Matthewsdougherty7694
One way pharmacy students contribute to their community while simultaneously practicing critical skills is by providing community blood pressure (BP) and blood glucose (BG) screenings. Instruction on correct techniques ensures student participants obtain accurate results and develop confidence. Previously, community event training had been held live and in person, but due to a curriculum change, an asynchronous online training program was piloted. The purpose of this study was to determine if the online training provides similar confidence, convenience, and knowledge when compared to live training.
Three online training modules (BP, BG, and event procedures) were built into a web-based course management system. Each online module consisted of an educational slideshow, an instructional video, and a short quiz. A 10-question anonymous survey was given both before and after the live training in 2017, as well as before and after the asynchronous, online training in 2018. Data were compared using descriptive statistics to see if the increase in knowledge and confidence was similar.
The live training event had 69 participants; the online training had 77 participants. Both the live and online training had 99 to 100% successful completion, based upon skill demonstration (live), or quiz (online). Both the live and online training had increases in reported student confidence. Both formats were rated as convenient by participants (9.7/10 for live, 9.6/10 for online).
The use of an online, asynchronous training program is an effective alternative for student training to prepare for participation in community screening events.
The use of an online, asynchronous training program is an effective alternative for student training to prepare for participation in community screening events.
Pharmacy practice continues to change and therefore requires lifelong health professions education. Avacopan chemical structure These practice changes require academics and leaders in pharmacy to identify how to best teach and train pharmacists to manage patient care services. This study assessed whether an online training module is as effective as an in-person workshop to train pharmacists to apply dosing and therapeutic monitoring of vancomycin.
The primary endpoint measured the difference in average assessment score change between pre- and post-training between intervention groups. All pharmacists completed (1) a baseline pretest, (2) Session 1 online, (3) Session 2 (an online training module or in-person workshop), (4) a posttest, and (5) a voluntary survey of perceptions on training.
A total of 56 pharmacists completed the training, 43% online and 57% in-person. The multiple linear regression included pretest, training method, and pharmacists' role on posttest (R
= 0.1041 and P = .34). A voluntary anonymous survey about perceptions on the training was completed by 20 participants. On average, perceptions were agreeable on an eight-item Likert scale between groups (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77). The total scores for the Likert scale were 27 ± 3.3 vs. 23 ± 1.6, P = .001, in the online and in-person sessions, respectively. More participants in the online group agreed that they had enough time to comprehend and apply the material, 4 vs. 3 (on the Likert scale).
An online training module is as effective as an in-person workshop at training pharmacists to apply vancomycin dosing and monitoring.
An online training module is as effective as an in-person workshop at training pharmacists to apply vancomycin dosing and monitoring.
Values-based practice is an important concept within healthcare decision-making that sits alongside evidence-based practice. Values Exchange (Vx) (http//www.vxcommunity.com) is an online tool that supports the development of ethical and professional decision-making skills through values transparency. The aim of this research was to explore the perceived impact of long-term use of the tool during undergraduate study on pharmacy graduates' early practice.
Alumni in their pre-registration year or up to two years qualified were invited to participate via a question at the end of a survey, with additional students invited prospectively during an undergraduate lecture. All had completed three cases per year on Vx during the four-year master of pharmacy course. Semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and framework analysis was applied. Ethical approval was obtained.
A total of 18 interviews (nine pharmacists and nine pre-registration tutees) were conducted between May 2015 and March 2016. Thirteen participants were female, 13 were based in community pharmacy, and 10 were Caucasian. Interviews ranged from 50 min to 2 hours. Three themes emerged from the data (1) the Vx learning environment, (2) learning and reflection, and (3) potential enhancements for learning. Participants perceived Vx to be an effective teaching tool supporting the development of skills necessary to exercise professional judgement in pharmacy practice.
Vx appears to be a worthy addition to the armoury of teaching methods necessary to support future pharmacists in their preparedness to deal with ethical and professional dilemmas in practice.
Vx appears to be a worthy addition to the armoury of teaching methods necessary to support future pharmacists in their preparedness to deal with ethical and professional dilemmas in practice.
To identify (1) how often and in what settings pharmacy students include spirituality and religion and (2) what factors may influence how often students incorporate spirituality in patient care plans.
Fourth-year pharmacy students completed a questionnaire defining the frequency and setting of patient care activities that incorporated spiritual beliefs during advanced pharmacy practice experiences. Demographics, prior spirituality and health coursework, and self-identified measures of religiosity and spirituality were collected. Data analysis utilized descriptive statistics with nonparametric exploratory analysis.
Sixty-three students completed the survey (31.7% response rate). While 11% of students asked patients about spiritual needs, 25.4% reported inclusion of spiritual factors in therapeutic plan creation. The general medicine rotation was the most common setting identified. Student frequency of religious service attendance, self-identified religiosity, and self-reported spirituality were associated with perceived importance of asking patients about spiritual needs (P<.
