Patient-perceived understanding of home-going medication with transitions of care services at a pediatric institution.

BACKGROUND: Transitions of care (TOC) is the coordination and continuity of health care as a patient transfers between different settings. This can include a wide range of services, such as medication reconciliation, patient counseling, bedside delivery of medications, and others that meet individual patient needs. In the pediatric population, patients are at increased risk of potential medication errors and subsequent harm owing to reduced patient and caregiver health literacy, limited dosage form availability, and errors in medication administration. The use of TOC services at the time of hospital discharge in this population has the potential to make a positive impact on patient safety and the treatment of medical conditions. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to determine whether patient-perceived understanding of home-going medications was greater in patients and/or caregivers who received medication bedside delivery and education from a pharmacy-led TOC service at a large pediatric academic medical center. The secondary objective was to determine whether the primary practice area of the pharmacist providing medication education led to changes in understanding of home-going medication(s). METHODS: Using institution-wide, patient satisfaction surveys from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, patient and caregiver responses were queried for 2 questions about home-going medications, relating to the understanding of administration and the potential adverse effects. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on TOC services received, as documented in the electronic medical record (EMR). Survey responses for each of the 2 questions were categorized as top-box percentage by study group. Hypothesis testing between study groups for the primary and secondary outcomes were conducted using chi-squared tests at an alpha of 0.05. Statistical analyses were conducted using SAS version 9.4. RESULTS: Of the 1159 patients included in the study, 441 received TOC services, deemed the intervention group, and 718 did not receive TOC services, deemed the control group. When the intervention and control group were asked about understanding of medication administration, 96.37% versus 93.18% of patients (P = 0.007) gave the most favorable response of "yes, definitely," respectively. Furthermore, 78.51% versus 77.44% of patients (P = 0.053) gave the most favorable response when asked about understanding potential medication adverse effects, respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving TOC services by a member of the pharmacy team had a greater score for understanding of both medication administration and adverse effects. Furthermore, this greater score was consistent among the education provided by the inpatient and outpatient pharmacist.

Training upcoming academicians through interviews of pharmacy resident teaching certificate leaders.

BACKGROUND: Discovering methods of Residency Teaching Certificate Programs (RTCPs) will allow for collaboration in developing best practices to ensure both high quality of programming and outcomes for participants. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this project is to describe and compare how RTCPs are conducted in the state of Ohio. Secondarily, to identify current practices in assessing RTCPs in both programmatic effectiveness and individual resident teaching outcomes. METHODS: The seven coordinators of the seven Ohio RTCPs (n=7) were contacted via email and asked to participate in an IRB-approved interview, either in-person or telephonically. Standardized questions were developed to inquire about six categories of interest: demographics/background, administration/logistics, content, assessment of the resident, program financing, and program continuous quality improvement (CQI). All seven programs participated in interviews. Data was coded by multiple members of the research team for presentation in aggregate form. RESULTS: RTCPs include seminar days at the respective pharmacy colleges; however, the number, length, and content of seminars vary. The majority of programs (n=5) stated using inherited curriculum and materials passed down from previous coordinators. While each RTCP requires participants to submit a teaching portfolio, only three of seven programs assess the summative portfolios. All programs (n=7) award participants a certificate based on completion of requirements without a defined minimum performance standard. Two programs are collecting participant feedback after every session for CQI however no programs are completing an annual programmatic assessment of resident outcomes. The majority of coordinators (n=7) are interested in collaborating and sharing "best practices" between RTCPs in the state. CONCLUSIONS: Although published and available resources exist surrounding the development and delivery of RTCPs, in Ohio, their use varies greatly. The most striking outcomes highlighted the lack of resident and program assessment of outcomes in RTCPs. The research has brought forth ideas of ways to improve these programs through resident assessment, program assessment and also leads to reflection and innovation around the best way to deliver these programs.