Learning good manufacturing practices in an escape room: Validation of a new pedagogical tool

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 853-860
Author(s):  
Faustine Berthod ◽  
Lucie Bouchoud ◽  
Febronia Grossrieder ◽  
Ludivine Falaschi ◽  
Salim Senhaji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Clean Room ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Educational Method ◽  
Pedagogical Tool ◽  
Innovative Method ◽  
Pharmacy Technology ◽  
Good Manufacturing Practices ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Quality Production

Introduction Chemotherapies are handled using Good Manufacturing Practices, which ensure asepsis and high-quality production. Continuous education is compulsory and usually includes theoretical and practical exercises. Objectives This work aimed to validate an innovative method of teaching good manufacturing practices based on an escape room mixing simulation and gaming. Method Pairs of learners were locked in a simulated clean room (Esclean Room) and had 1 hour to produce a chemotherapy and escape by finding solutions to 23 “Good Manufacturing Practices mysteries” linked to combination locks. To measure the experiment’s impact on teaching, questionnaires including the 23 mysteries (in different orders) were filled in before, just after and one month after escape from the Esclean Room. Pharmacy staff’ degrees of certainty were noted for each question. A satisfaction survey was completed. Results Seventy-two learners (29% senior pharmacists, 14% junior pharmacists, and 57% pharmacy technicians) escaped the Esclean Room and 56 answered every questionnaire. The educational intervention resulted in increases in correct answers and certainty. Correct answers rose from 57% in the first questionnaire to 80% in the third ( p < 0.001). Certainty scores rose from 50% before the experiment to 70% one month afterwards ( p < 0.001). Despite 68% of learners having never taken part in an escape room game before, 79% liked this educational method. Conclusion This study built and tested a pedagogical escape room involving a high risk, professional, pharmacy process. The use of this pharmacy technology simulation had a positive impact on pharmacy staff theoretical knowledge.

scholarly journals Energy loss separation in NiFeMo compacts with smoothed powders according to Landgraf’s and Bertotti’s theories

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denisa Olekšáková ◽  
Peter Kollár ◽  
Miloš Jakubčin ◽  
Ján Füzer ◽  
Martin Tkáč ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Loss ◽  
Mechanical Treatment ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Core Loss ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Effective Dimension ◽  
Loss Analysis ◽  
Innovative Method ◽  
Individual Particles

AbstractThis submitted paper presents the detailed description of the energy loss separation for dc and ac low-frequency magnetic fields of NiFeMo (supermalloy) compacted powder prepared by innovative method of smoothing the surfaces of individual particles. The positive impact of mechanical treatment method on domain wall displacement is explained on the basis of Landgraf approach for dc loss analysis, and the effective dimension for eddy current in ac magnetic field is explained according to Bertotti approach for core loss analysis.

scholarly journals Self-Aligned Interdigitated Transducers for Acoustofluidics

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhichao Ma ◽  
Adrian J. T. Teo ◽  
Say Hwa Tan ◽  
Ye Ai ◽  
Nam-Trung Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Wave ◽  
Surface Acoustic Wave ◽  
Particle Separation ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Droplet Generation ◽  
Microfluidic Channels ◽  
Clean Room ◽  
Precise Location ◽  
Innovative Method

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) is effective for the manipulation of fluids and particles in microscale. The current approach of integrating interdigitated transducers (IDTs) for SAW generation into microfluidic channels involves complex and laborious microfabrication steps. These steps often require the full access to clean room facilities and hours to align the transducers to the precise location. This work presents an affordable and innovative method for fabricating SAW-based microfluidic devices without the need of clean room facilities and alignment. The IDTs and microfluidic channels are fabricated in the same process and thus precisely self-aligned in accordance with the device design. With the use of the developed fabrication approach, a few types of different SAW-based microfluidic devices have been fabricated and demonstrated for particle separation and active droplet generation.

scholarly journals Self-Aligned Interdigitated Transducers for Acoustofluidics

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhichao Ma ◽  
Adrian J. T. Teo ◽  
Say Hwa Tan ◽  
Ye Ai ◽  
Nam-Trung Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Wave ◽  
Surface Acoustic Wave ◽  
Particle Separation ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Droplet Generation ◽  
Microfluidic Channels ◽  
Clean Room ◽  
Precise Location ◽  
Innovative Method

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) is effective for the manipulation of fluids and particles in microscale. The current approach of integrating interdigitated transducers (IDTs) for SAW generation into microfluidic channels involves complex and laborious microfabrication steps. These steps often require the full access to clean room facilities and hours to align the transducers to the precise location. This work presents an affordable and innovative method for fabricating SAW-based microfluidic devices without the need of clean room facilities and alignment. The IDTs and microfluidic channels are fabricated in the same process and thus precisely self-aligned in accordance with the device design. With the use of the developed fabrication approach, a few types of different SAW-based microfluidic devices have been fabricated and demonstrated for particle separation and active droplet generation.

scholarly journals GAMIFICATION FRAMEWORK FOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT PROCESSES

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Valerija Platonova ◽  
Solvita Berzisa
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Product Quality ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Routine Activities ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
Project Team ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Software Development Project ◽  
Quality Production

Gamification methodology has a positive impact on software development (SD) processes, contributes to better product quality production and team involvement. To show how gamification can be used to motivate the SD project team to carry out daily routine activities and document it in PM tool the gamification framework is proposed in this paper. With this gamification framework is also tried to solve project manager challenge to get actual information in PM tool entered by the project team for correct reporting of project status and process overview. A prototype of a gaming tool has been developed, which is based on Jira's app functionality and is implemented as a plugin.

scholarly journals Perencanaan Tenaga Teknis Kefarmasian Berdasarkan Analisis Beban Kerja Menggunakan Metode WISN di RSIA KM

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Nurul Yulaika
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Time Activity ◽  
Human Resource Planning ◽  
Ideal Number ◽  
Job Enrichment ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians

 Human Resources is one of the central factors that drive quality hospital services. Human Resource Planning of pharmaceutical technicians at RSIA KM posed risks to service performance. The objective of this cross sectional study was to analyze the pharmacy staff requirements and workload using Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) method based on real time activity standards for each workload. RSIA KM had 4 existing pharmacy technicians. Based on the WISN analysis, the results of the study should WISN ratio 0.49 or ≤ 1.00 which means there was a lack of pharmaceutical staff. The ideal number of pharmaceutical staff should be 8.08 or 8 staff. In response, RSIA KM recruited 4 pharmacy technicians. Implication for job enrichment and recruitment are discussed. Keywords : human resource planning, WISN (workload indicators of staffing need), pharmaceutical technical staff

scholarly journals Information on antibiotics in an Indonesian hospital outpatient setting: What is provided by pharmacy staff and recalled by patients?

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 2167
Author(s):  
Melani Naurita ◽  
Yosi I. Wibowo ◽  
Adji P. Setiadi ◽  
Eko Setiawan ◽  
Steven V. Halim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Outpatient Setting ◽  
Route Of Administration ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Hospital Outpatient ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Outpatient Settings

Background: The provision of information by pharmacy staff is a key factor to ensure patients’ understanding and quality use of medications, including antibiotics. However, little is known regarding the transmission of information between pharmacy staff and patients in Indonesia. Objective: This study aimed to identify information on antibiotics provided by pharmacy staff and recalled by patients in an Indonesian outpatient setting. Methods: The study was conducted in a hospital outpatient clinic in Malang, Indonesia, in 2019. A checklist was used to obtain the data on information provided by pharmacy staff, while interviews were conducted to determine information recalled by patients (only presenting patients were included); a total of 15 information items – i.e. 14 essential and one secondary – were observed. Descriptive analysis was used to summarise data on the checklists (‘given’ versus ‘not given’) as well as responses from the interviews (‘recalled’ versus ‘missed’). Results: Eleven pharmacy staff (two pharmacists and nine pharmacy technicians) were involved in providing information for patients obtaining oral antibiotics during the study period. Of 14 essential information items, only about half was given by pharmacy staff, with pharmacists significantly providing on average more information items than pharmacy technicians (7.96 versus 7.67 respectively; p<0.001). The most frequently information items provided (>90%) included “antibiotic identification”, “indication”, administration directions (i.e. “dosage”, “frequency”, “hour of administration”, “administration before/after meal”, “route of administration”), and “duration of use”. A total of 230 patients consented to the study, giving 79.9% response rate. The average number of information items recalled by patients was 7.09 (SD 1.45). Almost all patients could recall information on administration directions [i.e. “route of administration” (97.0%), “frequency” (95.2%), “dosage” (92.6%), “hour of administration” (85.7%), “administration before/after meal” (89.1%)] and “duration of use” (90.9%). Fewer patients were able to recall “antibiotic identification” (76.5%) and “indication” (77.0%). Conclusions: Pharmacy staff provided antibiotic information in a limited fashion, while patients showed adequate ability to recall the information given to them. Further study is needed to better understand the effective process of information transmission between pharmacy staff and patients, especially if more information was provided, to better optimise the use of antibiotics in outpatient settings in Indonesia.

Pilot Evaluation of Pharmacists’ and Pharmacy Technicians’ Knowledge and Understanding of a Medication Synchronization Program

2021 ◽  
pp. 089719002110483
Author(s):  
Janet N. Pham ◽  
Amy D. Robertson ◽  
Brittany L. Melton ◽  
Brent J. Rohling ◽  
Bradley J. Newell
Keyword(s):  
Final Analysis ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Good Standing ◽  
Video Tutorial ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
Previous Training

Background: Medication synchronization (MS) improves adherence by allowing patients to pick up all medications at the same time. Pharmacy staff need training to utilize a MS program effectively. Objective: Evaluate the impact of a video tutorial with decreased extraneous and intrinsic load on pharmacists’ and pharmacy technicians’ knowledge and understanding of a MS program. Study Method: Participants completed a prequestionnaire to assess knowledge and understanding of the MS process. They then watched a step-by-step video tutorial and were reassessed by a postquestionnaire 2 weeks later. Study participants included pharmacists and pharmacy technicians employed at 1 of 2 pharmacies in 1 regional division of a large community-based chain pharmacy. Participants were eligible if they were registered and in good standing with the Kansas Board of Pharmacy and employed for greater than 30 days since July 1, 2018. Results: Twenty participants were included in the final analysis. The median age was 36 years, 14 (70%) were female, 13 (65%) were pharmacy technicians, and each study site had equal representation. Most participants, 15 (75%), had previously completed the standard MS training. There was a significant improvement in number of correct responses after the intervention with a prequestionnaire score of 61.3% to postquestionnaire score of 70% ( P=.002). Significant improvement in knowledge was seen in participants who completed the previous training as well as first-time learners of the MS process. Conclusion: Optimizing training on MS processes by decreasing extraneous and intrinsic load improved the pharmacy team’s knowledge and understanding of the MS process.

scholarly journals Improving admission medication reconciliation with pharmacists or pharmacy technicians in the emergency department: a randomised controlled trial

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 512-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M Pevnick ◽  
Caroline Nguyen ◽  
Cynthia A Jackevicius ◽  
Katherine A Palmer ◽  
Rita Shane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Reference Standard ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Medication History ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Randomised Controlled

BackgroundAdmission medication history (AMH) errors frequently cause medication order errors and patient harm.ObjectiveTo quantify AMH error reduction achieved when pharmacy staff obtain AMHs before admission medication orders (AMO) are placed.MethodsThis was a three-arm randomised controlled trial of 306 inpatients. In one intervention arm, pharmacists, and in the second intervention arm, pharmacy technicians, obtained initial AMHs prior to admission. They obtained and reconciled medication information from multiple sources. All arms, including the control arm, received usual AMH care, which included variation in several common processes. The primary outcome was severity-weighted mean AMH error score. To detect AMH errors, all patients received reference standard AMHs, which were compared with intervention and control group AMHs. AMH errors and resultant AMO errors were independently identified and rated by ≥2 investigators as significant, serious or life threatening. Each error was assigned 1, 4 or 9 points, respectively, to calculate severity-weighted AMH and AMO error scores for each patient.ResultsPatient characteristics were similar across arms (mean±SD age 72±16 years, number of medications 15±7). Analysis was limited to 278 patients (91%) with reference standard AMHs. Mean±SD AMH errors per patient in the usual care, pharmacist and technician arms were 8.0±5.6, 1.4±1.9 and 1.5±2.1, respectively (p<0.0001). Mean±SD severity-weighted AMH error scores were 23.0±16.1, 4.1±6.8 and 4.1±7.0 per patient, respectively (p<0.0001). These AMH errors led to a mean±SD of 3.2±2.9, 0.6±1.1 and 0.6±1.1 AMO errors per patient, and mean severity-weighted AMO error scores of 6.9±7.2, 1.5±2.9 and 1.2±2.5 per patient, respectively (both p<0.0001).ConclusionsPharmacists and technicians reduced AMH errors and resultant AMO errors by over 80%. Future research should examine other sites and patient-centred outcomes.Trial registration numberNCT02026453.

scholarly journals Analysis of Real-World Experiences with the Ontario MedsCheck Program

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Graham ◽  
William Bartle ◽  
Patti Madorin ◽  
Vincent Teo ◽  
Artemis Diamantouros
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Hospital Pharmacists ◽  
Sunnybrook Health ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Groupes De Discussion

ABSTRACTBackground: The Ontario MedsCheck program was introduced in April 2007, with enhancements to strengthen the program made in October 2016. Previous literature has characterized patients who received the service before the enhancements and described the experiences of community pharmacists and physicians, but the experiences of participants in the enhanced MedsCheck program and those of hospital pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have not been explored.Objectives: This study was designed to describe and compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients admitted to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC) who had received a MedsCheck before and after the program enhancements of 2016. The study also aimed to describe the experiences of patients, hospital pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians with the MedsCheck program.Methods: Chart reviews were completed to identify and characterize patients who had received a MedsCheck and were admitted to SHSC between March and May 2016 (retrospective cohort) and between March and May 2017 (prospective cohort). Patients were interviewed and focus groups were conducted with pharmacy staff to explore their experiences with the MedsCheck program. Results: MedsChecks had been performed for 321 (14.5%) of 2216 patients in the retrospective cohort and 172 (6.8%) of 2547 patients in the prospective cohort, an absolute decline of 7.7% after the 2016 enhancements. Patient characteristics were similar between the 2 cohorts. Patients’ experiences were varied, but because of low enrolment in the interview process (n = 3), it was difficult to identify and summarize common themes. The analysis of focus groups involving pharmacy staff (n = 27 participants) revealed that the benefits of MedsChecks depended on quality and access, and also identified common barriers and oppor -tunities for future enhancements. Conclusions: Patient interviews revealed the features of the program that patients valued. Pharmacy staff identified several benefits and barriers encountered when using MedsChecks. These findings can guide clinicians in optimal application of the current MedsCheck program and can inform subsequent program revisions.RÉSUMÉContexte : En avril 2007, l’Ontario a introduit le programme MedsCheck assorti d’améliorations visant à renforcer le programme élaboré en octobre 2016. La documentation antérieure décrivait l’expérience des patients rece-vant le service ainsi que celle des pharmaciens et des médecins communau-taires avant les améliorations, mais les expériences des participants au programme MedsCheck amélioré ainsi que celles des techniciens en pharmacie et des pharmaciens d’hôpitaux n’avaient toutefois pas été étudiées.Objectifs : Cette étude a été conçue pour décrire et comparer les caractéristiques démographiques et cliniques des patients admis au Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC) qui ont reçu un MedsCheck avant et après les améliorations apportées au programme de 2016. L’étude vise également à décrire les expériences qu’ont faites les patients, les pharmaciens d’hôpitaux et les techniciens en pharmacie avec le programme MedsCheck amélioré.Méthodes : Des examens de graphiques ont permis d’identifier et de caractériser les patients admis au SHSC entre mars et mai 2016 (cohorte rétrospective) et entre mars et mai 2017 (cohorte prospective), ayant reçu un MedsCheck. Les patients ont été interrogés et des groupes de discussion avec le personnel de pharmacie ont été organisés pour étudier les expériences qu’ils ont faites avec le programme MedsCheck. Résultats : Des MedsChecks ont été effectués auprès de 321 patients (14,5 %) sur les 2216 dans la cohorte rétrospective, et de 172 patients (6,8 %) sur les 2547 dans la cohorte prospective : une diminution de 7,7 % après les améliorations apportées en 2016. Les caractéristiques des patients étaient similaires dans les deux cohortes. Les expériences des patients étaient variées, mais la faible inscription au processus d’entretien (n = 3) n’a pas permis de déterminer et de résumer les thèmes communs. L’analyse des groupes de discussion comprenant des membres du personnel de pharmacie (n = 27 participants) a révélé que les avantages du programme MedsChecks dépendaient de la qualité de l’information fournie par le programme et de l’accès à cette information, et elle a aussi permis de cibler les obstacles courants et des possibilités d’améliorations futures.Conclusions : Les entretiens avec les patients ont révélé les caractéristiques du programme que les patients appréciaient. Le personnel de pharmacie a relevé plusieurs avantages et quelques obstacles liés à l’utilisation du programme MedsChecks. Ces résultats peuvent faciliter l’application optimale du programme MedsCheck actuel par les cliniciens et orienter les révisions ultérieures.

Effectiveness of a decontamination procedure in a pharmacy buffer room contaminated by 5 antineoplastic agents

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (24) ◽  
pp. 2081-2088
Author(s):  
Paul Arpino ◽  
Jason Yeomelakis ◽  
Anisha Oommen
Keyword(s):  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Wipe Sampling ◽  
Sufficient Detail ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hazardous Drugs

Abstract Purpose Healthcare facilities are obligated to implement strategies to protect healthcare workers from exposure to hazardous drugs, including any real or potential risk from contaminated surfaces. Guidelines are broad and lack sufficient detail for healthcare facilities to establish clear effectiveness targets for their decontamination procedures. Our goal in this analysis was to measure the effectiveness of a decontamination procedure in a pharmacy buffer room contaminated with 5 antineoplastic drugs. Methods Six rounds of contamination, decontamination, and wipe sampling were performed in a pharmacy buffer room designated for hazardous drug (HD) compounding. Ten locations in the buffer room were contaminated with 5-fluorouracil, carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, paclitaxel, and doxorubicin. Pharmacy staff were blinded to contamination sites. After contamination, 3 pharmacy technicians following the same decontamination procedure decontaminated the buffer room. To assess the impact of decontamination, residual hazardous drug levels were assessed after contamination and after decontamination using a commercially available wipe sampling product. Results The mean (SD) residual contamination levels for the 239 wipe samples taken before and after decontamination were 63 (60) ng and 3.9 (8.2) ng, respectively, representing a 94% reduction in residual HD contamination. Residual contamination was not detectable (&lt;5 ng) in 221 (~93%) of the samples after decontamination. Conclusion The employed decontamination procedures effectively reduced residual HD surface contamination.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document