ABSTRACT
Pharmacists promote vaccinations and challenge misconceptions about vaccine hesitancy, yet pharmacists' knowledge of vaccine confidence has not been assessed. The objective of this study was to compare pharmacists' knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine confidence before and after a live continuing education (CE) session. This pretest-posttest study evaluated the differences before and after a live CE session on COVID-19 vaccine confidence provided to pharmacists at a nationwide health technology company. Participants' total pretest and posttest scores were compared using paired t-tests, while pretest and posttest scores for each item were compared using chi-squared tests. A Bonferroni correction was applied, resulting in an alpha level of 0.005. A total of 279 pharmacists participated in this study. After the CE session, mean knowledge scores increased (5.2 ± 1.5 to 7.4 ± 1.35, p < 0.0001). After the CE session, there was no significant increase in pharmacists' knowledge about the approach that is not recommended when discussing vaccination beliefs with a patient (71.3% to 77.4%, p = 0.099), determinants of vaccine uptake (83.9% to 87.8%, p = 0.182), and social determinants of health that can influence vaccination rates (93.6% to 96.4%, p = 0.121). There was a significant change in pre- and posttest knowledge for the remaining seven items.
ABSTRACT
Access to healthcare services for underrepresented minority populations can be improved by having a diverse profession that reflects the diversity of the patient population being served. The criteria used for pharmacy school admissions may inhibit or strengthen the opportunities that URM students have to be accepted into the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy (COP) program. It is currently unclear how personal characteristics are associated with pharmacy school admissions at the COP. This study evaluates whether Hispanic ethnicity was associated with pharmacy school admission status, and secondarily, determines other characteristics associated with admissions. This retrospective database study used admissions data from 2005 to 2018. Completed applications were included in the analysis. The outcome variable was admitted versus not admitted to the pharmacy program. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify variables associated with admission status using an a priori alpha level of 0.05. A total of 2096 applicants were included in the analysis (mean age 25.1 ± 5.2 years, 59.9% female, 13.0% Hispanic). Hispanic ethnicity was not associated with admission status. Characteristics significantly associated with admission to pharmacy school were age, gender, high school attended, previous application to the college, and Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) biology and chemistry scores. Although bias was not seen in the admissions process, this study highlights the need for intervention to ensure future cohorts better reflect the diversity of the region.
ABSTRACT
This study evaluated a pharmacist-led telephonic Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program for rural patients in Arizona with poor access to healthcare services. A pharmacist provided telephonic MTM services to eligible adult patients living in rural Arizona communities with a diagnosis of diabetes and/or hypertension. Data were collected and summarized descriptively for demographic and health conditions, clinical values, and medication-related problems (MRPs) at the initial consultation, and follow-up data collected at 1 and 3 months. A total of 33 patients had baseline and one-month follow-up data, while 15 patients also had three-month follow-up data. At the initial consultation, the following MRPs were identified: medication adherence issues, dose-related concerns, adverse drug events (ADE), high-risk medications, and therapeutic duplications. Recommendations were made for patients to have the influenza, herpes zoster, and pneumonia vaccines; and to initiate a statin, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin receptor blocker, beta-blocker, and/or rescue inhaler. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that while pharmacists can identify and make clinical recommendations to patients, the value of these interventions is not fully realized due to recommendations not being implemented and difficulties with patient follow-up, which may have been due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional efforts to address these shortcomings are therefore required.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant disruption in students' lives through lockdowns, restricted movement, remote instruction, and mixed information. Therefore, this study aimed to capture the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of student pharmacists during 2020-2021. A 43-item COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (COVKAP) survey previously developed was administered at four schools of pharmacy across the U.S. during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. A total of 418 responses were analyzed from graduating classes of 2021-2024. There were no significant differences in correct COVID-19 knowledge responses across the four graduating years. Respondents' attitudes around COVID-19 were homogenous with the exception for their belief in their preparedness to administer COVID-19 vaccines. Respondents reported wearing masks daily (76.8%), infrequently visiting restaurants (82.1%), practicing social distancing daily (45.7%), and referring to medical journals for information (72%). In conclusion, during the pandemic, student pharmacists experienced significant changes in their academic lives. Their knowledge and subsequent attitudes and practices were consistent with the state of evidence during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. Subsequently, as newer information has emerged, the authors suggest that the COVKAP survey may be modified and administered frequently to address student needs and concerns as the pandemic evolves.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic led to global healthcare consequences including insomnia. This survey used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality at two time points (July 2020 and November 2020) among employees at a healthcare technology and services organization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 1280 eligible employees, 251 complete responses (response rate, RR = 19.6%) in July and 108 (RR = 8.4%) in November were received and analyzed. The overall mean global PSQI scores were 7.3 ±3.6 in July and 7.7 ±3.6 in November 2020 (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in any of the PSQI components or global scores between periods. Our findings indicate poor reported sleep quality among our study participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional studies are needed to assess the longitudinal impact on sleep quality post-COVID-19 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Three pharmacist-specific Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes exist to facilitate medication therapy management (MTM) reimbursement (codes 99605, 99606, and 99607). However, no studies have used CPT codes in administrative claims databases to identify subjects who have received MTM services. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of MTM services provided, using CPT codes identified in an administrative dataset. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a subset of Medicare Part D individuals from the IBM MarketScan Medicare Supplemental Research Databases (2009-2015). Researchers identified beneficiaries who received MTM services using CPT codes 99605, 99606, and 99607. RESULTS: Of the 16,483,709 individuals in the dataset, only 3,291 had CPT codes indicating that they received MTM services, representing an overall prevalence of 0.020%. CONCLUSIONS: The use of CPT codes as an indicator of MTM service provision resulted in far lower MTM utilization rates than in published literature. Reliance on CPT codes to identify MTM services in administrative claims is not recommended, given that it limited the researchers' ability to properly identify patient receipt of such services. More accurate methodologies are warranted for identifying MTM use and its effects on patient outcomes. DISCLOSURES: This work was supported by Pharmacy Quality Alliance; Merck Sharp & Dohme, a subsidiary of Merck & Co. (Kenilworth, NJ); and SinfoniaRx. The funding sources had no role in study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, writing the report, or decision to submit the article for publication. Tate, Chinthammit, and Campbell completed this work during their employment at the University of Arizona. Pickering was an employee of Pharmacy Quality Alliance at the time of this study. Black is employed by Merck. Axon reports grants from the Arizona Department of Health Services and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy; Campbell reports a grant from the Community Pharmacy Foundation; Chinthammit reports fees from Eli Lilly; Black has received a grant from Merck; Warholak reports grants from the Arizona Department of Health Services and Novartis, all unrelated to this study. Taylor reports grants from Tabula Rasa Op-Co, during the conduct of the study, and from the Arizona Department of Health Services, outside the conduct of this study. This research was accepted as a poster presentation at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual Meeting, May 16-20, 2020, in Orlando, FL, but was not presented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An abstract was published in Value in Health, 2020;23(Suppl 1):S305.