Impact of frequency of spaced retrieval using repeat testing on asthma pharmacotherapy knowledge retention.

Objective: "Test-enhanced learning" is a strategy utilized to impact knowledge retention. This study aimed to assess the effect of the frequency of spaced retrieval using repeat testing on knowledge depreciation in a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program.

Methods: The study randomly assigned second-year pharmacy students to one of three retrieval practice groups: (1) two retrieval practice assessments (2 and 4 months after the course), (2) one retrieval practice assessment (4 months after the course), or (3) no retrieval practice.

Exploring the Utility and Fairness of a Multi-institutional Situational Judgment Test.

Objective: To pilot a situational judgment test (SJT) developed to assess empathy, integrity, and teamwork and explore differences in performance between first-year (P1) and fourth-year (P4) student pharmacists based on gender, race or ethnicity, and geographical region.

Methods: An SJT was developed to assess empathy, integrity, and teamwork, using best practices. The SJT was piloted tested with P1 and P4 student pharmacists at 5 institutions.

Opening the Black Box: Agreement and Reliability of a Situational Judgment Test Across Multiple Institutions.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to examine the levels of agreement and reliability of a situational judgment test (SJT) using a diverse pool of pharmacy practice faculty as subject matter experts. Secondary aims included analyses to build support for test validity and fairness.

Methods: An SJT containing 18 scenarios and 118 responses assessing empathy, integrity, and teamwork was developed and delivered to pharmacy practice faculty at 5 schools of pharmacy across the United States.

Finalizing the Work Related to the Curriculum Outcomes and Example Objectives and Entrustable Professional Activities (COEPA) Document: The Report of the 2022-2023 Academic Affairs Standing Committee.

The 2022-2023 Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) was charged to (1) complete the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) revisions (now renamed as COEPA - Curriculum Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities) after receiving feedback at the 2022 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Annual Meeting; (2) offer guidance on how the revised COEPA education outcomes and EPA statements should be used by member institutions, faculty, preceptor, and students; (3) guide input into the ongoing revision of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) standards for the Doctor of Pharmacy program. The published report of the 2021-2022 AAC outlines the work of the Committee through the spring of 2022. This 2022-2023 AAC report focuses on the work related to finalizing the COEPA educational outcomes, EPAs, preamble, and glossary and formally receiving approval from the AACP Board of Directors.

The AACP Academic Affairs Committee's Guidance for Use of the Curricular Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (COEPA) for Pharmacy Graduates.

The 2021-2023 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) was charged with and completed the revision of the 2013 Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education Outcomes and the 2016 Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA) statements for new pharmacy graduates. This work resulted in a new combined document, the Curricular Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (COEPA) that was unanimously approved by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Board of Directors and was published in the Journal. The AAC was also charged with providing stakeholders with guidance about how to use the new COEPA document.

The AACP Academic Affairs Committee's Final 2022 Curricular Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (COEPA) for Pharmacy Graduates to Replace 2013 CAPE and 2016 EPAs.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Academic Affairs Committee was charged with revising both the 2013 Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) Educational Outcomes (EOs) and the 2016 Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). The Committee changed the document name from the CAPE outcomes to COEPA, (Curricular Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities) since the EOs and EPAs would now be housed together. A draft of the COEPA EOs and EPAs was released at the AACP July 2022 Annual meeting.

Revising the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) Educational Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs): The Report of the 2021-2022 Academic Affairs Standing Committee.

The 2021-22 Academic Affairs Committee was charged to 1) Update the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA) statements for new pharmacy graduates; 2) Nominate at least one person for an elected AACP or Council Office; and 3) Consider ways that AACP can improve its financial health. This report primarily focuses on the process undertaken by the committee to revise the CAPE Educational Outcomes and EPAs. Proposed changes to the current outcomes are discussed and the reasoning behind these revisions are described.

Pharmacy student self-assessment of strength of residency candidacy compared to clinical faculty.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare student and faculty perceptions of strength of residency candidacy and to identify student preferences and perceptions that influence the process of being selected by a residency program beyond standard application materials.

Methods: A 31-item questionnaire was administered to third-year and fourth-year pharmacy students to collect information regarding factors deemed important for successful residency program candidacy. Global assessment of strength of residency candidacy was self-rated by students and a group of clinical faculty blinded to student responses.

Student Performance on Graded Versus Ungraded Readiness Assurance Tests in a Team-Based Learning Elective.

Team-based learning is widely used in pharmacy education. In this context, students need to be incentivized to do preclass preparation, thus ensuring they are ready for team-based learning, via graded readiness assurance tests (RATs). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of graded versus ungraded RATs on examination performance in an ambulatory care elective course for third-year student pharmacists.

Assessing professionalism in health profession degree programs: A scoping review.

Background: To identify and classify methods for assessing professionalism across health profession degree programs and identify gaps in the literature regarding types of assessments.

Methods: The authors conducted a scoping review of articles published from database inception through 24 January 2020. Included articles described an assessment approach for professionalism in health profession degree programs available in full-text in the English language.

Stop tempting your students to cheat.

Introduction: Maintaining academic integrity is paramount for educators, and even more so for health science educators, where the health of patients is potentially at stake. However, as more content and assessments are pushed into an online forum, more hurdles are being placed in the path of keeping everyone honest without requiring significant financial resources for online proctoring of every assessment. This commentary explores the suggestion of re-evaluating the need for graded course assessments as a way to uphold academic integrity.

Development and Validation of a Situational Judgement Test to Assess Professionalism.

The purpose of this study was to develop, pilot, and validate a situational judgement test (SJT) to assess professionalism in Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students. Test specifications were developed and faculty members were educated on best practices in item writing for SJTs. The faculty members then developed 75 pilot scenarios.

Ferric Maltol: A New Oral Iron Formulation for the Treatment of Iron Deficiency in Adults.

Objective: To review the pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of ferric maltol (FM), an oral iron formulation, for iron deficiency anemia (IDA).

Data Sources: A MEDLINE/PubMed and EMBASE (January 1, 1985, to June 19, 2020) literature search was performed using the terms , and . Additional data sources included prescribing information, abstracts, and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry.

Collaborative Learning Teams to Longitudinally Teach and Assess Teamwork Behaviors and Attitudes.

To create and assess the effectiveness of a model of continuous development of teamwork skills (CDTS), which used a longitudinal peer feedback process across multiple courses that incorporated collaborative team learning. Pharmacy students participated in collaborative learning teams across the first three years of the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum, with team membership changing annually. Self, peer, and team evaluations were completed using the Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness (CATME) Smarter Teamwork system at four time points each year (three formative assessments and one summative assessment).

Impact of Team Formation Method on Student Team Performance Across Multiple Courses Incorporating Team-based Learning.

To assess the impact of forming student learning teams based on problem solving styles on team performance and student perceptions of team quality. This was a prospective observational study involving students in the first year of a Doctor of Pharmacy degree program. Collaborative learning teams (balanced, implementer, optimizer, and random assignment) were created based on students' results on the Basadur Creative Problem Solving Profile Inventory.

Pharmacy resident teaching and learning curriculum program outcomes: Student performance and quality assessment.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess: (1) student performance on topics taught by first and second year postgraduate pharmacy residents and (2) the quality of learning objectives and multiple choice questions prepared by pharmacy residents.

Methods: Using a retrospective cohort design, residents and students who taught or were enrolled, respectively, in the Medication Therapy Management course in years 2010 to 2012 were participants in this study. Student performance was assessed using scores earned on the individual readiness assurance tests (iRATs), team readiness assurance tests (tRATs), and course examinations.

Analyzing Analgesic Medications in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Objectives: Analyzing medication data for research purposes is complex, and methods are rarely described in the literature. Our objective was to describe methods of quantifying opioid and nonopioid analgesics and to compare the utility of five different analgesic coding methods when analyzing relationships between pain, analgesic use, and clinical outcomes. In this study, we used physical function as the outcome variable for its clinical relevance and its relationship to pain in older adults.

A Systematic Review of Assessment Tools Measuring Interprofessional Education Outcomes Relevant to Pharmacy Education.

To identify and describe the available quantitative tools that assess interprofessional education (IPE) relevant to pharmacy education. A systematic approach was used to identify quantitative IPE assessment tools relevant to pharmacy education. The search strategy included the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Resource Exchange (Nexus) website, a systematic search of the literature, and a manual search of journals deemed likely to include relevant tools.

A Pilot Study to Assess Patient Adherence to New Chronic Medications Following the Use of a Novel Adherence Tool and Individualized Counseling.

Medication nonadherence leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality. In the United States, it results in an annual estimated cost of $290 billion in patients with chronic diseases. Several adherence screening tools are available for use, but none have been adopted for widespread use.

Comparison of Patients Receiving Long-Term Metformin Therapy and Vitamin B Monitoring.

Metformin may cause vitamin B deficiency that can present with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. Lack of vitamin B serum concentration monitoring could result in vitamin B deficiency progression, worsening of symptoms, and unnecessary medication. The purpose of this study was to () compare the influence of the rate of symptoms consistent with vitamin B deficiency on obtaining vitamin B serum concentrations in patients using metformin; () assess if vitamin B serum concentrations were ordered as a routine monitoring parameter.

Comparison of answer-until-correct and full-credit assessments in a team-based learning course.

Objective: To assess the impact of awarding partial credit to team assessments on team performance and on quality of team interactions using an answer-until-correct method compared to traditional methods of grading (multiple-choice, full-credit).

Methods: Subjects were students from 3 different offerings of an ambulatory care elective course, taught using team-based learning. The control group (full-credit) consisted of those enrolled in the course when traditional methods of assessment were used (2 course offerings).

Pharmacist-physician collaboration for diabetes care: cardiovascular outcomes.

Background: Only 23% of patients are meeting all goals for cardiovascular complications of diabetes.

Objective: The purpose of our study is to evaluate the effect of a pharmacist-physician collaboration on attainment of cardiovascular-related goals in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This prospective, multicenter cohort enrolled patients from 7 practice sites that were members of the University of Tennessee Pharmacist Practice Based Research Network (UT Pharm Net).

Impact of pharmacists' interventions and simvastatin dose restrictions.

Background: On June 8, 2011, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported safety concerns regarding statin-related myopathies and advised further restrictions on simvastatin dosing. These restrictions reduced the maximum dose for specific patient characteristics, primarily certain concomitant medications.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of 2 different pharmacist-conducted educational interventions on appropriate simvastatin use in the primary care setting.

Pharmacoeconomic analysis of the diabetes initiative program: a pharmacist-physician collaborative care model.

Background: Diabetes treatment cost increased 41% from 2007 to 2011. Pharmacists have provided collaborative diabetes management for decades with improvement in disease-related end points. Few have reported economic benefits of pharmacist management of type 2 diabetes.