Learning Outcomes and Student Preferences with Flipped vs Lecture/Case Teaching Model in a Block Curriculum.

To assess the impact of using a flipped classroom instructional approach on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students' learning outcomes and instructional preferences in a pharmacotherapy course within a block curriculum. Select topics in a gastrointestinal and liver pharmacotherapy course were taught using a flipped classroom method that required students to view lecture modules and respond to self-assessment questions prior to class. Classroom time included quizzes, application exercises, and discussion.

Characterization of Use of the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment Across Accredited Colleges of Pharmacy.

To characterize use of the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) in terms of timing, manner of delivery, and application of the results by accredited colleges of pharmacy. Accredited pharmacy programs were surveyed regarding PCOA administration, perceived benefits, and practical application of score reports. Survey items were comprised of new items developed from a literature review and items from prior studies.

Designing professional program instruction to align with students' cognitive processing.

Background And Purpose: In health professional programs, training for educators in instructional design is sparse and may be absent altogether. Implementing evidence-based, systematic instructional design can improve pharmacy curricula. This paper describes Gagné's instructional design model which is particularly effective because the instructional steps align with learners' cognitive processes.

Implementing a strategy for promoting long-term meaningful learning in a pharmacokinetics course.

Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to describe the evolution and effectiveness of instructional strategies that were implemented over a seven-year period to enhance the authenticity of instruction and assessment in a pharmacokinetics (PK) course.

Methods: Baseline data from 2011 and 2012 were analyzed to identify opportunities for improvement. In 2013 and 2014, lectures, PK workshops, and exam questions were modified to represent more authentic learning and assessment.

Improving Pharmacy Calculations Using an Instructional Design Model.

To describe an evidence-based instructional design to improve performance and foster retention of pharmacy students' calculation skills longitudinally across the curriculum. Gagne's nine events of instructional design were employed in a longitudinal pharmacy calculations curriculum. Mean pharmacy calculation examination scores from four courses spanning the didactic curriculum for four different academic years (before and after the redesign) were compared.

Student-led co-curricular medical Spanish training in a pharmacy professional program.

Background And Purpose: This paper describes a student-led co-curricular training program to increase pharmacy student proficiency with medical Spanish terminology. Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) pharmacy students frequently can interact with Spanish-speaking patients in experiential rotations. Moreover, the clear majority of program graduates remain in California, a state with a high Spanish-speaking population.

An analysis of the use of Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) scores within one professional program.

Objective: The Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) is a recent assessment requirement for US pharmacy professional programs. This study analyses PCOA scores for uses described in the 2016 Standards with data from one professional program.

Methods: PCOA data were analyzed for two consecutive classes (n=215) of pharmacy students at the end of their didactic curriculum to explore relationships among PCOA scores, grade point average (GPA), and North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) scores utilizing regression analyses.

Teachable Moments Matter for: An analysis of the use of Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) scores within one professional program.

Editors Note: The Teachable Moments Matter category of articles is designed to offer readers insight into a methodological issue identified within a companion article. Written in collaboration with one of these authors, these articles provide an opportunity to focus on a challenge experienced by the authors and, in the process, provide one or more perspectives as to how to successfully navigate this issue. Notably, this "issue" is not necessarily a problem (as this first paper in this series demonstrates).

Understanding physician-level barriers to the use of individualized risk estimates in percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: The foundation of precision medicine is the ability to tailor therapy based upon the expected risks and benefits of treatment for each individual patient. In a prior study, we implemented a software platform, ePRISM, to execute validated risk-stratification models for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and found substantial variability in the use of the personalized estimates to tailor care. A better understanding of physicians' perspectives about the use of individualized risk-estimates is needed to overcome barriers to their adoption.

Exploration of Methods Used by Pharmacy Professional Programs to Contract with Experiential Practice Sites.

Objective. To explore methods used by pharmacy programs to attract and sustain relationships with preceptors and experiential practice sites. Methods.

Implementation and evaluation of activities to foster a sense of community among pharmacy students.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of a series of team-based instructional activities on students' sense of community for pharmacy students assigned to the main and distance program sites.

Materials And Methods: In conjunction with a teaching objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) conducted at the program's distance site, several team-based sense of community activities were completed. The classroom and school community inventory (CSCI) was adapted and administered to students prior to and following all learning activities to measure course and program sense of community.

Symptom recognition and healthcare experiences of young women with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Prompt recognition of acute myocardial infarction symptoms and timely care-seeking behavior are critical to optimize acute medical therapies. Relatively little is known about the symptom presentation and care-seeking experiences of women aged ≤55 years with acute myocardial infarction, a group shown to have increased mortality risk as compared with similarly aged men. Understanding symptom recognition and experiences engaging the healthcare system may provide opportunities to reduce delays and improve acute care for this population.

"I'm not just a heart, I'm a whole person here": a qualitative study to improve sexual outcomes in women with myocardial infarction.

Background: Little is known about recovery of female sexual function following an acute myocardial infarction (MI). Interventions to improve sexual outcomes in women are limited.

Methods And Results: Semistructured, qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with 17 partnered women (aged 43 to 75 years) purposively selected from the Translational Research Investigating Underlying Disparities in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients' Health Status Registry to deepen knowledge of recovery of female sexual function following an acute myocardial infarction (MI) and to improve sexual outcomes in women.

Admission variables predictive of academic struggle in a PharmD program.

Objective. To characterize and describe admission variables predictive of poor grade attainment by students in 2 pathways to a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program.Methods.

Variety and quantity of professional electives.

Objectives: To compare the elective courses offered by US colleges and schools of pharmacy to establish a benchmark for individual colleges and schools to use in assessing whether they offer a sufficient amount and variety of electives.

Methods: Internet Web sites of US doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) programs were reviewed to identify the number of elective lecture-based courses and elective advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) offered and required. Elective courses were grouped into categories to determine the variety of offerings.

Exploring barriers to optimal anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation: interviews with clinicians.

Background: Warfarin, the most commonly used antithrombotic agent for stroke prophylaxis in atrial fibrillation (AF), requires regular monitoring, frequent dosage adjustments, and dietary restrictions. Clinicians' perceptions of barriers to optimal AF management are an important factor in treatment. Anticoagulation management for AF is overseen by both cardiology and internal medicine (IM) practices.

Use of online modules to enhance knowledge and skills application during an introductory pharmacy practice experience.

Objectives: To implement and assess the effectiveness of online instructional modules to increase the consistency of learning outcomes related to students' patient-care practice knowledge and their skills application and confidence across introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) sites.

Design: Twenty online modules were created to provide uniform delivery of instructional content that complemented classroom instruction and to introduce students to common pharmacy-practice skills in the patient-care arena.

Assessment: Quantitative data were collected by means of a survey and pre- and post-module quizzes, which were completed by students to assess knowledge.

Medication Discussion Questions (MedDQ): developing a guide to facilitate patient-clinician communication about heart medications.

Background And Research Objective: Adherence to evidence-based therapies has emerged as one of the great challenges of translating discoveries to clinical care to optimize patient outcomes. In particular, nonadherence to lifesaving medications continues to trouble health care systems. We conducted a series of studies to investigate why cardiac patients stop life-sustaining medications and to develop a tool to proactively address medication adherence issues.

Clinician-patient discord: exploring differences in perspectives for discontinuing clopidogrel.

Background: Premature stopping of anti-platelet therapy has potentially fatal consequences for myocardial infarction (MI) patients who have received a drug-eluting stent (DES). Exploring multiple perspectives to identify contributing factors to the problem is essential.

Aim: We gained patient and clinician perspectives as to why MI patients prematurely stop anti-platelet therapy (clopidogrel) after DES implantation.

Exploring patients' reasons for discontinuance of heart medications.

Background: Despite the importance of secondary prevention, nonadherence rates for patients with myocardial infarction (MI) range from 13% to 60% for prescribed, evidence-based medicines. Although rates and consequences of discontinuance vary for different medications, the existing literature provides little insight into reasons for discontinuance.

Objective: To address this gap, we explored clopidogrel and cholesterol-lowering therapy (CLT) discontinuance after an MI to understand patients' reasons for stopping these 2 medications.

Clopidogrel-taking behavior by drug-eluting stent patients: Discontinuers versus continuers.

Background: Each day, patients make choices whether or not to take their prescribed medications. Previous research has shown that 1 in 7 myocardial infarction (MI) patients discontinued thienopyridines within 1 month of receiving a drug-eluting stent (DES) with serious consequences. This qualitative research study explored in depth the clopidogrel-taking behavior among DES-treated patients who quit taking clopidogrel 1 month after treatment and those who continued therapy.

Acute myocardial infarction patients' information needs over the course of treatment and recovery.

Background And Research Objective: Healthcare guidelines promote including patients in healthcare decision making to optimize treatment and recovery. However, prior research varies widely in the clinical context and conceptualization of patient involvement. The current study focuses on describing cardiac patients' preferences for involvement in decision making in the context of the myocardial infarction event continuum.

Does health status differ between men and women in early recovery after myocardial infarction?

Background: Although much attention has been given to survival after myocardial infarction (MI), little is known about sex differences in health status (symptoms, function, and quality of life). A particularly critical moment to assess health status following an MI is early after discharge when patients have resumed routine activities and when additional treatments may be offered to those with residual angina or quality of life limitations.

Methods: We used multivariable Poisson and linear regression models to examine differences in 30-day health status by sex in a cohort of 2096 MI patients enrolled in a 19-center Prospective Registry Evaluating Myocardial Infarction: Events and Recovery (PREMIER).

Peer tutoring programs in health professions schools.

Objective: Peer tutoring programs may be one method of maintaining quality of pharmacy education in the face of growing student enrollment and a small faculty body. A critical review of the literature was performed to ascertain whether peer tutoring programs improve or maintain the academic performance of health care professional students.

Methods: Various electronic databases and abstracts from past American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's annual meetings were searched to identify pertinent research.