Protocol for the development of a consensus practice guideline To address clinical and regulatory barriers to buprenorphine dispensing in community pharmacy.

BACKGROUND: Less than half of community pharmacies in the United States stock buprenorphine products indicated for the treatment of opioid use disorder. This lack of access to buprenorphine in community pharmacies is a significant barrier to care. To address this issue, this protocol outlines a comprehensive approach to develop a practice guideline aimed at improving access to safe and effective opioid use disorder treatment in community pharmacies. METHODS: The guideline development process will proceed in three phases, following a technique closely aligned with the Institute of Medicine's guidance on guideline development. The first phase will involve conducting qualitative interviews with pharmacists in three states to identify their beliefs toward buprenorphine dispensing. As limitations on buprenorphine supply are related to constraints at all levels of the drug supply and regulatory system, the second phase, we will recruit representatives from regulatory agencies, pharmacy organizations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, pharmaceutical wholesalers as well as addiction medicine physicians and psychiatric pharmacists to develop consensus recommendations through a modified Delphi design. This will be followed by a public comment period and external expert review of the recommendations led by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Finally, in the third phase, a national, mixed media dissemination campaign will be led by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) to convey recommendations to practicing pharmacists. DISCUSSION: The guideline development process aims to incorporate the perspectives of multiple stakeholders and emphasize the importance of addressing the regulatory and pharmacy-specific aspects of care in addition to clinical evidence and guidance. The development of this guideline will provide targeted, multidisciplinary guidance for pharmacists, improving access to safe and effective opioid use disorder treatment in the community setting. PREREGISTRATION: This protocol was registered with the Open Science Framework in March of 2023. Registration may be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/6S9DY .

Determining essential elements and functionalities for a patient record system in community pharmacy.

BACKGROUND: As community-based pharmacy continues to evolve from a focus on product distribution to a practice focused on patient care, a key requirement is for pharmacists to document their patient care activities. Some community-based pharmacies are working to routinely use the Pharmacist eCare Plan standard in documenting their new care activities. OBJECTIVES: With the need for a robust patient record in community-based pharmacies, the purpose of this study was to identify key elements and functionalities for a community-based pharmacy patient record. METHODS: An expert panel of 26 individuals participated in 3 rounds of surveys using an online Delphi method to develop consensus about the key data elements and functionalities for a pharmacy patient record system. RESULTS: A total of 46 items reached consensus: 16 as essential elements for a longitudinal pharmacy patient record, 7 as essential elements for a patient encounter, and 23 functionalities for a pharmacy patient record system. A rubric was developed to assess community-based pharmacy patient record systems. CONCLUSION: The functionalities can support pharmacists in fully adopting a standard care process and providing and documenting patient care, while coordinating and improving communication with patients, providers, and payers. Pharmacists are encouraged to use the rubric in evaluating software for their practices.

Utilization of Immunization Information Systems (IIS) among independently owned community pharmacies: A national survey.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Immunization information systems (IIS) consolidate provider-submitted immunization information. We reassessed independently owned community pharmacies' IIS enrollment, verification of immunizations needs via IIS records retrieval, and immunization records reporting to IISs following post-pandemic shifts in community pharmacy operations. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey of National Community Pharmacists Association pharmacist, pharmacy owner, and pharmacy technician members was conducted in Fall 2022. RESULTS: 202 complete responses were analyzed. Margin of error was an estimated 7 %. Respondents were: 53.2 % female, ∼87 % White, 69.8 % managers, and 86.1 % practicing in standalone community pharmacies. Almost all (91.6 %) were enrolled in IIS. About two-thirds frequently or always utilized IIS to retrieve immunization records prior to immunization. On average, 81.2 % of influenza and 83.5 % of non-COVID/non-influenza vaccination records were submitted. CONCLUSIONS: Enrollment rates are high among studied pharmacies, as are records reporting rates. However, records retrieval rates are suboptimal. Future work should focus on addressing suboptimal retrieval rates within immunization-providing pharmacies.

The Report of the 2021-2022 Professional Affairs Standing Committee: Resource Guide for the Integration of Clinical Pharmacy Faculty in Professional Practice Settings.

The 2021-22 Professional Affairs Committee was charged to (1) Develop a resource guide for member institutions and faculty regarding payment for the practice-related activities of pharmacy faculty; (2) Nominate at least one person for an elected AACP or Council Office; and (3) Consider ways that AACP can improve its financial health. This report describes the methodology and content utilized for the development of an online resource guide for member institutions, faculty, and practice sites regarding the integration of clinical faculties' patient care services into patient care settings, including models for payment and value-based payment structures that can be utilized to support the practice-related activities of faculty. The committee offers a revision to a current association policy statement, a proposed policy statement as well as recommendations to AACP and suggestions to colleges and schools of pharmacy pertaining to the committee charges.

The Report of the 2020-2021 Professional Affairs Standing Committee: Pharmacists' Unique Role and Integration in Healthcare Settings.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 2020-21 Professional Affairs Committee was charged to (1) Read all six reports from the 2019-20 AACP standing committees to identify elements of these reports that are relevant to the committee's work this year; (2) Identify opportunities and models of integration of pharmacist care services in physician and other health provider practices beyond primary care; (3) Differentiate and make the case for the integration of pharmacist care services from that of other mid-level providers; and (4) From the work on the aforementioned charges, identify salient activities for the Center To Accelerate Pharmacy Practice Transformation and Academic Innovation (CTAP) for consideration by the AACP Strategic Planning Committee and AACP staff. This report provides information on the committee's process to address the committee charges, describes the rationale for and the results from a call to colleges and schools of pharmacy to provide information on their integrating pharmacist care services in physician and other health provider practices beyond primary care practice, and discusses how pharmacist-provided patient care services differ from those provided by other healthcare providers. The committee offers a revision to a current association policy statement, a proposed policy statement as well as recommendations to CTAP and AACP and suggestions to colleges and schools of pharmacy pertaining to the committee charges.

Participation in emergency preparedness and response: a national survey of pharmacists and pharmacist extenders.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the critical role of pharmacists in pandemic response. To enhance pharmacist's involvement in future emergency situations, there is a critical need to understand pharmacists' knowledge, willingness and preparedness in response to various emergency situations. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe pharmacists and pharmacist extenders on their participation in emergency response activities and training, preparedness and willingness to respond in emergency situations, and knowledge of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and their pharmacy's emergency preparedness plans. METHODS: A cross-sectional design with an online survey of pharmacist, pharmacy owner, and pharmacy technician members of the National Community Pharmacists Association was employed in the United States in July - August 2020. Descriptive statistics summarized participants' level of actual participation and their willingness to participate in emergency situations and training and their knowledge of MOU and their pharmacy's emergency plans. A non-response bias investigation was conducted by comparing the early and late responders. RESULTS: Of the 6,486 members, 255 completed the questionnaire (RR1 = 4.0%). With the confidence level of 95%, the margin of error was 6%. About 60% were independently owned and in urban areas. More than 80% and 64% of the participants have not volunteered in any emergency or participated in any emergency training program, respectively. Over 60% were very willing to assist with the distribution of medications and vaccine administration. Less than 10% had MOUs with health departments. More than 60% of respondents were not aware of what MOU is. CONCLUSION: Despite limited involvement in actual emergency activities and training, pharmacists and pharmacist extenders exhibited a high level of willingness to participate in emergency training and assist in case of emergencies. This study recommends the development of programs aimed at increasing pharmacists' and pharmacist extenders' participation in emergency training and in future public health emergencies.

The Report of the 2019-2020 Professional Affairs Standing Committee: Pharmacist Integration with Primary Care Practices.

The 2019-2020 Professional Affairs Committee was charged to (1) Describe the leadership role of schools of pharmacy in advancing interprofessional practice, with an emphasis on physician-pharmacist collaborative relationships; (2) Establish an inventory of resources that can support school efforts to grow collaborative partnerships between pharmacists and physicians; (3) Determine gaps that exist in the resources required to support schools in efforts to facilitate expansion of interprofessional partnerships; and (4) Define strategies and draft an action plan for AACP's role in facilitating member school efforts to accelerate the development of interprofessional practices within their geography of influence. This report provides information on the committee's process to address the committee charges as well as background and resources pertaining to the charges, describes the rationale for and the results from the focus groups conducted at the 2020 AACP Interim Meeting, communicates the results of an initial inventory of models that integrate pharmacists with primary care practices, and provides an overview on issues to continue the work to integrate pharmacists with primary care practices. The committee offered several revisions to current association policy statements and provided a proposed policy statement and several recommendations to AACP pertaining to the committee charges.

The Report of the 2018-2019 Professional Affairs Standing Committee: The Role of Educators in Pharmacy Practice Transformation.

The 2018-2019 Professional Affairs Committee examined the potential roles and needs of clinical educators (faculty and preceptors) in leading transformation in pharmacy practice. The committee was charged to (1) discuss the potential roles and responsibilities of faculty and preceptors leading transformation and enhanced patient care services in pharmacy practice; (2) describe factors, including clinician well-being and resilience, which may influence faculty and preceptor involvement in practice transformation and the enhancement of patient care services; and (3) recommend how the efforts and successes of faculty and preceptors involved in pharmacy practice transformation can be replicated and recognized as well as identify the types of continuing professional development (CPD) that should be available to enable the influence and implementation of patient care services. This report provides a framework for addressing the committee charges by examining the roles of advocacy, collaboration, continuing professional development, and clinician resilience and well-being. The committee provides a revision to a current AACP policy regarding continuing professional development as well as several recommendations to AACP and suggestions to colleges and schools of pharmacy pertaining to the committee charges.

Educating Pharmacists in Quality (EPIQ): Recipient, Academy for Healthcare Improvement 2015 Duncan Neuhauser Award for Curricular Innovation.

The Duncan Neuhauser Award for curriculum Innovation is presented annually at the Academy for Healthcare Improvement meeting. The award recognizes education providers that show innovation and improvement in advancing skills in health care. Duncan B. Neuhauser, PhD, a Senior Editor with the Quality Management in Health Care journal is a Professor of Health Services Research and the Charles Elton Blanchard Professor of Health Management at Case Western Reserve University. Dr Neuhauser has devoted his working life to the science of the improvement of health care and has served as a pioneer in the development of curriculum to promote health care improvement. The 2015 first place recipient was Educating Pharmacists in Quality (EPIQ) developed by the Pharmacy Quality Alliance. EPIQ was developed as a quality improvement education resource for use by pharmacy faculty and other professionals to teach students pharmacists, pharmacists, and other stakeholders about measuring, reporting, and improving quality in pharmacy practice. EPIQ has been integrated into more than 20 doctor of pharmacy curricula and has been used as part of employee training programs. Students and faculty members who have used the program have indicated via surveys that the program has a positive impact on awareness and knowledge of quality improvement in pharmacy.