A Mixed Methods Study of Resources Available for the Professional Development of Mid-Career Faculty.

Objective: To determine what resources are available and useful for the professional development of mid-career faculty (MCF) in pharmacy education to foster career advancement.

Methods: A 37-question survey was sent to 7236 members of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, an estimated 4640 of whom represented the target population of associate professors, full professors, and administrators. Semi-structured focus groups involving these 3 groups of faculty were held to provide additional insight.

A Call to Action for the Professional Development of Mid-Career Faculty.

Despite taking on heavier teaching and service loads, an expanding research program, and serving as mentors to junior faculty, mid-career faculty often feel unsupported. Providing a solid foundation through resource allocation and sharing between and within institutions can facilitate establishment or improvement of faculty development initiatives, workload equity, transparent policies, routine performance evaluation, a process for faculty recognition, and a system of mentoring to create an environment where this essential group of faculty can continue to grow. The following discussion, which includes suggested methods to achieve these goals with a focus on mid-career faculty, serves as a call to action for pharmacy school administrators to assess the state of mid-career faculty at their institution, and if indicated, implement systems that promote success among this group.

Challenges to Implementation of the Co-Curriculum in Accredited Pharmacy Programs.

To determine areas of concern, and challenges to implementing and assessing the co-curriculum in accredited Doctor of Pharmacy programs, along with how confident programs are in their ability to meet the co-curriculum requirement as mandated by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). A survey was administered to all ACPE-accredited pharmacy programs to collect information regarding areas of concern, challenges, and confidence in their ability to meet the co-curriculum requirement. The frequency of responses to items are presented along with comparisons based on characteristics, including institution type, cohort size, most recent ACPE accreditation review, and supporting offices.

Co-Curriculum Implementation and Assessment in Accredited Doctor of Pharmacy Programs.

To determine how accredited Doctor of Pharmacy programs implement and evaluate the co-curriculum requirement as mandated by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). A survey was administered to all ACPE-accredited pharmacy programs to collect information regarding how co-curriculum models were being implemented, including types of activities, structure, learning outcomes, oversight, and assessment. The frequency of responses to items were presented to describe the general features of co-curriculum models.

Community pharmacy patient perceptions of a pharmacy-initiated mobile technology app to improve adherence.

Objectives: To determine patient perceptions of using a demonstration application (app) of mobile technology to improve medication adherence and to identify desired features to assist in the management of medications.

Methods: A qualitative study using key informant interviews was conducted in a community pharmacy chain for patients aged 50 and older, on statin therapy and owning a smart device.

Key Findings: Three main themes emerged from 24 interviews at four pharmacy locations, which included benefits, barriers and desired features of the app.

Preparation of faculty members and students to be citizen leaders and pharmacy advocates.

To identify characteristics and quality indicators of best practices for leadership and advocacy development in pharmacy education, a national task force on leadership development in pharmacy invited colleges and schools to complete a phone survey to characterize the courses, processes, and noteworthy practices for leadership and advocacy development at their institution. The literature was consulted to corroborate survey findings and identify additional best practices. Recommendations were derived from the survey results and literature review, as well as from the experience and expertise of task force members.

Impact of wellness coaching and monitoring services provided in a community pharmacy.

Objective: To assess the clinical and patient-centered outcomes of health coaching provided in the workplace by community pharmacists.

Design: Prospective interventional cohort study.

Setting: 11 independent community pharmacy chain locations in northwest and central Missouri, from January 2010 to January 2011.

Adherence to antihyperlipidemic medication and lipid control in diabetic Veterans Affairs patients with psychotic disorders.

Background: Medication adherence for chronic medical illnesses has been studied extensively, but there is limited data evaluating medication adherence for comorbid medical illnesses in a psychiatric population. Furthermore, only one study has evaluated both medication adherence and clinical outcomes between the two populations. Examining medication adherence rates and clinical outcomes are important as chronic medical illnesses occur commonly in psychiatric patients, can be drug-induced, and have negative long-term consequences.

Medication adherence and glycemic control in patients with psychotic disorders in the Veterans Affairs healthcare system.

Objective: To compare antihyperglycemic medication adherence and glycemic control between individuals with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders and a nonpsychiatric comparison group.

Methods: This was a retrospective medical record review. A total of 124 subjects with diabetes (62 patients with schizophrenia or a related psychotic disorder and 62 randomly selected, age-matched patients without a psychiatric illness) receiving their medical and psychiatric care exclusively through the Kansas City Veterans Affairs healthcare system during 2008 were included in the study.

Clinical efficacy, tolerability, and cost savings associated with the use of open-label metronidazole plus ceftriaxone once daily compared with ticarcillin/clavulanate every 6 hours as empiric treatment for diabetic lower-extremity infections in older males.

Background: Patients with diabetes mellitus, particularly those with poor glucose control, commonly experience various medical complications related to the disease (eg, renal impairment, decreased peripheral vascular circulation, suppressed immune function). Infections of the lower extremities can range from superficial cellulitis to ulcerative, deep soft-tissue infections to osteomyelitis that necessitates some degree of amputation.

Objective: This study compared the efficacy, tolerability, and cost differences associated with the use of metronidazole plus ceftriaxone (MTZ/CTX) given once daily with those of ticarcillin/clavulanate potassium (T/C) given every 6 hours in hospitalized older males with diabetic lower-extremity infections.

A prospective, randomized, multicentered controlled trial to compare the annual glycemic and quality outcomes of patients with diabetes mellitus monitored with weekly fructosamine testing versus usual care.

Fructosamine is an indicator of overall glycemic control for a 10-14-day time frame, medium-term marker, versus the 90-day average indicated by the hemoglobin A1c (A1C) test. The utility of the home fructosamine test for management of persons with diabetes remains undefined. The primary objectives of this study were (1) to compare the annual A1C results of subjects monitoring weekly fructosamine with those receiving usual care, (2) to identify the number of subjects achieving goal A1C, and (3) to determine if the addition of a weekly fructosamine test changed a subject's quality of life.

A clinical comparison of calculated versus direct measurement of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level.

Study Objectives: To determine if, and to what extent, the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) level is underestimated when it is calculated by the Friedewald formula compared with the LDL level measured by a direct method. A secondary objective was to determine and compare the percentages of patients meeting LDL goal using each of these two methods.

Design: Retrospective chart review.

A prospective, randomized, multicentered controlled trial to compare the annual outcomes of patients with diabetes mellitus monitored with weekly fructosamine testing versus usual care: a 3-month interim analysis.

The recent introduction of a home monitoring system that measures whole blood glucose and whole blood fructosamine values by fingerstick blood drop adds a previously unavailable estimate of overall glycemic control via the fructosamine component. Fructosamine serves as an indicator of overall glycemic control for a 10-14-day time frame versus the 90-day average indicated by the hemoglobin A1c (A1C) test. The utilization of the fructosamine test for management of patients with diabetes mellitus remains unclear.

Maintenance of low-density lipoprotein goal with step-down pravastatin therapy.

Study Objective: To determine whether patients who had achieved their National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)-derived goals for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol with pravastatin would benefit from step-down therapy.

Design: Prospective, randomized, open-label study

Setting: Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Patients: One hundred four men who were taking pravastatin once/day and had maintained their NCEP-defined LDL goal for at least 3 months.