Community pharmacists to receive new set of professional standards, reveals RPS chief

AbstractThis study investigates the legal status and treatment of the youthful offender in Israel. Due to a legal provision, in the case of the youthful offender, the court is required to receive a pre-sentencing report from a probation officer; however, there is no institutionalized indication as to how or to what degree the judges should follow the report. Our findings reveal that both judges and probation officers adhere to high professional standards and make their decisions according to the specific case brought in front of them, and that they are not affected by social class or ethnic stereotypes. In spite of a considerable correspondence between the recommendations made by the probation officers and the decisions made by the judges, one cannot avoid noticing also some discrepancy. This is attributed to the strong therapeutic values which characterize the probation officers' training and which are less evident among the judges. The consequences of this discrepancy are analysed and discussed and a few steps to narrow the gap are suggested.

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Assessing patient satisfaction after comprehensive medication review including oral chemotherapy adherence with an oncology pharmacist at the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care (SCCC).

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.e19241 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e19241-e19241

Author(s):

Patrick John Skeffington ◽

Laura Haynes ◽

Donna Raymond ◽

Heather McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Oral Chemotherapy ◽

Third Party ◽

Effective Counseling ◽

Open Discussion ◽

Specialty Pharmacy ◽

Strongly Agree ◽

Pharmacist Services ◽

To Receive

e19241 Background: Use of oral chemotherapy has increased dramatically over the past few years. Patient often are required to obtain their oral chemotherapy from a third party specialty pharmacy while continuing to receive their other medications from other pharmacies. Many community pharmacists lack knowledge about oral chemotherapy, safe practices, or effective counseling of these medications. Objective: To assess patient perception and satisfaction of a pharmacist 1 on 1 appointment when starting oral chemotherapy. Methods: A program was designed at SCCC whereby all patients starting oral chemotherapy are scheduled for an appointment with a clinical oncology pharmacist to update medication lists, evaluate adherence, and conduct a "brown bag" visit where patients are allowed to voice concerns and ask questions. After each appointment patients were asked to fill out a short survey, The Patient Satisfaction with Pharmacist Services Questionnaire (PSPSQ 2.0). Results: PSPSQ 2.0 uses a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 4. From October 2016 to June 2019, 174 patients had appointments and 55 returned their surveys yielding a 30% response rate. Average scores hovered around 1 (strongly agree) for each question except question 11 (the only negatively worded question). Question 11 averaged 3.1; Disagree. Conclusions: Patients who were seen by an oncology clinical pharmacist to evaluate adherence, participate in a "brown bag" clinic and open discussion, found the appointment worthy of their time.

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Managing chemotherapy-related toxicities in the community setting: A survey of pharmacists in Ontario

Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice ◽

10.1177/1078155220907650 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (8) ◽

pp. 1903-1911

Author(s):

Kathy Vu ◽

Aliya Pardhan ◽

Nita Lakhani ◽

Stephanie Metcalfe ◽

Mindaugas Mozuraitis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anticancer Drugs ◽

Management Practices ◽

Community Setting ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Specialized Knowledge ◽

Oncology Education ◽

Study Support ◽

Almost All ◽

To Receive ◽

Question Survey

Background Toxicity management is a challenge with cancer treatment, including oral anticancer drugs. A review of claims data showed that a majority of publically funded oral anticancer drugs were filled in the community where pharmacists may not necessarily possess the specialized knowledge, skills, and experience required to provide effective patient care. A survey of community pharmacists in Ontario was conducted to identify the behaviours and preferences of community pharmacists specific to the management of treatment-related toxicities in order to standardize cancer care in this area. Methods An electronic questionnaire was distributed to approximately 5000 community pharmacists. The 21-question survey gathered information on the demographic profile of the pharmacists, basic geographic and socioeconomic variables associated with their practice setting, current toxicity management practices, education and training needs, and preferences for communicating with other providers. Results Of 349 pharmacists, almost all (94.9%) were interested in managing chemotherapy-related toxicities as part of their work, but the majority (77.1%) did not feel that their current level of pharmacy training has provided them with an oncology education sufficient for the demands of their practice. Approximately 52% of respondents indicated that they have reached out to the health care provider at a cancer centre, and of those, 72.7% reported that their questions were resolved within 48 h. More than half of all survey respondents (53.9%) indicated that they would prefer to receive a response within 12 h from cancer centres. Conclusions The results of this study support the need to provide community pharmacists with oncology-specific training and timely correspondences from providers at prescribing institutions in order to manage toxicities.

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Effectiveness of protocol-based pharmacotherapy management collaboration between hospital and community pharmacists to address capecitabine-related hand–foot syndrome in cancer patients: a retrospective study

Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences ◽

10.1186/s40780-021-00191-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nobuhiko Nakamura ◽

Hiroki Shiraiwa ◽

Yasuhiro Haruna ◽

Tomoki Ichijima ◽

Tomoko Takeda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

Adjuvant Chemotherapy ◽

Pharmaceutical Care ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Medical Records ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Conventional Care ◽

Control Group ◽

Hand Foot Syndrome ◽

To Receive

Abstract Background Pharmaceutical care of capecitabine-related hand–foot syndrome (HFS) is extremely important to avoid the progression of the syndrome. Protocol-based pharmacotherapy management (PBPM) of HFS by community pharmacists has been introduced in our community, whereby the community pharmacist instructs patients to use steroid creams if they develop HFS of grade 2 or higher. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of PBPM in cancer patients with HFS by comparing it to conventional pharmaceutical care using monitoring reports for pharmacotherapy management by community pharmacists. Methods From September 2017 to August 2019, we retrospectively investigated the medical records of 396 cancer patients who received capecitabine adjuvant chemotherapy. Before PBPM implementation, conventional pharmaceutical care was administered from September 2017 to August 2018; these patients served as the control group. Care was switched to PBPM in September 2018, and PBPM was applied from September 2018 to August 2019; these patients served as the PBPM group. We excluded patients who received both conventional pharmaceutical care and PBPM. We categorized all cases into two groups: age ≤ 69 years and age ≥ 70 years. Results In all, 396 cases were included, of which 227 were ineligible, such as those of cancer patients who received both conventional pharmaceutical care and PBPM. Among patients aged higher than 70 years, the incidence and severity of HFS associated with PBPM were significantly lower than those associated with conventional care (grade 0: 59.5% [44/74] vs. 30.6% [11/36], grade 1: 33.8% [25/74] vs. 63.9% [23/36]). All patients continued to receive the capecitabine, HFS severity improved to grade 1 during the study period, and treatment of HFS was not stopped. Conclusion Our findings suggest that PBPM is effective for addressing capecitabine-related HFS among cancer patients aged higher than 70 years, in that it helps prevent an increase in HFS severity.

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On the Front Line of Smoking Cessation: Education Needs of Community Pharmacists

Canadian Pharmacists Journal / Revue des Pharmaciens du Canada ◽

10.1177/171516350513800306 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 138 (3) ◽

pp. 26-31 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Joan M. Brewster ◽

J. Charles Victor ◽

Mary Jane Ashley ◽

Claudine Laurier ◽

Rachel Dioso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Pharmacy Education ◽

Additional Information ◽

Quit Smoking ◽

Wide Range ◽

Canadian Provinces ◽

To Receive ◽

And Training

Background: Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is now available without prescription, and pharmacists have an opportunity to be the primary health care professionals advising patients who want to try this smoking cessation aid. Undergraduate pharmacy education in Canada incorporates some tobacco-related training, and continuing education opportunities are available. However, there are no published reports of the self-reported educational needs of a broad sample of practising Canadian community pharmacists with regard to smoking cessation. Methods: Practising community pharmacists in four Canadian provinces were surveyed about their tobacco-related education and knowledge, practice environment, practices related to helping people quit smoking, needs for further information and training, and methods by which this information might be delivered. Results: A corrected response rate of 72% was obtained, giving a weighted n of 960 responses. Most Canadian community pharmacists reported that they would find it helpful to receive additional information or training on a wide range of smoking cessation topics, such as behavioural counselling techniques and motivating patients to quit. Pharmacists who reported that they were familiar with aids such as Helping Your Patients Quit Smoking: A Cessation Guide for Pharmacists (Canadian Pharmacists Association) and who reported that the guide had led them to make changes in their practice were more likely to report that additional information or training would be helpful. Pharmacists who perceived their tobacco-related clinical and non-clinical roles to be important were more likely to report that additional training would be helpful than were those who perceived these roles as less important. Conclusions: Although most Canadian community pharmacists would find it helpful to receive additional smoking-related information and training, those who perceive this to be an important activity and who are already using available materials showed the most interest. The challenge to Canadian pharmacy educators is to encourage the enthusiasm of those already interested in helping their patients to quit smoking, while raising the level of interest and motivation among all community pharmacists.

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Individualized Dosing of Children's Liquid Medications in the Community Pharmacy Setting: A Survey of Parents and Guardians

INNOVATIONS in pharmacy ◽

10.24926/iip.v4i3.300 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Jamie Shelly ◽

Debbie Hiller ◽

Lingxiao Zhai ◽

Stefanie Ferreri ◽

Macary Weck Marciniak

Keyword(s):

North Carolina ◽

Large Scale ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Original Research ◽

Liquid Medication ◽

Individualized Dosing ◽

Study Results ◽

Study Participants ◽

To Receive ◽

Pharmacy Setting

Objectives: 1) To determine parents' and/or guardians' interest in having pharmacists provide children's liquid medications in a pre-measured, individualized dosing device 2) To assess parents' and/or guardians' perception of dosing liquid medications for a child. Design: Observational survey Setting: Regional chain pharmacy in North Carolina Participants: > 18 years old, parent/guardian of a childchain, responsible for administering child's liquid medication Intervention: 14 item questionnaire Main Outcome Measure: Interest in pharmacists providing children's liquid medications in pre-measured, individualized dosing devices Results: 250 questionnaires were mailed; 42 were marked "return to sender" (16.8%), 22 were returned completed (10.6%), and 20 of the 22 met inclusion criteria (9.6%). 95% of study participants reported being interested in having pharmacists provide children's liquid medications in the proposed dosing device, and 40% were willing to pay for such a service. 90% of respondents reported it is "not at all difficult" to understand the amount of dose a child is to receive, while 55% reported it is "not at all difficult" to measure doses. 25% of respondents reported sometimes using a kitchen spoon to measure a child's medication. Conclusion: Community pharmacists should explore providing children's liquid medications in an individualized dosing device, as study results determined parents are interested in and willing to pay for the theoretical device. Further large-scale studies would be beneficial in determining interest in and willingness to pay for the dosing device in various pharmacy settings nationwide. Type: Original Research

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Patients’ Expectations And Intentions To Receive Medication Counseling From Community Pharmacists

Value in Health ◽

10.1016/j.jval.2014.03.143 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. A23

Author(s):

E.A. Ferries ◽

M.L. Fleming ◽

M.D. Hatfield ◽

N. Atreja ◽

A. Yucel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Pharmacists ◽

Medication Counseling ◽

To Receive

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Pharmacists’ Readiness to Receive, Recommend and Administer COVID-19 Vaccines in an African Country: an online multiple-practice settings survey in Nigeria

Malawi Medical Journal ◽

10.4314/mmj.v33i3.9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 210-220

Author(s):

Abdulmuminu Isah ◽

Chukwuemeka Michael Ubaka

Keyword(s):

Community Pharmacists ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Microsoft Excel ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Chi Squared ◽

To Receive ◽

The Relationship ◽

Second Wave ◽

Beta Version ◽

Roll Out

BackgroundWithout a cure, vaccination is the most reliable means of combating COVID-19 pandemic, since non-pharmacological measures could not prevent its spread, as evidenced in the emergence of a second wave. This study assessed the readiness of pharmacists to receive, recommend and administer COVID-19 vaccines to clients in Nigeria.Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which responses were collected from pharmacists in Nigeria through Google Form link. A 21-item questionnaire was developed and validated for the study. The link was shared on the WhatsApp groups of eligible respondents. The response was downloaded into Microsoft Excel (2019) and cleared of errors. This was uploaded into KwikTables (Beta Version 2021) for data analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to describe the data. Chi-squared test was used to determine the relationship between all the responses and the practice areas of the pharmacists.ResultsA total of 509 pharmacists responded to the study, but 507 indicated their areas of practice. The highest response of 247(48.7%) was obtained from hospital pharmacists, then community pharmacists; 157(31.0%). Hospital and community pharmacists accounted for 96 and 66 of the 191(37.7%) pharmacists that would probably accept the vaccine (p=0.126). The Pfizer-bioNTech vaccine was the preferred brand for 275(54.2%) respondents. Healthcare Professionals>Elderly>General Populace>Children was the order of roll-out recommended by 317(62.5%). Adverse-effect-following-immunization was the concern of 330(65.1%) pharmacists. Age was a factor in their likelihood of recommending the COVID-19 vaccine to clients (p=0.001).Conclusion This study established that most pharmacists are willing to accept to be vaccinated against COVID-19, recommend and administer it to other citizens. They were impressed by the effectiveness and cost of some of the vaccines, but were concerned about their possible adverse effects. The pharmacists would want the authorities to consider strategies that will make the vaccines accessible to all citizens.

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