Understanding the Social Risk Factors That Avert Equitable Lung Cancer Care.

Background: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. There is an association between certain social determinants of health (SDOH) and adverse cancer outcomes. These include Black race and low-income, which are associated with poorer adherence to lung cancer screening and presentation at a later stage of disease.

Commentary: Making Space for Reading as a Faculty Member.

In academia, significant emphasis is given to the importance of writing. However, reading may be given less prominence in faculty work lives. The purpose of this commentary is to explore the educator's relationship with academic reading, habits that support this practice, and points of reflection for creating space for reading in our professional lives.

Mining for Retention Gems and Unearthing Identity and Belonging.

Objective: To determine the relationship between first-year retention and variables related to professional engagement and professional, academic, and personal identities.

Methods: This study evaluated data from 3 cohorts of students at a private 0-6 college of pharmacy. A theoretical and conceptual framework linking professional identity and retention informed the study.

Evaluating Patient Perceptions on PrEP Screening and Referral in the Acute Care Setting.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV is highly effective, yet uptake has been limited. We measured PrEP knowledge, eligibility, and referral willingness among patients receiving emergency or acute care in Washington, DC. We surveyed HIV-negative patients with STI-related complaints on HIV risk behaviors, PrEP knowledge, eligibility, and willingness for PrEP referral.

Management, entrepreneurship, continuing professional development, and leadership education in United States doctor of pharmacy curricula: A scoping review.

Background: As doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curricula must fulfill accreditation standards emphasizing managerial skills, entrepreneurship, continuing professional development (CPD), and leadership, there is interest among faculty to incorporate high-quality, evidence-based educational strategies. To date there has not been a comprehensive review of these four topics in one paper; therefore, we aimed to describe the landscape of the published literature and areas for future research.

Methods: A keyword search of Academic Search Complete/Premier and OvidMedline databases identified articles published between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2020.

The Role of Social Support in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus among American Indians: A Qualitative Study.

The purpose of this study is to gain insights of American Indian (AI) communities on the role of social support in type 2 diabetes (T2D) management. Social support is a means of enhancing social and personal resources that can address underlying stressors that contribute to T2D inequities and represents a potential channel of intervention to improve management of T2D in these communities. This community-based participatory research included AI adults from the Bois Forte and Lac Courte Oreilles Bands of Ojibwe and consisted of focus groups that were conducted with people with T2D, social support persons, and service providers.

Identifying Low Pharmaceutical Calculation Performers Using an Algebra-Based Pretest.

To determine whether a pretest assessing algebra-based problem-solving skills could aid in identifying those who may underperform in calculations course assessments and whether this provides additional value beyond preadmission and demographic characteristics. Student pharmacists were screened for algebraic problem-solving skills using an 18-item pretest taken the semester prior to a course containing pharmaceutical calculations content. These scores were compared to students' later performance on pharmaceutical calculations assessments.

Establishing Validity Evidence for Parallel Patient-Provider Empathy Scales to Drive Self-reflection.

Student pharmacists must cultivate self-awareness to ensure that they can assess their skill development and abilities, including affective domain skills such as empathy. External feedback can augment development, but validated assessments are needed for accuracy. Thus, the objectives of this study were to establish validity evidence for the revised version of the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale (KCES-R), compare student self-perceptions and simulated patient perceptions of student empathy using a parallel patient scale (KCES-PV), and evaluate student reflections on the encounter.

Evaluation and Revision of the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale.

This study aimed to provide further validity evidence for the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale (KCES) by analyzing data collected from multiple administrations of the scale and conducting cognitive interviews of students in pharmacy and nursing programs to identify needed revisions. De-identified data from previous administrations of the KCES were used to evaluate the scale. Evidence of response process was enhanced through cognitive interviews with 20 pre-pharmacy and pharmacy students at Cedarville University.

Is It Time for a Quality Rating System for Colleges of Pharmacy?

The quality of educational programs, including Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs, has largely escaped the societal trend towards public reporting. Recent criticisms of pharmacy academia by practitioners should prompt us to reexamine how the quality of pharmacy education is measured and reported to the public. In supporting greater transparency related to quality, important questions that should be addressed include: Is the current public reporting of quality indicators for pharmacy schools sufficient for determining the quality of education provided by a school? Can a quality rating system be developed that will not only provide a valid assessment of quality, but also be easy to interpret by potential applicants and employers? The intent of this commentary is to initiate a discussion centered around this issue and to encourage the development of a new measure of pharmacy school quality.

A longitudinal study of the stress of poor glucose control and diabetes distress.

Poor glucose control can be viewed as a stressor, possibly promulgating diabetes distress. We examined the relationship between perceived blood glucose control and diabetes distress over time using a partially controlled cross-lagged path analysis model. After controlling for demographics, control at 6 months was directly related to change in distress at 12 months.

The Mediating Role of Diabetes Distress and Depressive Symptoms in Type 2 Diabetes Medication Adherence Gender Differences.

Medication adherence is negatively related to both diabetes distress (DD) and depressive symptoms (DS). Past research suggests gender differences in adherence, DD, and DS. A gap exists in determining if gender differences in adherence are mediated by DD and DS, or if gender moderates differences in adherence by DD/DS.

Assessment of feasibility and outcomes of a salivary cortisol collection protocol in five American Indian communities.

We evaluated the feasibility and outcomes of administering a naturalistic saliva collection procedure and assessment in American Indian (Indigenous) communities. We focus on Indigenous adults living with type 2 diabetes given the "epidemic" of the disease disproportionately impacting many tribal groups. Data are from community-based participatory research (CBPR) involving 5 tribal communities.

Self-reported eye diseases among American Indian individuals with type 2 diabetes from the northern Midwest.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of eye diseases and utilization of dilated eye exams among a sample of American Indian (AI) individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: AI adults with type 2 diabetes utilizing health care at two reservation clinics were randomly sampled and recruited for interviewer-assisted paper surveys. The prevalence of eye diseases was compared across gender, age, income, and educational attainment.

Perceptions and Prevalence of Alcohol and Cigarette Use Among American Indian Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

This study examined community perceptions and prevalence of alcohol use and cigarette smoking among American Indian adults with type 2 diabetes. Results revealed normative rates and perceptions of smoking and negative views and low rates of alcohol use. Participants reported high levels of household indoor smoking and comorbid high-risk drinking and smoking.

Sources of Stress Among Midwest American Indian Adults with Type 2 Diabetes.

Despite alarming health disparities among American Indians (AIs) and acknowledgement that stressors negatively influence health, conceptualization of the full spectrum of stressors that impact Indigenous communities is underdeveloped. To address this gap, we analyze focus group transcripts of AI adults with type 2 diabetes from five tribal communities and classify stressors using an inductive/deductive analytical approach. A Continuum of American Indian Stressor Model was constructed from categorization of nineteen stressor categories within four domains.

Using a mock board of pharmacy disciplinary hearing to teach concepts related to administrative law, addiction, empathy, and professionalism.

Background And Purpose: The purpose of this project was to impact pharmacy students' personal and professional development through simulation of a board of pharmacy disciplinary hearing regarding addiction.

Educational Activity And Setting: The mock board hearing was conducted as part of the required curriculum. Faculty obtained materials from a prior board hearing.

Lumbopelvic Pain and Threats to Walking Ability in Well-Functioning Older Adults: Findings from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Objectives: To examine the potential contribution of severity of lumbopelvic pain (LPP) in well-functioning older adults to poorer walking efficiency, lack of endurance, slower gait speed, and decline in these mobility parameters over 1 to 5 years.

Design: Longitudinal analysis of Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging data.

Setting: National Institute on Aging, Clinical Research Unit, Baltimore, Maryland.

Evaluating Factors Impacting Medication Adherence Among Rural, Urban, and Suburban Populations.

Purpose: To evaluate differences in prescription medication adherence rates, as well as influencing factors, in rural and urban adults.

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of the 2015 National Consumer Survey on the Medication Experience and Pharmacists' Role. A total of 26,173 participants completed the survey and provided usable data.

Stress Exposure and Physical, Mental, and Behavioral Health among American Indian Adults with Type 2 Diabetes.

American Indian (AI) communities experience disproportionate exposure to stressors and health inequities including type 2 diabetes. Yet, we know little about the role of psychosocial stressors for AI diabetes-related health outcomes. We investigated associations between a range of stressors and psychological, behavioral, and physical health for AIs with diabetes.

Relationship between self-efficacy and patient knowledge on adherence to oral contraceptives using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8).

Background: Preconception care, including family planning, is a vital component of healthcare for women of reproductive age. An average female spends the majority of her reproductive life trying to prevent a pregnancy. In order to prevent unintended pregnancy, women often rely on the use of hormonal contraceptives.

Measuring a state of mind indicative of thriving using the Student Pharmacist Inventory of Professional Engagement (S-PIPE).

Background: Professional engagement has importance to the professional of pharmacy, and in particular the growth of student pharmacists. Measurement of this construct would allow investigation of factors that may increase or decrease professional engagement.

Objectives: To describe the development of the Student Pharmacist Inventory of Professional Engagement (S-PIPE), assess the factor structure and convergent validity, and test for differences in professional engagement based upon demographic and background factors.