, the lack of EMR interoperability, pharmacist availability, physician colleagues who were less committed to team-based care, and financial implications despite externally funded pharmacists. ConclusionThe physician participants perceived several barriers and enablers to the integration of a pharmacist into their practice. The themes identified can be used to inform physicians and pharmacists on the integration process for team-based primary care.

Clinical pharmacy services in an ambulatory oncology clinic: Patient perception and satisfaction.

Studies have shown that patients rate pharmacists more favourably when the pharmacist expresses interest in the patient and attends to patients' perspectives. There is limited available evidence evaluating both patient perception and satisfaction regarding clinical pharmacy services provided in an ambulatory oncology clinic. This was a prospective mixed methods study involving surveys and patient interviews. Consenting participants completed a survey at their first visit evaluating their perceptions of the importance of the clinical pharmacy services offered in the ambulatory oncology clinic. They completed a second survey 6-8 weeks later to re-evaluate their perceptions and to measure satisfaction ratings. The final component of this study involved semi-structured one-on-one telephone interviews to gather qualitative data regarding the study objectives. A total of 35 participants completed the survey, of which eleven completed one-on-one patient telephone interviews. Patients perceived the clinical pharmacy services assessed as important to their care before receiving treatment. The ratings of the importance of the pharmacist in managing patients' nausea/vomiting significantly decreased when remeasured, whereas the importance of meeting the pharmacist in the clinic significantly increased. The importance of the role of the pharmacist was highlighted in patient interviews as well: patients particularly valued the pharmacist's initiative to meet them in the clinic, the education provided by pharmacist, and the pharmacist's accessibility throughout treatment. Overall, patients in the ambulatory oncology clinic perceived the services offered as important to their care and they were highly satisfied.

Pharmacists’ perspectives on the value of reason for use information

The indication for a particular medication, or its reason for use (RFU), is important information for prescribers, pharmacists and patients but is not often communicated in writing from prescribers to pharmacists. Adding RFU to a prescription and a medication label would ensure that pharmacists are confident that they are providing high-quality, accurate patient care. This study aims to describe the perspectives of pharmacists on how receiving RFU from prescribers would affect their practice and how pharmacists putting this information on prescriptions would affect patients. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 pharmacists in Southwestern Ontario. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview transcripts, leading to 4 major themes. Pharmacists expressed that RFU should be formatted to ensure that it is of clinical utility via the use of written text and noted that either medical or lay (also known as plain) language would be appropriate for use. Pharmacists indicated that patient privacy should be considered when writing RFU on labels and that patient preference with respect to the addition of RFU should dictate its inclusion on a medication label. Pharmacist access to RFU was universally acknowledged to improve patient safety by providing pharmacists with more information to determine whether the given medication was indicated. This study provides further information about the impact that having access to RFU would have on pharmacy practice and can be used to advocate for the inclusion of RFU information with prescriptions to improve patient outcomes. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2020;153:xx-xx.

Visualization of Drug Interactions for Supporting Medication Review.

The number of elderly patients with multimorbidities has considerably increased since recent years. These patients are often polymedicated and at higher risk of safety incidents due to polypharmacy. To reduce polypharmacy, one solution is Medication review (MR). MR aimed at optimizing drug treatments, is unfortunately not very frequent in practice. Indeed, consulting the properties of 5-20 drugs in parallel is a cognitively complex task. It is therefore necessary to develop software for supporting MR. The existing tools only list alerts concerning drugs and their interactions. The objective of our work is to facilitate the pharmacist's access to the medical knowledge necessary for drug interactions. Using visual analytics, we propose an interactive tool that synthesizes information on drug interactions. It shows an overview of drug treatment and make it visually accessible by the pharmacist to facilitate MR.

A importância do cuidado farmacêutico em mulheres no período gestacional

A atenção farmacêutica é um serviço relevante na promoção do uso racional de medicamentos e sucesso farmacoterapêutico, devido ao conhecimento e acessibilidade existente por parte do farmacêutico. Logo, denota-se grande importância da prestação desse serviço às gestantes, em razão dos possíveis riscos materno-fetais associados ao medicamento. Bem como a doenças pré-existentes e condições durante este período que requerem a medicalização, como hipertensão arterial e diabetes mellitus gestacional, que apresentam grande relevância na saúde pública brasileira, em virtude da incidência que exibem e das complicações que podem provocar, consistindo em cenários oportunos para o acompanhamento farmacêutico visando auxiliar a adesão ao tratamento e promoção de saúde. Nesse contexto, objetivou-se compreender a importância do farmacêutico clínico na orientação farmacológica durante a gestação. Foi realizada uma pesquisa nas bases de dados Scielo, PubMed, Google Scholar e ScienceDirect, usando os descritores: categorias de risco; hipertensão; diabetes mellitus; automedicação; gravidez; náuseas; vômitos; eclampsia e assistência farmacêutica, todos selecionados dos DeCS nos idiomas: Português e Inglês. Evidenciou-se nesse estudo, a importância da atenção farmacêutica na gravidez, relacionado à orientação segura e adequada de terapias medicamentosas, reduzindo a automedicação, como também no processo de adesão terapêutica, através do acompanhamento contínuo e regular, destacando a importância da realização correta do tratamento e sugerindo intervenções terapêuticas necessárias, contribuindo assim para a melhora da qualidade de vida materno-fetal. Portanto, essa pesquisa assume relevância ímpar, uma vez que explanou a atenção farmacêutica para gestantes, colaborando para o desenvolvimento de ações e campanhas visando mostrar e conscientizar a importância do farmacêutico clínico durante a gestação.

P0687DO ALL PATIENTS BENEFIT FROM MULTIDISCIPLINARY CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE CLINICS?

Abstract Background and Aims: Multidisciplinary clinics (MDC’s) were established in Canada to offer a variety of support systems (diabetes care, social support, easy access to pharmacists, dietitians, specialty trained nurses), to monitor and delay progression through timed lab investigations and visits in conjunction with the Nephrologist. The reasons for better outcomes have been identified as better education, focus on self-care, dietary interventions, timely transplant referrals, modality education, lower hospitalizations and mortality. Treating all patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) as part of a multidisciplinary care team runs the risk of adding unwarranted labs, interventions, polypharmacy and costs. Kidney Failure Risk Equation (KFRE) uses routine laboratory and clinical data, to stratify patients into three risk categories (low, medium, and high risk) of progression. KFRE has been shown to accurately estimate progression to kidney failure in adults with CKD. The objectives of the study were to i) validate the KFRE in our CKD patients, ii) evaluate health care utilization of patients based on the risk of progression in our province, Saskatchewan. iii) identify the subgroup of patients that benefit most from follow up in MDC. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on 1007 patients with CKD stages G3 and G4 in two CKD multidisciplinary clinics in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada (January 2004-December 2012). The predicted risk of kidney failure (low, medium high) for each patient was calculated using the 8-variable KFRE. Patients were followed for five years to validate the KFRE; data on initiation of dialysis or death was collected. Cost of delivery of care per patient per year in the CKD clinic was determined. Health care utilization was evaluated by measuring the number/cost of hospital admissions, cardiovascular and thoracic (CVT) surgery, non-nephrology specialist appointments, and medications. Results: There were more patients in G 3 (n= 533) than in G 4 (n=474). 313 (59%), 150 (28%), and 70 (13%) were in low, medium and high-risk categories for G 3 CKD. 275 (58%), 86 (18%), and 113 (24%) were in similar categories for G 4. The mean age (SD) was 71 (12.8) years. The number of patients > 65 years of age was 75%. 57% were men, mean GFR (mls/min/1.73m2) for G3 was 40 (7.8) and 23 (4) for G4. Of the G3 patients, 4% of low risk, 11% of the medium risk and 26% of the high risk progressed to dialysis by 5 years. In G 4 patients, 7% of low risk, 17% of medium risk and 48% of high risk progressed to dialysis over 2 years. These results validate the KFRE in our population. The cost of care per patient in MDC was $ 3800 (CAD) per year. There was a difference in the cost of medications, number and cost of (inpatient hospitalizations, cardiovascular surgeries, non-Nephrology specialist visits, and day surgeries) between low risk patients vs high risk patients in G4 patients. Conclusion: We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis of our MDC’s and show that very few patients at low-risk of progression advance to ESRD. They are also unlikely to benefit from intensive care management and better managed in primary care with advice from tertiary centres. Individual programs have significant opportunity to improve health care delivery by identifying the sub- groups that benefit the most from MDC based on the risk of progression to allow optimal utilization of resources. At $ 3800 (CAD) per patient, we suggest that MDC’s are best utilized by patients with medium and high risk of progression. Further, we show that patients that the low-risk patients were older, had fewer inpatient visits, had lesser drug costs, underwent fewer cardiovascular surgeries, had fewer day surgery visits, and fewer non-nephrology specialist visits. This is the first study to our knowledge that focuses on health care utilization based on the risk of disease progression rather than the stage of CKD.

Perspectives on an amended law addressing pharmacists' availability in community pharmacies.

Little attention has been given to perceptions of pharmacist availability and role in the community setting following policy changes. The Pakistani model is particularly interesting as it encompasses three different pharmacy practice licensure types with major differences in credentials, training, and role. Guided by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), this study examined factors associated with the availability of pharmacists in the community setting in Pakistan following the implementation of a new policy regulating pharmacist presence in community pharmacies. Fifteen participants were interviewed in three Pakistani cities (Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar). Those included pharmacy licence holders (types A, B, and C), non-pharmacist owners and a pharmacist inspector who were purposively sampled to assure variance in education, gender, time in practice, and geographic location. Directed content analysis was performed based on the TPB framework. Description of themes came after discussions among the two authors. Findings indicated a discrepancy between participants about the value of having a pharmacist present with pharmacists showing more appreciation of the value they would provide. Participants felt that the new policy is attempting to change a norm that has existed for a long time. They also pointed to logistical challenges in making a pharmacist available including the feasibility of having a pharmacist present, the financial burden of hiring a pharmacist, and difficulty in enforcing the law uniformly across different geographical areas. Participants were concerned that some type A licence holders sensed that practicing in the community setting and the act of selling medications was beneath their social status as pharmacists. A set of factors contribute to the availability of pharmacists in community pharmacies in Pakistan. The change in law should be supplemented with other interventions that contribute to making well-trained pharmacy personnel available for serving patrons.

Perspectives on prescribing hormonal contraception among rural New Mexican pharmacists

ObjectivesNew Mexico is a large rural state with high rates of unintended pregnancy and limited access to contraception. In 2017, the New Mexico Pharmacist Prescriptive Authority Act was amended to allow pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraception. We explored pharmacist perspectives on prescribing hormonal contraceptives, including perceived barriers and facilitators to implementation in rural New Mexico and opinions on over-the-counter (OTC) access, and prescribing and inserting subdermal contraceptive implants. MethodsThis qualitative study recruited rural pharmacists using contact information from the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy and at a state-level pharmacist conference. We conducted semistructured telephone interviews with pharmacists focusing on benefits and concerns about prescribing hormonal contraception, resources required, perspectives on OTC access, and interest in prescribing and placing contraceptive implants. Deidentified transcribed interviews were analyzed by 2 independent coders for emerging themes. ResultsFrom November 2017 to January 2018, we recruited 25 rural pharmacists and conducted 21 interviews. The majority of participants were male (71%), aged over 60 years (43%), and in practice for over 20 years (52%). Interviewees were mostly positive about prescribing hormonal contraception citing community benefits. The top 3 perceived barriers were training needs, reimbursement, and liability. The top 3 facilitators were the availability of private areas within pharmacies, pharmacists’ role as knowledgeable health care team members, and pharmacist accessibility without appointments. Most pharmacists did not support OTC access to hormonal contraception, and over half were interested in certification to prescribe and place subdermal contraceptive implants. ConclusionNew Mexico pharmacists identified community benefits of pharmacy access to hormonal contraception and were interested in training. Several barriers must be addressed to realize the potential of this practice expansion.

In the midst of curricular revision, remember the importance of over-the-counter and self-care education

IntroductionOver-the-counter (OTC) and self-care products are frequently utilized by adult patients as initial treatment for common health issues. This availability of OTC/self-care products, coupled with the accessibility of community-based pharmacists, uniquely positions pharmacists to serve as stewards of appropriate OTC/self-care treatment. As a result, community-based pharmacists must be competent in the practice of providing individualized, patient-specific, OTC recommendations and self-care education to assist patients in achieving optimal self-managed health outcomes. CommentarySchools and colleges of pharmacy often undergo curricular revision/integration. As a result, it is often necessary to reallocate credit hours dedicated to OTC/self-care content. Curriculum committees should therefore be aware of several best-practice resources that may assist them with this task. ImplicationsThe impact on OTC/self-care content during curricular revision/integration directly effects the preparation of graduate ready student pharmacists and ultimately patient's self-managed health outcomes. Considerations include appointing an OTC/self-care champion to oversee the integration of OTC/self-care content as well as post-revision monitoring to ensure core topic areas are being adequately covered in the didactic curriculum and in accordance with best practices.

Evaluation of Pharmacy Model in a Trial of Free Essential Medicine Access.

Background: In Canada, pharmacists accessing electronic health records (EHR) and mailing medications to patients are relatively uncommon. We evaluated a pharmacy model implemented in a clinical trial that combined allowing the pharmacist access to patients’ EHR and mailing medications to participants. Methods: We conducted thematic analysis of comments made by participants and prescribers, and chart stimulated recalls with the pharmacist involved with the novel pharmacy model implemented in a clinical trial. Results: Major themes from participant’s comments related to the ease of obtaining information about medications from the pharmacy and satisfaction with the delivery. Prescribers felt that this model facilitated collaboration with the pharmacist and welcomed suggestions regarding therapeutic medication changes. Major themes from the pharmacist’s chart stimulated recalls were that access to participants’ EHRs allowed for improved drug therapy management and participant experience, and this pharmacy model increased participant’s access to pharmacy services. Discussion: According to the pharmacist and prescribers, this pharmacy model facilitated their collaboration in prescribing appropriate medications and participants were generally satisfied with the delivery of medications. Conclusion: Participants and prescribers were generally supportive of a pharmacy model that combined allowing the pharmacist access to participants’ EHR and medication mailing. This allowed the pharmacist more opportunities for drug therapy management and collaboration with prescribers. It also improved the participant’s access to pharmacy services, although those services were not always fully utilized.

Assessment of perceived workload in academic health center community pharmacies before and after implementation of a central call center.

Results of a study to determine whether reducing pharmacy phone call workload through implementation of a pharmacy services call center (PSCC) led to decreased employee workload, improved efficiency, and increased pharmacist availability for patient care are reported. A pre-post study was conducted using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) instrument. Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians at 7 academic health center community pharmacies, and PSCC staff provided NASA-TLX data over 5 days during 3 data collection periods before and after PSCC implementation. Perceived workload was measured as an overall workload score (OWS) and mean scores for 6 NASA-TLX workload dimensions (mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, performance, effort, and frustration). Relative to pre-PSCC values, mean postimplementation OWS scores significantly decreased in all 7 pharmacies (from 33.3 to 29.1 overall, p < 0.001) but especially in small pharmacies (from 31.7 to 27.6, p < 0.001). Scores for the physical demand and frustration dimensions were low in both the PSCC and in the 7 pharmacies, while scores for the performance dimension remained high (range, 6.8-8.3). In general, scores for all other measured NASA-TLX dimensions decreased after PSCC implementation, more so at smaller pharmacies. The PSCC staff mean OWS score increased over time (from 26.8 to 28.6, p < 0.0001) but remained near the overall pharmacy average of 29.1. Use of the NASA TLX allowed for a direct subjective measurement of workload as perceived by pharmacy and PSCC employees before and after PSCC implementation. Long-term effects of the PSCC on workload should be assessed.

Improving Patient Experience and Treatment Adherence in the Adult, Outpatient Hemodialysis Population.

The commonly employed medication reconciliation process leaves room for mismanagement of medications in the complex end-stage renal disease patient population. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement and evaluate a multidisciplinary education and feedback intervention designed to improve self-management for adults with end-stage renal disease. A pre-post, same subject repeated measures design was used to evaluate the intervention. Laboratory values, vital signs, interdialytic weight gains, dialysis attendance, and questionnaires were used to assess regimen adherence. We observed improvements in patient outcomes including laboratory values, vital signs, and interdialytic weight gains. Significant improvements in process outcomes were also seen, including accuracy of medication lists, dialysis attendance, and use of remote pharmacy services. A comprehensive medication review, with concurrent pharmacist access, represents a time-effective approach to improved self-management and end-stage renal disease outcomes.

Community pharmacists as antibiotic stewards: A qualitative study exploring the current status of Antibiotic Stewardship Program in Bahawalpur, Pakistan

BackgroundThe World Health Organization released a Global Action Plan to overcome the threatening concerns of antibacterial resistance. One of the cornerstones of this plan is the Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP). The study aimed to assess the community pharmacists’ knowledge, perceptions and current practices regarding ASP. MethodsA qualitative study was conducted in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, in which data were collected from the community pharmacists through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The convenience sampling technique was used to recruit the study participants. Interview protocol was pilot tested and the sample size was limited by applying the saturation point criteria. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data and draw conclusions based on study objectives. ResultsA total of fifteen community pharmacists were interviewed. Analysis of the data yielded five themes and 16 subthemes. All of the respondents had sound knowledge about the irrational use of antibiotics; however, they were oblivious about the ASP. After explaining the term, the respondents were of the opinion that these strategies could not be implemented in the current healthcare system of the country. According to the findings of the study, prescribing and dispensing practices were not followed. Only a few patients were educated about the antibiotics they were purchasing. ConclusionMost of the study participants were unaware of any ASP being offered in the community pharmacy settings. The study participants agreed to be the antibiotic stewards, but a number of obstacles were reported. The training of pharmacists, medication reconciliation, the implementation of the good pharmacy practice guidelines and assurance of pharmacist availability at drug retail outlets were few suggestions given by the study participants to incorporate the ASP in the community settings.

A meta-analysis of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians' accuracy checking proficiency.

Delegating the accuracy checking task to appropriately trained pharmacy technicians is desirable in all pharmacy settings, however it requires rigorous evidence prior to implementation to ensure safety. The delegation of accuracy checking has a twofold benefit, it frees time for pharmacists to undertake clinical activities and creates an advanced scope role for pharmacy technicians. Institutions also experience economic benefits when tasks can be reallocated to a lower-cost workforce. To perform a meta-analysis of pharmacist and technician accuracy rates when completing the final accuracy check on a prepared item. A systematic literature search was conducted to identify articles that reported the accuracy rates for the final check on prepared items. PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science were used to retrieve articles. No limit was placed on publication year or item type. Once identified, data were extracted regarding study characteristics and accuracy rates. A meta-analysis was conducted using a random effects model. Twelve articles were located which reported that 96.23-99.78% of items were accurately checked by pharmacists, and 98.25-99.95% of items were accurately checked by pharmacy technicians. The meta-analysis calculated the pharmacist accuracy rate for 216402 items to be 99.27% (95% CI: 98.77-99.64) and 99.72% (95% CI: 98.60-99.81) for 563296 items for pharmacy technicians. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant at a level of p < 0.0001. Pharmacy technicians demonstrated a higher level of accuracy, and a lower variation in accuracy rates reported between studies. Improving checking accuracy and pharmacist availability for other clinical tasks is desirable for workforce efficiency and patient safety. These empirical accuracy rates of pharmacy technicians performing accuracy checking could be used by legislative and regulatory bodies to supplement necessary policy changes that improve the safety of the dispensing process.

The Tennessee medication therapy management program: A hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation trial study protocol.

Pharmacist-led medication therapy management (MTM) programs are considered evidence-based and have clearly defined core components. Despite this, MTM programs are often implemented without fidelity due to notable implementation barriers, such as physician-pharmacist relationships and pharmacist access to patient medical records. To improve MTM implementation, the Tennessee Medicaid program developed a MTM intervention that incorporates implementation strategies to address some of the known barriers to implementation (e.g., formalizing pharmacist-physician relationships through collaborative practice agreements, ensuring pharmacists' access to medical records). The purpose of this hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation study is to (1) assess the effectiveness of the MTM pilot program in Tennessee (e.g., medication adherence, healthcare utilization, quality and cost of care) and (2) assess the implementation of the MTM pilot program (e.g., feasibility, appropriateness, acceptability, penetration). The Tennessee MTM pilot program is being assessed as a hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation study with a quasi-experimental design. A mixed methods approach (QUAN+QUAL) for the purpose of complementarity (e.g., answering related research questions). Data will include surveys, interviews, MTM platform encounter information, and medical and pharmacy claims. Initial analyses will include data between January 2018 and December 2019. The study will further add to the evidence base of MTM interventions by testing an intervention that addresses known barriers to implementation and simultaneously collecting data on effectiveness and implementation to speed up MTM translation. The Tennessee MTM program is expected to serve as a guide to other states seeking to expand pharmacist-delivered clinical services to their Medicaid members, particularly those intending to incorporate MTM into programs seeking to improve primary care delivery. Further, by improving the implementation of MTM, the pilot program is expected to improve the reliability of MTM program benefits including healthcare quality and cost and patient outcomes.

Surveys of pharmacy students and pharmacy educators regarding medical marijuana

IntroductionIn this study, a cohort of Ohio pharmacy students were surveyed about knowledge and attitudes regarding medical marijuana (MMJ). Pharmacy educators in legalized states were asked how MMJ education was incorporated into pharmacy curricula. MethodsPharmacy students from six colleges were emailed surveys. Pharmacy educators from 79 colleges in states with legal MMJ programs were emailed regarding curricular content covering MMJ. ResultsA total of 319 student respondents received scores between 50 and 60% on knowledge-based questions. Students favored legalization of medical, but not recreational marijuana; they are not confident in ability to counsel; they believe little education on MMJ is provided in pharmacy school; and feel that more education is needed on MMJ. Students supporting MMJ were more likely to support recreational use of marijuana (p < 0.001), and education about MMJ (p < 0.001). Students in advanced years were less willing to dispense medical marijuana (p < 0.01), and less likely to support pharmacist availability for counseling (p < 0.05). Sixty-two percent of colleges who responded to the survey in legalized states provided education on MMJ to pharmacy students. Sixty-four percent of colleges responding who provided MMJ education offered a required course; 84.6% educated on indications and misuse/abuse; 92.3% on side effects, and adverse drug reactions; 53.8% on drug interactions. ConclusionOhio pharmacy student knowledge regarding medical marijuana is low. Students believe pharmacists should be available for counseling on MMJ; they feel unprepared to dispense MMJ, and would like more education on MMJ. Some colleges of pharmacy in the US report providing MMJ education; extent is unknown.

Expanding Pharmacist and Student Pharmacist Access to Genetics/Genomics/Pharmacogenomics Competency Education.

Background:As pharmacogenomics (PGx), a component of genetics/genomics and precision medicine, gains traction in the clinical setting, education of health care providers and health professions students must be made broadly available to improve accessibility of such services to patients. As medication experts with education in pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics, pharmacists must further their education to include pharmacogenomics. Currently, few opportunities exist to gain this type of education, and therefore, these services are not yet broadly available to the public.Objective:The specific goal of this study was to evaluate pharmacists’ and student pharmacists’ self-assessed perception of competence related to genetics, genomics, and pharmacogenomics as presented via an online “pharmacogenomics certification program” (PGx program).Design:The PGx program was delivered online with the content consisting of 3 background lessons and 8 specific drug-gene lessons presented in the context of pharmacist competency statements. In addition, 11 “video modules” with competency-related PGx content were included to provide a comprehensive program. A pre- and post-course survey instrument was used to evaluate the participants’ self-assessed perception of competence related to each of 16 statements.Results:One hundred thirty-seven (137) individuals enrolled in and completed the pharmacogenomics certification program. Overall, participants reported self-perceived improved competency as evidenced by the pre-course survey as compared with the post-course survey for each of the 16 competency statements related to genetics/genomics, including pharmacogenomics. Similar results were observed for the subgroups of student pharmacists (n = 63) and pharmacists (n = 74).Future direction:This study showed that dissemination of genetics/genomics/pharmacogenomics competency statements education can be accomplished via online delivery. This delivery approach can expand genetics/genomics/pharmacogenomics content dissemination. The intent is to reach a broader population of pharmacy students, pharmacists, and other health care providers and health professions students to potentially advance the availability of such services, which can improve the safety and efficacy of medication use for patients.

Descriptive analysis of pharmacy services provided after community pharmacy screening

Background Community pharmacies are promising locations for opportunistic screening due to pharmacist accessibility and ability to perform various health and medication management services. Little is known as to the provision of pharmacy services following screening initiatives. Objective To describe provision of pharmacy services for participants following a community pharmacy stroke screening initiative. Setting The Program for the Identification of “Actionable Atrial” Fibrillation Pharmacy initiative took place in 30 pharmacies in Alberta and Ontario, Canada. 1149 participants ≥ 65 were screened for atrial fibrillation, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Method Retrospective, secondary analysis of data using participant case-report forms, pharmacy data, and pharmacy claims to describe pharmacy services received by participants post-screening. Main Outcome Measure Number and types of remunerated pharmacy services received by participants post-screening. Results A total of 535/1149 (46.6%) participants screened at their regular pharmacy were included in this analysis. Of these, 165 (30.8%) participants received 229 pharmacy services within 3 months post-screening, including 146 medication reviews, 57 influenza vaccinations, and 21 pharmaceutical opinions. A median (interquartile range, IQR) of 6 (2–11) pharmacy services were delivered, and median (IQR) reimbursement was $187.50 ($67.50–$342.50). Conclusions Approximately one-third of participants received a pharmacy service within 3 months post-screening. Relatively large numbers of annual and follow-up medication reviews were delivered despite low eligibility for annual-only reviews and despite many missed opportunities for pharmacy service provision in at-risk patients. In-pharmacy screening may facilitate provision of some services, namely medication reviews, by providing opportunities to identify patients at-risk.

Position Paper: Pharmacists and Childhood Vaccines.

Vaccination rates of children in the United States remain below the target coverage levels identified in the Healthy People 2020 objectives. Given the success of pharmacists in providing adult vaccinations and the accessibility of pharmacists to the public, expanding pharmacists' authority to vaccinate children may improve vaccination rates of children, particularly in key disease states. This article serves as a Position Statement of the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group (PPAG), who supports the expansion of pharmacists' authority to vaccinate children. PPAG also believes that increased use of state vaccination registries by pharmacists will help improve communication and documentation of vaccines between providers. PPAG also recommends that continued education and maintaining current knowledge of vaccines and vaccine schedules are vital for pharmacist immunizers. Finally, PPAG believes that pharmacists should be advocates for childhood vaccinations.

Patient care activities by community pharmacists in a capitation funding model mental health and addictions program

BackgroundCommunity pharmacists are autonomous, regulated health care professionals located in urban and rural communities in Canada. The accessibility, knowledge, and skills of community pharmacists can be leveraged to increase mental illness and addictions care in communities.MethodsThe Bloom Program was designed, developed, and implemented based on the Behaviour Change Wheel and a program of research in community pharmacy mental healthcare capacity building. We evaluated the Bloom Program as a demonstration project using mixed methods. A retrospective chart audit was conducted to examine outcomes and these are reported in this paper.ResultsWe collected 201 patient charts from 23 pharmacies in Nova Scotia with 182 patients having at least one or more follow-up visits. Anxiety (n = 126, 69%), depression (n = 112, 62%), and sleep disorders (n = 64, 35%) were the most frequent mental health problems. Comorbid physical health problems were documented in 57% (n = 104). The average number of prescribed medications was 5.5 (range 0 to 24). Sixty seven percent (n = 122) were taking multiple psychotropics and 71% (n = 130) reported taking more than one medication for physical health problems. Treatment optimization was the leading reason for enrollment with more than 80% seeking improvements in symptom management and daily functioning. There were a total of 1233 patient-care meetings documented, of which the duration was recorded in 1098. The median time for enrolling, assessing, and providing follow-up care by pharmacists was 142 min (mean 176, SD 128) per patient. The median follow-up encounter duration was 15 min. A total of 146 patient care encounters were 60 min or longer, representing 13.3% of all timed encounters.ConclusionsPharmacists work with patients with lived experience of mental illness and addictions to improve medication related outcomes including those related to treatment optimization, reducing polytherapy, and facilitating withdrawal from medications. Pharmacists can offer their services frequently and routinely without the need for an appointment while affording patient confidentiality and privacy. Important roles for pharmacists around the deprescribing of various medications (e.g., benzodiazepines) have previously been supported and should be optimized and more broadly implemented. Further research on the best mechanisms to incentivize pharmacists in mental illness and addiction’s care should be explored.