Creation of a motivational interviewing-based pharmacy communications course: From dissemination to assessment.

Background And Purpose: Pharmacists are frequently faced with evocative patient care conversations surrounding medication taking behaviors and overall health and wellness. Teaching communication is a core focus within pharmacy education; however, there is often less emphasis placed on learning motivational interviewing (MI). We will share challenges and successes associated with the creation and dissemination of a MI-based communications course with pharmacy student learners.

A pilot study assessing client understanding and use of fentanyl test strips for harm reduction.

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a sharp increase in overdose deaths from illicitly manufactured fentanyls (IMFs) occurring between 2020 and 2021 in the United States. Approximately 4 in 10 drug overdose deaths involved opioids and stimulants. Fentanyl test strips (FTS), used to test drug product before use, can be a powerful harm reduction tool to promote safer use behaviors.

Factors influencing performance on the Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist Examination: Passing rates and domain-level scores.

The Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist (BCPP) specialty certification was launched by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties in 1994. Candidates for the BCPP can qualify for the examination through 3 possible pathways: practice experience (4 years) in the specialty, completion of a PGY-1 residency plus an additional 2 years of practice experience, or completion of a PGY-2 specialty residency in psychiatric pharmacy. Recent fluctuations in the passing rate raised questions as to explanatory factors.

Curriculum in Psychiatry and Neurology for Pharmacy Programs.

To describe pharmacy curricula in psychiatry and neurology and to report on neuropsychiatric pharmacy specialists' views on optimal curriculum. Design and administer one electronic survey to accredited pharmacy programs asking them to report information on curricula in psychiatry and neurology for the 2014-2015 academic year. Design and administer a separate electronic survey to board certified pharmacists with an academic affiliation who are members of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) asking about their teaching activities and their opinion on optimal curricula.

Tramadol-associated mania: A case report.

A variety of medications, most notably tricyclic antidepressants, and other antidepressants including venlafaxine have been reported to have triggered manic episodes in patients with bipolar disorder. The synthetic opioid tramadol has also been associated with mania activation. This report describes an unusual case of tramadol-associated mania in a patient without a charted diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

A mental health elective to improve pharmacy students' perspectives on mental illness.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a mental health elective on pharmacy students' perceptions and stigmatizing views of mental illness.

Design: An elective was designed that featured an advanced overview of psychopharmacology; student training in motivational interviewing; a presentation by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) local chapter; introduction to pharmacy collaborations with peer support specialists, social workers, and psychiatrists; mock patient counseling sessions; and a required psychiatric patient interview at a local community mental health center.

Assessment: A survey instrument with 17 Likert-scale items was constructed to measure 2 distinct areas: social distance and stigmatizing views.

Clinical pharmacist interventions on an assertive community treatment team.

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a community-based treatment approach intended to help in the recovery and rehabilitation of clients with severe and persistent mental illnesses. A clinical pharmacist is not routinely a member of an ACT team. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the role of a pharmacist by reviewing recommendations and interventions made by a clinical pharmacist on an ACT team.

Psychotropic medication use at a private eating disorders treatment facility: A retrospective chart review and descriptive data analysis.

Background: The extent of psychotropic medication use in patients with eating disorders worldwide is unknown.

Objectives: THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE TO: (1) describe the extent and pattern of psychotropic medication use at a private treatment facility for patients with eating disorders and (2) describe patient characteristics and treatment outcomes at the facility.

Methods: This retrospective chart review included data from a private treatment facility (inpatient or outpatient) for patients with eating disorders in the greater Los Angeles area.