Use of an interactive trivia game to increase knowledge and awareness of appropriate antibiotic use in community-dwelling older adults: a pilot survey.

OBJECTIVE: To assess change in knowledge and awareness of upper respiratory-tract infections (URTIs), and appropriate antibiotic use in community-dwelling older adults. DESIGN: Single group, pre- and post-test study. SETTING: Two independent senior living communities in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS: Older adults eligible to receive housing or other social services as defined by the study sites. INTERVENTION: Use of an interactive trivia game to educate older adults about URTIs. A 15-item pre- and postsurvey was administered to assess change in knowledge. OUTCOME MEASURES: Average change in pre- and postsurvey scores. RESULTS: Thirty-two seniors participated in the game intervention, with 18 completing both surveys. There was no significant difference in the total mean pre- versus postsurvey scores. Average scores of pre- and postsurveys were 9.28 and 9.17, respectively, out of 15 points (95% confidence interval 0.65 +/- 1.414; P = 0.76). Upon review of individual survey questions, two specific areas showed a significant improvement on postsurvey scores compared with baseline. Participants showed significant improvement, however, in knowledge regarding symptoms that may require the use of an antibiotic (P = 0.02) and symptomatic management of URTI symptoms (P = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Based on survey results, we learned more about older adults' knowledge regarding URTIs, antibiotic use, and strategies to provide education to community-dwelling geriatric adults. The game was effective in teaching older adults about symptom management and symptoms that may require an antibiotic.

An introductory pharmacy practice experience based on a medication therapy management service model.

OBJECTIVE: To implement and evaluate an introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) based on the medication therapy management (MTM) service model. DESIGN: Patient Care 2 is an IPPE that introduces third-year pharmacy students to the MTM service model. Students interacted with older adults to identify medication-related problems and develop recommendations using core MTM elements. Course outcome evaluations were based on number of documented medication-related problems, recommendations, and student reviews. ASSESSMENT: Fifty-seven older adults participated in the course. Students identified 52 medication-related problems and 66 medical problems, and documented 233 recommendations relating to health maintenance and wellness, pharmacotherapy, referrals, and education. Students reported having adequate experience performing core MTM elements. CONCLUSION: Patient Care 2 may serve as an experiential learning model for pharmacy schools to teach the core elements of MTM and provide patient care services to the community.

Fostering and managing diversity in schools of pharmacy.

Organizational benefits of diversity in the workplace have been well documented. In health professions, however, diversity-related research traditionally has focused on the effect of diversity on health care disparities. Few tools exist describing the benefits of diversity from an organizational standpoint to guide pharmacy administrators and faculty members in nurturing and developing a culture of diversity. Given the scarcity of pharmacy specific data, experience from other academic areas and national/international diversity reports were incorporated into this manuscript to supplement the available pharmacy evidence base. This review summarizes the benefits of diversity from an academic organizational standpoint, discusses the issues administrators and faculty members must consider when developing programs, and provides guidance on best practices in fostering and managing diversity.