for Pharmacy Services Quality Improvement-A Bridge to Cross the Quality Chasm.

Objective: To review the literature on the subject of quality improvement principles and methods applied to pharmacy services and to describe a framework for current and future efforts in pharmacy services quality improvement and effective drug therapy management.

Background: The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy produced the in 1997, followed by the in February 1999. In April 2002, AMCP introduced .

Evolution of the AMCP Format for Formulary Submissions.

No funding was required for this project. The authors are or have been members of the Format Executive Committee.

Lifetime and recent prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening of men for prostate cancer in Canada.

Background: In spite of national guidelines which do not recommend prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer or are inconclusive, Canadian men may be accessing the screening test.

Methods: For the purpose of informing prostate screening policy, cross-sectional self-reported data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2000-2001) were analyzed to determine the lifetime and recent PSA screening prevalence of Canadian men aged 50 and older with no prostate cancer, and to explore the socio-demographic characteristics associated with ever being screened. Multivariate binomial regression analyses were used to calculate prevalence rate ratios as a measure of association between respondents' characteristics and PSA screening behaviour.

Multiple exposures to smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity and overweight: Prevalences according to the Canadian Community Health Survey Cycle 1.1.

The objective of this study was to calculate the prevalence of multiple exposures to four modifiable risk factors (smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity and overweight) and to establish whether there are more Canadians with multiple risk factor exposures than those with singular ones. Weighted estimates of the prevalence of mutually exclusive risk factor clusters were calculated according to the Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 1.1 (2000).

Framework for pharmacy services quality improvement--a bridge to cross the quality chasm. Part I. The opportunity and the tool.

Objective: To review the literature on the subject of quality improvement principles and methods applied to pharmacy services and to describe a framework for current and future efforts in pharmacy services quality improvement and effective drug therapy management.

Background: The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy produced the Catalog of Pharmacy Quality Indicators in 1997, followed by the Summary of National Pharmacy Quality Measures in February 1999. In April 2002, AMCP introduced Pharmacy's Framework for Drug Therapy Management in the 21st Century.

The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Format for Formulary Submissions: an evolving standard--a Foundation for Managed Care Pharmacy Task Force report.

Objective: The objective of this report is to provide, in detail, the evidentiary requirements contained in Version 2.0 of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's (AMCP's) Format for Formulary Submissions and to elaborate on several key issues regarding the use of the Format that users, potential users, and pharmaceutical manufacturers have raised since AMCP published the first version of the guidelines in October 2000.

Background: The AMCP published its Format for Formulary Submissions in October 2000.