Why get involved? A cross-sectional survey of factors that influence student pharmacist membership in professional organizations.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding factors that motivate and deter student pharmacists from joining professional pharmacy organizations may assist schools and organizations in determining ways to recruit, engage, and support the next generation of pharmacy professionals. The objective is to identify motivating and hindering factors related to student pharmacist membership in professional pharmacy organizations. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was sent to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Student Services Personnel community members for distribution to student pharmacists at their respective schools. The survey collected demographic data, determined the extent of student membership and leadership involvement within professional organizations, and assessed factors that motivate and deter student pharmacist membership in organizations. RESULTS: 467 students completed the survey. Seventy percent indicated they are currently involved in one or more pharmacy organizations. Final-year students were less likely to join organizations than other professional years (p < 0.001). Women (p = 0.001) were more likely to join and hold leadership positions, as were younger-aged students (p = 0.001) and those living on or near campus (p = 0.049). Opportunities for professional development was the highest-ranked factor motivating students to join a professional organization, and the time required for participation was the highest-ranked hindering factor. CONCLUSION: Numerous factors affect student pharmacists' decisions to join professional pharmacy organizations. This information may assist in determining ways to recruit and engage students starting early in their pharmacy education. It may be prudent to redefine student engagement within professional organizations, especially in the context of new generations of students.

A call for student pharmacist education on vaping and vaping device use.

INTRODUCTION: The use of vaping devices, including e-cigarettes, has been steadily increasing in recent years, especially among younger populations. COMMENTARY: With many vaping devices on the market and misconceptions about the safety of vaping, there is a substantial amount of information that healthcare professionals need to know. As a response to this growing public health concern, doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curricula should include opportunities for students to learn more about vaping, vaping devices, associated health outcomes, and role in smoking cessation. IMPLICATIONS: Incorporating faculty driven content, active student learning, cessation counseling, service learning, and/or co-curricular opportunities focused on vaping education and vaping device use into PharmD curricula will better prepare student pharmacists to counsel patients on this increasingly prevalent topic.

ACCP Template for Evaluating a Clinical Pharmacist.

ACCP is committed to ensuring that clinical pharmacists possess the competencies necessary to deliver comprehensive medication management in team-based, direct patient care environments. These competencies are divided into six essential domains: direct patient care, pharmacotherapy knowledge, systems-based care and population health, communication, professionalism, and continuing professional development. The 2016 ACCP Clinical Practice Affairs Committee has developed an evaluation tool that includes the assessable tasks of today's clinical pharmacists that fall within each domain. This instrument can be used by institutions, organizations, and others responsible for clinical pharmacist performance evaluation and professional development.

Utilization and Safety of Common Over-the-Counter Dietary/Nutritional Supplements, Herbal Agents, and Homeopathic Compounds for Disease Prevention.

Dietary supplements are commonly used by patients as part of their medical care plan. Often clinicians may not be aware of their use, because patients do not always consider these to be medications. All clinicians need to continually ask patients about their use of dietary supplements when collecting a medication history. Dietary supplements and prescription medications often share similar enzymatic pathways for their metabolism. These interactions may lead to severe adverse reactions. This article reviews available evidence for a variety of dietary supplements in select disease categories.

Motivational interviewing for medication adherence.

OBJECTIVE: To familiarize pharmacists with motivational interviewing as a way to engage patients in discussions about medication adherence. SUMMARY: Motivational interviewing is a collaborative, patient-centered communications skill set that can increase behavior change by stimulating a patient's own internal motivation for change. Pharmacists using motivational interviewing can explore factors associated with medication nonadherence, assess patient ambivalence and/or resistance, and educate a patient to promote medication-adherent behaviors. CONCLUSION: Pharmacists can use motivational interviewing to effectively engage patients in a conversation that addresses medication adherence.

Patient considerations in the management of type 2 diabetes - critical appraisal of dapagliflozin.

Type 2 diabetes affects more than 350 million people worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing. Many patients with diabetes do not achieve and/or maintain glycemic targets, despite therapy implementation and escalation. Multiple therapeutic classes of agents are available for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and the armamentarium has expanded significantly in the past decade. Selective sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, including dapagliflozin, represent the latest development in pharmacologic treatment options for type 2 diabetes. This class has a unique mechanism of action, working by increasing glucose excretion in the urine. The insulin-independent mechanism results in decreased serum glucose, without hypoglycemia or weight gain. Dapagliflozin is a once-daily oral therapy. Expanding therapy options for a complex patient population is critical, and dapagliflozin has a distinct niche that can be a viable option for select patients with diabetes.

Assessment and revision of clinical pharmacy practice internet web sites.

BACKGROUND: Health care professionals, trainees, and patients use the Internet extensively. Editable Web sites may contain inaccurate, incomplete, and/or outdated information that may mislead the public's perception of the topic. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the editable, online descriptions of clinical pharmacy and pharmacist and attempt to improve their accuracy. METHODS: The authors identified key areas within clinical pharmacy to evaluate for accuracy and appropriateness on the Internet. Current descriptions that were reviewed on public domain Web sites included: (1) clinical pharmacy and the clinical pharmacist, (2) pharmacy education, (3) clinical pharmacy and development and provision for reimbursement, (4) clinical pharmacists and advanced specialty certifications/training opportunities, (5) pharmacists and advocacy, and (6) clinical pharmacists and interdisciplinary/interprofessional content. The authors assessed each content area to determine accuracy and prioritized the need for updating, when applicable, to achieve consistency in descriptions and relevancy. The authors found that Wikipedia, a public domain that allows users to update, was consistently the most common Web site produced in search results. RESULTS: The authors' evaluation resulted in the creation or revision of 14 Wikipedia Web pages. However, rejection of 3 proposed newly created Web pages affected the authors' ability to address identified content areas with deficiencies and/or inaccuracies. CONCLUSIONS: Through assessing and updating editable Web sites, the authors strengthened the online representation of clinical pharmacy in a clear, cohesive, and accurate manner. However, ongoing assessments of the Internet are continually needed to ensure accuracy and appropriateness.

Glycemic control and preventive care measures of indigent diabetes patients within a pharmacist-managed insulin titration program vs standard care.

BACKGROUND: Studies assessing pharmacist-led services have noted positive clinical diabetes outcomes; however, studies assessing pharmacist impact on glycemic control through insulin titration and adherence to American Diabetes Association (ADA) preventive care measures in an indigent population are limited. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a pharmacist-managed insulin titration program compared to standard medical care on glycemic control and preventive care measures in an indigent population with diabetes. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study compared pharmacist-managed insulin titration to standard care; all patients received primary care services through a county-funded health center serving a low-income minority population. The pharmacist-managed patients, referred by the primary care provider, received telephone calls to assess blood glucose levels, encourage preventive care examinations, and titrate insulin doses through collaborative drug therapy management. Standard care patients received diabetes care solely from the primary care provider. Student t test was used to evaluate the primary outcome, glycemic control, assessed by change in hemoglobin A(1c) (A1C) between groups from baseline to various time points and study end. Secondary outcomes included attainment of preventive care measures and A1C goal of less than 7% and change in weight and total daily insulin dose from baseline to study end. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients in the pharmacist-managed group (intervention) and 57 standard care patients (control) were evaluated. The pharmacist-managed group showed a significant difference in A1C at all time points, including, study end, compared to standard care (-1.3% vs -0.18%, respectively; p = 0.001). In addition, the intervention group more often completed the ADA's recommended preventive care measures; all differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacist-provider collaboration can result in significant clinical improvements, including A1C reduction and adherence to preventive care measures, when compared to standard care in a medically underserved population with diabetes.