Integrating real-world skills and diabetes lifestyle coach training into a revised health promotion and communications course.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Effective communication skills are essential for all pharmacists, regardless of practice setting. An implicit need in pharmacy education is to emphasize direct application of these skills to future healthcare practice prior to experiential rotations. The aim of this article is to describe how we revised a required first professional year (P1) doctor of pharmacy course to achieve two main goals: 1) improve the course relevance by connecting content to real-world skills; and 2) qualify all pharmacy students at our institution as certified National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) lifestyle coaches upon course completion. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: Lifestyle coach training approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was integrated into a P1 communications course consisting of 14 modules that include: review of diabetes pathophysiology, group facilitation skills, social determinants of health, food tracking, action planning, participant retention and program administration. This content serves as a direct application of pre-existing course objectives related to knowledge (evidence-based theory) and skills (technical and counseling) required for effective communication with patients, families, and health professionals. FINDINGS: Between 2019 and 2022, the redesigned course was offered to 373 P1 students. Course evaluations during this time were consistently positive. The average evaluation score since DPP activities were integrated into the course was 3.41 (on a 4-point scale). Based upon course evaluations, students appreciated three main benefits of incorporating lifestyle coach certification into the pharmacy curriculum: 1) a certified skill that can differentiate them in the job market; 2) practice of skills on real patients under faculty supervision in the community setting; 3) early exposure to pharmacy patient care topics, thus contributing to professional identity. SUMMARY: Integration of lifestyle coach training into an existing core P1 pharmacy course increased application and assessment of communications skills and allowed wider availability of trained coaches to deliver DPP in the community.

Best practices for safe use of SGLT-2 inhibitors developed from an expert panel Delphi consensus process.

PURPOSE: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors have demonstrated glycemic efficacy and cardiovascular and renal benefits in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, they are also associated with serious adverse events (AEs), but little consensus exists for clinicians regarding AE management. This study aimed to develop a list of best practices for the safe use and monitoring of SGLT-2 inhibitors in people with T2DM. METHODS: A 15-member interprofessional panel was surveyed in a four-round Delphi process. Panelists were asked to comment on and rank statements regarding initial prescribing considerations and actions for minimizing and managing eight specific AEs and a broad category for other AEs. In the final round, panelists selected if the statements should be considered a best practice specific to SGLT-2 inhibitors, a best practice for general safe medication use in T2DM, or if the statement should not be considered as a best practice for safe medication use. RESULTS: Consensus was achieved for 36 best practice statements specific to SGLT-2 inhibitors and 24 statements as general best practices for safe medication use. Fifty-six percent of the best practice statements for SGLT-2 inhibitors related to managing and/or preventing hypotension, urinary tract infections, and genital infections. The general best practices for safe medication use primarily focused on medication histories, past medical history considerations, physical exam components, and patient education. CONCLUSION: A list of best practice statements was developed using the Delphi method, which can be utilized by clinicians to guide the safe use and monitoring of SGLT-2 inhibitors in people with T2DM.