Exploring The Impact of Acceptance and Commitment Based Cultural Humility Training on Standardized Patient Interactions: Revisiting the Measurement Process.

Recent findings in health sciences and medical education highlight the importance of training healthcare professionals to interact with their patients in a culturally humble manner (Nadal et al., in Journal of Counseling and Development 92: 57-66, 2014; Pascoe & Smart Richman, in Psychological Bulletin 135: 531, 2009; Sirois & Burg, in Behavior Modification 27: 83-102, 2003; Williams & Mohammed, in Journal of Behavioral Medicine 32: 20-47, 2009). An important piece in the progression of our ability to address training challenges is the assessment of cultural humility.

Prevalence of HCV Infection in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease and Treatment with Direct Antiviral Agents.

Objectives: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects >3% of the US population, which over time can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The lack of a reliable screening method for HCV before 1992 resulted in a higher prevalence of the virus in adults with congenital heart disease who underwent corrective surgery that required blood transfusions. Direct-acting antiviral agents such as sofosbuvir/ledipasvir have significantly increased the efficacy of HCV therapy, although use of these medications in adults with congenital heart disease has not been described.

Assessing L2 lexical versus inflectional accuracy across skill levels.

This study measures whether number and type of morphemes in an elicited imitation string results in a greater number of modifications with L2 experience. Rationale is drawn from L2 working memory processing limitations at distinct levels of proficiency. 38 subjects (L2 Spanish university students) comprise three proficiency groups: beginning, undergraduate majors and graduate students.

Faculty perceptions of the Educating Pharmacy Students to Improve Quality (EPIQ) program.

Objective: To investigate users' initial perceptions of and potential applications for the Educating Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists to Improve Quality (EPIQ) program, a 5-module education program designed to educate pharmacists and pharmacy students about quality improvement in pharmacy practice.

Methods: The 5-module EPIQ program was distributed to pharmacy faculty members, pharmacy practitioners, and other health professionals across the country upon request. A 6-item survey instrument was sent to the first 97 people who requested the program.

Perspectives on educating pharmacy students about the science of safety.

Objective: To identify opinions about pharmacy graduates' science of safety (SoS) educational needs.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were performed with 25 educators and researchers at US pharmacy colleges and schools and 5 individuals from associations engaged in drug safety-related issues.

Results: Themes that emerged from the 30 interviews with key informants included: pharmacists should meet minimum SoS requirements; medication safety education is inconsistent; and barriers exist to improving SoS curricula.

Examining medication adherence in older women with coronary heart disease.

Unlabelled: The purposes of this study were to examine medication adherence in older women with coronary heart disease and to identify barriers and facilitators of medication adherence.

Methods: The study used a semistructured interview guide and established measures to examine medication taking 3 months after hospital discharge.

Results: Thirty-two women completed the study: 65.

The Educating Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists to Improve Quality program: tool for pharmacy practice.

Objective: To describe (1) the importance of understanding quality measurement and improvement and (2) the development and potential uses of the Educating Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists to Improve Quality (EPIQ) program.

Practice Description: The EPIQ program is applicable to all pharmacy practice settings.

Practice Innovation: EPIQ was developed as a quality improvement education resource, for use by pharmacy faculty and other professionals, to teach student pharmacists, pharmacists, and other stakeholders about measuring, reporting, and improving quality in pharmacy practice.

Web-based multimedia vignettes in advanced community pharmacy practice experiences.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of Web-based multimedia vignettes on complex drug administration techniques to augment the training of pharmacy students in advanced community pharmacy practice experiences.

Design: During the orientation for a community APPE, students were randomly assigned to either a study group or control group After they began their APPE, students in the study group were given an Internet address to access multimedia vignettes which they were required to watch to augment their training and standardize their counseling of patients in the use of inhalers and ear and eye drops.

Assessment: A 12-item questionnaire was administered to students in both groups at the orientation and again on the last day of the APPE to evaluate their knowledge of counseling patients in the use of inhalers and ear and eye drops.

Evidence-based use of second-generation antipsychotics in a state Medicaid pediatric population, 2001-2005.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify children in a state Medicaid population who were newly treated with second-generation antipsychotics from 2001 through 2005, to classify each use of these agents as evidence based or not depending on the child's diagnoses, and to identify factors associated with the likelihood of evidence-based use of the medication.

Methods: A Medicaid claims database was used to retrospectively identify enrollees receiving initial outpatient treatment with a second-generation antipsychotic between 2001 and 2005. To capture all relevant treatments and diagnoses, claims were examined from January 2000 through December 2006.

Good and poor adherence: optimal cut-point for adherence measures using administrative claims data.

Objective: To identify the adherence value cut-off point that optimally stratifies good versus poor compliers using administratively derived adherence measures, the medication possession ratio (MPR) and the proportion of days covered (PDC) using hospitalization episode as the primary outcome among Medicaid eligible persons diagnosed with schizophrenia, diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure (CHF), or hyperlipidemia.

Research Design And Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of Arkansas Medicaid administrative claims data. Patients > or =18 years old had to have at least one ICD-9-CM code for the study diseases during the recruitment period July 2000 through April 2004 and be continuously eligible for 6 months prior and 24 months after their first prescription for the target condition.

Pharmacy students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding emergency contraception.

Objectives: To determine pharmacy students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding emergency contraception.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of students prior to a regular class period. The 16-item survey instrument included both multiple-choice and true/false questions to assess knowledge and Likert-type scale questions regarding attitudes and behaviors.

Prospective validation of eight different adherence measures for use with administrative claims data among patients with schizophrenia.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the predictive validity of eight different adherence measures by studying the variability explained between each measure and hospitalization episodes among Medicaid-eligible persons diagnosed with schizophrenia on antipsychotic monotherapy.

Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of the Arkansas Medicaid administrative claims data. Continuously eligible adult schizophrenia (ICD-9-CM = 295.

An empirical basis for standardizing adherence measures derived from administrative claims data among diabetic patients.

Objective: To compare the predictive validity of 8 different adherence measures by studying the variability explained between each measure and 2 outcome measures: hospitalization episodes and total nonpharmacy cost among Medicaid eligible persons diagnosed with diabetes.

Research Design: This study was a retrospective analysis of the Arkansas Medicaid administrative claims data from January 2000 to December 2006.

Subjects: Diabetic (ICD-9-CM = 250.

Arkansas pharmacists' perceptions toward emergency contraception and nonprescription Plan B.

Objective: This study describes Arkansas pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding emergency contraception.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of pharmacists prior to a continuing education lecture. The 16-item survey included multiple choice and true/false questions to assess knowledge in addition to Likert-type scale questions regarding attitudes and beliefs.

An international inter-laboratory ring trial to evaluate a real-time PCR assay for the detection of bovine herpesvirus 1 in extended bovine semen.

Six laboratories participated in a ring trial to evaluate the reliability of a real-time PCR assay for the detection of bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) from extended bovine semen. Sets of coded samples were prepared and distributed to each of the laboratories. The sample panel contained semen from naturally and artificially infected bulls, serial dilutions of positive semen with negative semen, semen from uninfected seronegative bulls, negative semen spiked with virus, as well as serial dilutions of reference virus.

Validation of a real-time PCR assay for the detection of bovine herpesvirus 1 in bovine semen.

A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed for detection of the presence of bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BoHV-1) in extended bovine semen. The assay detects a region encoding a highly conserved glycoprotein B gene. The real-time PCR assay was validated for specificity, sensitivity and repeatability using spiked semen and semen from naturally infected animals.

Freezing complete polymerase chain reaction master mix reagents for routine molecular diagnostics.

The potential of storing complete frozen real-time polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) and real-time reverse transcription PCRs (RT-PCRs), which require only thawing and the addition of template nucleic acid before PCR cycling, was examined. Master mixes containing all necessary reagents at working concentration (except template nucleic acid) were aliquoted into single-reaction volumes and stored at -70 degrees C for periods of up to 8 months. Reactions were removed from storage and nucleic acid template was added and amplified using different real-time PCR instruments.

Prevalence and treatment of metabolic syndrome in adolescents with type 2 diabetes.

Background: The incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes among adolescents has risen dramatically in recent years, and it is likely that many of these adolescents also have metabolic syndrome.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the patient population enrolled in a children's hospital type 2 diabetes clinic and to describe baseline pharmacologic treatment and adherence patterns.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the medical charts of 52 adolescents were reviewed.

Assessment of medication management by community-living elderly persons with two standardized assessment tools: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The ability of patients to adhere to a medication regimen is imperative for achieving optimal outcomes. Elderly patients, especially those with memory loss, should be evaluated for their ability to manage medications to prevent significant drug-related problems. Assessment tools to determine the ability to manage medication therapy have not been tested in elderly patients with cognitive impairment.

A 30-month evaluation of the effects on the cost and utilization of proton pump inhibitors from adding omeprazole OTC to drug benefit coverage in a state employee health plan.

Objective: On March 1, 2004, the state employee health plan began covering omeprazole OTC (over the counter) at a $5 copayment. Reimbursement to pharmacy providers for omeprazole OTC increased by $10.50 per claim, from $2.