Trends in authorship characteristics and collaboration in pharmacy practice publications: 2011–2020

BackgroundResearch and scholarly publications are core expectations in academia that often require collaboration. While the number of authors per document (NAPD) has increased in every discipline, co-authorship culture and collaboration patterns vary among disciplines and countries.ObjectivesTo determine the trends in the patterns and characteristics of authorship and collaborations in United States’ pharmacy practice faculty publications from 2011 to 2020.MethodsSeven pharmacy practice journals were selected based on previous studies and data from Scimago Journal and Country Rank. Articles and reviews (document types) published during the decade were obtained from the Scopus database. Data cleaning and analysis were done using Microsoft Excel, R programming language packages, and VOSviewer. The Mann-Kendall trend test was used to determine the presence of (positive/negative) monotonic trends.ResultsEight thousand and fifty-nine documents published in the selected journals (82.7% articles; 17.3% reviews) by 18,575 unique authors during the decade were analyzed. In most documents (69.3–78.7%), senior/corresponding authors were first authors. There were statistically significant upward trends in the mean NAPD (3.8 ± 2.2 to 4.7 ± 2.4), median NAPD, and related bibliometric indices (degree of collaboration, collaborative index, and collaborative coefficient). Conversely, productivity (document per unique author) significantly trended downward and had a strong, negative correlation with mean NAPD. The proportion of one-author publications also trended downward (12.2%–3.6%). Evidence also supports a downward trend in institutional collaboration and an upward trend in international collaboration.ConclusionsThe assumption that last authors are senior authors does not hold in pharmacy practice publications. The increase in NAPD is not considered as authorship inflation, but rather an authorship “upcreep” that is driven by a survival strategy to publish together, predominantly within institutions rather than across institutions or countries. Therefore, faculty publication benchmarks should be crafted to mitigate the inverse relationship between collaboration and productivity, without discouraging collaboration.     

我国双一流高校药学论文的文献计量分析

目的 应用文献计量学方法,统计分析我国双一流高校发表药学论文情况,以期了解药学学科发展现况,为高校建设和学科发展提供参考.方法 通过中国知网、万方、维普数据库,以及Scopus数据库检索文献,剔除重复的文献和非研究性文献.共纳入文献12028篇.采用Excel 2016软件进行统计分析.结果 2014至2019年,各高...     

Women as first authors in key pharmacy journals: Analysis by publication type

BackgroundNumerous national and international studies have explored the issue of gender disparity in health science–publication rates. However, few have examined publication type (e.g., reviews and original research) and authorship order, which are 2 key factors in contribution recognition and the work’s visibility and application.ObjectiveThe objective of this work was to determine the changes in the distribution of women as first authors by publication type over time in pharmacy practice journals.MethodsThis was a bibliometric data analysis of pharmacy practice publications from January 2007 through December 2017. We used data from the U.S. Social Security Administration, and the multilingual Genderize application program interface (Genderize.io) to identify the authors’ potential gender. To determine the publication type, we used the Web of Science article list (Clarivate Analytics, Philadelphia, PA). The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to determine the differences over time.ResultsArticles published from January 2007 through December 2017 in 8 pharmacy practice journals were reviewed (N = 14,658 articles): research articles (63.8%), reviews (17.0%), editorial material (11.1%), and letters (8.1%). There was a statistically significant increase in the number of first-authored articles and reviews by women (45.1% to 55.4% and 39.2% to 56.1%, respectively). There was not a significant increase in the proportion of women as first authors in editorials or letters over the study period.ConclusionDespite increases in research and reviews with women as first authors, there is still a need for increased representation of women in opinion-based publications such as editorials.     

The role of pharmacy technicians in vaccination services: a scoping review

BackgroundA busy pharmacy workload may limit a pharmacist’s ability to meet the needs of vaccine-willing patients and also contribute to missed opportunities to engage with vaccine hesitant individuals. Opportunities for pharmacy technicians to support vaccination services may play a role in addressing increasing patient vaccination needs.PurposeThis research aims to review the role of pharmacy technicians in vaccination services that is supported by pharmacy practice research to date.MethodsIn compliance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocols, systematic searches were performed in PubMed, Embase, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Scopus, and CINAHL. Articles published through June 2020, in French, English, and Spanish, were screened for eligibility. Two independent reviewers screened titles and abstracts for inclusion. Data extraction of included study methodologies and results was performed by one reviewer and verified by a second reviewer.ResultsA total of 656 records were identified through the search of published literature. Full-text screening of 145 records identified 14 articles for inclusion. Most articles evaluated emerging pharmacy technician roles in patient screening (n = 8, 53%) and vaccine administration (n = 5, 36%). Implementation of both emerging roles demonstrated positive patient outcomes (n = 10, 72%). Screening activities were complicated by the complexity of the role, as well as its potential to increase overall time spent on vaccination services. Pharmacists and technicians advocated for accredited vaccine administration training owing to consistent benefits in pharmacy workflow efficiency, pharmacist clinical time, and pharmacy technician job satisfaction.ConclusionThis review supports the effective deployment of pharmacy technicians in delivering vaccination services. Despite pharmacy technician vaccine administration roles being highly regulated, professional advocacy by pharmacists and technicians can use the advantageous training, workflow, and patient outcomes benefits presented in this review. Early adopters of professional practice advancements for pharmacy technician vaccine administration may expand vaccination service capacity efficiently and safely, thereby reaching more patients.     

Pharmacy practice research in Saudi Arabia; A bibliometrics analysis from (2000 to 2021)

BackgroundPharmacy is a growing profession in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which has experienced tremendous changes in the past 20 years. Pharmacy practice or clinical pharmacy have an attention ever since the emerging of PharmD programs throughout the Saudi universities. As a result, the number of affiliated faculty in the pharmacy practice departments has increased dramatically in the past 20 years and thus significant changes in research output were observed.ObjectivesThe main objective is to conduct a bibliometric analysis and evaluate the research output of pharmacy practice faculty in Saudi Universities from 2000 to 2021MethodsA systematic search was conducted using Scopus database to explore the research output from pharmacy practice affiliated faculty from 2000 to 2021. The following search terms AFFILORG (“Pharmacy Practice Department” OR “Department of Pharmacy practice” OR “Clinical Pharmacy Department” OR “Department of Clinical Pharmacy” OR “Department of Pharmacy Services”) AND AFFILCOUNTRY (“Saudi Arabia” OR “KSA” OR “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”) were used. Only original research papers were retrieved and analyzed using MS Excel (v16.0), MS Access (v16.0), Bibexcel (v2017), VOS viewer, and Biblioshiny.ResultsIn the past two decades, most publications with pharmacy practice departments affiliation were pharmacy practice research irrelevant (only 1075 out of 2809). King Saud University and King Abdulaziz University were the top performing institutes, and median of 5-year impact factor for journals was more than 3 for most of the top 10 institutes. 19% of the total retrieved articles were review publications were the rest majorly classified as cross-sectional studies.ConclusionThe research contribution of pharmacy practice departments in Saudi Arabia has been improving. Key recommendations are to promote more applied and interventional research, increase publications in top journals, and enhance national collaborations.     

Integration and differentiation: A conceptual model of general practitioner and community pharmacist collaboration

BackgroundThe drive for integrative systems and collaboration across organizations and professions involved in the provision of health and social care has led to the development of a number of scales and models that conceptualize collaborative behavior. Few models have captured the dynamics of the collaboration between community pharmacy and general medicine, 2 professional groups that are increasingly being encouraged to adopt more collaborative practices to improve patient care.ObjectivesThis article presents a new model of collaboration derived from interviews with general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists in England involved in service provision that required some form of collaboration.MethodsQualitative interviews were conducted with purposive samples of 13 GPs and 18 community pharmacists involved in the provision of local pharmaceutical services pilots and 14 GPs and 13 community pharmacists involved in the provision of repeat dispensing.ResultsThe model highlights key components of collaboration, including the importance of trust, communication, professional respect, and “knowing” each other. It is argued here that previous models fail to recognize the asymmetry and differentiation between GPs and community pharmacists, including differences in perception toward and importance assigned to trust and communication. GPs were found to adopt demarcation strategies toward community pharmacies and pharmacists, with independent pharmacies being favored over multiple chains and regular pharmacists favored over locum/sessional pharmacists. This differentiation was repeatedly highlighted by GPs and found to affect their ability or willingness to collaborate.ConclusionThe model provides a foundation for the future development of strategy and research focused on the improvement or study of collaborative relationships between community pharmacy and general practice.     

Trends in women’s authorship in pharmacy literature

ObjectivesThe purpose of this evaluation was to determine whether the percentage of women as first authors in pharmacy journals has continued to increase over the past decade.MethodsKey pharmacy practice journals were identified from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Core List of Journals for Pharmacy Education. Articles were analyzed from January 2007 through December 2017. The outcome of interest was the proportion of articles having feminine names as the first author. Femininity was determined for first authors by matching the first name to data from the U.S. Social Security Administration or genderize.io. The Cochran–Armitage trend test was used to determine differences in proportion of women as first authors over time.ResultsThe listed first authors over the past decade were 52.7% female for all studied journals from 2007 through 2017. All but 1 journal demonstrated a significant increase in the proportion of female first authors over the time period studied. Subanalyses of journals (1) containing more than 90% gender-identifiable articles, (2) focused predominantly on contemporary drug therapy or pharmacy practice and not typically including pharmaceutical- or pharmacokinetics-related topics, and (3) that did not focus predominantly on contemporary therapy or practice and included pharmaceutical- or pharmacokinetics-related topics were each significant.ConclusionFemale first authorship in pharmacy practice journals appears to have increased in the past decade but may potentially be reaching a plateau. The proportion of female first authorship is close to reaching that of women in the U.S. pharmacy workforce when compared over the same time period.     

Pharmacy practice in the domain of assisted dying: A mapping review of the literature

BackgroundThe scope and roles of pharmacists worldwide are undergoing dramatic change. Patient-focused care aimed at caring for people that seek medical assistance in dying is among the newest roles. While pharmacists have been involved in medically assisted dying in some international jurisdictions for over two decades, little is known about their actual lived experiences.ObjectiveTo map the literature concerning pharmacy practice in the assisted dying domain to clarify apparent research gaps.MethodsA mapping review was preformed following a systematic search of Medline, CINAHL and IPA to locate academic papers and reports relating to pharmacists’ involvement in assisted dying published between 1990 and 2019. Searches included articles in English, French, and Dutch. References and citations of articles were searched to identify additional articles.ResultsA total of 43 articles were selected, including commentaries (n = 26), reports (n = 2), a scoping literature review (n = 1), and empirical studies (n = 14). Most commentaries centered on pharmacists' roles, ethico-legal and moral challenges, and educational concerns in relation to participation. Of the 14 empirical studies, 12 studies were designed around surveys that focused on pharmacists' attitudes, and opinions concerning assisted dying. Other methodologies included thematic analysis of moral dilemmas, experimental design identifying attitudes to sedation at end of life, and analysis of documents such as guidelines, position statements, and standards of practice. Two studies utilized a qualitative research approach. A significant gap was found with respect to research exploring the actual experience of pharmacists’ practice in medically assisted dying.ConclusionThere is an absence of studies exploring pharmacists’ actual experiences in assisted dying practice. Research involving pharmacists that participate in legally sanctioned assisted dying will facilitate a meaningful understanding of the lived experience of pharmacy practice in this domain.     

《药学服务与研究》20年文献计量学分析及学术影响力研究

目的:对《药学服务与研究》2001-2021年刊载文献做文献计量学分析,并研究其学术影响力.方法:从本刊网站(http://pcarjournal.zgkw.cn)收集自2001年12月创刊以来刊载的所有论文,统计论文的发表时间、作者单位、被引频次、关键词和基金资助情况,筛选发文量排名前10的作者单位、被引频次排名前2...     

Applications for pharmacogenomics in pharmacy practice: A scoping review

BackgroundPharmacogenomics (PGx) can provide valuable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information for the pharmacist's assessment of drug therapy, especially within medication therapy management (MTM) services. However, no review has comprehensively mapped the pharmacists' use of PGx in practice-based research. Doing so would allow future researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers to identify the ideal populations and settings for PGx implementation within the pharmacy.ObjectiveThe purpose of this review is to identify the evidence to date of PGx use in pharmacy practice.MethodsA scoping review was conducted to find all studied non-oncologic pharmacy practices incorporating PGx testing. Search terms were applied to 5 databases and relevant journals. Characteristics of patients, pharmacy settings, genetic tests, and outcomes were summarized to determine models most likely to benefit patients.ResultsThe search identified 43 studies on the use of PGx by pharmacists published between 2007 and 2020. CYP2C19 testing with antiplatelets was the most studied model, found in both community and institutional settings. It also was the most actionable test: approximately 30% of patients have polymorphisms indicating a need for alternative antiplatelets, and identifying these patients can reduce morbidity and mortality by more than 50%. As technology shifts, broader studies using multi-gene panel tests within MTM demonstrate an approximate 50% decrease in emergency visits and hospitalizations in elderly polypharmacy patients. Clinical benefit or drug-gene interactions are also found in other cardiovascular, psychiatric, analgesic, and gastrointestinal indications. No evaluations of actual costs or of pharmacist prescribing within pharmacy-based PGx have been performed. Facilitators towards successful PGx implementation included pharmacist education, collaboration with other healthcare providers, and the use of clinical decision software.ConclusionsPharmacogenomic testing has demonstrated feasibility and improved medication outcomes in pharmacy practice, including in the community pharmacy. Further PGx research should be directed towards pharmacist prescribing, pharmacist education, and pharmacoeconomics.     

Effects of interdisciplinary collaboration in hospitals on medication errors: an integrative review

Introduction: Medication errors are commonly affected by breakdowns in communication. Interdisciplinary collaboration is an important means of facilitating communication between health professionals in clinical practice. To date, there has been little systematic examination of past research in this area.

Areas covered: The aims of this integrative review are to examine how interdisciplinary collaboration influences medication errors in hospitals, the araes of interdisciplinary collaboration that have been researched in previous work, and recommendations for future research and practice. An integrative review was undertaken of research papers (N = 30) published from inception to August 2017 using MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Embase.

Expert opinion: Five different areas of interdisciplinary collaboration were identified in research involving medication errors. These areas were: communication through tools including guidelines, protocols, and communication logs; participation of pharmacists in interdisciplinary teams; collaborative medication review on admission and at discharge; collaborative workshops and conferences; and complexity of role differentiation and environment. Despite encouraging results demonstrated in past research, medication errors continued to occur. Increased focus is needed on developing tailored, individualized strategies that can be applied in particular contexts to create further reductions in medication errors. Greater understandings are also needed about the changing roles of various disciplines.     

Medication Use During the Perinatal Period

ObjectiveTo briefly describe the drug therapy administered during the perinatal period of pregnancy for common maternal and fetal complications, and to identify those agents that should not be used for these conditions.Data SourcesReferences were obtained from an ongoing literature search of peer-reviewed obstetric and gynecologic journals and other selected medical and pharmacy journals available in the English language. Primary search vehicle was a weekly review of the tables of contents of nearly 1,300 medical journals provided by Reference Update (Institute of Scientific Information, Philadelphia). MEDLINE searches were also conducted using key terms for each subtopic.Study SelectionSpecific references were selected for each topic based on the adequacy of their study design, patient population, and a recent publication date. Reviews were used if a large number of primary references would have been required to adequately describe the topic.Data ExtractionMost references reflected the current opinions expressed in the Educational (Technical) Bulletin and Committee Opinion series published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Recent, well-conducted studies that arrived at different conclusions were also included.Data SynthesisData obtained from each reference reflected the conclusions of the authors based on their research or an analysis of the research of others on the appropriate use of the drug(s) for the specific condition being treated.ConclusionDrug therapy during the perinatal period is frequently required and can be beneficial for the mother, fetus, and newborn. Many complications previously associated with severe morbidity and mortality, such as infections, premature rupture of membranes, preterm labor, hypertension, maternal pain during labor, and postpartum hemorrhage, are now controlled with appropriate pharmacologic therapy. All health professionals who provide services to pregnant women should be knowledgeable in this drug therapy.     

Pharmacy decision support: where is it? A systematic literature review

Objective: The objectives of this study were: to identify electronic decision supported systems that directly support pharmacists or pharmacy practice, in either the hospital or community settings; to ascertain the type of research in this area; and to identify any observable gaps for electronic decision support. Method: A systematic literature review of PubMed, journals with known publication of decision support, databases including the Cochrane Reviews Database, selected websites and conference proceedings was conducted. Criteria for inclusion were electronic decision support systems that: were in routine use; had been used or published since 1998; provided clinical support; were not embedded into medical instruments; and were used by pharmacists in the community or hospital setting. Key findings: Four publications met the criteria from 386 references. Of these, three described alerting systems for pharmacists, and one described the effect on pharmacist workflow of computerised prescribing. Investigation of selected websites revealed a further 20 pharmacy‐related projects. It was difficult to ascertain to what extent to these (unpublished) activities were occurring in countries outside Australia (the main practice setting considered), such as the UK and Canada. Conclusion: There is scant literature describing electronic decision support system activities specifically for pharmacy or pharmacists, in comparison to the substantial quantity of similar literature for healthcare in general. Electronic decision support activities are evident in the commercial environment for systems supporting traditional pharmacy roles. Selected conference proceedings and web‐based information indicate that activity is occurring in the area of pharmacy decision support, although for relatively simple systems. The emerging patient‐focused roles for pharmacists suggest that they may require similar knowledge and information to those of medical professionals. There is now a need to fully understand, define and support these pharmacist requirements, to enable appropriate decision support tools to be developed, and provide the opportunity for improved healthcare.     

U.S. publication trends in social and administrative pharmacy: Implications for promotion and tenure

BackgroundThere is no consensus on the preferred approach to assess journal quality. Procedures previously used include journal acceptance or rejection policies, impact factors, number of subscribers, citation counts, whether the articles were refereed or not, and journals cited in books within the discipline. This study built on the work of previous authors by using a novel approach to assess journal quality in social and administrative pharmacy (SAdP).ObjectivesTo determine U.S. SAdP faculty perceptions of prestigious journals for their research, SAdP faculty perceptions of prestigious journals by their promotion and tenure (P&;T) committees, and current research trends in SAdP.MethodsA census of U.S. colleges and schools of pharmacy was conducted using an e-mailed survey and an open-ended approach requiring respondents to list their preferred journals.ResultsSeventy-nine SAdP faculty reported that the 5 most prestigious journals were JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, Health Affairs, Health Services Research, and Medical Care. These journals were selected because respondents wished to seek broad readership.ConclusionsResults of this study can be used as a guide by U.S. SAdP faculty and P&;T committees to assess the quality of publications by pharmacy administration faculty with the caveat being that pharmacy versus nonpharmacy journals will be chosen based on the fit of the article with the audience.     

基于ESI的国际药理毒理学研究领域热点论文产出状况的分析

目的 分析全球范围内药理毒理学研究领域热点论文的产出状况。方法 采用Essential Science Indicators^TM数据库,利用文献计量学方法分析这些论文的国家或地区分布、发表期刊情况和热点研究主题。结果 从数据库中检索到药理毒理学的热点论文76篇,产生于22个国家或地区,分析总结出5个方面的热点研究主题。结论 药理毒理学热点论文主要来源于欧美等发达国家,发展中国家在该学科热点论文的影响力明显落后于欧美国家。启示我国应重视药理毒理学热点问题研究,加快我国药理毒理学的发展。     

International comparative performance of mental health research, 1980–2011

Scientific understanding of mental illness, mental health and their neurobiological and psychosocial underpinnings has greatly increased in the last three decades. Yet, little is known about the landscape of this knowledge and how and where it is evolving. This paper provides a bibliometric assessment of mental health research (MHR) outputs from 1980 to 2011. MHR papers were retrieved using three strategies: from key mental health journals; using US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) keywords; and from additional journals in which mental health topics accounted for over 75% of papers. The number of papers per year increased over time in absolute terms and as a proportion of total medical output. The US's proportion of world publication output dropped from 60% in 1980 to 42% in 2011, while the EU increased its share from 27% to 40%. Countries with greater research intensity in mental health generally had higher citation impact, such as the US, UK, Canada and the Netherlands. MHR also became more collaborative: 3% of all MHR papers published in 1980 were the result of international collaboration compared to 22% in 2011. We conclude by noting that the rise in MHR appears to be due to funding and that bibliometrics can help highlight the potential drivers of variation in performance of MHR systems. The paper provides an analytical basis for benchmarking MHR trends in the future.     

Point-of-care testing in pharmacies—An evaluation of the service from the lens of resource-based theory of competitive advantage

BackgroundPoint-of-care tests (POCTs) are innovative services that are increasingly offered in community pharmacies. Assessments of these services should consider their financial sustainability in addition to their effectiveness if they are to be successful over time in a competitive environment.ObjectivesThe aim of this research was to review and evaluate the POCT practice innovations literature through the lens of the resource-based theory (RBT) of competitive advantage.Data sources: Articles describing POCT services were identified systematically through PubMed, exclusively.Study selectionAll POCT articles in the review met the following inclusion criteria: (1) articles were published after 1999; (2) interventions were pharmacist-led innovations within a community pharmacy; (3) articles described research studies with results; and (4) articles were published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.Data extractionThe RBT was operationalized using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats matrix and a business model canvas, which were employed to extract and analyze data. Articles were assessed according to the degree to which they articulated elements that the RBT needed to assess their financial sustainability in targeted markets.ResultsA total of 36 articles describing POCTs and associated services were included in this review. Most of the studies reported aspects pertaining to the contextual environment of the innovation, value proposition, key activities, partners, and channels of distribution. However, the competitive dimension of the environment, as well as the cost structure and revenue streams, were often neglected in the studies.ConclusionsThe RBT is a widely tested framework that can be used for planning and reporting POCT practice innovations. On the basis of this framework, pharmacists seem to do a good job in describing how to provide POCT but fall short in explaining how these services are sustainable over time.     

Using theory to predict implementation of a physician–pharmacist collaborative intervention within a practice-based research network

BackgroundStudies have demonstrated that physician/pharmacist collaboration can improve management of chronic conditions.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine whether a correlation exists between existing clinical pharmacy services within a practice-based research network (PBRN) and provider attitudes and beliefs regarding implementing a new pharmacy intervention based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).MethodsA validated survey was completed by one clinical pharmacist from each office. This instrument evaluated the current clinical pharmacy services provided in the medical office. TPB instruments were developed that measured beliefs concerning implementation of a clinical pharmacy intervention for either blood pressure or asthma. The pharmacy services and TPB surveys were then administered to physicians and pharmacists in 32 primary care offices throughout the United States.ResultsPhysicians returned 321 (35.9%) surveys, while pharmacists returned 40 (75.5%). The Cronbach's alpha coefficients generally ranged from 0.65 to 0.98. TPB subscale scores were lower in offices rated with lower pharmacy service scores, but these differences were not statistically significant. There was no correlation between clinical pharmacy service score and providers' TPB subscale scores. In both the hypertension and asthma groups, pharmacists scores were significantly higher than physicians' scores on the attitudes subscale in the multivariate analysis (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively).ConclusionsPharmacists consistently scored higher than physicians on the TPB, indicating that they felt the hypertension or asthma intervention would be more straightforward for them to implement than did physicians. There was no significant correlation between clinical pharmacy service scores and attitudes toward implementing a future physician/pharmacist collaborative intervention using the TPB. Future studies should investigate the ability of the TPB instrument to predict implementation of a similar intervention in offices of physicians never exposed to clinical pharmacy services.