Hypertension care during the COVID-19 pandemic in an integrated health care system.

Retention in hypertension care, medication adherence, and blood pressure (BP) may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a retrospective cohort study of 64 766 individuals with treated hypertension from an integrated health care system, we compared hypertension care during the year pre-COVID-19 (March 2019-February 2020) and the first year of COVID-19 (March 2020-February 2021). Retention in hypertension care was defined as receiving clinical BP measurements during COVID-19. Medication adherence was measured using prescription refills. Clinical care was assessed by in-person and virtual visits and changes in systolic and diastolic BP. The cohort had a mean age of 67.8 (12.2) years, 51.2% were women, and 73.5% were White. In 60 757 individuals with BP measurements pre-COVID-19, 16618 (27.4%) had no BP measurements during COVID-19. Medication adherence declined from 86.0% to 80.8% (p < .001). In-person primary care visits decreased from 2.7 (2.7) to 1.4 (1.9) per year, while virtual contacts increased from 9.5 (12.2) to 11.2 (14.2) per year (both p < .001). Among individuals with BP measurements, mean (SD) systolic BP was 126.5 mm Hg (11.8) pre-COVID-19 and 127.3 mm Hg (12.6) during COVID-19 (p = .14). Mean diastolic BP was 73.5 mm Hg (8.5) pre-COVID-19 and 73.5 mm Hg (8.7) during COVID-19 (p = .77). Even in this integrated health care system, many individuals did not receive clinical BP monitoring during COVID-19. Most individuals who remained in care maintained pre-COVID BP. Targeted outreach may be necessary to restore care continuity and hypertension control at the population level.

Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on clinical pharmaceutical services: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Digital technologies are becoming increasingly sophisticated and integrated, but the scope of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is wider: technologies and innovations are diffusing faster and more widely. Despite the extensive use of telepharmacy technology by patients and pharmacists, there is an absence of research that examines the use of telepharmacy. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current evidence concerning the impact of the 4IR on the provision of pharmaceutical services. METHODS: A scoping review based on the PCC (Population, Concept, and Context) mnemonic was conducted in Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science. Population included pharmacist/clinical pharmaceutical services, the concept referred to the 4IR and the context was open. Electronic searches retrieved 8,694 articles that were screened by titles and abstracts. The search yielded 59 studies that were analyzed in terms of country of focus, publication year, type of publication, main technologies, types of pharmacy services, and the role of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. RESULTS: Most of the included studies were conducted in the United States and were published between 2005 and 2021, with the highest number of publications in the year of 2021. The majority of included articles were observational studies. Technologies addressed in the studies were those within the scope of telepharmacy, and most of the articles discussed more than one pharmaceutical service, with medication therapy management as the most frequent. CONCLUSIONS: The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the use of technologies, identifying promising niches for pharmacists in the field of Pharmaceutical Care. This should encourage pharmacists to fortify their capacity to adopt new technologies in the provision of pharmaceutical services. The frequent use of various technologies has been demonstrated, which indicates the exigency for further health education actions by the pharmacist.

Pre-Current & Future Pharmacists - New Spotlight on Frontline Healthcare Workers

Since the beginning of the year in January 2020, the world witnessed a terrifying unpredictable health emergency of human life which resulted in an outbreak of a disease known as a novel coronavirus (SARS CoV-2 / COVID-19-acute respiratory disease) which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). With an abrupt increase in the number of cases, a nationwide lockdown was imposed where Pharmacists served as a lifeline by supplying medicines to people across the world and their operation has made a big difference amid the global pandemic. In such difficult times, Pharmacists have helped vulnerable patients stay well and ensured their safety amidst the pandemic. Although pharmacies and drug stores play an important part in the healing process, many people have the perception that they provide a commercial or business-like service. The doctor prescribes the right medicine with the right instructions, and the pharmacist fills the prescription for a fee. In a nutshell, it's a straightforward business. With the advancement of the healthcare system, the role of the Pharmacist has become crucial in today's era which is defined by insights and discoveries that elevate the greater well-being of humans. Due to the rapid expansion, the urban concentration of health services remains a challenge in a country like India. Hence there has to be strict monitoring governance over the healthcare framework. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.

Exploring OTC drug consumers' perception towards online shopping and digital marketing through qualitative interviews: A sample from Malaysia

The digital transformation movement persuaded many pharma companies towards greater adoption of digital marketing and e-commerce. This was accelerated even more by the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore, this study aims to explore the general perception and attitude of consumers in Malaysia regarding the use of online shopping and digital marketing tactics for OTC drugs. Thirteen in-depth interviews were conducted between September and November 2020. A thematic content analysis approach was used to analyse the qualitative data. Key themes emerging from the interviews included: (1) general perception of OTC drug consumers regarding digital marketing;(2) attitude of consumers towards the purchase of OTC drugs;(3) factors affecting OTC drug consumer behaviour;and (4) perception of consumers towards online advertisements for OTC drugs. The majority of the study participants believe that digital marketing has a direct or indirect impact on their purchasing decisions as OTC consumers. Although most rely mainly on offline purchases for OTC products, they have shown a willingness to increase their adoption of online purchasing methods, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak. These findings can be useful to public and private healthcare managers on a practical level.

Telefarmacia y atención farmacéutica: Una revisión narrativa de la Federación Internacional Farmacéutica

Digital transformation impacts health care through technology. Telepharmacy is set to become one of the most important aspects of Telemedicine in the years to come with its ability to provide patients with increased and more timely access to pharmaceutical care, reduced costs for individuals and health systems, improved patient satisfaction, experience and convenience, and better health outcomes. Telepharmacy has gained increasing importance in the delivery of pharmaceutical care, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has placed enormous pressures on healthcare systems globally. There is a significant amount of published literature from different countries around the world that provide examples of Telepharmacy. There are some innovative models of Telepharmacy services aimed at optimizing and improving access to pharmaceutical care, resulting in improved patient safety and outcomes. The benefits of Telepharmacy include increased value for pharmacies and pharmacists and adapting to patients´ needs, enhanced interprofessional care and increased efficiency of health systems and increased provision of patient- centred services, among others. However, despite these benefits, major barriers for implementation of Telepharmacy remain such as patient confidentiality and privacy of health information. These barriers to the implementation of Telepharmacy have been identified and can be divided into four different environments: technological, organizational, human and economic. Delivering pharmaceutical care and services through digital media is identified as a key priority for the International Pharmaceutical Federation. Digital health is one of the 21 Development Goals launched by International Pharmaceutical Federation in 2020. The International Pharmaceutical Federation Digital Health in Pharmacy Education report in 2021, describes the readiness, adaptability and responsiveness of pharmacy education and knowledge and skill needs of pharmaceutical workforce on digital health. Amongst other digital health tools, telehealth/Telepharmacy has been reported as one of the most preferred tools to teach and learn about by respondents. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved. La tecnología surgida de la transformación digital ha traído consigo cambios en la asistencia sanitaria. En los próximos años, la Telefarmacia previsiblemente se convertirá en uno de los aspectos más importantes de la Telemedicina, ya que ofrece a los pacientes un acceso más inmediato a la atención farmacéutica, supone una reducción de costes tanto para los pacientes como para los sistemas sanitarios, y deriva en una mayor satisfacción, experiencia y comodidad de los pacientes, mejorando así los resultados clínicos. Debido en gran medida a la pandemia de COVID‑19, la Telefarmacia ha adquirido gran importancia en el ámbito de la atención farmacéutica, ya que esta crisis ha provocado una enorme presión sobre los sistemas sanitarios de todo el mundo. Se pueden encontrar multitud de experiencias publicadas en la literatura científica sobre modelos de Telefarmacia en diferentes países del mundo. Existen algunos modelos innovadores de servicios de Telefarmacia orientados a optimizar y mejorar el acceso a la atención farmacéutica, lo que se traduce en una mejora de la seguridad y los resultados de los pacientes. Entre las ventajas de la Telefarmacia se incluye el aumento del valor para las farmacias y los farmacéuticos y la adaptación a las necesidades de los pacientes, la mejora de la atención interprofesional, el aumento de la eficiencia de los sistemas sanitarios y la mayor prestación de servicios centrados en el paciente, entre otras. Sin embargo, a pesar de presentar múltiples ventajas, siguen existiendo importantes barreras para la implantación de la Telefarmacia, como la confidencialidad del paciente y la privacidad de la información clínica. Estas barreras para la implantación de la Telefarmacia pueden dividirse en cuatro ámbitos: tecnoló ico, organizativo, humano y económico. La prestación de atención y servicios farmacéuticos a través de medios digitales es una prioridad clave de la Federación Internacional Farmacéutica. La salud digital es uno de los 21 Objetivos de Desarrollo lanzados por la Federación Internacional Farmacéutica en 2020. El informe de la Federación Internacional Farmacéutica sobre salud digital en la formación farmacéutica en 2021 describe la preparación, adaptabilidad y capacidad de respuesta de la formación farmacéutica y las necesidades de conocimientos y habilidades de los farmacéuticos sobre la salud digital. Entre otras herramientas de salud digital, la Telemedicina/Telefarmacia ha sido señalada como una de las herramientas preferidas por los encuestados para formar y aprender.

A cross-sectional study on substandard and falsified medicines (fake or counterfeit drugs) in UK pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Failure of the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) in the UK could mean that substandard and falsified medicines (SFs) enter the supply chain. Does this risk patients' health? Readiness to implement FMD, and prevalence of SFs vs. regulator detection were assessed. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 12,040 primary care pharmacies across England were invited (April 2021-March 2022). Respondent postcodes were used to extract deprivation scores. Information request was placed with the medicine's agency. Survey findings were used to calculate probability and power of a simulated trial. RESULTS: A total of 208 participants responded: Of the seven who identified SFs, all but one reported it; 61% were ready to implement FMD, 74.1% had adequate resources, 54.8% expected improved patient safety, and 17.8% had ever reported SFs. SFs were prevalent in deprived areas. Bayesian simulation shows 438 (p = 0.030) incidences with a 3% probability of SFs prevalence. The agency identified 15,238 SFs units in the supply chain (2019 and 2020). Results are credible, reliable, and generalisable, with corroborated longitudinal persistence. CONCLUSIONS: FMD or equivalent processes need to be urgently reinstated. Deprived children may be more affected. Pharmacists are worried about liability. All health consultations should assess safety, and effectiveness of medicines. Findings should inform policy, systems planning, surveillance, and evaluations.

Actividades de farmacia asistencial durante la pandemia por la Covid-19

Introducción: el personal de las farmacias en los diferentes escenarios de acción realiza actividades que contribuyen con la salud pública y la pandemia es un momento oportuno para destacar el quehacer en pro del bienestar de las personas en las comunidades. Método: esta es una investigación descriptiva a partir de documentos en inglés y español en el periodo 2020-2021, con apoyo de las palabras clave, de los sitios Pub-MEDLINE, LILACS, Ebscohost, Springer, la biblioteca científica electrónica en línea SciELO y Google Scholar. Resultados: se describen las actividades de a) prestación de servicios esenciales, b) medidas preventivas y de asesoramiento sobre los comportamientos de las personas, c) la importancia del rol en educación, asesoría y consejería, d) acciones en el ámbito de la farmacia de la comunidad, e) acciones en el ámbito de la farmacia clínica hospitalaria, f ) las mejoras farmacéuticas en Europa respecto a los programas de inmunizaciones, g) los principales desafíos que enfrenta el campo de la Farmacia, h) el reporte de los resultados de experiencias en diversos contextos: opiniones de usuarios/profesionales en medicina/farmacia o estudiantes de farmacia, los comportamientos de las personas y los resultados de varias investigaciones. Conclusiones: las actividades contribuyen a obtener mejores resultados ante la pandemia de la Covid-19, se consolidan, retoman y proyectan acciones que imponen desafíos en pro del bienestar de las personas en las comunidades, en algunos contextos se realizan con una calidad adecuada mientras en otras hay falencias o debilidades que deben ser subsanadas de manera oportuna.Alternate : Introdução: os profissionais da farmácia nos diferentes cenários de atuação realizam atividades que contribuem para a saúde pública e a atual pandemia é um momento oportuno que destaca o trabalho pelo bem-estar das pessoas nas comunidades. Método: trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva com base em documentos em inglês e espanhol no período 2020-2021, apoiados por palavras-chave, dos sites Pub- MEDLINE, LILACS, ebscohost, Springer, biblioteca científica eletrônica online SciELo e Google Scholar. Resultados: são descritas as actividades de a) prestação de serviços essenciais, b) medidas preventivas e aconselhamento sobre o comportamento das pessoas, c) a importância do papel na educação, conselhio e aconselhamento, d) acções no domínio da farmácia comunidade, e) acções no domínio da farmácia clínica hospitalar, f ) melhorias farmacêuticas na Europa relativamente aos programas de imunização, g) os principais desafios que se colocam ao domínio da farmácia, h) relatar os resultados das experiências em vários contextos: opiniões dos utilizadores/profissionais da medicina/estudantes de farmácia ou de farmácia, o comportamento das pessoas e os resultados de várias investigações. Conclusões: as atividades contribuem para a obtenção de melhores resultados frente à pandemia Covid-19, são consolidadas, retomadas e projetam ações que impõem desafios em prol do bem-estar das pessoas nas comunidades, em alguns contextos são realizadas fora com uma qualidade adequada, enquanto em outros há deficiências ou pontos fracos que devem ser corrigidos em tempo hábil.Alternate : Introduction: Pharmacy personnel in different action scenarios carry out activities contributing to public health ant the current pandemic is an opportune moment to highlights the work that help the well-being of people in the communities. Method: A descriptive research based on documents in English and Spanish for period 2020-2021 with the support of keywords from the sites Pub-MEDLINE, LILACS, ebscohost, Springer, SciElo online scientific electronic library and Google Scholar. Results: This article describes the activities of a) provision of essential services, b) preventive measures and advice on people´s behaviors, c) the importance of the role in education, advisory and counseling, d) actions in the field of pharmacy of the community, e) actions in th field of hospital clinical pharmacy, f ) pharmaceutical improvements in Europe regarding immunization programs, g) main challenges facing the field of pharmacy, h) reporting the results of experiences in various contexts: opinions of users/professionals in medicine/pharmacy or pharmacy students, people's behaviors and the results of various investigations. Conclusions: Activities contribute to obtaining better results in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, some of them are consolidated, retaken and projected actions that impose challenges in favor of the well-being people in communities, in some contexts they are carried out with an adequate quality while in others there are shormocings or weaknesses that must be corrected in a timely manner.

A Malawian pharmaceutical response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

AJOL : The COVID-19 pandemic has elicited swift and innovative responses due to the severity of the outbreak. Higher education institutions worldwide with pharmacy programs have identified vital gaps in COVID-19 care and has undertaken proactive steps to aid in the fight against the coronavirus. In Malawi, the Kamuzu University of Health Science's Department of Pharmacy initiated the production of a modified formulation of the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended hand sanitizer. This manufacturing venture involved mobilizing the pharmacy faculty, identifying gaps in supplies and equipment, and utilizing evidenced-based information to create a high-quality sanitation product, which passed the requirements as tested by the Malawi Bureau of Standards. The department of pharmacy is expanding their distribution of the product to meet the needs of frontline healthcare workers and vulnerable populations. With historical issues of accessing care in Malawi and with COVID-19's spread among healthcare workers, this hand sanitizer venture is vital in the public healthcare's system response. The department of pharmacy will continue to lead the pharmacy profession in Malawi to provide targeted interventions in this unprecedented time

The Spanish Society of Clinical, Family and Community Pharmacy position statement on telepharmacy: telepharmaceutical care (TPC)

The new information and communication technologies (ICT) have been evolving for many years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of society. In the healthcare field, new activities have emerged and terms such as telemedicine, telecare and teleconsultation are becoming common. They are undoubtedly a step forward, but they risk dehumanizing the contact between healthcare providers and patients. In the pharmacy-field, Telepharmacy has emerged with undeniable logistical and commercial connotations. The preferred term of the Spanish Society of Clinical, Family and Community Pharmacy is Telepharmaceutical care (TPC) which defines it as the practice of Pharmaceutical Care using ICT in order to complement the face-to face required by the patient. TPC includes the remote provision of some community pharmacy services (CPS). TPC should help the community pharmacist to provide CPS, thus improving clinical pharmaceutical practice without the dehumanizing effects that the indiscriminate application of ICT can have.

A Malawian pharmaceutical response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has elicited swift and innovative responses due to the severity of the outbreak. Higher education institutions worldwide with pharmacy programs have identified vital gaps in COVID-19 care and has undertaken proactive steps to aid in the fight against the coronavirus. In Malawi, the Kamuzu University of Health Science's Department of Pharmacy initiated the production of a modified formulation of the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended hand sanitizer. This manufacturing venture involved mobilizing the pharmacy faculty, identifying gaps in supplies and equipment, and utilizing evidenced-based information to create a high-quality sanitation product, which passed the requirements as tested by the Malawi Bureau of Standards. The department of pharmacy is expanding their distribution of the product to meet the needs of frontline healthcare workers and vulnerable populations. With historical issues of accessing care in Malawi and with COVID-19's spread among healthcare workers, this hand sanitizer venture is vital in the public healthcare's system response. The department of pharmacy will continue to lead the pharmacy profession in Malawi to provide targeted interventions in this unprecedented time.

Patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care services for chronic diseases and their medication adherence during COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: During the ongoing coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, chronic disease management and medication adherence have become challenging; thus, health-related quality of life may have been compromised. As highly trusted healthcare providers, pharmacies in Saudi Arabia have undergone restructuring or redesign to cope with the current demands during the pandemic. The study assessed satisfaction levels of patients with chronic diseases concerning pharmaceutical care services provided during COVID-19 in addition to medication adherence and quality of life during the pandemic. METHODS: An online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was administered. Saudi residents suffering from chronic diseases and receiving pharmaceutical care from a hospital or community pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic were eligible. The survey was created using Google Forms and distributed through online channels. The survey targeted 385 participants. KEY FINDINGS: A sample of 317 patients was included. More than half had missed a follow-up visit for their chronic conditions since the beginning of the pandemic. The overall mean score ± standard deviation for the satisfaction level with pharmaceutical care services was 22.0 ± 10.3 on a scale of 0-36 with different satisfaction levels for different services. In addition to a good level of medication adherence, a high percentage of these patients reported no problem in most of the dimensions of the EQ-5D scale. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacists should take a more proactive and consultive role to deliver healthcare needs of patients with a chronic condition and be aware of patient expectations from a pharmacist in situations, such as the current pandemic.

Pharmacists' perceptions of a machine learning model for the identification of atypical medication orders.

OBJECTIVES: The study sought to assess the clinical performance of a machine learning model aiming to identify unusual medication orders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted at CHU Sainte-Justine, Canada, from April to August 2020. An unsupervised machine learning model based on GANomaly and 2 baselines were trained to learn medication order patterns from 10 years of data. Clinical pharmacists dichotomously (typical or atypical) labeled orders and pharmacological profiles (patients' medication lists). Confusion matrices, areas under the precision-recall curve (AUPRs), and F1 scores were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 12 471 medication orders and 1356 profiles were labeled by 25 pharmacists. Medication order predictions showed a precision of 35%, recall (sensitivity) of 26%, and specificity of 97% as compared with pharmacist labels, with an AUPR of 0.25 and an F1 score of 0.30. Profile predictions showed a precision of 49%, recall of 75%, and specificity of 82%, with an AUPR of 0.60, and an F1 score of 0.59. The model performed better than the baselines. According to the pharmacists, the model was a useful screening tool, and 9 of 15 participants preferred predictions by medication, rather than by profile. DISCUSSION: Predictions for profiles had higher F1 scores and recall compared with medication order predictions. Although the performance was much better for profile predictions, pharmacists generally preferred medication order predictions. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the AUPR, this model showed better performance for the identification of atypical pharmacological profiles than for medication orders. Pharmacists considered the model a useful screening tool. Improving these predictions should be prioritized in future research to maximize clinical impact.

The Particularities of Pharmaceutical Care in Improving Public Health Service during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Nowadays, humanity is confronted with one of the most difficult challenges. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified for the first time in Hubei, China in December 2019 and produced the COVID-19 pandemic, a devastating disease that led to many complications and deaths. The authorities and the global healthcare system have been alerted regarding the prevention and treatment of this pathology. Even though worldwide quarantine was declared, health care professionals, including pharmacists, have been at the frontline in this war. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the authorities relied on the involvement of the community, hospital, or clinical pharmacists in offering support to the entire population. Also, the authorities implemented measures for emergency authorization of the vaccines, or the drugs used in COVID-19 treatment. In order to facilitate the population's access to healthcare services, the authorities have established regulations regarding, the extension of prescriptions by pharmacists, working hours, prevention of shortages and price-increase, drive-thru services, etc. However, several countries have taken financial measures to support the pharmacies' activity. At the same time, pharmaceutical associations elaborated guidelines for the protection of pharmacists and patients alike. Additionally, the pharmacies have come to support the health system and patients by adapting pharmaceutical care to the new needs like preparation and supply of disinfectants, patient care, information, and counseling, especially to COVID-19 patients, as well as the implementation of home drugs-delivery systems. The important roles played by pharmacists were to perform COVID-19 tests and further vaccines, as well as to combat the abundance of misinformation and fake news. The clinical and hospital pharmacy services have also been adapted. Strengthening the role of the pharmacist in the medical team was important for the purpose of providing correct and complete information regarding drugs used in the COVID-19 pathology. In all these activities, pharmacists needed creativity and professionalism, but also the support of pharmacy owners and managers. With this crisis, pharmaceutical care has entered a new phase, demonstrating the ability of pharmacists to be competent and accessible providers of public health. Based on this information, we conducted a narrative review whose purpose was to identify the impact of the authorities' decisions on pharmaceutical practice, the involvement of professional associations, and the responsibilities of the pharmacy owners and management. On the other hand, we performed a global assessment on the pharmaceutical care services provided by community pharmacists as well as by clinical or hospital pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Telepharmacy: A Potential Alternative Approach for Diabetic Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The use of telepharmacy technology allows pharmacists to provide clinical pharmaceutical services to patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) who need regular services during the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining distance and minimizing face-to-face meetings. The purpose of this review article was to identify the impact of telepharmacy intervention by pharmacists in diabetic patients by reviewing clinical outcomes and patient therapy adherences. A literature search was conducted through the PubMed database using the terms "telemedicine", "telepharmacy", "telehealth" and "telephone" in combination with "pharmacist", 'diabetes' and 'COVID-19' or "Pandemic". From a total of 67 articles identified, 14 research articles conform to the inclusion criteria. Telephone is the most widely used communication model (n = 11). All studies had a positive impact on clinical outcomes and three studies did not provide significant result on therapy adherence. The use of telepharmacy can be maximized and used on a vast scale, with the design of devices and technologies making it easier for pharmacists and diabetic patients to provide and receive clinical pharmaceutical services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adherence to self-administered biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs across health-system specialty pharmacies.

PURPOSE: Adherence to self-administered biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) is necessary for therapeutic benefit. Health-system specialty pharmacies (HSSPs) have reported high adherence rates across several disease states; however, adherence outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) populations have not yet been established. METHODS: We performed a multisite retrospective cohort study including patients with RA and 3 or more documented dispenses of bDMARDs from January through December 2018. Pharmacy claims were used to calculate proportion of days covered (PDC). Electronic health records of patients with a PDC of <0.8 were reviewed to identify reasons for gaps in pharmacy claims (true nonadherence or appropriate treatment holds). Outcomes included median PDC across sites, reasons for treatment gaps in patients with a PDC of <0.8, and the impact of adjusting PDC when accounting for appropriate therapy gaps. RESULTS: There were 29,994 prescriptions for 3,530 patients across 20 sites. The patient cohort was mostly female (75%), with a median age of 55 years (interquartile range [IQR], 42-63 years). The median PDC prior to chart review was 0.94 (IQR, 0.83-0.99). Upon review, 327 patients had no appropriate treatment gaps identified, 6 patients were excluded due to multiple unquantifiable appropriate gaps, and 420 patients had an adjustment in the PDC denominator due to appropriate treatment gaps (43 instances of days' supply adjusted based on discordant days' supply information between prescriptions and physician administration instructions, 11 instances of missing fills added, and 421 instances of clinically appropriate treatment gaps). The final median PDC after accounting for appropriate gaps in therapy was 0.95 (IQR, 0.87-0.99). CONCLUSION: This large, multisite retrospective cohort study was the first to demonstrate adherence rates across several HSSPs and provided novel insights into rates and reasons for appropriate gaps in therapy.

Pharmacist's Role and Pharmaceutical Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Pharmacists play a vital role in public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this chapter, we present the most significant contributions that pharmacists could make to communitarian and hospital settings. It includes the provision of essential services, such as continuous access to medication and supplies, support to medical services, education and information to the population and the health team to reduce the misuse of medications, patient monitoring and follow-up, and the detection and referral of suspected cases of COVID-19. The chapter ends with a discussion over certain elements related to innovation needs, such as telepharmacy services.

Use of failure modes and effects analysis to mitigate potential risks prior to implementation of an intravenous compounding technology.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify potential failure points in a new chemotherapy preparation technology and to implement changes that prevent or minimize the consequences of those failures before they occur using the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) approach. METHODS: An FMEA was conducted by a team of medication safety pharmacists, oncology pharmacists and technicians, leadership from informatics, investigational drug, and medication safety services, and representatives from the technology vendor. Failure modes were scored using both Risk Priority Number (RPN) and Risk Hazard Index (RHI) scores. RESULTS: The chemotherapy preparation workflow was defined in a 41-step process with 16 failure modes. The RPN and RHI scores were identical for each failure mode because all failure modes were considered detectable. Five failure modes, all attributable to user error, were deemed to pose the highest risk. Mitigation strategies and system changes were identified for 2 failure modes, with subsequent system modifications resulting in reduced risk. CONCLUSION: The FMEA was a useful tool for risk mitigation and workflow optimization prior to implementation of an intravenous compounding technology. The process of conducting this study served as a collaborative and proactive approach to reducing the potential for medication errors upon adoption of new technology into the chemotherapy preparation process.

Coronavirus and its terrifying inning around the globe: The pharmaceutical cares at the main frontline.

A novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is an acute life-threatening disease, emerged in China, which imposed a potentially immense toll in terms of public health emergency due to high infection rate and has a devastating economic impact that attracts the world's attention. After that, on January 30, 2020, it was officially declared as a global pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO). The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) recognized it as a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease named Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19). Several studies have been ameliorated the active role of COVID-19 transmission, etiology, pathogenicity, and mortality rate as serious impact on human life. The symptoms of this disease may include fever, fatigue, cough and some peoples are severely prone to gastrointestinal infection. The elderly and seriously affected peoples are likely concerned with serious outcomes. In this review, we mainly aimed to provide a benchmark summary of the silent characteristics and findings of some candidates for antiviral drugs and immunotherapies such as plasma therapy, cytokine therapy, antibodies, intravenous immunoglobulin, and pharmaceutical health concerns that are related to this disease.

Splitting Teams at a Hospital Pharmaceutical Care Services during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Tertiary Hospital Experience in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: The cautionary procedures of COVID-19 indicate the importance and urgency of preventing "community transmission" in the overall pandemic control. Pharmacy professionals are considered essential partners in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital pharmacies are expanding services and providing essential services, putting pharmacists and their co-workers at the frontlines for patient care and safety to improve the public health. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to provide a guidance on minimizing pharmacy staff at risk of COVID-19 exposure and serve as emergency preparedness in case of mass staff infected with COVID-19 pandemic within the department. SETTING: This study was conducted at Pharmaceutical Services Administration at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: An instructional intervention using an electronic survey and summarization of the experience during the COVID 19 outbreak in a hospital pharmacy setting. We analyzed and discussed the methods and strategies that pharmacy settings and pharmacists should use to provide pharmaceutical care during the pandemic crisis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The outcome measures include staff perception and acceptance for splitting teams at pharmaceutical care services during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: A total of 119 electronic surveys were distributed to the pharmacy staff and responded by 102 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. All the study participants agreed on two group system which includes working-week-week-off. However, only three participants chose a full-team monthly roster. All participants agreed to be ready for work in their week-off as on demand. Furthermore, they all agreed to strictly follow the preventive measures of wearing masks and physical distancing. Furthermore, they gave permission to the administration to review the working schedule every 2 weeks to either continue the same way or to back to the full-team scheduled monthly roster. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 outbreak, the pharmaceutical services provided valuable pharmacy functions and care considering that we work into two teams and, yet, we are united in one mission and objective. Through these services, pharmacists have presented their professional competence, dedication, and responsibility to patients, other health-care providers, and society.

Pharmacists' Preparedness to Patients Education at the Time of Pandemic-A Cross-Sectional Study with an Example of SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in Poland.

Although pharmacy employees' involvement in patient education has great potential, the extent to which they actually provide cognitive services seems inadequate. Given the overburdening of the healthcare system and limited access to medical services due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic outbreak, this study aimed to evaluate the preparedness of Polish pharmacy employees for patient education on the new threat. The study was conducted using the mystery shopper method. Two interviewers phoned 90 randomly chosen community pharmacies throughout Poland and presented some inquiries on the SARS-CoV-2. Pharmacists devoted more time to patients than pharmacy technicians (2:22 vs. 1:54), and the information they provided was significantly more comprehensive (p = 0.006). The majority of respondents provided an evidence-based recommendation on prevention, symptoms, and management of SARS-CoV-2; however, the scope of advice significantly varied. Community pharmacy staff often expressed their concern about the lack of time to address patients' questions adequately. No statistically significant differences were found in recommendations provided by chain and non-chain pharmacy staff. Obtained results seem to confirm the possibility of involving pharmacists in public health activities during a pandemic. Nevertheless, providing proper working conditions and adequate just-in-time learning solutions is crucial.