Utilizing desirable difficulties for sterile compounding training in a skills-based laboratory course.

Background And Purpose: Sterile compounding skills are essential components of a professional pharmacy curriculum. The theory of desirable difficulties has been used to facilitate deeper learning of material in other disciplines, but has not been described in pharmacy sterile compounding instruction. The purpose of this work was to evaluate whether challenges introduced in sterile compounding would act as desirable difficulties and result in greater student confidence in their sterile compounding competency.

Comparison of faculty and student self-assessment scores of aseptic technique skills and the impact of video review on self-awareness for second-year pharmacy students.

Background And Purpose: Educating students about aseptic technique presents many challenges. Students at Drake University have limited exposure to this skill outside of the classroom setting, and students have previously shown a lack of awareness related to their own aseptic technique skills. One approach to developing self-awareness in this area may be the incorporation of activities involving video viewing and self-reflection.

Communication networks of medication management in an ambulatory care setting.

Background: Systems approaches in healthcare address complexities of care related to medication safety. Adverse drug events can be prevented by communication between providers. Thus, methods that depict the structures and processes of communications are foundational for prevention efforts.

A collaborative program to increase adult pneumococcal vaccination rates among a high-risk patient population receiving care at urgent care clinics.

We report a project that utilized pharmacy students to increase pneumococcal vaccination rates in patients aged 19-64 years with high-risk medical conditions within urgent care clinics. The study also sought to better identify the number of patients previously vaccinated for pneumococcal disease. A total of 1,178 patients were considered eligible for pneumococcal vaccination during the study period, 287 (24.

Effect of a Rivaroxaban Patient Assistance Kit (R-PAK) for Patients Discharged With Rivaroxaban: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The combination of poor health literacy and a complex dosing regimen/transition for rivaroxaban in venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment may increase the likelihood of negative clinical outcomes secondary to nonadherence. The aim was to determine if a Rivaroxaban Patient Assistance Kit (R-PAK) given at hospital discharge increases proper dose transition and overall patient adherence. This prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted at an 859-bed academic medical center.

Impact of debates on student perceptions and competency scores in the advanced pharmacy practice setting.

Background And Purpose: Advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) students are faced with the difficult reality that there is rarely one correct answer to a patient care question. Faculty preceptors developed a clinical debate activity to provide students with an opportunity to explore pharmacy topics with competing viewpoints.

Educational Activity And Setting: The clinical debate activity was implemented in the APPE setting as a collaboration between three faculty preceptors from Drake University and University of Iowa.

It's no debate, debates are great.

Introduction: A debate can be a pedagogical method used to instill essential functions in pharmacy students. This non-traditional teaching method may help to further develop a number of skills that are highlighted in the current Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education Standards 2016 and Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education Educational Outcomes 2013.

Commentary: Debates have also been used as an educational tool in other health disciplines.

Criteria for evaluating global health partnerships in colleges of pharmacy and health sciences.

Background And Purpose: The demand for international experiences as part of education and training for healthcare providers continues to increase. As schools/colleges of pharmacy increase training opportunities in global health, there is a demand for a strategic way to evaluate opportunities. Evaluation tools can be utilized to facilitate this type of assessment.

Addition of Allopurinol for Altering Thiopurine Metabolism to Optimize Therapy in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Thiopurine drugs, including azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine, are used commonly in patients with inflammatory bowel disease for maintenance of remission. Although generally well tolerated, adverse effects lead to discontinuation in a significant minority of patients. Pharmacogenomic studies have suggested that metabolic breakdown of azathioprine in an individual is genetically determined.

Use of a health screening and education event to change student attitudes toward the elderly.

Background: While many schools have incorporated geriatric pharmacy education into their curricula, questions remain as to how these experiences shape student perceptions of the geriatric population. The objective of this study was to assess student comfort levels and perceptions toward the geriatric patient population before and after participation in a single health screening and education event.

Methods: Student perceptions about the elderly (measured via the Geriatrics Attitude Survey) and comfort levels in caring for geriatric patients were assessed before and after an event.

Real-world Clinical Outcomes Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Receiving Canagliflozin at a Specialty Diabetes Clinic: Subgroup Analysis by Baseline HbA and Age.

Purpose: Canagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), has demonstrated effectiveness in patients with T2DM receiving care at a specialty diabetes clinic. We report the outcomes in these patients in subgroups classified by baseline hemoglobin A (HbA) and age.

Methods: This subgroup analysis was based on a review of data from the electronic health records of adults with T2DM who were prescribed canagliflozin at a specialty diabetes clinic and who returned for ≥1 follow-up office visit.

Antibiotic Classification and Indication Review for the Infusion Nurse.

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) has become an increasingly common practice for the treatment of infections. The infusion nurse plays a vital role in administering, monitoring, and educating patients about parenteral antibiotics, while bridging communication between the patient and OPAT team. It is important for the infusion nurse to know common indications, adverse effects, monitoring parameters, and the mechanism of action for antibiotics used in OPAT to provide optimal patient care.

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.

Real world clinical outcomes and patient characteristics for canagliflozin treated patients in a specialty diabetes clinic.

Objective: To examine characteristics and outcomes of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients prescribed canagliflozin (CANA) and managed in the real-world setting of a diabetes clinic. Primary outcome was change in A1c, and secondary outcomes were change in weight and blood pressure.

Methods: Study was an electronic health record (EHR) review of CANA prescribed at the diabetes clinic from June 2013 to June 2015.

Impact of a Simulation Exercise on Pharmacy Student Attitude toward Poverty.

Objective. To evaluate the impact of a simulation on pharmacy student attitudes toward poverty using the Attitude toward Poverty (ATP) Short Form scale. Methods.

Retrospective Evaluation of ASCVD Risk and Statin Therapy Need in Nondiabetic Patients Based on the 2013 ACC/AHA Cholesterol Guidelines.

Purpose: Study goal was to assess the impact of the 2013 American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Cholesterol Guidelines on patients in the fourth statin benefit group which included patients aged 40 to 75 years, without diabetes or clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), and have an ASCVD score ≥7.5%. These patients could benefit from treatment interventions by a pharmacist.

Practical Team-Based Learning from Planning to Implementation.

Team-based learning (TBL) helps instructors develop an active teaching approach for the classroom through group work. The TBL infrastructure engages students in the learning process through the Readiness Assessment Process, problem-solving through team discussions, and peer feedback to ensure accountability. This manuscript describes the benefits and barriers of TBL, and the tools necessary for developing, implementing, and critically evaluating the technique within coursework in a user-friendly method.

An Industrial Engineering Approach to Cost Containment of Pharmacy Education.

A 2-semester project explored employing teams of fourth-year industrial engineering students to optimize some of our academic management processes. Results included significant cost savings and increases in efficiency, effectiveness, and student and faculty satisfaction. While we did not adopt all of the students' recommendations, we did learn some important lessons.

A multiyear analysis of team-based learning in a pharmacotherapeutics course.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of team-based learning (TBL) in a pharmacotherapeutics course on pharmacy students' ratings of faculty instructors and the course, and to assess students' performance after implementation of team-taught TBL.

Design: Teaching methodology in a pharmacotherapeutics course was changed from a lecture with recitation approach in 2 semesters of a 6 credit-hour course to a TBL framework in a 3-semester 3+4+5 credit hour course. The distribution of faculty of instruction was changed from 4 faculty members per week to 1 faculty per 1-credit-hour module.

A Retrospective Evaluation of Response to Vitamin D Supplementation in Obese Versus Nonobese Patients.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on vitamin D status following ergocalciferol therapy.

Methods: A retrospective evaluation of patients aged 18 years and older with a baseline serum 25(OH)D < 30 ng/mL who received prescription ergocalciferol 50 000 IU at any dose between July 2009 and November 2011 was conducted. Patients were included if pre- and posttreatment 25(OH)D levels were available within 3 months of therapy.

Evaluation of dosing and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing conversion of insulin glargine to insulin detemir.

Study Objectives: To evaluate the dose and frequency of insulin detemir for patients with diabetes mellitus undergoing conversion from insulin glargine to insulin detemir, and to assess glycemic control, weight gain, and risk of hypoglycemia after converting to insulin detemir.

Design: Retrospective medical record review.

Setting: Large academic medical center.

Assessment of candidacy for pneumococcal vaccination in intensive care patients.

Objectives: The 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine has been shown to be effective in reducing mortality and complications from pneumonia. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have published guidelines for vaccination eligibility. The intensive care unit (ICU) may represent a missed opportunity for administration of the pneumococcal vaccine to eligible patients.