A mnemonic for pharmacy students to use in pharmacotherapy assessment

Objective. To introduce pharmacy students to a patient-centered mnemonic to aid them in remembering the most important parameters when assessing a patient''s drug therapy and to determine whether use of the device improved students’ clinical examination scores.Design. Second-year pharmacy students were randomized to an intervention group or a control group. A 30-minute presentation on the rationale of the mnemonic and how to apply it to clinical scenarios was given to the intervention group and then a case-based multiple-choice clinical examination was administered. Students in the control group completed the same examination first and then were given the mnemonic.Assessment. Ninety-five students completed the examination. Examination scores of students in the intervention group were 6% higher than those of students in the control group (p = 0.04). A 6-question survey instrument was administered to both groups and the majority of students agreed that they would use the mnemonic when assessing patients during their upcoming practice experiences. One-hundred percent of the students stated that the mnemonic definitely or probably helped them (or would have helped them) think critically when assessing the patient cases.Conclusions. Pharmacy students who used a mnemonic device for pharmacotherapy assessment exhibited better decision-making skills and made fewer errors than students who did not use the mnemonic.     

Pharmacist-led medicine use review in community pharmacy for patients on warfarin

International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy - Background Medicine use review by pharmacists has the potential to improve anticoagulation therapy management in patients on warfarin. Objective To...     

Public views on an extended role for community pharmacy

The acceptability to the general public of an extended role for community pharmacy was investigated using a social survey methodology. Within one locality, a sample of 133 respondents was drawn from four population groups who were likely to be extensive users of community pharmacy services: active elderly people, mothers of young children, carers of people with disabilities and people in full-time employment. The evidence from the interview survey was supplemented by discussions with community groups representative of the same sections of the population. The results indicate that there is considerable public support for the development of a range of new services in community pharmacies, with a majority of respondents supporting the provision of more information on prescribed medicines, opportunity to discuss minor symptoms with the pharmacist, medicine delivery services, and the holding of patient medication records. There is less support for discussing health promotion with the pharmacist, while cost was found to be a major obstacle to the acceptability of diagnostic testing. Elderly people found all aspects of the extended role less acceptable than did other respondent groups. It is concluded that there is a need to market unfamiliar services, and, if an extended role is to be developed effectively, the nature of the relationship between the roles of the community pharmacist and the GP needs to be demonstrated more clearly to service users.     

Using computer‐tailored smoking‐cessation advice in community pharmacy: A feasibility study

Objective Community pharmacists are in an optimal position to provide smoking‐cessation services. Computer‐based interventions that generate behavioural feedback materials designed to encourage and help smokers to quit can complement existing services and ensure that smoking‐cessation advice is reliably delivered. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of offering a system of computer‐generated individually tailored behavioural feedback for smoking cessation in community pharmacy. Method The setting was community pharmacies in North London. Pharmacists, already offering cessation advice routinely in the pharmacy, were trained to use a computer‐based system generating a feedback report containing highly tailored behavioural advice about quitting. Pharmacists' advice was structured around the report, which was printed for the participant. Pharmacists were interviewed after recruitment ended, and participants were sent a follow‐up questionnaire 4 weeks after baseline. Key findings Pharmacists felt they had benefited from taking part in the study and were more confident in their management of, and advice to, smokers. All agreed that the computer program was an acceptable and valuable tool to aid smoking‐cessation advice in pharmacies. Eleven smokers were recruited; five completed the follow‐up, four of whom reported 4‐week prolonged abstinence. Reaction to the feedback report from participants was positive. Conclusions The feedback from both pharmacists and participants demonstrates that use of this computer system to structure and standardise delivery of smoking‐cessation advice in community pharmacy is feasible and acceptable. The study suggests that the use of this system could increase pharmacists' confidence and the quality of the advice they give, leading to improved outcomes. However, a randomised controlled trial to fully evaluate the effectiveness of the system is needed.     

Workcoping and homecoping: achieving a balance in part‐time community pharmacy

Objectives — (1) To explore different concepts of part‐time work by means of a study of part‐time work in community pharmacy; (2) to ascertain the complexity and diversity of part‐time work patterns; (3) to consider the strategies employed by part‐time pharmacists to make their part‐time working possible. Methods — Records of part‐time work in community pharmacy were examined. A quantitative survey was conducted by sending a postal self‐completion questionnaire to 975 pharmacists. There were 727 valid responses. Qualitative semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 33 community pharmacists, identified from the survey as working part time. The emphasis was on data representing the part‐timers' own perceptions of their work and careers. Setting — The total membership of two Midlands branches of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Key findings — Of the 230 pharmacists (31 per cent of all respondents) who worked part time, 200 (140 women; 60 men) worked in community pharmacy. There was a considerable range and variability of working patterns, the clearest division being between employed (70) and self‐employed (122) part‐timers. The strategies used to cope with work and family responsibilities by both men and women of different ages and under different circumstances were sometimes very complex. The terms “workcoping” and “homecoping” were devised to describe these strategies. Conclusions — Existing concepts of part‐time work do not fully explain the complexities revealed in this study. Many part‐time pharmacists believed they had achieved a balance which was both professionally satisfying and socially responsible. They employed strategies which enabled them to maintain this balance and keep control over their lives.     

Improving Australian pharmacists' attitudes to internet use in community pharmacy practice

Objective The internet now provides a significant part of consumers' healthcare information. While little is known about how community pharmacists regard the internet, there is some suggestion that issues of confidence and motivation may provide significant barriers to appropriate use. The objectives of this study were to measure any changes in pharmacists' attitudes towards the internet after completing a four‐module educational course, ‘Advanced web skills for pharmacists: finding quality on the internet’. Method We developed a 30‐item instrument measuring pharmacists' attitudes toward the internet. Pharmacists completed the survey upon enrolment, then again on completion of the CD ROM course and for a third time three months after completing the course. Key findings The instrument was completed prior to the course by 147 participating pharmacists. The numbers of responses at the end of the course and 3–4 months post‐course were 104 and 88 respectively. We established a reliable measure of pharmacists' attitudes to the internet with an appropriate degree of face validity. There was a significant improvement in attitude after course completion (P <0.005) and a further significant improvement in attitude three months after course completion (P <0.01). Conclusions A short distance education programme in internet skills can markedly improve community pharmacists' attitudes to the internet.