Characteristics associated with perceived level of confidence managing diabetes among United States adults with diabetes: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Identifying characteristics associated with patients' confidence managing diabetes may aid the primary care provider in offering diabetes self-management education and support to patients. This analysis assessed the relationship between demographic, health, economic, access to care, satisfaction with care, and healthcare utilization characteristics with patients' confidence managing diabetes. Methods: United States adults with diabetes in the 2020 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were included in this retrospective cross-sectional analysis. Characteristics related statistically to patients' confidence managing diabetes in multivariable logistic regression analysis were reported. Results: Among the 1,516 eligible individuals, 76.3% stated they were very confident/confident with their diabetes management. Adults who perceived their health positively (odds ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-3.9), completed ≥30 min moderate/vigorous exercise five times weekly (odds ratio 1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.6), had at least one inpatient discharge in 2020 (odds ratio 3.5, 95% CI 1.5-8.1), said it was not difficult to telephone their usual provider (odds ratio 3.3, 95% CI 1.4-7.8), and had no emergency room visits in 2020 (odds ratio 2, 95% CI 1.1-3.3) had higher odds of stating they were very confident or confident with their diabetes management. Conclusion: The characteristics associated with being very confident/confident managing diabetes should be considered by primary healthcare physicians and other healthcare professionals when helping patients manage diabetes.

Association between pain burden and presence of any limitation among older adults (≥50 years of age) with pain who used opioids in the United States: Cross-sectional study using 2020 medical expenditure panel survey.

This study aimed to assess the association between pain burden and presence of any limitation among older adults (≥50 years of age) with pain who used opioids in the United States. This cross-sectional study used 2020 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data and included all adults aged 50 or older, who were alive for the 2020 calendar year, used an opioid at least once in the calendar year, and reported having pain in the past 4 weeks. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were developed to assess the association between any limitation (AL) (yes or no), pain burden (extremely, quite a bit, moderately, or little bit) and the control variables among a nationally representative sample of United States adults. A total of 844 of the 27,805 participants included in the dataset were eligible for the study. Of these, 71.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 67.2, 75.1%) reported the presence of AL. The adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that having extreme, quite a bit, or moderate pain (vs little pain) was associated with 10.30 (95% CI = 3.87, 27.40), 5.07 (95% CI = 2.77, 9.30), and 2.49 (95% CI = 1.40, 4.45), respectively, times greater odds of having AL. Furthermore, being unemployed (vs employed; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 5.26, 95% CI = 2.94, 9.09%), unmarried (vs married; aOR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.12, 3.33%), having poor overall health (vs good overall health; aOR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.08, 4.17), and residing in the Midwest (vs West; aOR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.10, 3.80) were associated with greater odds of having AL. Extreme, quite a bit, and moderate pain burden were significantly associated with greater odds of reporting AL compared to little pain burden. Developing effective pain management strategies that address not only pain relief but also functional improvement among this population is of importance. Future research could then be conducted to determine the most effective pain management strategies that will provide pain relief and improve their functional abilities.

Cultivating COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence in Pharmacy Professionals.

Pharmacists promote vaccinations and challenge misconceptions about vaccine hesitancy, yet pharmacists' knowledge of vaccine confidence has not been assessed. The objective of this study was to compare pharmacists' knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine confidence before and after a live continuing education (CE) session. This pretest-posttest study evaluated the differences before and after a live CE session on COVID-19 vaccine confidence provided to pharmacists at a nationwide health technology company. Participants' total pretest and posttest scores were compared using paired t-tests, while pretest and posttest scores for each item were compared using chi-squared tests. A Bonferroni correction was applied, resulting in an alpha level of 0.005. A total of 279 pharmacists participated in this study. After the CE session, mean knowledge scores increased (5.2 ± 1.5 to 7.4 ± 1.35, p < 0.0001). After the CE session, there was no significant increase in pharmacists' knowledge about the approach that is not recommended when discussing vaccination beliefs with a patient (71.3% to 77.4%, p = 0.099), determinants of vaccine uptake (83.9% to 87.8%, p = 0.182), and social determinants of health that can influence vaccination rates (93.6% to 96.4%, p = 0.121). There was a significant change in pre- and posttest knowledge for the remaining seven items.

An Assessment of Student Pharmacists' Knowledge of Electronic Cigarettes or Vapes-A Cross Sectional Study at One College of Pharmacy.

This study assessed the knowledge of e-cigarettes/vapes among a sample of student pharmacists. A 22-item cross-sectional electronic questionnaire was administered to all third- and fourth-year student pharmacists enrolled at one college of pharmacy in the United States (N = 256). Data were collected over six weeks in March/April 2022. One point was assigned for each correct knowledge item; points were then summed to create a total knowledge score for each person. Differences in the proportion of students who correctly answered each knowledge item were compared between year groups using a chi-square test, while differences between year groups for total knowledge score were compared using a two-sample t-test. The a priori alpha level was 0.05. Fifty students (third year = 30, fourth year = 20; female = 60%) completed the survey. Students' e-cigarettes/vapes knowledge varied depending on the item. There was no statistically significant difference between third- and fourth-year students for total mean knowledge scores (third year = 12.5 ± 3.3, fourth year = 11.2 ± 3.1, p = 0.1780) or for each knowledge item, except for items 10 and 20. In conclusion, the findings from this survey of student pharmacists at one college of pharmacy in the United States indicate a need for more education around e-cigarettes/vapes for student pharmacists so that they are better able to counsel patients on their use.