Simulated psychosis care role-plays for pharmacy curricula: a qualitative exploration of student experiences.

PURPOSE: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training is embedded in various tertiary healthcare curricula. However, opportunities for students to practise their newly acquired MHFA skills before entering the clinical practice workforce are lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore pharmacy students' experiences of MHFA training and post-MHFA simulated psychosis care role-plays. METHODS: Final-year pharmacy students received MHFA training, after which they were invited to participate in simulated patient role-plays with trained actors, whilst being observed by peers, pharmacy tutors and mental health consumer educators (MHCEs). Immediately after each role-play, the role-playing student engaged in self-assessment, followed by performance feedback and debrief discussions with the tutor, MHCE and observing peers. All MHFA-trained students were invited to participate in audio-recorded focus groups to explore their experiences. Audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. RESULTS: MHFA training was delivered to 209 students, of which 86 participated in a simulated patient role-play as a role-player and the remaining students observed. Seven focus groups were conducted with 36 students (mean duration 40 min, SD 11 min). Five themes emerged: scenario reactions, realistic but not real, mental health confidence, MHFA skills application, feedback and self-reflection. CONCLUSION: Students enjoyed the post-MHFA simulated psychosis care role-plays, which provided opportunities to apply and reflect on their newly-acquired MHFA skills in a safe learning environment. These experiences enhanced students' confidence to support people in the community, experiencing mental health symptoms or crises, and could be an add-on to MHFA training in the future.

Pharmacists' mental health support behaviours with simulated patients: a mixed-methods pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Simulated mental health role-plays provide a safe and relevant learning experience for pharmacy students, improving confidence in and attitudes towards providing mental health support. Little research explores the use of mental health role-plays, enacted by trained actors, with pharmacists. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to pilot the adaptation of simulated patient (SP) role-plays, from the university classroom with students, to a workshop with pharmacists, and explore pharmacists' experiences. METHODS: Pharmacists attended a two-hour workshop. Trained actors enacted simulated scenarios (previously developed for pharmacy education) with pharmacist volunteers, while being observed by peers, a workshop facilitator and mental health consumer educator (MHCE). Pharmacists engaged in self-assessment immediately post-roleplay, followed by performance feedback and debrief discussions with MHCEs, workshop facilitators and peers. Pharmacists completed pre- and post-workshop surveys exploring intended mental health support behaviours, then invited to participate in an interview exploring their workshop experiences and opinions about using mental health role-plays in clinical practice (via mystery shopping). Non-parametric tests were conducted to analyse role-play and survey scores, and thematic analyses undertaken on interview transcripts. RESULTS: Thirty-five pharmacists attended the workshop. Fourteen role-plays were analysed. Pharmacist self-assessment scores were significantly lower than MHCE scores (p=0.028). Overall, the role-plays significantly increased pharmacists' intentions in supporting a person experiencing mental health crises such as suicide and psychosis, as well as encouraging other supports (p<0.05). Four themes emerged from interviews (n=4): realistic context for skills application and practice, benefits of observing, self-assessment and feedback, and integrating into clinical practice (via mystery shopping). CONCLUSION: SP role-plays of mental health symptoms and crises, enacted by trained actors, may effectively assess and enhance pharmacists' intended mental health support behaviours. It is recommended that the SP method is adapted into clinical practice, via repeated mystery shopping visits with immediate performance feedback, to shape pharmacists' mental health support behaviours.

Osteoporosis screening in Australian community pharmacies: A mixed methods study.

ISSUES ADDRESSED: Osteoporosis and poor bone health impact a large proportion of the Australian population, but is drastically underdiagnosed and undertreated. Community pharmacies are a strategic location for osteoporosis screening services due to their accessibility and the demographic profile of customers. The aim of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate a community pharmacy health promotion service centred on encouraging consumers to complete an anonymous osteoporosis screening survey called Know Your Bones. METHODS: The implementation process was documented using the REAIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework. Uptake of the Know Your Bones screening tool was monitored anonymously with website traffic. Surveys and interviews were designed to capture consumer outcomes after screening. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian community pharmacy stakeholders during design and implementation phases to explore their perspectives of the barriers and facilitators. RESULTS: The service was implemented in 27 community pharmacies. There were 448 visits to the screening website. Interviews were conducted with 41 stakeholders. There were a range of factors that appeared to influence implementation of the service. Perceived acceptability was critical, which depended on staff training, pharmacists' altruism, and remuneration. Staff relied heavily on their existing close relationships with consumers. No consumers completed non-anonymous surveys or agreed to participate in interviews post-screening. CONCLUSION: Using an implementation science approach, a community pharmacy osteoporosis screening service for the Australian context was designed and found to be acceptable to pharmacy staff and effective in reaching the target population. SO WHAT?: This low-cost and non-invasive health promotion has potential to sustainably increase national screening rates for osteoporosis.

Uptake of pharmacist recommendations by patients after discharge: Implementation study of a patient-centered medicines review service.

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medicine use is common in older people, resulting in harm increased by lack of patient-centred care. Hospital clinical pharmacy services may reduce such harm, particularly prevalent at transitions of care. An implementation program to achieve such services can be a complex long-term process. OBJECTIVES: To describe an implementation program and discuss its application in the development of a patient-centred discharge medicine review service; to assess service impact on older patients and their caregivers. METHOD: An implementation program was begun in 2006. To assess program effectiveness, 100 patients were recruited for follow-up after discharge from a private hospital between July 2019 and March 2020. There were no exclusion criteria other than age less than 65 years. Medicine review and education were provided for each patient/caregiver by a clinical pharmacist, including recommendations for future management, written in lay language. Patients were asked to consult their general practitioner to discuss those recommendations important to them. Patients were followed-up after discharge. RESULTS: Of 368 recommendations made, 351 (95%) were actioned by patients, resulting in 284 (77% of those actioned) being implemented, and 206 regularly taken medicines (19.7 % of all regular medicines) deprescribed. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a patient-centred medicine review discharge service resulted in patient-reported reduction in potentially inappropriate medicine use and hospital funding of this service. This study was registered retrospectively on 12th July 2022 with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN21156862, https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN21156862 .

Perinatal depression screening: a systematic review of recommendations from member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Perinatal depression (PND) screening recommendations are made by national, state-based and professional organisations; however, there is disagreement regarding screening timing, provider responsible, screening setting, screening tool as well as the follow-up and referral pathways required post-screening. This systematic review aimed to identify, describe and compare PND screening recommendations from member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Publications were identified through systematically searching PubMed, Google and the Guidelines International Network (GIN). Recommendations regarding PND screening endorsement, timing, frequency, responsible provider, tools/assessments and follow-up and referral were extracted. Twenty-one publications, including guidelines, from five countries were included. Most made recommendations in support of PND screening using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Details differed regarding terminology used, as well as frequency of screening, follow-up mechanisms and referral pathways. A broad range of health providers were considered to be responsible for screening. This is the first review to identify and compare PND screening recommendations from OECD member countries; however, only online publications published in English, from five countries were included. Heterogeneity of publication types and inconsistency in definitions rendered quality assessment inappropriate. While most publications generally endorsed PND screening, there are exceptions and the associated details pertaining to the actual conduct of screening vary between and within countries. Developing clear, standardised recommendations based on current evidence is necessary to ensure clarity amongst healthcare providers and a comprehensive approach for the early detection of PND.

Australian care givers' knowledge of and attitudes towards paediatric fever management.

AIM: Non-evidence-based practice and inappropriate paediatric fever management by care givers is common. The aim of this study was to survey a large sample of Australian parents and care givers utilising a validated Fever Management Tool, to determine the current knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of Australian care givers regarding fever management. METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional survey conducted via a third-party market research company. Univariate analysis of demographic factors and their influence on knowledge scores were tested. A multivariate linear regression model was specified using all available independent univariate predicators to determine the demographic factors influencing care givers fever knowledge. RESULTS: Data from 1000 questionnaires were analysed. The participants' total knowledge scores were evenly distributed with a mean score of 15.4/29 correct answers in the True/False questionnaire, a median score of 16 and a standard deviation of 4.27. It highlighted that Australian care givers had poor knowledge in questions related to 'teething', 'physical cooling methods' and 'medication dosing'. In the multivariate analysis, 28.9% of the total variance was explained (R2 value = 0.289, P < 0.001) with 5 of 11 factors contributing. CONCLUSION: Overall, this cross-sectional survey has provided a strong understanding of the current knowledge, attitude and beliefs of Australian care givers in regards to fever management in their children. Total knowledge of fever management was generally poor in Australia with many participants harbouring misconceptions and non-evidence-based practices. Future interventions improving fever management practices should be tailored to the specific weaknesses faced by Australian care givers in order to promote long term change.

Mental Health First Aid training and assessment in Australian medical, nursing and pharmacy curricula: a national perspective using content analysis.

BACKGROUND: Suicide is among the leading causes of death among people aged 15 to 29 worldwide. Healthcare professionals interact with people at risk of suicide regularly, yet mental health and crisis first aid training is lacking in curricula. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training teaches crucial communication and crisis first aid skills and is increasingly recognised as integral to healthcare education. This study aimed to explore the extent of, as well as barriers and enablers to MHFA training delivery and assessment in Australian medical, nursing and pharmacy curricula. METHODS: All accredited Australian medical, nursing and pharmacy program providers were identified through Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and National Boards websites and invited to participate in a semi-structured interview. A purpose-designed interview guide explored if and how MHFA training was delivered and assessed in curricula, as well as perceptions of and barriers and enablers to MHFA training. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim, allowing for deductive content analysis to compare MHFA training provision across programs. RESULTS: Of 75 invited program providers, 36 (48%; 13 medical, 13 nursing and 10 pharmacy) participated, of which 15 representatives (42%; six medical, two nursing and six pharmacy) reported providing MHFA training to students. Differences in mandating training, year level of students completing training, type of training delivered and source of MHFA instructors were identified. Barriers to MHFA implementation included perceived adequacy of existing curricula, lack of funding and time, while facilitators included perceived benefit and availability of funding. CONCLUSION: MHFA training is provided to more than one third of medical, nursing and pharmacy students in Australia. Increased funding may facilitate the integration of MHFA as a minimum standard of mental health training for future healthcare professionals. Further research exploring the effectiveness of MHFA in improving behaviours and its impact on patient outcomes is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was approved by the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee [Project number: 2020/087].

Observed behaviours and suicide assessment language post-Mental Health First Aid training in Australia and the United States: a mixed methods study using discourse analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training teaches participants how to respond to mental health crises, including suicide. Little is known about the impact of training on participants' observed MHFA behaviours. This exploratory study aimed to compare MHFA-trained Australian and US student pharmacists' performance and suicide assessment language during simulated patient role-play (SPRP) assessments. METHODS: Student pharmacists (n = 265) completed MHFA training and participated (n = 81) in SPRPs with simulated patients (SP) who were people with lived experience of mental illness. Each SPRP was marked by three raters (student, tutor and SP). One-way ANOVA, chi-squared tests and independent samples t-tests were used to compare scores and pass/fail rates, where appropriate. Transcribed audio-recordings of suicide assessments underwent discourse analysis. A chi-squared test was conducted to investigate the differences in how suicide assessment language was coded across six discursive frames ('confident'/'timid', 'empathetic'/'apathetic', and 'direct'/'indirect'). RESULTS: Three raters assessed 81 SPRPs, resulting in quantitative analysis of 243 rubrics. There were no significant differences between student pharmacists' mean scores and pass/fail rates across countries. Overall, both cohorts across Australia and the US performed better during the mania scenario, with a low failure rate of 13.9 and 19.0%, respectively. Most students in both countries passed their SPRP assessment; however, 27.8% did not assess for suicide or used indirect language during suicide assessment, despite completing MHFA training. Australian student pharmacists demonstrated, more direct language (76.9% versus 67.9%) and empathy (42.3% versus 32.1%) but less confidence (57.7% versus 60.7%) compared to US student pharmacists, during their suicide assessment; however, these differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate most MHFA-trained student pharmacists from Australia and the US can provide MHFA during SPRPs, as well as assess for suicide directly, empathetically and confidently. This exploratory study demonstrates the importance of practicing skills post-training and the need for further research exploring participants' hesitance to assess for suicide, despite training completion.

The role of community pharmacists in delivering interventions for osteoporosis: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a major public health concern, given that disease prevalence is expected to substantially increase due to the aging population. Community pharmacists can play a key role in the identification and management of chronic diseases. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this systematic review was to present an overview of the literature on the role of community pharmacists in providing osteoporosis interventions to patients. The secondary objective was to assess the impact of these interventions on patient outcomes. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, MEDLINE, and Web of Science from database inception to March 2021. The search was limited to human studies in the English language. Primary studies were included if they described or assessed a patient-directed osteoporosis intervention conducted by community pharmacists. The following data were extracted and tabulated: citation, study location, study design, subject, number of participants, nature of intervention, classification of intervention, outcome measures, measurement methods, findings, and effect. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) and Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies (ROBINS-I). RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were included in this review. The main interventions were education, screening, and medication management. Nineteen of these studies reported patient outcomes, all yielding positive outcomes. Outcomes included increased physician follow-up, risk factor reduction, increased osteoporosis knowledge, increased medication adherence, identification of medication-related problems, and positive patient-reported experience measures (PREMs). Three studies were considered to have a moderate risk of bias, whereas the remaining 18 studies had a high risk of bias. CONCLUSION: There is some evidence that pharmacist-led osteoporosis interventions have a positive impact on patient outcomes. More high-quality studies using objective outcome measures are needed to determine whether this translates into clinical outcomes such as decreased hospitalization and fractures.

Developing and testing a set of quality indicators for pharmacist home visit services: A mixed methods study in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: Quality indicators (QIs) are an important mechanism by which health services can be evaluated. We aimed to develop a set of QIs for pharmacist home visit services and assess their measurement properties. METHODS: A three-step procedure was applied: (1) Selection of existing content-validated QIs from the international literature and the development of QIs based on national guidelines and home healthcare professionals' opinions; (2) Expert panel consensus of a preliminary set of QIs using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method; (3) Field testing to evaluate their measurement properties (feasibility, applicability, improvement potential, discriminatory capacity, sensitivity to change, acceptability and implementation issues) followed by exploratory semistructured interviews in Japan. RESULTS: Fifty-two preliminary QIs were prepared and 45 were judged as "appropriate"by the expert panel. Sixty-one community pharmacies were recruited to this study with 41 contributing QI data monthly over the 6-month period. Field testing showed that 20 QIs met six measurement properties (ie, feasibility, applicability, improvement potential, discriminatory capacity, acceptability and implementation issues). Nine of these QIs also had high sensitivity to change. Additionally, interviews identified that the main positive impact on practice of using QIs was the early detection of causes of drug-related problems but a negative impact was decrease of pharmacists' motivation. Auto extraction of QIs was seen as a major facilitator, given the time taken to manually extract QI data. CONCLUSIONS: A set of QIs for pharmacist home visit services was rigorously developed and tested. This QI set may be useful in evaluating the quality of such services.

Development and validation of a Fever Management Questionnaire aimed at parents and care givers.

AIM: The symptoms of childhood fever are often inappropriately managed by care givers resulting in overuse of health resources and medication errors. Understanding care giver's knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about fever management using a validated questionnaire is warranted. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a comprehensive Fever Management Questionnaire. METHODS: The questionnaire items were developed through a content analysis of the literature and current fever management guidelines. For the knowledge component, a multidisciplinary panel of 12 experts assessed content validity of items (n = 35) through a one-round Delphi process. The construct validity of the attitudes and belief items (19 items) were assessed using principal components analysis utilising response data collected from 149 Australian parents and care givers. RESULTS: Based on the responses from the panel of experts, six items were removed, six items required substantive modification, 13 items required minor modification with the remaining eight items retained in original form. For the Attitudes and Beliefs items, a parsimonious solution with three principal components resulted after removal of six cross-loading items. The factor loadings of each item displayed a strong correlation to one of three components with scores ranging from 0.791 down to 0.541. The resulting Cronbach's α for the tool was 0.729. CONCLUSION: Psychometric testing of this two-part Fever Management Questionnaire has resulted in a tool with acceptable validity and reliability. This tool should now be used to gather the knowledge and attitudes of care givers surrounding fever management to further understand factors that lead to inappropriate fever management.

A systematic review of patient interactions with student pharmacists in educational settings.

BACKGROUND: Patients may contribute to various aspects of student pharmacists' education within clinical, experiential and educational settings. There is an emerging body of literature describing and evaluating the contribution of patients to health care education; however, little is known about patients' contribution to pharmacy education specifically within educational settings. OBJECTIVE: To explore the evidence relating to the involvement of patients in the education of student pharmacists, in terms of the nature, extent, and outcomes of their contribution. METHODS: A systematic literature search was undertaken within Embase, MEDLINE, Education Resources Information Center, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus databases from inception to April 10, 2020. Inclusion criteria included primary research studies reporting on the active involvement of patients in pharmacy education, within an educational setting. Quality assessment appraisal for the included studies was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. RESULTS: Twelve studies were eligible for inclusion in this systematic review. Nine studies explored the use of patients as educators providing valuable insight about their lived experience. Six studies involved patients in question-and-answer sessions, providing students with opportunities to inquire about their lived experience in relation to medicines, health care, and medical conditions. Studies that reported on students' learning outcomes demonstrated improvements in communication skills, deeper understanding of patients' lived experience particularly relating to mental illness, and increased confidence in providing care for patients. Among patients, participation in the educational process led to greater satisfaction, empowerment, and knowledge from sharing personal experiences. There were no clinical outcomes measured among patients participating in the included studies. The 5 nonrandomized quantitative studies ranged from low to moderate levels of quality, the 4 mixed-methods studies were of low quality, and the 3 qualitative studies were of high quality. CONCLUSION: The involvement of patients in the education of student pharmacists was found to benefit both patients and students. Student-specific outcomes included development of communication skills and new insights about patients' lived experience. Further research is needed to better understand the long-term impact of patient involvement in pharmacy education, in terms of students' learning outcomes and clinical outcomes among patients.

Self-care-seeking behaviors in the community pharmacy: A cross-sectional exit survey of Australian consumers.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize over-the-counter (OTC) medicine requests of Australian pharmacy consumers, to explore the factors predicting consumer behavior, and to examine the relationship between characteristics of consumers' requests and their satisfaction with the pharmacy. DESIGN: Paper-based cross-sectional survey consisting of multiple choice, Likert scale, and open-ended questions. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Surveys were administered in person to consumers exiting Australian community pharmacies between October 2018 and May 2019. Consumers who had purchased or requested an OTC medicine, could read and write in English, and were aged 18 years or older were eligible to participate. Data were analyzed descriptively and through logistic regression modelling. OUTCOME MEASURES: Respondent demographics, nature of the OTC request (whether direct-product, self-select, or symptom-based), reason(s) for OTC request, staff involved, and satisfaction with the visit to the pharmacy (0 = not at all satisfied, and 5 = extremely satisfied). RESULTS: Six-hundred and five consumers from 51 pharmacies were surveyed. Most of the pharmacies were located in metropolitan Sydney (n = 48). The respondents were predominantly female (n = 353, 58%), 20-29 years of age (n = 202, 33%), and university-educated (n = 266, 44%). Sixty-five percent of requests (n = 395) were direct-product requests or self-selected, and the remaining were symptom-based (n = 210). Most OTC medicines requested were for the respondents' own use (n = 457, 76%). One-third (n = 197) of the requests were for respiratory conditions. Prior use of the medicine and a higher level of education were significant predictors of direct-product requests (P < 0.05, R2 = 0.22). The satisfaction scores ranged from 2 to 5 out of 5 (median = 5, interquartile range: 4, 5). CONCLUSION: Most requests were direct-product requests. Prior use and a higher level of education predicted the decision to directly request a product. Consumer satisfaction with their experience at the pharmacy was high.

Mental Health First Aid training and assessment among university students: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the literature describing the delivery and assessment of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training among university students. DATA SOURCES: The databases MEDLINE, PreMEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, ERIC, and PsycINFO were searched to identify publications describing MHFA training and assessment among university students since 2000. STUDY SELECTION: All studies, regardless of design, that described the delivery and assessment of MHFA training among university students, at any level, were included in this systematic review. DATA EXTRACTION: The discipline and level of students; the version, length, and integration of MHFA training; and the constructs used to assess students post-MHFA training were extracted from each study. RESULTS: Of the initial 1662 records, 12 were included. Eight studies were conducted in Australia, 3 in the United States, and 1 in the United Kingdom. Most students were enrolled in health care or social work degree programs across all years of their program with 4 studies involving pharmacy students. Three studies described integrating compulsory MHFA training for university students. Most studies reported on the delivery of the Standard or Adult version of MHFA training; no study reported on MHFA for Tertiary Students. Post-MHFA training, students were assessed on mental health knowledge, literacy, intentions, confidence, stigma, and skills application. Only 2 studies described assessment methods involving direct observation of behaviors, whereas the rest relied on self-reported measurements. CONCLUSION: Despite the spread of MHFA to over 25 countries and the availability of tertiary student-specific training, the studies included in this systematic review were conducted in only 3 countries and mainly involved Standard and Adult MHFA training. Most assessments relied on self-reported measures. Future studies involving different versions of MHFA training, and the exploration of novel competency-based assessment methods among a diverse range of students from different countries are warranted.

Impact of scenario based training on asthma first aid knowledge and skills in school staff: an open label, three-arm, parallel-group repeated measures study.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that scenario-based skills training is more effective than knowledge training alone in improving the asthma first aid skills of school personnel. Education developed specifically for non-primary caregivers such as school staff is vital to minimize the risk of mortality associated with asthma. Methods: Schools were allocated to one of three arms to compare AFA knowledge and AFA skills. Arm 1 underwent conventional asthma training, arm 2 underwent scenario-based training and arm 3 had a combination of the two. Conventional asthma training involved a didactic oral presentation. The scenario-based skills training required the participant to describe and demonstrate how they would manage a child having a severe exacerbation of asthma using equipment provided. Follow-up occurred at 3 weeks post baseline and again between 3-7 months after the first training/education visit. Results: Nineteen primary schools (204 participants) were recruited. One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni Post-Hoc Tests showed there was a significant difference in AFA skills scores between the study arms who underwent scenario-based training; arms 2 and 3 (91.5% and 91.1%) and arm 1 who underwent conventional asthma training (77.3%) (p < 0.001). AFA knowledge improved significantly in all study arms with no differences between study arms. Improvements seen in both AFA knowledge and AFA skills were maintained over time. Conclusions: Scenario-based training was superior to conventional didactic asthma training for AFA skills acquisition and overall competency in the administration of AFA and should be included in future asthma training programs.

Systematic review and content analysis of asthma knowledge questionnaires: A focus on the knowledge surrounding acute exacerbation management.

OBJECTIVES: Asthma education is a key component of asthma management. Asthma education around the management of a person who is having an acute exacerbation of asthma (often referred to as asthma first aid (AFA) training) is important, particularly in a school setting. There is no gold standard assessment of asthma knowledge and also there is no specific tool to measure the knowledge of AFA. Our aim was to identify asthma knowledge questionnaires and perform a content analysis. We were interested in evaluating the number, the type and the format of AFA questions. METHOD: A literature search was performed to identify the instruments which were able to assess asthma knowledge of people with asthma and/or caregivers of people with asthma. An electronic database search was performed in EMBASE, IPA, MEDLINE and PUBMED. Articles which described the development or psychometric testing of an asthma knowledge questionnaire were included. The content of questions in each instrument was analysed and categorised using the NVivo software, and a secondary analysis was performed to identify knowledge questions relevant to the management of an acute asthma exacerbation. RESULTS: Forty-four papers with 37 different instruments met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the instruments contained a relatively low proportion of questions related to the management of acute asthma, i.e., only 162 of the 780 questions (21%). No questionnaire had sufficient specific emphasis on acute asthma management knowledge to test the impact of AFA training. CONCLUSION: There is a scope to develop an up-to-date validated acute asthma management knowledge questionnaire for use in research and clinical settings.

Hospital pharmacy workforce in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to describe the distribution of the hospital pharmacy workforce in Brazil. METHODS: Data were acquired, during 2016, through the Brazilian National Database of Healthcare Facilities (CNES). The following variables were extracted: hospital name, registry number, telephone, e-mail, state, type of institution, subtype, management nature, ownership, presence of research/teaching activities, complexity level, number of hospital beds, presence of pharmacists, number of pharmacists, pharmacist specialization. All statistical analyses were performed by IBM SPSS v.19. RESULTS: The number of hospitals with a complete registry in the national database was 4790. The majority were general hospitals (77.9%), managed by municipalities (66.1%), under public administration (44.0%), had no research/teaching activities (90.5%), classified as medium complexity (71.6%), and had no pharmacist in their team (50.6%). Furthermore, almost 60.0% of hospitals did not comply with the minimum recommendations of having a pharmacist per 50 hospital beds. The Southeast region had the highest prevalence of pharmacists, with 64.4% of hospitals having a pharmaceutical professional. This may have occurred as this region had the highest population to hospital ratio. Non-profit hospitals were more likely to have pharmacists compared to those under public administration and private hospitals. CONCLUSION: This study mapped the hospital pharmacy workforce in Brazil, showing a higher prevalence of hospital pharmacists in the Southeast region, and in non-profit specialized hospitals.

Confidence and attitudes of pharmacy students towards suicidal crises: patient simulation using people with a lived experience.

PURPOSE: Health care professionals, including pharmacists, have the potential to recognise and assist those at risk of suicide. The primary aim of this study was to assess the impact of utilising people with a lived experience of mental illness as simulated patients on final year pharmacy students' attitudes toward and confidence in caring for people at risk of suicide after first receiving Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training. METHODS: A parallel group repeated measures design was used. People with a lived experience of mental illness enacted patients experiencing a mental health crisis, including possible suicidal ideation. Following MHFA training, the first group directly participated in the simulation, the second group observed, and the final group had no exposure to the simulation. Validated surveys measuring student attitudes and confidence were conducted at three time points; pre and post MHFA, and then at 2-4 weeks follow-up. RESULTS: Full datasets of survey responses were received from 34/40 direct participants (85%), 104/146 observers (71%) and 50/66 comparison students (76%). Mean confidence scores significantly improved for all groups post MHFA training (p < 0.05). At follow-up, all 8 confidence items for the direct participant and observer group maintained significance from baseline to post intervention (p < 0.05). Mixed results in relation to attitudes towards suicide were evident at each time point and among each participant group. CONCLUSIONS: Utilising people with a lived experience of mental illness as simulated patients has a positive effect on sustaining pharmacy student confidence in discussing suicidal behaviour post MHFA training. The inconsistency in attitudes towards suicide suggests that attitudes are complex in nature, involving multiple dynamic influences.

The effectiveness of an online training programme to prepare teachers to provide asthma first aid.

AIM: Asthma is prevalent in our primary (elementary) school population. Training in asthma management for school staff should be relevant and focused on the recognition and management of an acute severe exacerbation of asthma. Evidence suggests that online training can be as effective as face-to-face training for medical education; however, there is little information regarding the effectiveness of online asthma education. METHODS: University students in the final year of their primary education degree completed the asthma first aid (AFA) knowledge questionnaire before undertaking a 1-h online training course in asthma management. After 3 weeks, participants underwent a second AFA knowledge questionnaire followed by an AFA scenario-based skills assessment. This skills assessment required the student to describe and demonstrate how they would manage a child having a severe exacerbation of asthma using the AFA equipment provided. Skills scores were further analysed to establish AFA competency. RESULTS: AFA knowledge scores improved significantly after the asthma online training (64-79%), z = -6.11 (P < 0.001). The mean AFA skills score after the training was 20.5 (79%); however, the proportion of students who achieved a level of competency sufficient to save the life of a child having a severe exacerbation of asthma was only 29%. CONCLUSION: This research has revealed that online asthma management training was effective in increasing the knowledge needed for AFA. This knowledge did not translate into effective AFA skills, with only 29% of participants deemed competent to save the life of a child in an asthma emergency.

Improving childcare staff management of acute asthma exacerbation - An Australian pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an asthma first-aid training tool for childcare staff in Australia. The effects of training on both asthma knowledge and skills were assessed. METHODS: A pre/post-study design was utilised to assess changes in asthma knowledge and asthma first-aid skills in childcare staff before and after an educational intervention. Asthma first-aid skills were assessed from the participant's response to two scenarios in which a child was having a severe exacerbation of asthma. Asthma knowledge and asthma skills scores were collected at base-line and 3 weeks post the education session, which involved feedback on each individual's skills and a brief lecture on asthma delivered via PowerPoint presentation. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement after intervention in asthma knowledge (Z = -3.638, p < 0.001) and asthma first-aid skills for both scenario 1 (Z = -6.012, p < 0.001) and scenario 2 (Z = -6.018, p < 0.001). In scenario 1 and 2, first-aid skills improved by 65% (p < 0.001) and 57% (p < 0.001), respectively. Asthma knowledge was high at baseline (79%) and increased by 7% (p < 0.001) after the educational intervention. These asthma knowledge results were not significant when adjusted for prior knowledge. Results suggest that knowledge assessment alone may not predict the practical skills needed for asthma first-aid. CONCLUSIONS: Skills assessment is a useful adjunct to knowledge assessment when gauging the ability of childcare staff to manage acute asthma exacerbation. Skills assessment could be considered for incorporation into future educational interventions to improve management of acute asthma exacerbation.