Assessing Students' Impressions of the Cultural Awareness of Pharmacy Faculty and Students.

Objective. To determine pharmacy students' impressions of their faculty's interactions with diverse student and patient populations. Methods. Three student focus groups were convened. Eighty-four page transcripts were coded, and emergent themes were identified by qualitative analysis. Results. Students defined diversity as multidimensional beyond traditional categories. Emergent themes were faculty awareness or lack of awareness of cultural diversity, disparate cultural perspectives and preferences within student groups, teaching/learning approaches to prepare students to be more culturally competent, and student group dynamics. First- and second-year students emphasized student-to-student interactions, while third- and fourth-year students emphasized a lack of preparation for the realities of contemporary practice based on instructional methods. Conclusion. Students perceived the majority of their pharmacy faculty to be culturally sensitive and aware, but microaggression and discrimination from faculty and student peers were experienced. Study implications can potentially improve curricular offerings, cultural awareness of faculty and students, and care to diverse patient populations.

An interprofessional rural health education program.

OBJECTIVES: To develop, implement, and assess an interprofessional rural health professions program for pharmacy and medical students. DESIGN: A recruitment and admissions process was developed that targeted students likely to practice in rural areas. Pharmacy students participated alongside medical students in completing the Rural Health Professions program curriculum, which included monthly lecture sessions and assignments, and a capstone clinical requirement in the final year.Assessment. Fourteen pharmacy students and 33 medical students were accepted into the program during the first 2 years of the Rural Health Professions program. Approximately 90% of the rural health professions students were originally from rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: The rural health professions program is an interprofessional approach to preparing healthcare providers to practice in rural communities.

Reducing hyperglycemia hospitalwide: the basal-bolus concept.

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia has been identified as potent and independent risk factor for adverse outcomes for patients. An initiative was undertaken to reduce hyperglycemia hospitalwide in adults. METHODS: In a multistep process, insulin protocols were implemented hospitalwide via an electronic provider order entry system. Education regarding basal bolus insulin delivery preceded implementation. Protocols were modified in an ongoing manner on the basis of clinical staff feedback and blood glucose monitoring. Key practice changes included intravenous insulin for initial management in ICU patients, insulin replacement based on the basal bolus approach, elimination of sliding-scale insulin, standardization of blood glucose monitoring before meals, adjustment of prandial dose insulin based on food consumed, administration of prandial dose after the meal, evening snacks ordered based on insulin type, and a glycosolated hemoglobin (A1C) determination for patients with admission glucose > 180 mg/dL. Median inpatient glucose levels in patients with diabetes were assessed using statistical process control methodology. RESULTS: Between January 2004 and September 2007, median glucose for all inpatients with diabetes decreased 15% from 159 mg/dL to < 135 mg/dL. The percentage of inpatients with diabetes who experienced a day with a glucose measurement above 180 mg/dl decreased from 66% to 53%. Frequency of hypoglycemia (< 60 mg/dL) did not change following protocol implementation. DISCUSSION: Major improvements in hospitalwide blood glucose control are feasible and safe, employing standard protocols based on the basal-bolus concept. Improvement was sustained during a four-year period with ongoing institutional support, multidisciplinary education, collaboration between clinical services, and monitoring of clinical outcomes on a quarterly basis.