Patient education interventions for prescription opioids: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the impact of prescription opioid-related education provided to a patient by a health care provider on patient outcomes. DATA SOURCES: The databases searched were PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (EBSCO), Academic Search Premier (EBSCO), Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition (EBSCO), and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (OVID). STUDY SELECTION: Studies were included if they were in English, peer-reviewed, and published between 1996 and October 22, 2018. Patient educational approaches initiated by health care providers for opioid medications in adults older than 18 years of age were evaluated. Studies were excluded if the full articles were unavailable or duplicates, or if they involved studies that did not explore provider-initiated patient educational interventions targeting opioid medications. Studies taking place outside the United States were excluded, as well. DATA EXTRACTION: Titles and abstracts of 4863 manuscripts were screened for inclusion in this review. Of these, 4794 were removed because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. The full texts of the remaining 69 documents were evaluated for inclusion. RESULTS: Ten articles were identified for inclusion in this review. Studies explored the impact of prescription opioid-related education on mortality, adherence, self-efficacy, self-care, quality of life, or knowledge. A variety of educational methods were used, including face-to-face follow-up, multimedia tools, predischarge counseling, and written information complementing verbal information. The interventions yielded inconsistent results, with improvements in patient outcomes seen in some studies, but not all. CONCLUSION: There are several well-documented interventions identifying methods to manage opioid-use disorder, but less about providing education to patients before they receive opioid prescriptions. Future research should explore the type of education and information being shared with patients, as this could inform pharmacists on how they should educate their patients.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on faculty at research-intensive United States schools/colleges of pharmacy.

INTRODUCTION: To describe the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on teaching, research, practice, and work-life integration for pharmacy faculty at research-intensive institutions. METHODS: An online survey related to transition to remote work, impact on faculty responsibilities, demographics, and other elements was sent to nine research-intensive United States public schools/colleges of pharmacy. Respondents were asked to describe challenges in moving to remote instruction as a result of the pandemic. The 75-item survey asked respondents to rate the degree to which factors were challenging and levels of concern with the abrupt transition. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparison of means using paired samples t-tests between spring and fall semesters, for the types of students taught, and for faculty discipline. RESULTS: Surveys were completed by 279 faculty (36% response rate), with 62% self-identifying as pharmacy practice faculty. The highest reported challenges were family/home responsibilities (41%), assisting children with schoolwork (28%), and availability of childcare (22%). Concerns most identified by respondents were increased workload, potential for academic dishonesty, and inability to effectively conduct hands-on activities. Practice faculty encountered barriers using telehealth and delivering virtual experiential education, while both practice and research faculty reported concerns with research progress. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic has led to substantial challenges and increased workload in many areas. As the pandemic persists, administration should consider reported barriers and concerns to inform expectations. Evaluation of novel instructional design, assessment methods, and best practices in the virtual learning environment is highly encouraged to ensure student competencies are met.