Osteoporosis Medication Use: A Comparison of Elderly Females Living in Long-term Care Facilities Versus Community Dwellers.

: This study compares patterns of evidence-based osteoporosis medication use among females in community and long-term care settings enrolled in Medicare Part D.
: Pooled cross-sectional study.
: Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B, and Part D stand-alone prescription drug plans from January 1, 2006, through December 31, 2008, or death.

A primer for objective structured teaching exercises.

The objective structured teaching exercise (OSTE) is a high-fidelity training method for advancing the teaching and interpersonal communication skills of faculty members and preceptors. This paper is a primer for implementation of OSTEs as part of a comprehensive faculty development program. This primer addresses teaching and precepting skills that can be most effectively enhanced and assessed by the OSTE method.

Prevalence of and factors that influence board certification among pharmacy practice faculty at United States colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Board certification is a means of demonstrating expertise above the minimum licensing standards. For many health care professionals, this credential is a necessity. As pharmacists become involved in more advanced patient care services, board certification becomes an essential component to ensuring quality care.

Readiness for self-directed learning and academic performance in an abilities laboratory course.

Objective: To assess the relationship between readiness for self-directed learning, academic performance on self-directed learning activities, and resources used to prepare for an abilities laboratory course.

Methods: The Self-directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) was administered to first-year (P1) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) candidates at the University of Maryland. Additional data collected included final course grades, quiz scores, resources used to prepare for laboratory activities, and demographics.

Objective structured clinical examinations in doctor of pharmacy programs in the United States.

Objectives: To describe current objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) practices in doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) programs in the United States.

Methods: Structured interviews were conducted with PharmD faculty members between September 2008 and May 2010 to collect information about awareness of and interest in OSCE, current OSCE practices, and barriers to OSCEs.

Results: Of 108 US colleges and schools of pharmacy identified, interviews were completed for a representative sample of 88 programs (81.

Scoring objective structured clinical examinations using video monitors or video recordings.

Objective: To compare scoring methods for objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) using real-time observations via video monitors and observation of videotapes.

Methods: Second- (P2) and third-year (P3) doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students completed 3-station OSCEs. Sixty encounters, 30 from each PharmD class, were selected at random, and scored by faculty investigators observing video monitors in real-time.

The impact of advanced pharmacy practice experiences on students' readiness for self-directed learning.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) on doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students' readiness for self-directed learning.

Methods: The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) was administered to students prior to and after completing their APPEs. SDLRS is a validated instrument that determines the relative degree to which students have the attitudes and motivation to engage in self-directed learning.

Human papillomavirus vaccine and cervical cancer prevention: practice and policy implications for pharmacists.

Objectives: To review the epidemiology and natural history of human papillomavirus (HPV), summarize relevant clinical trials of the prophylactic HPV vaccines, and describe the practice and policy implications that HPV vaccine represents for pharmacists.

Data Sources: Search of Medline through June 2007 using keywords human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil, and Cervarix; meeting abstracts; bibliographies from selected articles; and National Institutes of Health clinical trials registry.

Study Selection: English language review articles, clinical trials, and published abstracts were considered for inclusion.

Prophylaxis for opioid-induced constipation in elderly long-term care residents: a cross-sectional study of Medicare beneficiaries.

Background: Opioid analgesics are effective therapeutic agents for malignant and nonmalignant pain, but their use is often compromised by unwanted adverse effects on the central nervous system and gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These adverse effects include sedation, respiratory depression, nausea and vomiting, reduction in biliary and pancreatic secretions, decreased GI motility, increased GI transit time, and subsequent constipation.

Objective: The goal of this study was to determine national estimates of laxative use, with and without concurrent opioids, in the long-term care (LTC) population and to determine factors associated with laxative underuse among elderly LTC residents receiving opioids.