Looking Back at US Pharmacy’s Past to Help Discern Its Future

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (9) ◽  
pp. 907-920
Author(s):  
Natalia Shcherbakova ◽  
Shane Desselle
Keyword(s):  
Patient Care ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Original Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
The Future

Objective: To review specific literature that aimed to predict the future of US pharmacy, beginning in the late 1980s. Data Sources: Articles were identified from searching MEDLINE, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and references of relevant articles. The following combinations of search terms were used: future, pharmacy, prediction, and forecast. Study Selection and Data Extraction: The following inclusion criteria were applied: (1) full-text commentary, review, or original research and (2) focused predominantly on the pharmacy in the United States. Data on predictions for the future of pharmacy were extracted. Data Synthesis: We selected 3 articles published between 1988 and 2006, with each aiming to project the future for the following decade. We examined each prediction in light of the current knowledge. Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice: Educators, practitioners, and other stakeholders should consider reflecting on the changes in pharmacy for the past 3 decades and applying both historical and emerging trends to improve patient care and sustain practice in the third decade of the 21st century and beyond. Conclusion: Most of the predictions for the future of pharmacy from the past 3 decades materialized, with some still in progress (reimbursement for pharmacy services), whereas others manifested in unexpected ways (transition from shortage to excess of pharmacists). Current forces shaping pharmacy include, but are not limited to, growing spending and use of specialty drugs, automation of pharmacy operations, growth of pharmacy in the digital health enterprise, and growing consumer interest in the use of analytical pharmacy that tests drugs before dispensing.

scholarly journals A Web- and App-Based Connected Care Solution for COVID-19 In- and Outpatient Care: Qualitative Study and Application Development (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Schinköthe ◽  
Mariano Rolando Gabri ◽  
Manfred Mitterer ◽  
Pedro Gouveia ◽  
Volker Heinemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Outpatient Care ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Application Development ◽  
Absolute Minimum ◽  
First Choice

BACKGROUND From the perspective of health care professionals, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) brings many challenges as well as opportunities for digital health care. One challenge is that health care professionals are at high risk of infection themselves. Therefore, in-person visits need to be reduced to an absolute minimum. Connected care solutions, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and secure communications between clinicians and their patients, may rapidly become the first choice in such public health emergencies. OBJECTIVE The aim of the COVID-19 Caregiver Cockpit (C19CC) was to implement a free-of-charge, web- and app-based tool for patient assessment to assist health care professionals working in the COVID-19 environment. METHODS Physicians in Argentina, Germany, Iran, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United States explained their challenges with COVID-19 patient care through unstructured interviews. Based on the collected feedback, the first version of the C19CC was built. In the second round of interviews, the application was presented to physicians, and more feedback was obtained. RESULTS Physicians identified a number of different scenarios where telemedicine or connected care solutions could rapidly improve patient care. These scenarios included outpatient care, discharge management, remote tracking of patients with chronic diseases, as well as incorporating infected physicians under quarantine into telehealth services. CONCLUSIONS The C19CC is the result of an agile and iterative development process that complements the work of physicians. It aims to improve the care and safety of people who are infected by COVID-19.

scholarly journals A Web- and App-Based Connected Care Solution for COVID-19 In- and Outpatient Care: Qualitative Study and Application Development

10.2196/19033 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e19033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Schinköthe ◽  
Mariano Rolando Gabri ◽  
Manfred Mitterer ◽  
Pedro Gouveia ◽  
Volker Heinemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Outpatient Care ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Application Development ◽  
Absolute Minimum ◽  
First Choice

Background From the perspective of health care professionals, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) brings many challenges as well as opportunities for digital health care. One challenge is that health care professionals are at high risk of infection themselves. Therefore, in-person visits need to be reduced to an absolute minimum. Connected care solutions, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and secure communications between clinicians and their patients, may rapidly become the first choice in such public health emergencies. Objective The aim of the COVID-19 Caregiver Cockpit (C19CC) was to implement a free-of-charge, web- and app-based tool for patient assessment to assist health care professionals working in the COVID-19 environment. Methods Physicians in Argentina, Germany, Iran, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United States explained their challenges with COVID-19 patient care through unstructured interviews. Based on the collected feedback, the first version of the C19CC was built. In the second round of interviews, the application was presented to physicians, and more feedback was obtained. Results Physicians identified a number of different scenarios where telemedicine or connected care solutions could rapidly improve patient care. These scenarios included outpatient care, discharge management, remote tracking of patients with chronic diseases, as well as incorporating infected physicians under quarantine into telehealth services. Conclusions The C19CC is the result of an agile and iterative development process that complements the work of physicians. It aims to improve the care and safety of people who are infected by COVID-19.

A Preliminary Study of Nursing Practice Patterns Concerning Dysphagia Diet Modification: Implications for Interprofessional Education With SLPs

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Naomi Gurevich ◽  
Danielle R. Osmelak ◽  
Sydney Osentoski
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Practice Patterns ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
The United States ◽  
Diet Modification ◽  
Work Settings ◽  
Swallowing Dysfunction

Purpose Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are trained to evaluate and treat dysphagia. One treatment method is to modify diet consistency or viscosity to compensate for swallowing dysfunction and promote a safer intake; this typically involves softening solids and thickening liquids. Thickening liquids is not safer for all patients, and modification of dysphagia diets without adequate training may reduce the quality of dysphagia patient care. Over 90% of SLPs working in health care report exposure to nurses who regularly downgrade dysphagia diets without an SLP consult. This study explores dysphagia diet modification practices of nursing staff with and without dysphagia training. Method Practicing nurses and student nurses ( N = 298) in the United States were surveyed regarding their dysphagia diet modification training and practice patterns. Additionally, a pre-/posttest design was used to determine the efficacy of a short general tutorial on willingness to modify diets without an SLP consult. Results Downgrading diets without an SLP consult is a common practice. Fewer than one third of nurses (31.41%) would avoid it, whereas 73.65% would avoid upgrading without SLP consult. Formal dysphagia training made little difference to this practice. The short general tutorial also had no beneficial effect, in fact slightly reducing the willingness to consult SLPs. Conclusions Dysphagia diet modification practice by nurses is pervasive in U.S. health care. This is a previously unexplored but common issue SLPs face in work settings. This study identifies a need to clarify guidelines and increase interprofessional education between both professions to improve patient care.

scholarly journals The great Chinese transformation: cynicism and the future of the world (article two)

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (3) ◽  
pp. 5-23
Author(s):  
Grzegorz W. Kolodko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chinese Economy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Chinese Characteristics ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Right ◽  
Supranational Level

The huge leap made by the Chinese economy over the past four decades as a result of market reforms and openness to the world is causing fear in some and anxiety in others. Questions arise as to whether China’s economic success is solid and whether economic growth will be followed by political expansion. China makes extensive use of globalization and is therefore interested in continuing it. At the same time, China wants to give it new features and specific Chinese characteristics. This is met with reluctance by the current global hegemon, the United States, all the more so as there are fears that China may promote its original political and economic system, "cynicism", abroad. However, the world is still big enough to accommodate us all. Potentially, not necessarily. For this to happen, we need the right policies, which in the future must also include better coordination at the supranational level.

Development of the Key Performance Indicators for Digital Health Interventions: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Brenner ◽  
Arielle Weir ◽  
Margaret McCann ◽  
Carmel Doyle ◽  
Mary Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Delphi Study ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Original Research

BACKGROUND Development of the Key Performance Indicators for Digital Health Interventions: A Scoping Review OBJECTIVE Digital health interventions (DHIs) offer new methods for delivering healthcare, with the potential to innovate healthcare services. Key performance indicators (KPIs) play a role in evaluation, measurement, and improvement in healthcare quality and service performance. The scoping review question was developed following an initial search to identify literature to assist in the development of KPIs for an ongoing DHI initiative. During the initial search, it became clear that there was limited literature on how to develop specific and measurable KPIs that evaluate DHIs. The aim of this scoping review was to identify current knowledge and evidence surrounding the development of KPIs for DHIs. METHODS A rigorous literature search was conducted across ten key databases: AMED - The Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, CINAHL Complete, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, EMBASE, EBM Reviews - Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EBM Reviews - Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, EBM Reviews - Health Technology Assessment, and IEEE Xplore. A descriptive summary of the literature was performed, and thematic analysis identified important or reoccurring themes. RESULTS Five references (representing four unique publications) were eligible for the review. Of the four included publications, two were articles on original research studies of a specific DHI, and two were overviews of methods for developing DHIs (not specific to a single DHI). All the included reports discussed the involvement of stakeholders in developing KPIs for DHIs. The step of identifying and defining the KPIs was completed using various methodologies, but all centered on a form of stakeholder involvement. Potential options for stakeholder involvement for KPI identification include the use of an elicitation framework, a factorial survey approach, or a Delphi study. Most of the included articles recognised the lack of literature relating to KPI development for DHIs, compared to the breath of literature available on the development of KPIs in other fields like health or informatics CONCLUSIONS Few articles were identified, highlighting a significant gap in the evidence-based knowledge in this domain. All the included articles discussed the involvement of stakeholders in developing KPIs for DHIs, which was performed using various methodologies. The articles acknowledged a lack of literature related to KPI development for DHIs. To allow comparability between KPI initiatives and facilitate work in the field, further research would be beneficial to develop a common methodology for KPI development for DHIs.

scholarly journals Implementation, Evolution and Impact of ICU Telepharmacy Services Across a Health care System

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 232-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desiree E. Kosmisky ◽  
Sonia S. Everhart ◽  
Carrie L. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Improve Patient Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hospital Length ◽  
Hospital Length Of Stay ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
American Society ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: A review of the implementation and development of telepharmacy services that ensure access to a critical care-trained pharmacist across a healthcare system. Summary: Teleintensive care unit (tele-ICU) services use audio, video, and electronic databases to assist bedside caregivers. Telepharmacy, as defined by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, is a method in which a pharmacist uses telecommunication technology to oversee aspects of pharmacy operations or provide patient care services. Telepharmacists can ensure accurate and timely order verification, recommend interventions to improve patient care, provide drug information to clinicians, assist in standardization of care, and promote medication safety. This tele-ICU pharmacy team is one of the only entirely clinical-based tele-ICU pharmacy models among the tele-ICU programs across the United States. The use of technology for customized alert generation and intervention proposal with medication orders and chart notation are unique. In a 34-month period from September 2015 to July 2018, more than 110 000 alerts were generated and 13 000 interventions were performed by telepharmacists. Conclusions: Tele-ICU pharmacists employ limited resources to provide critical care pharmacy expertise to multiple sites within a healthcare system during nontraditional hours with documented clinical and financial benefits. Further study is needed to determine the impact of tele-ICU pharmacists on ICU and hospital length of stay, morbidity, and mortality.

Fragments of the Past, Tasks for the Future: Spanish in the United States

PMLA ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 115 (7) ◽  
pp. 1961-1964
Author(s):  
James D. Fernández
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spanish America ◽  
Place Of Residence ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future

In december 1826, a young bostonian on a grand tour of Europe received a letter from his father, offering the following advice: “Such are the relations now existing between this country and Spanish America that a knowledge of the Spanish is quite as important as French. If you neglect either of these languages, you may be sure of not obtaining the station which you have in view.” The son received the letter in Paris, heeded his father's advice, and headed straight for Madrid. Some four months later he would write back from the capital of Spain, “I have not seen a city in Europe which has pleased my fancy so much, as a place of residence” (Helman 340).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document