RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the data being used to support poster presentations in pharmacy education scholarship. METHODS: Research and education posters presented at the 2020 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting were unitized to isolate text to be coded, and two coders categorized the quantitative and qualitative data by type and source. Questionnaires, instruments, and exams were categorized as new (ie developed and used for this particular inquiry) vs. existing. Qualitative data types were categorized as interviews, focus groups, self-reflections, analysis of student work products (eg lab reports assessed for student understanding), comments (ie written or verbal comments), and other (eg course reports). RESULTS: Two hundred and sixteen abstracts were included in the analysis, with 80 (37%) of abstracts relying on data derived from respondent's perceptions. Further, 143 abstracts (66%) used at least one new questionnaire, instrument, or exam. In 57% of the cases where multiple data sources were used, the study involved interprofessional education (eg multiple health professions learners) or pharmacy student-investigator combinations, and 28 abstracts (13%) did not use pharmacy students as a source. Less than 5% of all abstracts analyzed used traditional qualitative methods of interviews and focus groups. CONCLUSION: This study can open conversations around how to improve the quality of pharmacy education research and the identification of areas within the scholarship of teaching and learning that may benefit from improvement.
RESUMO
Background: Clinical pharmacy practice is distinguishable from the dispensing model by its focus on direct patient care. To function effectively in this role, pharmacists need to have clinical competencies, hence the establishment of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. In Ghana, the PharmD program is in its early stages; graduating its first set of pharmacists in 2018. There is therefore need to understand how these recent PharmD graduates are engaging in clinical roles and the perceptions of other health professionals they need to work collaboratively with. Methods: Four different focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with physicians, nurses and pharmacists in separate sessions. Questions explored perceptions of the clinical roles of pharmacists. The FGDs were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis of the transcripts was conducted. Results: Perceptions around the roles of clinical pharmacists were in two categories - (1.) Roles associated with the provision of direct patient care [(i.) assurance of appropriateness, and (ii.) optimization of pharmacotherapy; and (2.) Roles involving participation in inter-professional collaborative care with other healthcare professionals through their (i.) contribution of pharmacotherapy expertise, and (ii.) input in interprofessional education and practice. Conclusion: Findings from the study highlight perceived contributions of pharmacists, and potential for more relevance to clinical care, while also drawing attention to the emergence of clinical roles of pharmacists in healthcare systems in a global context. There is continuing need for advocacy for the pharmacy profession and policy changes in healthcare delivery models to maximize potential benefits of clinical pharmacists to health outcomes.