COVID-19 increased existing gender mortality gaps in high-income more than middle-income countries.

Objective: To analyze how patterns of excess mortality varied by sex and age groups across countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and their association with country income level.

Methods: We used World Health Organization excess mortality estimates by sex and age groups for 75 countries in 2020 and 62 countries in 2021, restricting the sample to estimates based on recorded all-cause mortality data. We examined patterns across countries using country-specific Poisson regressions with observations consisting of the number of excess deaths by groups defined by sex and age.

Barriers to medication error reporting in a federally qualified health center.

Objective: To explore the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention Categories of Errors health professionals are most likely to report and characterize what barriers to medication error reporting influence decisions to report and the extent they do so at a large federally qualified health center (FQHC).

Design: Prospective, cross-sectional, survey.

Setting And Participants: A total of 161 medical professionals at a large FQHC clinic with a small pharmacy team.

Future leaders in pharmacy (FLIP): Student perceptions of leadership development within pharmacy school.

Introduction: This study evaluated the perceptions of student pharmacists in their final year regarding leadership development and feelings of preparedness to assume their first leadership role after graduation.

Methods: This research was conducted using an anonymous, researcher developed, online instrument distributed to 21 institutions across the United States for students in their final semester. Data collected included demographics, the availability/benefit of leadership development activities, and perceptions of leadership skills a pharmacist needs.

Are COVID-19 age-mortality curves for 2020 flatter in developing countries? Evidence from a cross-sectional observational study of population-level official death counts and excess deaths estimates.

Objectives: Previous studies have found a pattern of flatter COVID-19 age-mortality curves among low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) using only official COVID-19 death counts. This study examines this question by comparing the age gradient of COVID-19 mortality in a broad set of countries using both official COVID-19 death counts and excess mortality estimates for 2020.

Design: This observational study uses official COVID-19 death counts for 76 countries and excess death estimates for 42 countries.

Exploring strategies to increase college students' motivation to receive their annual influenza vaccine.

Objective: To evaluate college students' awareness of an educational initiative to increase campus influenza vaccination rates and strategies to improve it.

Participants: Students attending a large public comprehensive university.

Methods: An investigator-developed, online survey evaluated awareness of the initiative, the students' perception of incentives, and other motivations to receive seasonal influenza vaccine.

Development, implementation and perceived benefits of student pharmacist learning experiences in transitions of care.

Background: Experiential education designed around transitions of care (TOC) offers student pharmacists a variety of educational activities to build their skills and confidence related to direct patient care, communication, and practice management. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development, implementation, and student perceptions of introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) and advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) that emphasize TOC.

Educational Activity: Sixty students (22 IPPE and 38 APPE) completed the learning experience with the oversight of two faculty members in two, separate, large community hospitals providing pharmacy led TOC services.

APPE Evaluations are Positively Associated with MMI, Pre-pharmacy GPA and Pharmacy GPA.

To determine factors associated with advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) performance in the pre-pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum and establish whether performance on the multiple mini interview (MMI) independently predicts APPE evaluation scores. A multi-case MMI has been used in the admissions process since 2008. Students are scored anywhere from 1 to 7 (unsatisfactory to outstanding) on each interview.

Pharmacogenomics of triazole antifungal agents: implications for safety, tolerability and efficacy.

Triazole antifungal agents are prescribed to treat invasive fungal infections in neutropenic and non-neutropenic patients. These antifungal agents are substrates and inhibitors of cytochrome P450 (CYP). Genetic polymorphisms in CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP3A5 can lead to large population-specific variations in drug efficacy and safety, optimal dosing, or contribute to drug interactions associated with this class.

Assessing the Medication Adherence App Marketplace From the Health Professional and Consumer Vantage Points.

Background: Nonadherence produces considerable health consequences and economic burden to patients and payers. One approach to improve medication nonadherence that has gained interest in recent years is the use of smartphone adherence apps. The development of smartphone adherence apps has increased rapidly since 2012; however, literature evaluating the clinical app and effectiveness of smartphone adherence apps to improve medication adherence is generally lacking.

Potential for Pharmacy-Public Health Collaborations Using Pharmacy-Based Point-of-Care Testing Services for Infectious Diseases.

Context: Health care professionals must continually identify collaborative ways to combat antibiotic resistance while improving community health and health care delivery. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA)-waived point-of-care (POC) testing (POCT) services for infectious disease conducted in community pharmacies provide a means for pharmacists to collaborate with prescribers and/or public health officials combating antibiotic resistance while improving community health and health care delivery.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive literature review that explores the potential for pharmacists to collaborate with public health professionals and prescribers using pharmacy-based CLIA-waived POCT services for infectious diseases.

Multiple Mini-Interview Performance Predicts Academic Difficulty in the PharmD Curriculum.

Objective. To identify admissions variable prognostics for academic difficulty in the PharmD curriculum to use for admissions determinations and early identification of at-risk students. Methods.

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.

Assessment of medication adherence app features, functionality, and health literacy level and the creation of a searchable Web-based adherence app resource for health care professionals and patients.

Objectives: To assess the features and level of health literacy (HL) of available medication adherence apps and to create a searchable website to assist health care providers (HCP) and patients identify quality adherence apps.

Practice Description: Medication nonadherence continues to be a significant problem and leads to poor health outcomes and avoidable health care expense. The average adherence rate for chronic medications, regardless of disease state, is approximately 50% leaving significant room for improvement.

Family Commitment and Work Characteristics among Pharmacists.

Factors associated with family commitment among pharmacists in the south central U.S. are explored.

The Influence of Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccines on Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) Outcomes Among Elderly Patients.

Elderly are at high risk for hospitalization for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), especially due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, and seasonal influenza viruses. Data suggest PPV23's influence on various CAP-related outcomes among the elderly may depend upon how many years have elapsed since they received this vaccine. PPV23's protection against invasive pneumococcal disease and CAP hospitalizations are often limited to moderately ill elderly, who are less than 75 years old, or female.

Prior pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and in-hospital outcomes for community-acquired pneumonia in elderly veterans.

Background: Studies of adults hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) reported better outcomes associated with prior pneumococcal vaccination (PV), suggesting potential additional benefits of PV in hospitalized CAP patients. Influenza (flu) vaccination (FV) could independently/additively improve CAP outcomes in hospitalized patients.

Objective: To examine the effect of prior PV and FV on in-hospital outcomes in elderly veterans hospitalized for CAP.

Innovation in clinical pharmacy practice and opportunities for academic--practice partnership.

Clinical pharmacy has a rich history of advancing practice through innovation. These innovations helped to mold clinical pharmacy into a patient-centered discipline recognized for its contributions to improving medication therapy outcomes. However, innovations in clinical pharmacy practice have now waned.

The need for PGY2-trained clinical pharmacy specialists.

The American College of Clinical Pharmacy and other stakeholder organizations seek to advance clinical pharmacist practitioners, educators, and researchers. Unfortunately, there remains an inadequate supply of residency-trained clinical specialists to meet the needs of our health care system, and nonspecialists often are called on to fill open specialist positions. The impact of clinical pharmacy specialists on pharmacotherapy outcomes in both acute care and primary care settings demonstrates the value of these specialists.

Point-of-care testing for infectious diseases: opportunities, barriers, and considerations in community pharmacy.

OBJECTIVES To identify opportunities to perform point-of-care (POC) testing and/or screening for infectious diseases in community pharmacies, provide an overview of such tests and how they are used in current practice, discuss how the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) affect pharmacists performing POC testing, and identify and discuss barriers and provide recommendations for those wanting to establish POC testing for infectious diseases services in community pharmacies. DATA SOURCES PubMed and Google Scholar were searched from November 2012 through May 2013 and encompassed the years 2000 and beyond for the narrative review section of this article using the search terms rapid diagnostic tests, POC testing and infectious diseases, pharmacy services, CLIA waiver, and collaborative drug therapy management. All state boards of pharmacy in the United States were contacted and their regulatory and legislative websites accessed in 2012 and January 2013 to review relevant pharmacy practice laws.

Factors associated with health-related quality of life of student pharmacists.

Objective: To assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of student pharmacists and explore factors related to HRQoL outcomes of student pharmacists in a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program at a public university.

Methods: A survey instrument was administered to all student pharmacists in a PharmD program at a public university to evaluate differences and factors related to the HRQoL outcomes of first-year (P1), second-year (P2), third-year (P3), and fourth-year (P4) student pharmacists in the college. The survey instrument included attitudes and academic-related self-perception, a 12-item short form health survey, and personal information components.

Steady-state pharmacokinetics of oral voriconazole and its primary metabolite, N-oxide voriconazole, pre- and post-autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation.

Voriconazole (VCZ) is frequently utilized for prevention and treatment of invasive fungal infections in peripheral stem cell transplant (PSCT) patients. We performed an open-label pharmacokinetic study to compare VCZ and N-oxide voriconazole (N-oxide VCZ) pharmacokinetics in patients pre- and post-PSCT. Ten patients completed both sampling periods.

Smartphone medication adherence apps: potential benefits to patients and providers.

Objectives: To provide an overview of medication adherence, discuss the potential for smartphone medication adherence applications (adherence apps) to improve medication nonadherence, evaluate features of adherence apps across operating systems (OSs), and identify future opportunities and barriers facing adherence apps.

Practice Description: Medication nonadherence is a common, complex, and costly problem that contributes to poor treatment outcomes and consumes health care resources. Nonadherence is difficult to measure precisely, and interventions to mitigate it have been largely unsuccessful.

Academic help-seeking behavior among student pharmacists.

Objectives. To identify factors associated with academic help-seeking behavior among student pharmacists at a public university.Methods.