Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA

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BACKGROUND: Despite accounting for more than half of new Human Immunodeficiency Virus diagnoses in the United States, the South has fewer than 30% of all pre-exposure prophylaxis users. Pre-exposure prophylaxis access geospatial analyses have focused on drive time but analyses along public transit routes have not been evaluated. Given the proximity to pharmacists and pharmacies, involvement in pre-exposure prophylaxis services may increase access and uptake of this preventative health need...

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a prevalent medical condition that can contribute to an increased risk of developing serious comorbidities, leading to an increase in hospitalizations, morbidity, and mortality. Many of these medical conditions can be improved with weight loss. OBJECTIVES: This project was designed to improve weight loss outcomes and assess the utilization of services provided by clinical pharmacists for collaborative weight loss management. METHODS: The study design was a single-center, retrospective, and quality improvement study within three outpatient clinics at Tufts Medical Center (TMC)...

Pharmacy preceptors are pivotal to facilitating and maximizing student learning on experiential rotations. However, preceptors may encounter a variety of behaviors or barriers that can hinder student success. Although some guidance exists for preceptors, emerging learner challenges along with new educational outcomes call for an updated practical approach to promoting student success on rotations. This paper provides preceptors with a structured approach to facilitate success for students who exhibit challenges on rotations...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Digital technologies are present in every phase of a drug lifecycle, from drug design and development to its dispensing and use. However, given the rapid development and implementation of digital solutions, their monitoring, evaluation and risk assessment are limited and lacking. OBJECTIVE: This research is aiming to identify potential errors, quantify and prioritize associated risks in the context of certain technologies used in pharmaceutical care, as well as define corrective measures to improve patient safety and the quality of pharmaceutical care...

BACKGROUND: Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) causes lasting symptoms like fatigue and cognitive issues. PCS treatment is non-specific, focusing on symptom management, potentially increasing the risk of polypharmacy. OBJECTIVES: To describe medication use patterns among patients with Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS) and estimate the prevalence of polypharmacy, potential drug-drug interactions, and anticholinergic/sedative burden. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Quebec Action for Post-COVID cohort, consisting of individuals self-identifying with persistent COVID-19 symptoms beyond 12 weeks...

BACKGROUND: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) prevent HIV among individuals at high risk for acquisition. Pre-existing structural barriers to PrEP/PEP access among rural patients may be exacerbated further if pharmacies do not keep PrEP/PEP in stock, constituting a significant barrier to mitigating the HIV epidemic. OBJECTIVES: To compare PrEP/PEP availability for same-day pickup in rural vs urban Georgia and Pennsylvania pharmacies...

BACKGROUND: Biosimilars reduce the burden of cost on patients and payers, and so doing, increase access to life-saving care. However, biosimilar uptake in the US has been inconsistent. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed provider perceptions of barriers to biosimilar use and their relationships to utilization rates in a large, national oncology network and examined if perceptions differed by demographic and practice characteristics. METHODS: A 28-item survey was administered to 400 network physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and administrators, spanning 25 provider groups, and measured: 1) barriers to use categorized into 4 subscales-payer-related, provider-related, operational, and patient-related, using a Likert scale ranging from Never (1) to Always (5); and 2) demographic and practice characteristics...

BACKGROUND: Pharmacist-driven continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is associated with reduced hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and achievement of daily glycemic goals. Community-based pharmacists are well positioned to improve CGM uptake among patients with diabetes due to their accessibility and expertise. However, little data exists evaluating outcomes of CGM services led by a community-based pharmacist. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a community-based pharmacy resident-driven CGM service on HbA1c, revenue, and patient satisfaction...

UNLABELLED: Barriers to medication error reporting in inpatient settings and primary care clinics are well known and can be categorized as psychological, logistical, knowledge, and workplace. These barriers have not been explored well at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) where limited pharmacy services may exist. METHODS: This prospective, cross-sectional study surveyed 161 medical professionals at a large FQHC clinic with a small pharmacy team to explore their understanding of medication error categories and the influence of barriers to medication error reporting on their decision to report...

BACKGROUND: Burnout among clinical pharmacist practitioners has been well established, but not among those who perform academic detailing. OBJECTIVES: To measure burnout among clinical pharmacist practitioners who perform academic detailing (pharmacist-academic detailers) at the United States (US) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and compare the findings using two validated burnout instruments for healthcare professionals. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was performed to measure burnout in VHA pharmacist-academic detailers across all VA regions between April 2023 and May 2023...

BACKGROUND: Positive roles of community pharmacy in TB care have been widely reported. However, the actual practice of supporting TB treatment is not optimal yet. Therefore, we analyzed the current practice of community pharmacy personnel and its factors in supporting the successful treatment of TB patients in Indonesia, aiming to develop strategies for effective and sustainable TB practice models for the community pharmacy. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional survey in three areas representing Indonesia's eastern, central, and western parts...

BACKGROUND: Transitions of care (TOC) is the coordination and continuity of healthcare as a patient transfers between different settings.1 This can include a wide range of services, such as medication reconciliation, patient counseling, bedside delivery of medications, and others that meet individual patient needs.2 In the pediatric population, patients are at increased risk of potential medication errors and subsequent harm due to reduced patient and/or caregiver health literacy, limited dosage form availability, and errors in medication administration...

BACKGROUND: The rapid increase in COVID-19 combined with uncertainty surrounding transmission and treatment protocols resulted in unprecedented burnout amongst healthcare workers. As other healthcare workers scrambled to support patients, community pharmacists quickly responded to the pandemic by extending their services. This constantly changing environment amongst other factors created a high degree of psychological burden associated with COVID-19 for pharmacists. Although studies have examined the psychological impact of the pandemic on frontline healthcare workers, pharmacists are rarely included in these studies...

BACKGROUND: Most Canadian jurisdictions authorize pharmacists to administer vaccines, with differences in vaccine and patient age eligibility. Vaccination rates could be further optimized if pharmacists took a more proactive role in life-course vaccine screening and administration. Health professional vaccine fatigue following the COVID-19 pandemic may negatively impact service delivery. OBJECTIVES: To assess vaccine fatigue among Canadian pharmacists, understand their willingness to provide proactive life-course vaccination services and identify associated vaccine practice facilitators...

BACKGROUND: & Objective: Timely assessment of cultures for discharged patients from the emergency department is crucial for quality patient care and safety outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of implementing a standardized pharmacy-driven culture callback protocol on antimicrobial therapy optimization for patients discharged from the emergency department with positive urine, blood, or sexually transmitted infection cultures. METHODS: This study was a single-centered, IRB-exempt quality improvement project conducted in the emergency department of an acute-care facility...

BACKGROUND: North Carolina (NC) House Bill 96, effective February 2022, enabled trained immunizing pharmacists across the state to prescribe hormonal contraceptives (HCs). However, the extent and barriers to deployment are unknown. The purpose of this study was to describe the uptake and challenges from outpatient pharmacists who trained to provide HCs in an outpatient practice to assist others in the implementation of this service. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to estimate the proportion of trained NC pharmacists who provided HCs in an outpatient setting...

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BACKGROUND: Community pharmacy practice has incurred significant changes in scope of responsibility and workplace environment, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The trends may impact how student pharmacists perceive community pharmacy practice and their future career opportunities. OBJECTIVE: To determine current perceptions that student pharmacists have towards community pharmacy practice. METHODS: A 15-item electronic, cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed to approximately 2200 student pharmacists from March to April 2023...