A comparative study of the depth, breadth, and perception of pharmacogenomics instruction in a subgroup of US pharmacy curricula.

INTRODUCTION: This study was designed to assess the depth, breadth, and perception of pharmacogenomics education in pharmacy curricula in the United States (US). METHODS: A modified, online questionnaire from previous studies was sent to all accredited US schools and colleges of pharmacy. The survey covered three distinct areas related to the schools' educational environments, the depth and the extent of pharmacogenomics core competencies and topics taught, and the institutions' perceptions of the importance of pharmacogenomics in the curriculum and future plans for expanded pharmacogenomics education. Multiple approaches were used to increase the response rate, and results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Of the 133 eligible programs, 32 participated in the survey. Six invalid surveys were excluded from our study, resulting in a 19.6% response rate. Results revealed that all responding schools included pharmacogenomics in the curriculum. Interestingly, 76.9% of the respondents believed pharmacists do not have the appropriate knowledge of pharmacogenomics. However, only 30.7% indicated that their programs planned to expand pharmacogenomics in their curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: The responding schools all included some pharmacogenomics in their curriculum. However, the depth and the extent of pharmacogenomics topics covered varied. Respondents perceived that pharmacists today do not possess the appropriate level of pharmacogenomics knowledge. Despite this, there is limited emphasis on expanding pharmacogenomics instruction in the responding schools' curriculums.

Healthcare provider perceptions of the role of interprofessional care in access to and outcomes of primary care in an underserved area.

To meet the needs of an aging population who often have multiple chronic conditions, interprofessional care is increasingly adopted by patient-centred medical homes and Accountable Care Organisations to improve patient care coordination and decrease costs in the United States, especially in underserved areas with primary care workforce shortages. In this cross-sectional survey across multiple clinical settings in an underserved area, healthcare providers perceived overall outcomes associated with interprofessional care teams as positive. This included healthcare providers' beliefs that interprofessional care teams improved patient outcomes, increased clinic efficiency, and enhanced care coordination and patient follow-up. Teams with primary care physician available each day were perceived as better able to coordinate care and follow up with patients (p = .031), while teams that included clinical pharmacists were perceived as preventing medication-associated problems (p < .0001). Healthcare providers perceived the interprofessional care model as a useful strategy to improve various outcomes across different clinical settings in the context of a shortage of primary care physicians.

Review of National and International Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries.

Objective. To compare the different philosophies, emphases and processes of national and international accreditation paths available to pharmacy programs in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. To identify engagement of GCC pharmacy programs with International Pharmacy Accreditation or Certification (IPAC) and the outcome advantages of IPAC compared to other national accreditation standards. Findings. National quality standards across the GCC countries are similarly structured but in different stages of development. Pharmacy specific standards are absent. Of the 44 institutions identified offering pharmacy degrees, only three out of 28 of those in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and all but two out of 15 elsewhere in the GCC, have national program-level accreditation. Nine of the institutions have IPAC via either the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education-International Services Program (ACPE-ISP), the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) or the German Accreditation Agency in Health and Social Sciences (AHPGS). None of the institutions have sought accreditation from the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC). IPAC may serve as a tool to provide specific recognition of the quality of pharmacy programs and to enhance the quality of pharmacy education in the region. Summary. In the absence of national bodies to accredit pharmacy initial training degrees, IPAC has become increasingly popular in the GCC countries. There are distinct regional differences in uptake and choice of IPAC. IPAC may serve as a tool to provide specific recognition of the quality of pharmacy programs and to enhance the quality of pharmacy education in the region in the absence of an unmet for pharmacy-specific national accreditation.

A qualitative assessment of West Virginia pharmacist activities and attitude in diabetes management.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The role of pharmacists in chronic disease state management has been shown to significantly improve patient health outcomes and reduce overall health care costs. The current study is designed to assess the roles and attitudes of West Virginia (WV) pharmacists toward diabetes, evaluate services provided, address pharmacist clinical understanding and training, and demonstrate the challenges that limit pharmacists ability to deliver an efficient disease state management. METHODS: We invited 435 preceptors affiliated with the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy to participate in the study using Qualtrics online survey software. The survey was divided into sections related to pharmacists, practice environment, pharmacist's roles in diabetes management, and challenges faced that limit their ability to deliver effective care to diabetic patients. Data were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance, and a P value ≤.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of all eligible invited preceptors, 104 accessed the online survey based on the Qualtrics tracking tool, while 58 participated in the survey with a 56% response rate. Generally, WV pharmacists have positive attitudes regarding the provision of primary activities related to drug use and its associated problems. However, we report that WV pharmacists are less involved in providing education or recommendations regarding diabetes-associated risk factors such as nephropathy, retinopathy, foot care, and gastroparesis. In addition, the majority of pharmacists indicated that they face many challenges related to patient and the practice site environment that limit their ability to provide optimum diabetes patient care services. CONCLUSION: Despite the mounting evidence that pharmacists can improve diabetic patient outcomes while significantly reducing overall costs, WV pharmacists are less involved in providing education or counseling in a variety of areas related to disease state management. In addition, identifying pharmacist challenges provides significant information for future planning toward improving diabetic patient care.

Correction: Self-Reported Household Impacts of Large-Scale Chemical Contamination of the Public Water Supply, Charleston, West Virginia, USA.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126744.].

Self-reported household impacts of large-scale chemical contamination of the public water supply, Charleston, West Virginia, USA.

A January 2014 industrial accident contaminated the public water supply of approximately 300,000 homes in and near Charleston, West Virginia (USA) with low levels of a strongly-smelling substance consisting principally of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM). The ensuing state of emergency closed schools and businesses. Hundreds of people sought medical care for symptoms they related to the incident. We surveyed 498 households by telephone to assess the episode's health and economic impact as well as public perception of risk communication by responsible officials. Thirty two percent of households (159/498) reported someone with illness believed to be related to the chemical spill, chiefly dermatological or gastrointestinal symptoms. Respondents experienced more frequent symptoms of psychological distress during and within 30 days of the emergency than 90 days later. Sixty-seven respondent households (13%) had someone miss work because of the crisis, missing a median of 3 days of work. Of 443 households reporting extra expenses due to the crisis, 46% spent less than $100, while 10% spent over $500 (estimated average about $206). More than 80% (401/485) households learned of the spill the same day it occurred. More than 2/3 of households complied fully with "do not use" orders that were issued; only 8% reported drinking water against advice. Household assessments of official communications varied by source, with local officials receiving an average "B" rating, whereas some federal and water company communication received a "D" grade. More than 90% of households obtained safe water from distribution centers or stores during the emergency. We conclude that the spill had major economic impact with substantial numbers of individuals reporting incident-related illnesses and psychological distress. Authorities were successful supplying emergency drinking water, but less so with risk communication.

Parental attitudes affecting compliance with the recommendation for two doses of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine in children less than 10 years of age in West Virginia.

OBJECTIVE: It is unclear why parents would decline the second dose of an influenza vaccine for their children during a declared global pandemic. Therefore our objective was to examine parental attitudes behind parents foregoing the second dose of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine for their children in Kanawha County, WV. METHOD: A survey tool addressing barriers to receiving second dose was developed and validated with a randomly generated parent focus group. The West Virginia's Statewide Immunization Information System (WVSIIS) database listed 1,925 parents who have one child or more who received the first but not the second dose of vaccine within the recommended time period. The surveys and letters were sent to all the 1,925 parents. Participants were offered the choice of completing a paper version of the survey sent through the mail or an online version at a password-protected website. RESULTS: A total of 381 surveys were received (345 hardcopy surveys and 36 online surveys) and were included in the analyses (response rate 22.0%). Of these 381 respondents 249 did not meet the inclusion criteria. Thus our effective response rate was 132/1525, or 8.66%. The major reasons for respondents being unable to have their child(ren) receive the second dose were related to access limitations. A perception of low urgency and safety of vaccine were other concerns. However, the majority of respondents (80%) did not cite safety concern as a reason for not accepting the second dose. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that rather than safety concerns, parents often faced access challenges in having their children fully vaccinated which were perhaps not widely recognized.

Availability and perceived value of masters of business administration degree programs in pharmaceutical marketing and management.

OBJECTIVES: To examine pharmacist-targeted master of business administration (MBA) degree programs and investigate pharmacists' perceptions regarding them. METHODS: Specialized MBA programs in pharmaceutical marketing and management offered at US colleges and schools of pharmacy were identified in the literature and compared. Pharmacists' perceptions of MBA programs were evaluated through a survey of clinical preceptors affiliated with a school of pharmacy. RESULTS: Seven US universities that offer an MBA program in pharmaceutical marketing and management were identified. Thirty-three percent of the 57 pharmacist preceptors who responded to the survey reported plans to pursue an MBA degree program. Respondents preferred MBA programs related to healthcare or pharmacy (66%) over general MBA programs (33%). CONCLUSION: An MBA in pharmaceutical marketing and management could provide pharmacists with advanced knowledge of the operational and strategic business aspects of pharmacy practice and give pharmacy graduates an advantage in an increasingly competitive job market.

Pharmacy faculty retirement at colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States and Canada.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the work-related activities of full-time faculty members 55 years of age and older; to describe the retirement plans and perceptions of these faculty members; and to examine the factors, perceptions, or conditions that might influence the retirement decision. METHODS: Pharmacy faculty members aged 55 years and older in the United States and Canada were invited to participate in an online survey regarding their perceptions on issues related to their retirement planning behavior. RESULTS: Four hundred eighty-eight faculty members completed the survey instrument. The typical respondent worked 50 hours per week on work-related activities, was active in teaching and service, and had published an average of 5 refereed papers during the previous 36 months. The number of articles published was positively related to the respondent's target retirement age. The average anticipated retirement age was 66.6 years, and most respondents participated in a defined benefit plan. The majority would revise their target retirement age downwards if conditions were favorable. CONCLUSION: The primary factors that influence the pharmacy faculty retirement decision include financial status, academic productivity, and higher order needs such as the opportunity to participate in meaningful activities. These findings can be used by administrators in strategic planning related to attracting and retaining quality faculty members.

Pharmacist use of social media.

INTRODUCTION: The rapid emergence and exploding usage of social media (also called Web 2.0) present pharmacists with new professional, ethical and time management challenges. OBJECTIVES: To describe social media use among pharmacists in West Virginia, USA. METHODS: A survey was administered during the West Virginia Pharmacist Association 102nd Annual Convention held in October 2009. The meeting participants were pharmacists practising in the different regions of West Virginia. All conference attendees were eligible to participate. RESULTS: The survey was completed by all 50 pharmacists in attendance, yielding a response rate of 100%. Social media use was found to be common among West Virginia pharmacists, with the most frequently used applications including: YouTube (74%), Wikipedia (72%), Facebook (50%), and blogs (26%). However, there were some tools that pharmacists barely used such as Bebo, Hi5, Flickr and Friendster. Given the widespread use of Facebook by respondent pharmacists, it is noteworthy that they indicated the main purposes for using it were for chatting, uploading pictures and keeping touch with friends rather than for professional and educational purposes. DISCUSSION: Presently, pharmacists utilize social media primarily for personal purposes. As social media becomes more sophisticated and widely adopted in the healthcare arena, it is probable that pharmacists will also increasingly utilize it for professional and educational purposes.

Global education implications of the foreign pharmacy graduate equivalency examination.

Although the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) is not intended to measure educational outcomes or institutional effectiveness, it may be a reliable and valid criterion to assess the quality or success of international pharmacy programs. This comprehensive review describes the evolution and historical milestones of the FPGEE, along with trends in structure, administration, and passing rates, and the impact of country of origin on participant performance. Similarities between the FPGEE and the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) are also explored. This paper aims to provide a global prospective and insight for foreign academic institutions into parameters for evaluating their students' educational capabilities.

Physician attitudes toward collaborative agreements with pharmacists and their expectations of community pharmacists' responsibilities in West Virginia.

OBJECTIVES: To (1) investigate physicians' expectations about community pharmacist's roles and physician attitudes toward collaborative agreements with community pharmacists in West Virginia and (2) determine physicians' perceptions of pharmacists providing medication therapy management (MTM) services. METHODS: A mail survey was conducted for a random sample of 500 physicians practicing in West Virginia. Survey items measured the physicians' perceptions about the roles of pharmacists, their level of comfort with pharmacists providing certain MTM services, and their attitudes toward a collaborative agreement with pharmacists. RESULTS: 102 responses were received, yielding a response rate of 22.1%; 60% of the physicians had a favorable attitude toward supporting collaborative agreement with pharmacists. Physicians were more comfortable with certain areas of MTM services, such as general drug education and the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, and they expected pharmacists to identify medication errors and educate the patients about the safe and appropriate use of medications. CONCLUSION: Of the physician respondents, 60% reported a favorable attitude toward collaborative practice agreements, but their attitude toward pharmacists' role in collaborative drug therapy management and pharmacists providing MTM services were not that favorable. Participating physicians may not have consistent expectations regarding pharmacists providing patient care.

Physician attitudes toward pharmacist provision of medication therapy management services.

OBJECTIVE: The implementation of Medicare Part D in 2006 has the potential to advance the profession of pharmacy through the provision and remuneration of pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (MTM) services. Limited research has evaluated physician attitudes toward pharmacist-provided MTM services, and little is known about factors that may affect these attitudes. The aim of this study was to test a model of physicians' attitudes toward pharmacist-provided MTM services as a part of Medicare Part D. SETTING AND METHOD: A mail survey was sent to a random sample of 500 physicians practicing in West Virginia. Multiple linear regression was used to test the model. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The independent variables included prescription volume, specialty type, years of practice, gender, academic affiliation, practice size, physicians' attitudes toward collaborative agreement, and physician-pharmacist communication frequency. Additionally, physician age was included as a control variable. RESULTS: A total of 102 responses were received yielding a response rate of 22.1%. The mean for physicians' attitude to support provision of MTM by pharmacists was 2.84 out of 5. The overall physicians' attitudes model for provision of MTM by pharmacists was found to be significant. Physicians' attitudes toward collaborative agreement, specialty, years of practice, physician-pharmacist communication frequency regarding patients communication, and gender had significant influences on physician attitudes toward provision of MTM by pharmacists. CONCLUSION: The proposed model can provide insight into physicians' attitudes toward provision of MTM by pharmacists and may be helpful in developing future approaches and policies to further improve this collaborative relationship.

The planning and implementation of a faculty peer review teaching project.

OBJECTIVES: Describe the planning and implementation of a pilot peer review system, assess factors related to acceptance by faculty and administration, and suggest ways to increase the number of faculty members reviewed and serving as reviewers. DESIGN: A faculty-driven process was used to create a model for peer review. Faculty members completed a survey instrument with open-ended responses for indicating reasons for participation or nonparticipation, components of the evaluation process that they would like to see changed, and what they found most helpful or insightful about the process of peer review. ASSESSMENT: Faculty acceptance of and satisfaction with the peer review process is attributed to the development and implementation process being faculty driven and to peer reviews not being required for promotion and tenure decisions. Faculty members who were reviewed stated that the process was helpful and insightful and would lead to better teaching and learning. CONCLUSION: A successful faculty peer-review process was created and implemented within 6 weeks. All of the faculty members who chose to be peer reviewed or serve as reviewers reported satisfaction in gaining insights into their teaching, learning innovative approaches to their teaching, and gaining confidence in their teaching pedagogy. Techniques for achieving 100% participation in the peer review process should be addressed in the future.

Including the assessment of nontraditional factors in pharmacy school admissions.

OBJECTIVE: To review the relevant literature regarding the predictive ability of cognitive measures (ie, Pharmacy College Admissions Test [PCAT] scores and prepharmacy grade point average [GPA]) on both academic and clinical performance and discuss the inclusion of nontraditional assessment during the admissions process. DATA SOURCES: Articles were identified through searches of International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-April 2004), MEDLINE (1966-January 2004), and ERIC (1966-April 2004) using the key words admissions variables, predictors of success, Pharmacy College Admissions Test, grade point average, cognitive variables, and noncognitive variables. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and retrospective studies, as well as reviews, regarding pharmacy school and other higher education admissions' variables were included in this review. DATA SYNTHESIS: Many pharmacy school admissions committees give a majority weight to the traditional cognitive markers of prepharmacy GPA and PCAT scores when selecting viable applicants. Doing so may be problematic due to the magnitude of the relationship between traditional cognitive predictors and pharmacy school performance. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this review, a cogent argument is advanced for the need to examine, in addition to PCAT scores and GPAs, such nontraditional factors as empathy, citizenship, and ethical behavior. This may increase the predictive ability of preadmission factors on pharmacy school didactic and clinical performance. Schools of pharmacy can do this through questionnaires and interviews designed to assess nontraditional variables.