Techs as Teachers: A Decade's Experience Utilizing Pharmacy Technicians in a Doctor of Pharmacy Program.

Pharmacy technician responsibilities, certifications, and duties across pharmacy settings have evolved in recent years, allowing them to potentially become a valuable resource for skills-based pharmacy education. Our institution has employed pharmacy technicians since 2014. This brief commentary addresses the training and roles of pharmacy technician staff in our skills-based education curriculum.

Fear, misinformation, and pharmaceutical messianism in the promotion of compounded bioidentical hormone therapy.

Compounded bioidentical hormone therapy (cBHT) for menopausal symptoms maintains popularity in western countries despite the availability of hormone products in different formulations and dosages produced by pharmaceutical companies with federal oversight. Akin to many populist therapeutic trends in the history of medicine, cBHT advocates tend to capitalize on consumer fears about existing FDA-approved hormone treatments. Unsubstantiated, exaggerated, or outright false claims are commonplace in promoting cBHT.

Evaluation of Scholarship Motivators and Barriers for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty in a Department of Pharmacy Practice.

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards 2016 set explicit expectations for faculty scholarship. However, many non-tenure-track faculty have struggled with the scholarship portion of the academic tripart mission of clinical practice, teaching, and scholarship. Therefore, we sought to identify themes regarding the barriers, motivators, and potential solutions associated with non-tenure-track faculty scholarship.

Toward Precision Medicine: Circadian Rhythm of Blood Pressure and Chronotherapy for Hypertension - 2021 NHLBI Workshop Report.

Healthy individuals exhibit blood pressure variation over a 24-hour period with higher blood pressure during wakefulness and lower blood pressure during sleep. Loss or disruption of the blood pressure circadian rhythm has been linked to adverse health outcomes, for example, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and chronic kidney disease. However, the current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches lack sufficient attention to the circadian rhythmicity of blood pressure.

Using the HyFlex model to deliver a capstone seminar course.

Introduction: The HyFlex course structure allows students to attend class in-person or via synchronous videoconferencing technology. This model has been described, but no data are available in pharmacy curricula.

Methods: Students enrolled in Grand Rounds (GR) were eligible.

Impact of a Pharmacist-Led Chronic Disease State Management Clinic on Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care.

The Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) tool measures patient satisfaction with chronic disease care. A modified PACIC tool (PACIC-RxFM) was used to assess patient satisfaction in a pharmacist-led chronic disease state management clinic. The secondary outcome compared satisfaction with pharmacist-led and physician-led visits.

Preventing and Managing Falls in Adults With Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Falls and fear of falling are a major health issue and associated with high injury rates, high medical care costs, and significant negative impact on quality of life. Adults with cardiovascular disease are at high risk of falling. However, the prevalence and specific risks for falls among adults with cardiovascular disease are not well understood, and falls are likely underestimated in clinical practice.

Impact of a Pharmacist-Driven Protocol to Improve Guideline-Concordant Prescribing of Diabetes Medications in Patients With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: To determine whether a pharmacist-driven protocol improves guideline-concordant prescribing of diabetes medications in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).

Methods: A retrospective pre- and post-intervention study was conducted at a university-based family medicine clinic. A pharmacist-driven protocol was implemented which involved the creation of an algorithm recommending specific diabetes medications in patients with ASCVD.

From Clinical Trials to Bedside: the Use of Antihypertensives in Aged Individuals. Part 1: Evaluation and Evidence of Treatment Benefit.

Purpose Of Review: Use of antihypertensives in older adults can be complicated by the potential for undesired effects on comorbidities, adverse effects of the drugs, and overall medication burden. The purpose of this two-part review is to discuss contemporary issues encountered in the management of hypertension in aged individuals, with a particular focus on the individualization of treatment. In part 1, we discuss the evaluation of the aged hypertensive patient and review the clinical trial evidence for treatment benefit of hypertension in the elderly.

From Clinical Trials to Bedside: the Use of Antihypertensives in Aged Individuals. Part 2: Approach to Treatment.

Purpose Of Review: Use of antihypertensives in older adults can be complicated by the potential for undesired effects on comorbidities, adverse effects of the drugs, and overall medication burden. The purpose of this two-part review is to discuss contemporary issues encountered in the management of hypertension in aged individuals, with a particular focus on considerations for the individualization of treatment. In Part 2, we discuss the individualized approach to treating hypertension in the elderly.

Blood pressure targets: How low should you go (and for whom)?

The ACC/AHA's lower BP goals are supported by previously unavailable evidence, the strongest of which is for patients with CVD. But others can benefit, too.

Hypertension guideline update: A new guideline for a new era.

In the United States, hypertension affects about one-third of adults and contributes to one out of every seven deaths. Evidence-based treatment is associated with reductions in incidence of stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure as well as associated disability and death. This article reviews the ACC/AHA Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines' 2017 Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults.

Pharmacist Intervention for Blood Pressure Control in Patients with Diabetes and/or Chronic Kidney Disease.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine if hypertensive patients with comorbid diabetes mellitus (DM) and/or chronic kidney disease (CKD) receiving a pharmacist intervention had a greater reduction in mean blood pressure (BP) and improved BP control at 9 months compared with those receiving usual care; and compare Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) guideline and 2014 guideline (JNC 8) BP control rates in patients with DM and/or CKD.

Methods: This cluster randomized trial included 32 medical offices in 15 states. Clinical pharmacists made treatment recommendations to physicians at intervention sites.

Utilization and prescribing patterns of direct oral anticoagulants.

Background: Scant literature exists evaluating utilization patterns for direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).

Objectives: The primary objective was to assess DOAC prescribing in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in outpatient clinics. Secondary objectives were to compare utilization between family medicine (FM) and internal medicine (IM) clinics, characterize potentially inappropriate use, and identify factors associated with adverse events (AEs).

Recommendations for Evaluating Practice-Related Activities of Pharmacy Faculty.

Objective: To develop definitions of who pharmacy practice faculty and partners are, identify indicators to measure practice-related activities, and provide guidance for evaluating pharmacy practice faculty.

Methods: A 4-round, online Delphi was conducted. Panelists with experience evaluating pharmacy practice faculty were invited.

Processes and Metrics to Evaluate Faculty Practice Activities at US Schools of Pharmacy.

Objective. To determine what processes and metrics are employed to measure and evaluate pharmacy practice faculty members at colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States. Methods.

Refinement and Validation of the Student Perceptions of Physician-Pharmacist Interprofessional Clinical Education Instrument.

Objective. To refine the Student Perceptions of Physician-Pharmacist Interprofessional Clinical Education (SPICE) instrument to address deficiencies observed in previous studies and to demonstrate external validity and reliability of the refined instrument in a broad population of medical and pharmacy students. Methods.