Pharmacist Satisfaction Research Articles

Patient Satisfaction with Pharmacist Video Visits in an Outpatient Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Clinic

<h3>Introduction</h3> The number of HCT recipients and survivors continues to increase worldwide. With this growth, strategies are needed to improve delivery and access to HCT. We implemented video visits for patients and pharmacists in our HCT clinic in 2016 and initiated a cross-sectional, self-administered, descriptive survey study of patient satisfaction in outpatient adult HCT patients. <h3>Objective</h3> To determine if patient satisfaction with a pharmacist video visit is non-inferior to a face-to-face, in-clinic pharmacist visit in HCT patients. <h3>Methods</h3> Patients self-allocated to either face-to-face or video visits for future appointments after having at least one face-to-face pharmacist visit. Survey questions were based on the Health-Systems Alliance for Integrated Medication Management (HAIMM) survey. The primary endpoint to assess if pharmacist video visits are non-inferior to face-to-face visits was based on response to the question "Overall, how would you rate the quality of care and services you received from the pharmacist?" using a Likert-scale from 1 to 5 (excellent to poor). Secondary endpoints include likelihood of medication reconciliation using the medication bottles in patients with video visits compared with face-to-face visits and pharmacist satisfaction with video visits versus face-to-face visits. The average length of visit, delays, and total time spent per patient were captured to describe time efficiency differences between pharmacist video visits and pharmacist face-to-face visits. <h3>Results</h3> To date, 111 patients in the face to face arm and 20 patients in the video arm have completed surveys. The survey response rate to the 15-question survey in the face-to-face arm is 100% and 43% in the video arm. Overall, 95% of patients had high satisfaction (rated excellent or very good) with video visits in comparison to 99% in the control group (p = 0.25). Table 1 summarizes other patient satisfaction responses to the survey. <h3>Conclusion</h3> To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating pharmacist involvement in telemedicine with HCT patients. Our preliminary results indicate patient satisfaction is high with both face-to-face and video appointments. Accrual to the video arm has been slow. We hypothesize enrollment is limited by restriction of patient enrollment to patients physically located in a state where the pharmacist is licensed at the time of the video visit.

Pharmacy Practice Scenario and Job Satisfaction among Nepalese Pharmacists

Background:This is an effort just snapshot the pharmacy practice scenario in Nepal. Job satisfaction is a very important contributing factor for person’s productivity and motivation. Pharmacists are the key players of the health care system. The main objective find out the present scenario of pharmacy practice and job satisfaction of Nepalese pharmacists. We start our approach from the demographic information, choice and selection of the pharmacy education, study site, practicing site, duration of work, expected and real salary of practicing pharmacists.&#x0D; Methods:A practice scenario and job satisfaction related questionnaires were developed and pilot test was done with ten pharmacy practitioners who were practicing from more than ten years in Nepal for reliability. Minor modification on questionnaires was done after pilot testing. Ethical clearance was taken from the MMIHS –IRC.&#x0D; Results:Male pharmacists are dominating to female. The satisfaction level of Nepalese pharmacist was found to be 73.60%. Similarly, around 73.10% of pharmacists were satisfied with nature of work and 71.60% of pharmacists were satisfied with the time duration of work whereas nearly half of the pharmacists were unsatisfied with their income and pay scale.&#x0D; Conclusion: Till date pharmacist is not the permanent member of health care system in Nepal. 70 % pharmacists are highly productive stage of between ages 20-30 years. The inherent interest in the pharmacy profession found among Nepalese pharmacists is an optimistic and policy-makers could develop, modifying national health policy for the implementation of pharmaceutical service as an integral part of national health care system of the country for the benefit of the public health as a whole. The Government and other authorities have to consider for a universal, multifaceted measure of satisfaction not merely the salary benefits.

Physician and pharmacist satisfaction and clinical needs for the real-time medication surveillance program in South Korea

BackgroundSince December 2010, a nationwide real-time medication surveillance program has been implemented in Korea to prevent potential adverse drug reactions. Our goal was to evaluate physicians’ and pharmacists’ satisfaction and clinical needs for the medication surveillance program in Korea.MethodsBoth web- and paper-based surveys were conducted using a structured questionnaire among 1164 physicians and pharmacists from May 23, 2014 to August 11, 2014. The survey consisted of questions about the participant’s satisfaction with the medication surveillance program, clinical usefulness, clinical need for the medication surveillance program, and sociodemographic characteristics. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression was performed to investigate the factors influencing satisfaction levels with the medication surveillance program.ResultsWe analyzed data from 1120 respondents, including 503 physicians and 617 pharmacists. Overall, 63.1% of the respondents were satisfied with the medication surveillance program. Pharmacists were more satisfied with the program than were physicians (69.1% vs. 55.6%; adjusted odds ratio, 2.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.65–2.76). Among the respondents, 77.8% cited a decrease in therapeutic duplication to be a major improvement resulting from the medication surveillance program, 82.6% considered the drug–drug interaction information useful, and 48.7% suggested that the program should include information on liver or kidney disease–drug interaction.ConclusionsOverall, 63.0% of physicians and pharmacists were satisfied, and a decrease in therapeutic duplication was regarded as the most beneficial component. Further improvements by considering clinical needs of physicians and pharmacists will be needed to increase satisfaction.

Communication and Relationships Factors of Pharmacy Career Satisfaction in Saudi Arabia

Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biomedical Reports,2019,5,3,124-129.DOI:10.5530/PTB.2019.5.23Published:August 2019Type:Research ArticleAuthors:Yousef Ahmed Alomi, Faiz A. Bahadig, Saima Qaism, Khurram Shahzad, Budoor Emad Aloumi, Bayan Ibrahim Alghuraybi, and Reem Saad Alsubaie Author(s) affiliations:Yousef Ahmed Alomi*, The Former General Manager of General Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Former Head, National Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Former Head, Pharmacy R&D Administration, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Faiz A. Bahadig, Informatics Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Department, King Abdul-Aziz Medical, City-WR-Jeddah, Ministry of National Guard, SAUDI ARABIA. Saima Qaism, Senior Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Department, King Abdul-Aziz Medical City-Jeddah, Ministry of National Guard, SAUDI ARABIA. Khurram Shahzad, Senior Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Department, King Abdul-Aziz Medical City-Jeddah, Ministry of National Guard, SAUDI ARABIA. Budoor Emad Aloumi, Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Services, Ministry of National Guard – Health Affairs. KAMC - Central Region, SAUDI ARABIA. Bayan Ibrahim Alghuraybi, Pharmacy Services, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Reem Saad Alsubaie, Pharmacy Services, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Abstract:Objectives: This article describes the overall job satisfaction of pharmacists working in Saudi Arabia by exploring their communication and relationship with supervisors and patients. The aim of this study to declare the communications and relationship factors of Pharmacist Job satisfaction in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a 4-months cross section survey of communication and relationship factors on Pharmacist Job satisfaction in Saudi Arabia. The study consisted of forty-three questions divided into two-part demographic information and the second part was the questions about communication and relationships factors of pharmacy job. It included pharmacy supervisors, relationship with coworkers and pharmacist interaction with other healthcare providers, the customer interaction and overall job satisfaction. Results: The total responders were two hundred and forty-two. The gender distribution 169 (70.7%) was male and 70 (29.3%) was female. The majority of them 202 (84.2%) were in age (20-39). The average satisfaction score of pharmacy supervisors’ factors was (3.0), pharmacist interaction with other healthcare providers’ factors was (3.34) while the customer interaction was (2.81) and the pharmacist relationship with coworkers was (3.67). Most of the pharmacist found the challenges at their job were (77.6%). Some responders wished to change their pharmacy career (43.75%) while (61.66%) liked to stay in the pharmacy field. The overall job satisfaction scores were (3.61). Conclusion: Most of the pharmacists not satisfied with their job because of the supervisor relationship and non-existent patient education services. The pharmacy supervisors of hospital pharmacies demanded management tools and communication skills with their colleagues. In addition, patient counselling program should be implemented at healthcare institutions in Saudi Arabia. Keywords:Career, Communication, Factors, Pharmacy, Relationships, Satisfaction, Saudi ArabiaView:PDF (213.19 KB) PDF PDF Images Communication and Relationships Factors of Pharmacy Career Satisfaction in Saudi Arabia

Stress Factors Impact on Pharmacist Job Satisfaction in Saudi Arabia

PTB Reports,2019,5,3,102-107.DOI:10.5530/PTB.2019.5.19Published:August 2019Type:Research ArticleAuthors:Yousef Ahmed Alomi, Faiz A. Bahadig Rph, Khurram Shahzad, Saima Qaism, Budoor Emad Aloumi, Bayan Ibrahim Alghuraybi, and Reem Saad Alsubaie Author(s) affiliations:Yousef Ahmed Alomi*, The Former General Manager of General Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Former Head, National Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Former Head, Pharmacy R&D Administration, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Faiz A. Bahadig Rph, Informatics Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Department, King Abdul-Aziz Medical, City-WR-Jeddah, Ministry of National Guard, SAUDI ARABIA. Khurram Shahzad, Senior Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Department, King Abdul-Aziz Medical City-Jeddah, Ministry of National Guard, SAUDI ARABIA. Saima Qaism, Senior Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Department, King Abdul-Aziz Medical City-Jeddah, Ministry of National Guard, SAUDI ARABIA. Budoor Emad Aloumi, Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Services, Ministry of National Guard – Health Affairs. KAMC - Central Region, SAUDI ARABIA. Bayan Ibrahim Alghuraybi, Pharmacy Services, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Reem Saad Alsubaie, Pharmacy Services, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Abstract:Purpose: To explore the stress factors impact of pharmacist job satisfaction in Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a 4-months cross section survey of the stress factors impact of pharmacist job satisfaction in Saudi Arabia. The study consisted of 44 questions divided into two-part demographic information and the second part was the questions about stress related factors of pharmacy job. It included pharmacy management policies, pharmacy stress factors, pharmacy personal time, salary and benefits, pharmacy motivation factors, overall job satisfaction. The 5-points Likert response scale system closed ended questions were used. Results: The total responders were 242. Of those 214 (91.8 %) was Saudi and 33 (8.2%) was non-Saudi. The gender distribution 169 (70.7%) 55.8%) was male and 70 (29.3%) was female. The average pharmacist satisfaction score of pharmacy management policies factors was (3.53), personal pharmacy time was (3.14) and salary and benefits were (2.45) as explored in Table 4. The average score of pharmacy stress factors were (3.86) and the overall job satisfaction was (3.61) as explored in Table 5. The most pharmacy motivation factors found were the financial reward and salary advancement was 201 (87.01%), followed by the time needed for education and training was 144 (62.3%) and flexibility in work scheduling was 136 (58.87%) as explored in Table 6. Conclusion: The majority of pharmacists suffered from pharmacy salary and benefits and time demand for development and education. Those factors were essential of motivation factors related to the pharmacy job satisfaction in Saudi Arabia. Keywords:Factors, Job, Pharmacy, Satisfaction, Saudi Arabia, StressView:PDF (229.17 KB) PDF PDF Images The pharmacist’s motivations factors.

Analysis of Pharmacy Practice Factors on Pharmacy Career Satisfaction in Saudi Arabia

Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biomedical Reports,2019,5,3,113-118.DOI:10.5530/PTB.2019.5.21Published:August 2019Type:Research ArticleAuthors:Yousef Ahmed Alomi, Faiz A. Bahadig Rph, Budoor Emad Aloumi, Reem Saad Alsubaie, and Bayan Ibrahim Alghuraybi Author(s) affiliations:Yousef Ahmed Alomi*, The Former General Manager of General Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Former Head, National Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Former Head, Pharmacy R&D Administration, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Faiz A. Bahadig Rph, Informatics Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Department, King Abdul-Aziz Medical, City-WR-Jeddah, Ministry of National Guard, SAUDI ARABIA. Budoor Emad Aloumi, Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Care Services, Ministry of National Guard – Health Affairs. KAMC - Central Region, SAUDI ARABIA. Reem Saad Alsubaie, Pharmacy Services, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Bayan Ibrahim Alghuraybi, Pharmacy Services, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA. Abstract:Purpose: To explore analysis of pharmacy practice factors on pharmacist career satisfaction in Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a 4-months cross section survey of analysis of pharmacy services factors on pharmacist career satisfaction in Saudi Arabia. The study consisted of 44 questions divided into twopart demographic information and the second part was the questions about pharmacy services units of pharmacy job. It included pharmacy management structure, dispensing and patient education, clinical pharmacy services, pharmacy technology, pharmacy store and overall job satisfaction. The 5-points Likert response scale system closed and ended questions were used. The survey was made as an electronic format and it analyzed through survey monkey system. Results: The total responders were 242. The gender distribution 169 (70.7%) was male and 70 (29.3%) was female. The majority of them 202 (84.2%) were in age group (20-39) years. The average pharmacist satisfaction score of pharmacy management structure was (3.07), clinical pharmacy activities was (3.08). The average pharmacist satisfaction of pharmacy informatics was (2.78) and patient counselling satisfaction was (3.83). The average pharmacist satisfaction score of pharmacy store factors were (2.87) and the overall job satisfaction was (3.61). Conclusion: The low level of pharmacy services with an emphasis on information technology and pharmacy inventory management affected pharmacist job satisfaction. Those factors increase pharmacist workload and dissatisfactory in pharmacy job. Keywords:Career, Factors, Job, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Practice, Satisfaction, Saudi ArabiaView:PDF (221.85 KB) PDF PDF Images The overall pharmacist job satisfaction.

Successful implementation and provision of enhanced and extended pharmacy services.

Careful planning is important for successful implementation and ongoing provision of enhanced and extended pharmacy services. To explore the factors that contributed to the successful implementation and ongoing provision of enhanced and extended services in Western Australian community pharmacies. In-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with purposively selected pharmacists from various practice settings. Interviews explored experiences and perspectives on the provision of enhanced and extended professional services and continued until saturation was achieved. Analysis focused on prior investigation before implementation of services, perceptions of the impact of the services and factors to be considered. The COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour) model was applied post hoc to the thematic analysis to explore whether there was an overlap between themes and the model. In total 26 pharmacists (16 males, 10 females) participated in semi-structured interviews during October 2017 and February 2018. They classified as 20 community, 13 accredited and 7 specialist pharmacists and 11 pharmacist immunisers (some classified as more than one). Interview duration was 55 min (minimum 22, maximum 91 min). Responses regarding prior investigation/research conducted varied in approach followed and level of enquiry. Opinions about services were overall positive such as enhanced collaboration with other healthcare professionals, positive patient outcomes, increased staff satisfaction and acceptance of pharmacists as primary care providers. New services did not always provide direct financial benefit. Three major themes emerged as factors that impacted on provision of services: 1) pharmacist characteristics, 2) local needs, structures and support, and 3) an enabling practice framework. Pharmacists who were successful in the implementation and maintenance of new professional services were familiar with local needs. Both pharmacy and pharmacist aspects should be considered during implementation and maintenance of new professional services. An enabling practice framework is crucial in facilitating new pharmacy services.

The change in pharmacists' attitude, confidence and job satisfaction following participation in a novel hypertension support service.

To demonstrate how the confidence, attitude and job satisfaction of pharmacists who provide interventions and lifestyle support services to patients with hypertension are altered. This study was a before-and-after study that used data from 50 pharmacists who participated in the Community Pharmacists Assist for Blood Pressure (COMPASS-BP) study, which was an interventional study that was conducted in Japan to evaluate the effects of lifestyle support services provided to hypertension patients. The pharmacists received 4h of training before the study was initiated to learn how to quickly provide patients with guidance about diet and exercise and tobacco and alcohol consumption. During the interventional period, each pharmacist provided concise lifestyle guidance to 1-3 hypertension patients. The pharmacists met with the patients a total of 5 times. The parameters that were assessed were the pharmacists' attitudes towards and confidence in their lifestyle support services, as well as their level of job satisfaction. We verified the scores of each parameter assessed before and after the study, as well as changes in the relationships among the different parameters. Significant increases from baseline to the end of the study were observed for Confidence (P<0.01), Job satisfaction, including 'Knowledge' (P<0.01), 'Patient counselling management' (P=0.04) and 'Sense of personal growth' (P<0.01). Additionally, path analysis results revealed that after the study, the causal relationship between 'Knowledge' and 'Attitude' disappeared, and a new causal relationship appeared between 'Patient counselling and management' and 'Attitude'. Providing lifestyle guidance improved pharmacists' confidence and attitude. Also, 'Attitude' tended to improve as the 'Patient counselling and management' score increased.

The Community Pharmacist Caught between Ethics, Pharmacy Management and Patient needs Assessment of the Main Stress Factors for the Pharmacists in the Community Pharmacy in Romania

Abstract: Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the main stress factors for the pharmacist in the community pharmacy in Romania and how the pharmacists manage the tensions generated by professional ethics, patient attitudes and pharmacy management, and the degree of professional satisfaction of pharmacists. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted over 7 months. The population surveyed consisted of 376 pharmacists working in the community pharmacy. They completed a questionnaire consisting of six representative sections for each category of factors considered: demographic data, pharmacy satisfaction, stress factors determined by patient attitudes, stress factors determined by pharmacy management, ethical stress factors and other factors, items designed to reveal the physical / psychological impairment of community pharmacists. Results and Discussion: As a result of the responses received, community pharmacists are satisfied with their profession, but the problems faced by the current pharmaceutical market, but also patients’ attitudes, the pressure of pharmacy management and the responsibility of the profession generates harm to their health and negatively influence the activity in the community pharmacy. Conclusion: It is highlighted that the community pharmacist’s satisfaction with this profession is diminishing and it is necessary that further analysis be carried out to remove or diminish the influence of these factors. Key words: Community pharmacists, Stress factors, Pharmacy management, Current pharmaceutical market, Ethics.

User-centered design and usability testing of RxMAGIC: a prescription management and general inventory control system for free clinic dispensaries

BackgroundTo address challenges related to medication management in underserved settings, we developed a system for Prescription Management And General Inventory Control, or RxMAGIC, in collaboration with the Birmingham Free Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. RxMAGIC is an interoperable, web-based medication management system designed to standardize and streamline the dispensing practice and improve inventory control in a free clinic setting. This manuscript describes the processes used to design, develop, and deploy RxMAGIC.MethodsWe transformed data from previously performed mixed-methods needs assessment studies into functional user requirements using agile development methods. Requirements took the form of user stories that were prioritized to drive implementation of RxMAGIC as a web-application. A functional prototype was developed and tested to understand its perceived usefulness before developing a production system. Prior to deployment, we evaluated the usability of RxMAGIC with six users to diagnose potential interaction challenges that may be avoided through redesign. The results from this study were similarly prioritized and informed the final features of the production system.ResultsWe developed 45 user stories that acted as functional requirements to incrementally build RxMAGIC. Integrating with the electronic health record at the clinic was a requirement for deployment. We utilized health data standards to communicate with the existing order entry system; an outgoing electronic prescribing framework was leveraged to send prescription data to RxMAGIC. The results of the usability study were positive, with all tested features receiving a mean score of four or five (i.e. somewhat easy or easy, respectively) on a five-point Likert scale assessing ease of completion, thus demonstrating the system’s simplicity and high learnability. RxMAGIC was deployed at the clinic in October 2016 over a two-week period.ConclusionsWe built RxMAGIC, an open-source, pharmacist-facing dispensary management information system that augments the pharmacist’s ability to efficiently deliver medication services in a free clinic setting. RxMAGIC provides electronic dispensing and automated inventory management and alerting capabilities. We deployed RxMAGIC at the Birmingham Free Clinic and measured its usability with potential users. In future work, we plan to continue to measure the impact of RxMAGIC on pharmacist efficiency and satisfaction.

Evaluation of pharmacist satisfaction with simulation-based learning in Singapore

Background and purposeHigh fidelity human patient simulation (HPS) has been incorporated in various United States doctor of pharmacy programs with favorable learning experiences, knowledge retention, and problem-solving skills reported. In Singapore, HPS is a novel learning technique as it has not been utilized in the Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) curriculum or for continuing professional education (CPE). It is necessary to evaluate acceptance of HPS compared to asynchronous online learning (AOL). Educational activity and settingNineteen participants from two institutions completed the study in Singapore. This was an experimental study design with participants randomized into groups A and B. Group A completed AOL followed by HPS, whereas group B completed them in reverse order. Acceptance of teaching modalities was evaluated with a Likert scale survey and analyzed with Fisher's exact test. Educational content was congestive heart failure and was evaluated externally for equivalency. FindingsAll participants enjoyed the HPS activity compared to 13 (68.4%; p = 0.02) for AOL. Eighteen (94.7%) and 15 (78.9%; p = 0.34) participants felt that HPS activity and AOL improved their critical and decision-making skills respectively. Sixteen (84.2%) and 17 (89.5%) agreed that AOL and HPS activity improved their confidence (p = 1.00). DiscussionParticipants enjoyed HPS activity significantly more than AOL. HPS activity could be used to achieve improved critical and decision-making skills of learners as there was a trend of more learners perceiving improvement compare to AOL. SummaryHigh fidelity HPS learning was well received by participants in Singapore and can be implemented in CPE.

The satisfaction and opinion of peoples and pharmacists toward Health screening service provided by community pharmacy

The satisfaction and opinion of peoples and pharmacists toward Health screening service provided by community pharmacy

An appointment-based model to systematically assess and administer vaccinations

ObjectivesTo incorporate the assessment of vaccination status and administration of vaccines in an appointment-based model (ABM) and measure the impact on vaccinations administered and patient and pharmacist satisfaction with the appointment-based model. Practice descriptionAn ABM was implemented to systematically assess vaccination status and administer vaccines. Patients made an appointment to pick up synchronized prescriptions, and pharmacists assessed vaccination histories and administered vaccinations during the appointment. In addition, pharmacists could access the statewide immunization information system to objectively determine vaccination histories and document administered vaccines. Settings and participantsThis project was conducted at 24 Kroger Pharmacies in the Cincinnati-Dayton Area. Any patient filling more than 1 maintenance medication was eligible for the ABM program. Pharmacists were encouraged to target patients at high risk for medication problems and vaccine-preventable diseases, including patients 60 years of age or older with more than 5 medications and high-risk disease states such as diabetes, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. EvaluationPharmacies were randomized, and an a priori analysis was conducted to ensure that the 24 intervention and 78 control stores were similar at baseline. Postimplementation data on the mean number of vaccines per store were compared between the intervention stores and the control stores from September 2014 through December 2015. Patient and pharmacist satisfaction with the ABM was assessed via surveys. ResultsThe pharmacist vaccine assessment as part of the ABM program showed higher overall mean vaccinations per store compared with the control group during the project period (1810.71 ± 500.88 vs. 1455.09 ± 754.43; P = 0.01). Patients and pharmacists felt that the ABM program facilitated vaccine discussions. ConclusionThe ABM program with a focus on vaccinations allowed pharmacists to systematically assess patient vaccination histories and administer vaccines in the pharmacy. Patients and pharmacists appreciated the dedicated time to discuss vaccinations.

The Introduction of a Full Medication Review Process in a Local Hospital: Successes and Barriers of a Pilot Project in the Geriatric Ward.

For the majority of Belgian hospitals, a pharmacist-led full medication review process is not standard care and, therefore, challenging to introduce. With this study, we aimed to evaluate the successes and barriers of the implementation of a pharmacist-led full medication review process in the geriatric ward at a local Belgian hospital. To this end, we carried out an interventional study, performing a full medication review on older patients (≥70 years) with polypharmacy (≥5 drugs) who had an unplanned admission to the geriatric ward. The process consisted of 3 steps: (1) medication reconciliation upon admission; (2) medication review using an explicit reviewing tool (STOPP/START criteria or GheOP3S tool), followed by a discussion between the pharmacist and the geriatrician; and (3) medication reconciliation upon discharge. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Commission of the Ghent University Hospital. Outcomes included objective data on the interventions (e.g., number of drug discrepancies; number of potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIP)); as well as subjective experiences (e.g., satisfaction with service; opinion on inter-professional communication). There was a special focus on communication aspects within the introduction of this process. In total, 52 patients were included in the study, taking a median of 10 drugs (IQR 8–12). Upon admission, 122 drug discrepancies were detected. During medication review, 254 PIPs were detected and discussed, leading to an improvement in the appropriateness of medication use. The satisfaction of community pharmacists concerning additional communication and the satisfaction of the patients after counselling at discharge were positive. However, several barriers were encountered, such as the time-consuming process to gather necessary information from different sources, the non-continuity of the service due to the lack of trained personnel or the lack of safe, electronic platforms to share information. The communicative and non-communicative successes and hurdles encountered during this project need to be addressed in order to improve the full medication review process and to strengthen the role of the clinical pharmacist.

ANALYSIS OF THE PROFESSIONAL SATISFACTION OF PHARMACISTS IN BRATISLAVA

: A pharmacist is an expert on medications. At the same time as the most accessible health care provider, the pharmacist fulfills an important social mission. For a pharmacist, work satisfaction plays an important role in several aspects of his practice in a pharmacy. Our primary goal was to conduct a local analysis with the purpose of testing the proposed questionnaire evaluating various dimensions of the professional satisfaction of pharmacists. Our secondary goals were as follows: to analyze individual dimensions of pharmacists’ professional satisfaction, to assess the quality of life in the context of the pharmacists’ professional satisfaction and to analyze the impact of selected characteristics (age, location of the pharmacy) on the pharmacists’ quality of life. The study is based on a questionnaire survey among pharmacists in Bratislava from July to September 2016. Data were collected in person. Respondents were randomly selected from community pharmacies., Equal number of respondents were selected from three different types of pharmacies: a) public pharmacy or its branch in a medical facility or a health centre b) public pharmacy or its branch in a shopping centre c) public pharmacy or its branch in a residential housing development. The results of the study show that the professional satisfaction of pharmacists in Bratislava is evaluated positively. Out of all 27 questions of the questionnaire, only three were evaluated negatively. The analysis points out that pharmacists are dissatisfied with the conditions in the workplace, regulation and legal responsibilities stemming from the profession of a pharmacist, healthcare system, and health insurance companies. The majority of the pharmacists characterized their state of mind on the job as concentrated. Older respondents were more tired and less energized. With regards to the location of a pharmacy, respondents that work in pharmacies located in residential housing developments feel the most concentrated. The knowledge of needs and problems of the profession is the essential precondition for its continued successful development, and its position in current as well as future European and Slovak healthcare systems. Until now, the quality of the professional life of pharmacists has not become a subject of systematic research and evaluation in Slovakia. Our study showed that the professional satisfaction of pharmacists in Bratislava is evaluated positively.

The scholarly productivity and work environments of academic pharmacists.

Productive faculty are key to generating new knowledge and advancing pharmacy practice. The work environments of academic pharmacists are critical to their vitality, commitment, and longevity. To (1) identify correlates of faculty scholarly productivity and teaching effectiveness, considering personal and environmental characteristics; (2) determine the relationship between a faculty's perception of organizational citizenship behaviors they witness with the organizational culture of their employing college/school of pharmacy; and (3) describe the relationship between organizational climate, job satisfaction, and commitment of academic pharmacists. A self-administered survey was disseminated to a random sample of U.S. academic pharmacists acquired from AACP list-servs. The survey measured perceptions of their organization's culture, the organizational citizenship behaviors they witness at their institution, their job satisfaction, teaching load and productivity, and scholarly productivity based upon peer-reviewed scholarly papers accepted. Both bivariate and multivariate (regression) procedures were employed to identify factors most responsible for explaining academic pharmacist's work environment. Responses were received from 177 of 600 survey recipients. Faculty reported having had accepted 10.9±13.6 papers in peer-reviewed journals during the previous 5 years, with most of those in journals with relatively low Impact Factor scores. Faculty productivity was related to type of academic institution employed, teaching effectiveness, job satisfaction, and other factors. Organizational citizenship behaviors and organizational culture was seen similarly by faculty of varied ranks and experience levels. Commitment to remain at the current college/school of pharmacy was highly associated with culture, climate, and job satisfaction conditions. The results provided evidence for a strong connection or nexus between teaching and research effectiveness. Organizational culture of academic pharmacy programs is highly important for faculty vitality and commitment. The findings should be helpful for academic leaders in devising programs for mentoring, development, and retention of faculty.

Pharmacists' satisfaction with their work: Analysis of an alumni survey.

The level of job satisfaction among practicing pharmacists is important because it has been found to affect job performance and employee turnover. The Swedish pharmacy market has undergone major changes in recent years, and little is known about pharmacists' job satisfaction. The objective of this study was to investigate the level of job satisfaction and associated factors among graduates from the web-based pharmacy programs at Umeå University. Job satisfaction of pharmacists was measured as part of an alumni survey conducted with those who graduated from the pharmacy programmes between 2006 and 2014. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, and logistic regression was used to explore factors affecting job satisfaction. The total number of graduates who completed the survey was 222 (response rate 43%.) The majority of respondents were female (95%), and most were employed at a community pharmacy (85%). The mean age was 39.7 years. The majority of graduates (91%) were satisfied with their job "most of the time" or "all of the time", and 87% of the respondents would "definitely" or "maybe" choose the same career again. The multivariate analysis showed that increasing years in the current position (OR: 0.672 (0.519-0.871)) was associated with lower job satisfaction. Older age (OR: 1.123 (1.022-1.234)), the perception that the knowledge and skills acquired during university education is useful in the current job (OR: 4.643 (1.255-17.182)) and access to continuing professional development (OR: 9.472 (1.965-45.662)) were associated with higher job satisfaction. Most graduates from the web-based pharmacy programmes were satisfied with their current job. Access to continuing professional development seems to be important for the level of job satisfaction among pharmacists.

Preliminary physician and pharmacist survey of the National Health Insurance PharmaCloud system in Taiwan

BackgroundThe PharmaCloud system, a cloud-based medication system, was launched by the Taiwan National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) in 2013 to integrate patients’ medication lists among different medical institutions. The aim of the preliminary study was to evaluate satisfaction with this system among physicians and pharmacists at the early stage of system implementation. MethodsA questionnaire was developed through a review of the literature and discussion in 6 focus groups to understand the level of satisfaction, attitudes, and intentions of physicians and pharmacists using the PharmaCloud system. It was then administered nationally in Taiwan in July to September 2015. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were performed to identify variables influencing satisfaction and intention to use the system. ResultsIn total, 895 pharmacist and 105 physician questionnaires were valid for analysis. The results showed that satisfaction with system quality warranted improvement. Positive attitudes toward medication reconciliation among physicians and pharmacists, which were significant predictors of the intention to use the system (β= 0.223, p < 0.001). Most physicians and pharmacists agreed that obtaining signed patient consent was needed but preferred that it be conducted by the NHIA rather than by individual medical institutions (4.02 ± 1.19 vs. 3.49 ± 1.40, p < 0.01). ConclusionsThe preliminary study results indicated a moderate satisfaction toward the PharmaCloud system. Hospital pharmacists had a high satisfaction rate, but neither are physicians and community pharmacists. Continuously improvement on system quality has been performing based on the results of this preliminary survey. Policies and standardization processes, including privacy protection, are still warranted further actions to make the Taiwan PharmaCloud system a convenient platform for medication reconciliation.

Impact of emotional intelligence coaching on job satisfaction of pharmacists during organizational changes

Job satisfaction is known to decline during times of major organizational change and emotional intelligence has been positively correlated with job satisfaction and adaptability. Computerized provider order entry (CPOE), closed loop medication administration, electronic medication administration records and 24/7 pharmacy services were implemented at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) during the spring of 2014. This pilot randomized controlled trial assessed whether completion of an emotional intelligence assessment, followed by a personalized one-hour emotional intelligence coaching session, would positively impact job satisfaction stability amongst pharmacists throughout these major organizational changes. Job satisfaction was measured by the Health Professions Stress Inventory (HPSI). The primary outcome was change in HPSI score from baseline. Emotional intelligence coaching was provided to participants randomized to the intervention. Semi-structured interviews were completed at baseline and follow-up for qualitative analysis. Twenty five participants were recruited and all participants completed the study. Job satisfaction improved in both control and intervention groups. Observations from semi-structured interviews suggested that emotional intelligence coaching may have increased self-awareness and ability to recognize dissatisfaction. Participants who were in their role for less than two years reported greater benefit from emotional intelligence coaching. Job satisfaction was worse during the anticipatory phase of major organizational change. Emotional intelligence coaching did not have an observable benefit on objective measures of job satisfaction, but it may have a subjective benefit that is more apparent in pharmacists who are less established in their role.

Motivation and Job Satisfaction of Pharmacists in Four Hospitals in Saudi Arabia

Background: The number of pharmacists in the healthcare sector has been steadily increasing in Saudi Arabia, drawing management attention toward concerning factors influencing pharmacists’ motivation and job satisfaction. * Aim: To find out what strongly motivate pharmacists, measure job satisfaction, determine the influencing factors, and to compare it with pharmacy managers’ and supervisors’ opinion. Methods: Based on Herzberg’s two factor motivation theory and Job Characteristic Theory, a constructionist research design in four different hospitals; through mixed theory of quantitative anonymous questionnaire for Managers/ Supervisors and qualitative semi-longitudinal self-completion questionnaire for pharmacists. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS version 11.5. Results: 71 pharmacists, and 19 managers were enrolled. Majority of participants were young female. Results showed salary, promotion, recognition, and job satisfaction as the most powerful motivator factors. A statistically significant relation between job satisfaction and task significance, autonomy, and managers’ feedback. Manages considered salary, promotion, financial rewards, and vacation as the most important motivator factors. Results confirmed that managers’ opinion does not reflect the true motivators’ and job satisfaction status at their departments. Conclusion: Managers need to eliminate dissatisfaction determined by the hygiene factors of co-workers’ relationship, salary, and job security. Enhance the satisfaction effect related to motivator factors of promotion, recognition, and work itself. It also confirmed previous findings of job satisfaction being a dynamic multi-dimensional phenomenon.