Analysis of Laboratory Skills Curricula Surrounding Professional Identity Formation in Doctor of Pharmacy Students.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe how laboratory curricula in 6 pharmacy programs provides student pharmacist experiences to develop professional identity formation and explore personal identities. METHODS: Learning objectives for courses with laboratory components were independently reviewed and then reconciled to identify the associated historical professional identities, professional domains, and associated with personal identity from 6 pharmacy programs. Counts and frequencies for historical professional identities, domains, and personal identity associations were obtained by program and overall. RESULTS: Thirty-eight (2.0%) unique objectives were associated with personal identity. The most identified historical professional identity was healthcare provider (42.9%), followed by dispenser (21.7%). The highest professional domain identified was prepare/dispense/provide medications (28.8%) followed by communicate/counsel/educate (17.5%). CONCLUSION: Discordance between the historical identities and professional domains covered in the laboratory curricula was identified in this analysis. The prevalence of the "health care provider" professional identity in the laboratory curricula likely mimics what is currently seen in practice, but most lab activities fell under the domain of preparing and dispensing medication which may not be considered a component of healthcare provider professional identity. Going forward, educators must be intentional in the experiences we provide to students to help foster their professional and personal identity. Future research is needed to identify if this discordance is present in other classes along with research to identify intentional activities that can be incorporated to foster professional identity formation.

Public attitudes and beliefs about Virginia community pharmacists dispensing and administering naloxone.

OBJECTIVES: To determine awareness concerning naloxone and perceived severity of opioid overdose, to identify attitudes and beliefs concerning naloxone, and to assess perceived benefits and barriers related to naloxone dispensed and administered by community pharmacists. METHODS: The project was conducted in 3 phases. Phase 1 consisted of survey development and pretesting to identify unclear questions. The survey used principles of the health belief model, focusing on perceived severity of opioid overdose, perceived barriers and benefits to community pharmacists dispensing and administering naloxone, naloxone awareness, sources of health information, and attitudes and beliefs about naloxone. Question types were 5-point Likert response scale with several multiple choice and dichotomous questions. In phase 2, the paper-based survey was distributed to adults in the Richmond area from December 2016 to June 2017. Phase 3 consisted of data analysis using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-nine individuals with a mean age of 35.4 years (56.7% male and 44.4% white) completed the survey. Opioid overdose was identified as a serious problem in the Richmond area and the United States by 71.9% and 81.3% of respondents, respectively. Among respondents, 39.5% had heard of naloxone before the survey. Most respondents were comfortable with a community pharmacist dispensing and administering naloxone (66.4% and 64.0%, respectively). Of the 31 respondents who were not comfortable with pharmacists dispensing or administering naloxone, 18 respondents identified promoting drug abuse and misuse and 12 respondents identified promoting reckless behavior as a perceived barrier. CONCLUSIONS: While most survey respondents were not aware of naloxone before completing the survey, the majority were in favor of community pharmacists in Virginia dispensing and administering naloxone. The most commonly identified concern is that pharmacists dispensing naloxone would promote drug abuse and misuse, which should be addressed with patient education.

Cholesterol Point-of-Care Testing for Community Pharmacies: A Review of the Current Literature.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the literature on cholesterol point-of-care tests (POCTs). This article would serve as a resource to assist community pharmacists in developing cholesterol point-of-care (POC) pharmacy services. DATA SOURCES: A literature search was performed in MEDLINE Ovid, PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane database using the following medical subject headings (MeSH) terms: point-of-care test, cholesterol, blood chemical analysis, rapid testing, collaborative practice, community pharmacy, and ambulatory care. Additional resources including device manufacturer web sites were summarized to supplement the current literature. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All human research articles, review articles, meta-analyses, and abstracts published in English through September 1, 2014, were considered. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 36 articles were applicable for review. Information was divided into the following categories to be summarized: devices, pharmacists' impact, and operational cost for the pharmacy. CONCLUSIONS: The current literature suggests that POCTs in community pharmacies assist with patient outcomes by providing screenings and referring patients with dyslipidemia for further evaluation. The majority of studies on cholesterol POC devices focused on accuracy, revealing the need for further studies to develop best practices and practice models with successful reimbursement. Accuracy, device specifications, required supplies, and patient preference should be considered when selecting a POC device for purchase.