An Interprofessional Simulation Using the SBAR Communication Tool.

Objective. To determine the impact of an interprofessional simulation using the SBAR (situation-background-assessment-recommendation/request) communication tool on pharmacy students' self-perception of interprofessional competence and reactions towards interprofessional collaboration. Design. Ninety-six pharmacy students participated in an interprofessional simulation within a required applications-based capstone course. Pharmacy students collaborated with nursing students on multiple patient cases in various settings using the SBAR communication tool over the telephone. Assessment. Pharmacy students' responses to all 20 items on the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS) completed after participating in the simulation indicated significant positive changes. The themes identified in students' reflection papers indicated the simulation was beneficial and student responses on satisfaction surveys were positive with a mean score of 4.2 on a 5-point Likert scale. Conclusion. Implementation of an interprofessional simulation using the SBAR communication tool improved pharmacy students' self-perception of interprofessional competence and attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration.

V-Go Insulin Delivery System Versus Multiple Daily Insulin Injections for Patients With Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus affects over 29.1 million Americans, diagnosed and undiagnosed. Achieving and maintaining glycemic control for these patients is of extreme importance when working to prevent complications and improve quality of life for patients. The V-Go is a newly developed insulin delivery system. The push of a button inserts a needle into the patient once daily and remains attached for 24 hours. The V-Go is designed to release a set basal rate throughout the day, while allowing patients to provide up to 36 units of on-demand bolus insulin with the manual click of 2 buttons. It is a spring-loaded device filled daily with rapid-acting insulin that runs without the use of batteries or computer software. The main objective of this prospective active comparator study was to observe the A1C lowering effects of multiple daily insulin injections (MDII) versus the use of the V-Go insulin delivery system for patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus over a 3-month period. In addition, the effect on insulin requirement for these patients was assessed with secondary comparisons of weight, blood pressure, prevalence of hypoglycemic events, and quality of life before and after 3 months of intensified insulin therapy with regular monitoring by a clinical pharmacist at an internal medicine clinic. The average A1C lowering experienced by the 3 patients in the V-Go group was 1.5%, while the average A1C change in the 3 patients in the MDII group was an increase of 0.2%. All patients in the V-Go group experienced a decrease in insulin total daily dose (TDD), with an average decrease of 26.3 units. All patients in the MDII group experienced an increase in insulin TDD with an average of 15 units daily to achieve therapeutic goals individualized for each patient. All patients who underwent intensification of insulin therapy experienced an increase in subjective quality of life (QOL) as determined using the Diabetes-39 (D-39) questionnaire, though QOL results lacked statistical significance.