Assessment of Academic Resilience and Its Associated Factors Among Pharmacy Students in Twelve Countries.

OBJECTIVE: Academic resilience, a critical determinant of academic achievement, is affected by various factors. There is a paucity of large-scale international assessments of academic resilience among pharmacy students. Therefore, this study aimed to assess academic resilience among pharmacy students in 12 countries and to evaluate factors associated with their academic resilience levels. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey-based study was conducted among randomly selected pharmacy students in 12 countries: Egypt, Türkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates. After pilot testing, the validated 30-item academic resilience scale (ARS) was used for the assessment. The data were collected between November 1, 2022 and April 15, 2023. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed, as appropriate. RESULTS: A total of 3950 were received from the 12 participating countries. The mean age was 21.68 ± 2.62 years. About two-thirds of the responses were from female participants and those studying for Bachelor of Pharmacy degrees. Overall, the findings show moderate academic resilience, which varied across countries. The median (IQR) of the total ARS-30 was 114 (103-124). Females exhibited lower negative affective and emotional response subscale levels than males. There were significant cross-country variations in the ARS-30 and all subscales. The highest overall levels were reported for Sudan, Pakistan, and Nigeria and the lowest were reported for Indonesia and Türkiye. Students in private universities tended to have higher overall ARS levels than public university students. Higher academic performance was significantly associated with ARS levels, whereas those with excellent performance exhibited the highest ARS levels. Students with exercise routines had higher ARS levels than those without exercise routines. Finally, students who were engaged in extracurricular activities had higher ARS levels than those who did not participate in these activities. CONCLUSION: The study offers insights into the factors affecting academic resilience in pharmacy students across several countries. The findings could guide interventions and support activities to improve resilience and academic outcomes.

How to write a successful grant application: guidance provided by the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy.

Considering a rejection rate of 80-90%, the preparation of a research grant is often considered a daunting task since it is resource intensive and there is no guarantee of success, even for seasoned researchers. This commentary provides a summary of the key points a researcher needs to consider when writing a research grant proposal, outlining: (1) how to conceptualise the research idea; (2) how to find the right funding call; (3) the importance of planning; (4) how to write; (5) what to write, and (6) key questions for reflection during preparation. It attempts to explain the difficulties associated with finding calls in clinical pharmacy and advanced pharmacy practice, and how to overcome them. The commentary aims to assist all pharmacy practice and health services research colleagues new to the grant application process, as well as experienced researchers striving to improve their grant review scores. The guidance in this paper is part of ESCP's commitment to stimulate "innovative and high-quality research in all areas of clinical pharmacy".

Adverse drug reactions due to drug-drug interactions with proton pump inhibitors: assessment of systematic reviews with AMSTAR method.

INTRODUCTION: Many systematic reviews resulted in claims on drug-drug interactions (DDIs) with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Such a large number begs for consensus on the clinical significance of findings. AREAS COVERED: We critically evaluated the safety of PPI use with respect to DDIs with a meta-review of systematic reviews published between 1978 and 2015. We assessed the evidence by their reliability, repeatability, transparency, and objectivity according to the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) criteria. EXPERT OPINION: Clinicians must assess risks for each PPI for certain comorbid conditions. DDIs don't substantiate class effect for PPIs; each PPI could induce unique DDIs. Concomitant use of PPIs with thienopyridines (e.g. clopidogrel) could be justified in patients without strong affinity to cytochrome CYP2C19 and with high risk of bleeding (e.g. patients with prior upper gastrointestinal bleeding, Helicobacter pylori infection, advanced age, steroid treatment, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use). DDIs could occur in an AIDS subpopulation treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). DDIs exist for cancer patients undergoing targeted therapy. Hypomagnesemia could increase in the setting of advanced age and polypharmacy. Omeprazole poses high risks owing to its pharmacokinetic DDI profile. Future systematic reviews should incorporate these additional risks for better clinical guidance.

Assessment of medication knowledge and adherence among patients under oral chronic medication treatment in community pharmacy settings.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between the lack of medication knowledge and the self-reported rates of patient medication adherence. METHODS: Patients eligible to participate in the study had been taking oral medication at least once daily over the course of a minimum of three consecutive months before recruitment to the study. All participants were older than 18 years. The level of each patient's knowledge of his or her medication was randomly assessed by a trained fifth-year pharmacy student through an adapted questionnaire. In addition, patient adherence was evaluated via utilization of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. RESULTS: Of the 765 study participants (mean ± SD age = 55.45 ± 15.05 years, range = 20-91 years, 56.2% women), 58.0% reported adherence to their medication regimen and 64.5% professed optimal knowledge of their medication. The mean duration of medication utilization was 26.77 ± 40.62 months (range = 3-504 years). A statistically significant correlation exists between the total medication knowledge score on the questionnaire and the level of medication adherence (r = -0.964, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Improvement in the patient's knowledge of medications taken would bear a positive effect on medication adherence.