Student Pharmacists Research Articles

The Report of the 2021-2022 AACP Research and Graduate Affairs Committee

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. The work of the 2021-2022 AACP Research and Graduate Affairs Committee (RGAC) focused on barriers to graduate education and research-related careers in pharmacy education. AACP President Stuart Haines charged the RGAC with identifying the critical barriers that hinder current PharmD students/recent graduates as well as under-represented groups (e.g., Black and Latino) from pursuing advanced degrees and research-related career paths in the pharmaceutical, social & behavioral, and clinical sciences and recommending changes that might address these barriers - this may include recommendations to change the fundamental structure of graduate education.The committee began its work with a literature review to survey current perspectives on these barriers and assess the supporting evidence for effective solutions and programs, including their relevance to pharmacy education. Based on the review, the committee was able to identify numerous obstacles to entry into and progression through research training, for both underrepresented learners and student pharmacists. Obstacles are individual, e.g., lack of exposure to and self-efficacy in research, financial constraints, structural, e.g., lengthy training time, programmatic rigidity, and institutional, e.g., implicit and explicit bias. The committee found evidence of effective approaches and programs to address these barriers that could be applied in pharmacy schools. These approaches include improvements to existing practices in recruitment, admissions and hiring practices as well as creation of new programs and structural changes to existing programs to increase accessibility to learners. The committee also recognized a need for more research and development of additional approaches to address these barriers.The committee makes a series of recommendations that AACP develop resource guides and programs to address key issues in the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students and student pharmacists into graduate education and research careers, including as faculty. The committee also proposes new AACP policies to support innovative graduate programs and early, longitudinal engagement of learners from elementary school onward to increase access to graduate education and to support environments and cultures of commitment to accessibility, diversity, equity, inclusiveness, antiracism in pharmacy education.

Description and Evaluation of a Pilot Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience in Addiction Medicine

Objective. To assess the impact of a pilot advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) on fourth-year (P4) Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students' knowledge and confidence related to substance use disorder, harm reduction, and co-occurring psychiatric conditions.Methods. Beginning in 2020, a 62-item assessment was developed and administered to P4 students at the beginning and end of the six-week APPE. The assessment tested knowledge in 10 content areas related to substance use disorder, harm reduction, and co-occurring disorders. Students also ranked their confidence in providing care related to each content area. The post-assessment included a free-text (open-ended) item to provide feedback on the APPE experience. Descriptive statistics and paired t tests were used to analyze the data.Results. Complete pre- and post-assessments were obtained from all participating students (N=7). The mean cumulative knowledge score increased from 55.2% to 81.5%, and the mean cumulative confidence score improved from 34.2% to 81.8%. Free-text responses garnered positive feedback from students, who indicated that the APPE allowed them to immerse themselves in all stages of the recovery process, gain confidence in presentation skills with patients, and solidify their passion for addiction medicine.Conclusion. A novel APPE in addiction medicine addressed a current gap in pharmacy education, earned positive evaluations from student pharmacists, increased student knowledge and confidence related to substance use disorder, harm reduction, and co-occurring disorders, and supported the development of new interprofessional collaborations. United States colleges of pharmacy that do not yet offer APPEs in this clinical domain should consider this model.

Identifying predictors of generalized anxiety among student pharmacists in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

IntroductionTo explore the prevalence of generalized anxiety (GA) among doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students at an academic institution during the COVID-19 pandemic and use Alderfer's existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) theory to elucidate which unsatisfied needs are predictive of higher levels of GA symptoms. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, single-site survey administered to first- through fourth-year PharmD students from October 2020 to January 2021. The survey tool included demographic information, the validated Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 tool, and nine additional questions developed to assess Alderfer's ERG theory of needs. Predictors of GA symptoms were evaluated using descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, correlation analysis, and multivariable analysis. ResultsA total of 214 of 513 students completed the survey (42%) . Among students, 49.01% had no-clinical, 31.31% had low-clinical, and 19.63% had high-clinical GA symptoms. The relatedness needs, which included feeling disliked, socially disconnected, and misunderstood had the strongest correlation (65%) to GA symptoms and was most associated with GA symptoms (β = 0.56, P < .001). Students who did not exercise experienced more symptoms of GA (P = .008). ConclusionsOver 50% of PharmD students met clinical cut-offs for GA symptoms and the relatedness need was most predictive of GA symptoms among students. Future student-centered interventions should aim to create opportunities that increase social connections, build resilience, and provide psychosocial support.

Association Between Religiosity, Spirituality, and Depression-Anxiety Among Pharmacist Students in Indonesia

Students in the Pharmacist Professional Study Program (PPSP) must pass the Indonesian Pharmacist Competency Exam (UKAI) to get the title of pharmacist. They feel the burden and fear of not passing the exam, which can trigger anxiety and depression, especially in the pandemic era. Religion also provides a perspective that individuals can use to reduce their distress when faced with many stressors. The study aims to determine the relationship between religiosity and spirituality and depression and anxiety in PPSP students in Indonesia. The method used in the study is a cross-sectional design with DUREL, DSES, SAS and SDS questionnaires as the data instruments. The study was carried out in all Association of Higher Education in Indonesian Pharmacy (APTFI) regions. A cluster random sampling technique was conducted and 362 students participated. The study found that Indonesian PPSP students had mild to moderate anxiety (21%). Fortunately, the relationship between the level of spirituality, depression, and anxiety represents negative values, with a correlation R = -0.123 (p &lt;0.05) and -0.115 (p &lt;0.05), which indicates that religiosity and spirituality in PSPP students are associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety. As a consequence, developing spirituality and religiosity for PPSP students and improving mental well-being is essential.

A Programmatic Approach to Peer-Led Tutoring to Assist Students in Academic Difficulty

Objective. To evaluate a peer-led tutoring program to assist students in academic difficulty in the didactic curriculum across multiple courses using one-on-one and large group peer-led sessions, and to evaluate the academic performance and perceptions of students in this program.Methods. This study involved first-year (P1) through fourth-year (P4) pharmacy students who served as tutors and their P1 through P3 tutees. Tutoring was offered in multiple didactic courses using one-on-one and large group peer-led sessions. Didactic curriculum completion rates and perceptions of the program were assessed.Results. A total of 463 (47%) P1 through P3 student pharmacists used the one-on-one or large group peer-led tutoring services in 28 courses across four academic years. Tutored students had a lower grade distribution compared to nontutored students, suggesting a more at-risk group for academic failures and dismissals. Despite this, the didactic curriculum completion rate was comparable between the tutored and nontutored students during the study period, suggesting that the program helped reduce academic dismissals of the at-risk tutored students. On the perceptions survey, 95% of respondents felt they improved their study habits, and 92% felt more confident in their ability to succeed.Conclusion. This peer-led tutoring program appeared to be successful in providing comparable didactic curriculum completion rates of tutored students, who represented an at-risk group for academic failures and dismissals compared with nontutored students. The tutoring program structure and design may be a useful tool for other colleges of pharmacy as they seek ways to assist students.

Creating an inclusive climate within pharmacy practice

ObjectiveIdentify the impact of a brief, educational intervention on student pharmacist understanding of unconscious bias and its systemic effects; cultural humility; and commitment to change. MethodsA pre-intervention survey, with questions utilizing a five-point Likert scale was embedded into the beginning of a series of online, interactive, educational modules addressing cultural humility, unconscious bias, and inclusive pharmacy practices. Third-year professional pharmacy students completed the course as part of their curriculum. At the conclusion of the modules, participants completed the post-intervention survey with the same set of questions, which was linked to the pre-intervention survey by a participant-generated code. Changes in means for the pre- and post-intervention cohorts were calculated and analyzed utilizing a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Responses were also grouped dichotomously and evaluated using the McNemar test. ResultsSixty-nine students completed both the pre- and post-intervention surveys. The greatest change on Likert scale questions was noted in understanding of cultural humility (+1.4). Much or complete confidence in being able to describe unconscious bias and cultural competence improved from 58% to 88% and 14% to 71%, respectively (P < .05). Although a trend toward positive change was noted, a significant impact was not observed for questions assessing understanding of their systemic effects and commitment to change. ConclusionInteractive educational modules positively impact student understanding of unconscious bias and cultural humility. Further investigation is necessary to determine if continuous exposure to this and similar topics deepens student understanding of systemic impact and commitment to change.

Peningkatan Pemahaman Siswa Farmasi tentang Peran Farmakoekonomi dalam Pelayanan Kesehatan di SMK Bintang Persada Denpasar

Background: Pharmacoecomics has been defined as the description and analysis of the costs of drug therapy to health care systems and society. Pharmacoeconomics research identifies, measure, and compares the costs and consequences of pharmaceutical product and service. Within this framework, research and methods related to cost-minimization, cost-effectiveness, quality-of-life and other humanistic assessments are include. In-essence, pharmacoeconomics analysis uses tools for examining the impact of alternative drug therapies and other medical interventions Based on this background, the author is interested to explain about the role of Pharmacoecomics on health service in pharmacist students at Bintang Persada School, Denpasar. Purpose: The purpose of this activity is as a form of implementation of Tri Dharma Stikes Bali Wisnu Dharma Denpasar. Methods: Participants who took part in this activity were 83 students using the pretest and posttest methods. Results: The results obtained were an increase in the pretest score (before being given education) which was 62.11% to 83.22% in the posttest result (after being given education). Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between posttest scores, which increases after education is held, so pharmacoeconomics education needs to be given and pharmaceutical products utilization in health service followed by cost utillity evaluation and cost effectiveness as well as impact evaluation of quality adjusted life years of patients.

STEM - education in the chemical training of future pharmacists

STEM - education in the chemical training of future pharmacists Abstract. The paper examines the principles of introducing elements of STEM - education into the training of pharmacists, and gives examples of their application in the study of chemical disciplines in the complex of professional training of pharmacist students. It is shown that for students' interest in self-education, interdisciplinary and project approaches are used, which demonstrate the integration of natural sciences into modern pharmaceutical technologies. Therefore, the use of elements of STEM- education in pharmaceutical education contributes to the creation of a scientific and methodological base for increasing the professional competence of specialists.

Empowering Student Pharmacists through Social Determinants of Health Activities to Address Patient Outcomes.

The pharmacy education and its educators have to expose the student pharmacists to a plethora of activities regarding health disparities. It is essential for student pharmacists to be introduced to the key elements that comprise the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) during their didactic curriculum. However, while there have been efforts made in the United States to incorporate the SDOH in the pharmacy curricula, there is limited research on student pharmacists' perspectives of how content in the didactic curriculum prepared them to provide patient care. A quantitative approach was used for this study. For the Class of 2023, activities were added to a skills-based course series and a professional development course series to introduce, apply, and illustrate how SDOH can impact pharmacist-provided care and patient health experiences. As part of the College's assessment plan, a survey is sent to the third-year student pharmacists in January prior to beginning Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). The online survey consists of 24 Likert Scale questions with five choices ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree and not applicable. Four of the 24 questions pertained to health disparities and SDOH and were evaluated in this study. The responses were analyzed using SPSS for Windows, version 25.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables. Chi-square tests were used for all nominal data and Mann-Whitney test was used for all nonparametric numeric data. A total of 530 student pharmacists completed the survey. The mean age was 26 years and majority of the respondents identified as female (64%). More students strongly agreed that they had the ability to identify and address SDOH to improve access to or the delivery of healthcare in the class of 2023 (51.4%) compared to the class of 2022 (37.8%) and class of 2021 (35.8%). In addition, the mean survey score for the question between the class of 2023 improved significantly compared to the class of 2022 (p = 0.015) and 2021 (p = 0.004). Overall, this study suggests that longitudinal activities involving SDOH can improve student pharmacists' assessment of their abilities to interact with and care for a diverse patient population. The results suggest that the curriculum activities implemented to address a plethora of patients improve student assessment of their abilities to identify and incorporate SDOH in providing patient-centered care.

Observed behaviours and suicide assessment language post-Mental Health First Aid training in Australia and the United States: a mixed methods study using discourse analysis

BackgroundMental Health First Aid (MHFA) training teaches participants how to respond to mental health crises, including suicide. Little is known about the impact of training on participants’ observed MHFA behaviours. This exploratory study aimed to compare MHFA-trained Australian and US student pharmacists’ performance and suicide assessment language during simulated patient role-play (SPRP) assessments.MethodsStudent pharmacists (n = 265) completed MHFA training and participated (n = 81) in SPRPs with simulated patients (SP) who were people with lived experience of mental illness. Each SPRP was marked by three raters (student, tutor and SP). One-way ANOVA, chi-squared tests and independent samples t-tests were used to compare scores and pass/fail rates, where appropriate. Transcribed audio-recordings of suicide assessments underwent discourse analysis. A chi-squared test was conducted to investigate the differences in how suicide assessment language was coded across six discursive frames (‘confident’/‘timid’, ‘empathetic’/‘apathetic’, and ‘direct’/‘indirect’).ResultsThree raters assessed 81 SPRPs, resulting in quantitative analysis of 243 rubrics. There were no significant differences between student pharmacists’ mean scores and pass/fail rates across countries. Overall, both cohorts across Australia and the US performed better during the mania scenario, with a low failure rate of 13.9 and 19.0%, respectively. Most students in both countries passed their SPRP assessment; however, 27.8% did not assess for suicide or used indirect language during suicide assessment, despite completing MHFA training. Australian student pharmacists demonstrated, more direct language (76.9% versus 67.9%) and empathy (42.3% versus 32.1%) but less confidence (57.7% versus 60.7%) compared to US student pharmacists, during their suicide assessment; however, these differences were not statistically significant.ConclusionsFindings indicate most MHFA-trained student pharmacists from Australia and the US can provide MHFA during SPRPs, as well as assess for suicide directly, empathetically and confidently. This exploratory study demonstrates the importance of practicing skills post-training and the need for further research exploring participants’ hesitance to assess for suicide, despite training completion.

Hello Operator? A Pharmacy Practice Simulation to Increase Student Confidence in Telephone Communication Skills.

Background: Communicating interprofessionally using the telephone is an essential skill within pharmacy practice. Student pharmacists' ability to perform this task effectively and efficiently may be hindered by generational changes, social anxiety, and very few opportunities to practice these skills. Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a simulation allowing students to practice interprofessional communication and assess the simulation's impact on students' confidence in providing pharmacy-related interventions to another health care professional via telephone. Methods: Faculty developed a simulation focused on interprofessional telephone communication. Baseline student information was collected to quantify pharmacy work experience in terms of practice setting, duration of employment, and skills. Presimulation and postsimulation surveys evaluated self-assessed telephone-related skills, attitudes, and confidence. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were evaluated through a thematic analysis of students' reflective responses to 2 open-ended questions. Results: Of the 53 pharmacy students that participated in the simulation, 44 (83%) and 43 (81%) completed the anonymous presimulation and postsimulation surveys. Students significantly improved as reflected in the following response: "I have confidence in my ability to provide pharmacy-related interventions to another health care professional in a logical and concise manner via telephone call." Significant improvement also occurred in the ability to work independently, communicate an order change to another health care professional, justify recommendations, answer a drug information question, and discuss recommendations in a logical and concise manner. Conclusion: The simulation discussed in this article provided students an opportunity to practice interprofessional telephone communication in a low-risk environment and resulted in significant growth in confidence and skills.

Student perceptions of PrEP in an advanced HIV elective

Background: The United States (U.S.) Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that over one million U.S. adults could benefit from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), but only 90,000 PrEP prescriptions are being filled annually. Pharmacists are well-positioned to offer PrEP, but a lack of awareness and knowledge about HIV PrEP has been a limitation. This study was designed to evaluate the knowledge, confidence, and perceptions of pharmacy students towards the use of HIV PrEP in high-risk populations before and after receiving a PrEP and PEP module in a two-credit hour Advanced HIV Elective course. Methods: Faculty in an Advanced HIV Elective course implemented a PrEP module and evaluated the impact on pharmacy student knowledge, confidence, and attitudes in 2020. Results: Participation led to a significant increase in student pharmacist confidence in offering patient education regarding the use of PrEP, risk mitigation counselling, accurately ordering labs, monitoring patients taking PrEP, and HIV medication therapy management. Additionally, HIV education shows decreased stigma and negative attitudes towards high-risk individuals. Conclusion: Integration of a PrEP module increased student pharmacist knowledge and confidence in providing PrEP services while reducing stigma towards those with HIV.

The Role of the Pharmacist in Combating the Opioid Crisis: An Update.

The opioid overdose crisis has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the United States in the last decade, with overdose numbers continuing to climb. At the same time, the role of the pharmacist in combating the opioid crisis continues to evolve. A literature search was conducted in Ovid MEDLINE that incorporated both MeSH terms and keywords to describe two concepts: the opioid epidemic and pharmacists/pharmacies. The search was limited to articles published after 2010 through the end of 2021 and returned 196 articles that were analyzed thematically. Thematic analysis revealed the following themes: prevention, interventions, public health role of the pharmacist, pharmacists in multiple roles, barriers, pharmacist and healthcare provider attitudes, educational initiatives for pharmacists and student pharmacists, and future research. While a great deal of progress has been made in the role of the pharmacist in supporting individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) in the last two decades, pharmacists must seek to invest time and resources into practices with a strong evidence base to better mitigate the growing, devastating impact of the opioid crisis. Pharmacists must be willing to embrace new and non-traditional roles in patient care, service and research, and seek to advance evidence-based knowledge and practice. Pharmacy practice has expanded greatly in the past decade with pharmacists taking on new and creative approaches to addressing the opioid crisis. Collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to addressing the root causes of opioid misuse and opioid overdose are still desperately needed. These include attention to the critical roles of social determinants of health, stigma elimination, legislative advocacy for patients with OUD, and focused education for providers, pharmacists, and the community. Recognition and support of the value of collaboration to both improve public health and individual patient care, continued investments in pharmacy practice advancement in OUD treatment and harm reduction, and the creation of workflows and prescribing algorithms to assist in dosing medications to prevent withdrawal symptoms and achieve improved pain control are desperately needed.

EPH135 A Cross Sectional Survey of Student Pharmacists’ Vaccine Hesitancy Perceptions at a United States College of Pharmacy

EPH135 A Cross Sectional Survey of Student Pharmacists’ Vaccine Hesitancy Perceptions at a United States College of Pharmacy

EPH177 Assessing Student Pharmacists’ Knowledge and Perceptions of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) – A Cross Sectional Study at One College of Pharmacy

EPH177 Assessing Student Pharmacists’ Knowledge and Perceptions of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) – A Cross Sectional Study at One College of Pharmacy

The effect of medication reconciliation on generating an accurate medication list in a pharmacogenomics practice

Medication reconciliation is recognized as a critically important medication safety element and a key initiative by multiple organizations. Within our precision medicine program, accurate medication lists are essential to our ability to make specific medication recommendations based on pharmacogenetic results. Our study aimed to identify discrepancies within the patient's medication list to improve medication management via genetic factors through a pharmacy team-based approach. A dedicated team of pharmacists and trained student pharmacists conducted telephone interviews to complete medication reconciliation for individuals enrolled in our precision medicine preemptive screening program. Medication list discrepancies were tracked as well as if pharmacogenetic consults were altered by findings during the telephone interviews. Medication reconciliation was completed on 465 participants who had recently received or were awaiting pharmacogenetic testing. We found similar results to previously described rates of medication list discrepancies with an average of 4.9 medication discrepancies per patient as well as greater than 90% of individuals having at least one medication discrepancy. Pharmacogenetic recommendations for 20 individuals (4.3%) required adjustment following medication reconciliation. This pilot program supports the value of a dedicated team for medication reconciliation and the importance of accurate medication lists to optimize precision medicine programs.

Interprofessional education during experiential learning placements for student pharmacists in Scotland. Exploring current support provision and stakeholder views

Abstract Introduction Increasing global awareness that interprofessional team working is essential within modern healthcare systems has led to regulatory bodies mandating the inclusion of interprofessional education (IPE) within undergraduate curricula. The General Pharmaceutical Council specifies in the 2021 initial education and training standards the requirement for an interprofessional learning plan in which “IPE must mirror practice”.1 Pharmacy educators are intensifying their efforts to ensure student pharmacists are presented with opportunities to develop collaborative competencies. Curricular development and implementation initiatives must explore structures and processes to ensure that experiential learning (EL) environments are conducive to supporting student pharmacists’ interprofessional learning. Aim To explore structures and processes needed to support effective planned and unplanned IPE during EL placements for student pharmacists. Methods A mixed methods approach underpinned by the Biggs 3P theoretical framework was adopted.2 This included (1) A document analysis reviewing resources including student pharmacist/EL facilitator university handbooks and NHS Education for Scotland Preparation for Facilitating Experiential Learning (PFEL) training - a mandatory requirement for all EL facilitators hosting student pharmacists on placement in Scotland. (2) A pre-piloted online survey distributed to EL facilitators. Survey development, guided by the Interprofessional Facilitation Scale, aimed to encourage EL facilitators to self-evaluate their own IPE facilitation skills.3 The final survey tool included ten items with responses rated on a 4-point Likert scale (Poor, Fair, Good and Excellent) and a demographic section (3) Online semi-structured focus groups/dyadic interviews conducted with six EL facilitators, four practice educators and two academic staff were recorded and transcribed. Descriptive statistics were employed for quantitative data generated from the survey tool; for qualitative data content analysis was applied to develop emerging themes. Ethical approval was granted (S292) from the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences Ethics Review Committee at Robert Gordon University. Results (1) The document analysis concluded that although the resources reviewed could not be specifically classed as training to support IPE, data collected provided context to EL placements and the training and pre-activities that student pharmacists and EL facilitators complete. Three main themes emerged: “Lack of specific IPE training focus”, “Varied terminology”, “Lack of IPE pre-learning activities”. (2) The survey was completed by ninety EL facilitators working in various practice settings: hospital 41.1% (n=37); primary care 25.6% (n=23); community 21.1% (n=19); academia 2.2% (n=2); other 8.9% (n=8). Survey responses indicated that 51.1% (n=46) and 42.2% (n=38) of respondents rated their ability to role model positive interactions with other healthcare professionals as good and excellent. However, responses to items relating more specifically to IPE facilitation skills indicated a lower confidence level. (3) Initial themes emerging from focus groups/dyadic interviews include “Profession-related perceptions of IPE”, “Factors influencing IPE delivery and student learning”, “Factors influencing future developments”. Discussion/Conclusion This exploratory study has provided valuable insight into multifactorial aspects affecting IPE during EL placements; this will be used to guide future development of IPE initiatives. One limitation is that student pharmacists were not included in this study; the next phase of this research programme will explore student pharmacists’ perceptions of IPE in EL.

Level of anxiety and internal tryout evaluation of the national objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) results for pharmacy students

OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) for pharmacist profession students is currently one of the measuring tools for success in competency exams to test victory in learning the Pharmacist Profession, in addition to the MCQ (Cognitive Based Test) method which is carried out in the form of CBT (Computer Based-Test). The Pharmacist Profession Study Program at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) currently has professional pharmacist students and conducted a national tryout test for batch 2 students. In contrast, these students have never received training for the OSCE exam before. This study was conducted to evaluate the internal tryout on the results of the national OSCE score for Pharmacist students at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang” in batch 3 compared to batch 2, which had not done an internal tryout. In addition, an anxiety test was conducted on students taking the OSCE exam to get the degree of anxiety students taking the exam. From the study results, the anxiety level of the 2nd and 3rd batch students when facing the national OSCE exam was moderately anxious. Implementing the internal tryout had significant effects on the passing rate of the 3rd batch of students in the national OSCE exam.

Podcasts as a Method to Deliver Education on Stigma Surrounding Opioid Use Disorder.

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of a podcast miniseries to reduce stigma surrounding opioid use disorder (OUD) among student pharmacists. Students in their second and third professional years from two schools of pharmacy listened to five, 10-23 min podcasts incorporated into their coursework. The podcasts highlighted: (1) interviews with OUD professionals and those with lived experiences; (2) types of stigma and how it affects health outcomes; (3) OUD disease state processes, and (4) harm reduction strategies. Surveys assessed changes in perception of OUD and its associated stigma and included free-response and Likert scale questions. Subjects (n = 121) who completed a pre- and post-podcast survey were included. Paired t-tests assessed changes in survey responses from baseline and a content analysis was performed on all free-responses. There was a statistically significant change from baseline for each survey question, demonstrating a decrease in stigma towards OUD. Free-responses were categorized into four learning domains: (1) Impact of stigma on access to care; (2) Compassion and empathy; (3) Resources and support; and (4) Call to action. Podcasts can be an effective tool to reduce student pharmacist stigma associated with OUD.

Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among pharmacy students in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

Background: In the wake of COVID-19 prevention, a growing attention has been devoted to administering vaccines among various sub-group populations including community health care providers. As a community health worker pharmacists and pharmacy students played a crucial role in patient-centered services for managing COVID-19. Examining pharmacy students’ vaccine acceptance intent has great potential in understanding how pharmacists’ perception impacts community people. This study investigated COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among pharmacy students in Bangladesh and identified the potential factors associated with their vaccine acceptance and hesitancy. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was deployed online using Google forms in English and conveniently sent to 1190 pharmacy students at different universities between 15th October 2021 and 15th December 2021. The convenience sampling consisted of 1034 student pharmacists (response rate 86.9%) who participated in this study. Binary logistic regressions and Chi-squared test were used for rationalizing the study objectives. Results: The pooled COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate was 908 (87.8%; 95% CI 85.8─87.8) among student pharmacists while 29.6% (95% CI 25.4─33.9) admitted the willingness to pay (WTP) for a COVID-19 vaccine. Out of 12 vital predictive factors, “safety,” “efficacy,” and “trust” had the strongest significant and positive association with vaccine acceptance (p=0.000). The logistic analysis also revealed that “communication” and “information sufficiency” had a significant positive association with vaccine acceptance (p=0.035 and 0.038, respectively) among student pharmacists. Although the odds of accepting the COVID-19 vaccine were found to be 1.1; an insignificant association between gender and vaccine acceptance was observed in the Chi-squared test. Conclusions: The prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine apprehension will reduce if vaccine-related information becomes more publicly available. Ensuring easy access to scientific information with evidence-based and tailored communication would enhance vaccine acceptance among pharmacy students. Implementation of multidisciplinary educational intervention would support the health care students to achieve adequate knowledge on vaccination consequences.