Facilitating rural access to quality health information through Little Free Libraries.

Background: In 2020 the Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL) at the University of Florida collaborated with the Okeechobee County Public library (OCPL) on their plan to install Little Free Libraries (LFLs) within their community. It was agreed that the HSCL would provide consumer health-related materials for the Little Free Libraries and training with the goal of improving health literacy, precision medicine, and increasing rural access to consumer health materials and services. Case Presentation: Using census data, the County Health Improvement Plan, and OCPL circulation data the team identified minority population groups, potential accessibility issues, and local consumer health information needs and barriers to select appropriate resources. Additionally, partnerships were created with the local Health Department, Parks and Recreation services, the Rotary Club, and other local organizations to make the project a success. A total of 424 books were selected for the LFLs and 40 unique online resources were selected, printed, and shipped to OCPL to be used during LFL reference sessions. Technology was purchased to assist OCPL with their planned community health reference outreach sessions. HSCL created and provided online training on facilitating consumer health outreach, conducting health information reference services, and promoting community engagement for OCPL. Discussion: LFLs have become an important resource for lower-income rural families in Okeechobee. There are 7 LFLs in Okeechobee County, with a goal of eventually establishing 15 total to provide vital health resources and books. Over 2,456 items have been circulated among the 7 LFLs since May 2020. Overall, the project has been successful with positive feedback received from the community and with OCPL planning to continue to expand the project.

Identifying diversity, equity, and inclusion enhancement opportunities through an online mixed methods library survey.

Objective: A mixed methods survey was conducted at a health sciences library to assess patrons' perceptions of the library's digital and physical environments in relation to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Methods: Developed by the library's DEI Team and preceded by a pilot assessment, the survey posed 17 Likert Scale questions and 2 free-text response questions on the topics of belonging, inclusivity, equitability, emotional and physical safety, and commitment to DEI. The survey was created in Qualtrics, pilot tested, and launched in February 2020 for approximately 12 weeks. Results: Objective question responses were received from 101 individuals, with 24 open-ended responses. The quantitative findings showed largely positive perceptions of the DEI climate. Questions about feeling welcome and feeling physically safe were among those with the highest responses. The three lower-scoring questions indicate areas for improvement, including services for people whose native language is not English, for individuals with disabilities, and for families. The qualitative findings indicate the library's strengths include its exhibitions, welcoming atmosphere, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity initiatives. In contrast, opportunities for enhancement encompass non-English language resources, website updates, and accessibility to some physical spaces. Conclusion: The DEI Team is using the online survey data to enhance library services, staffing, programming, policies, and spaces. These improvements include looking into providing a space for patrons with families, expanding services for individuals whose first language is not English, assessing library accessibility for people with physical disabilities, and enhancing the physical space with quiet areas, improved lighting, and meditation spaces. Employee DEI training is ongoing, using results from a training needs survey to identify knowledge gaps. The library has a history of successful partnerships with campus entities, which will help the DEI Team to move forward with their work.

Developing a Culture of Inclusivity through a Library Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team. Part 2: Team Activities.

The Health Science Center Libraries at the University of Florida formalized, focused, and expanded their diversity, equity, and inclusion-related activities by creating a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team. This paper describes the activities of the Team from 2018 to 2020, including efforts related to assessment, programming, promotion, and space. Future plans are also discussed. The Team activities described here can serve as models for other health science libraries with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Developing a Culture of Inclusivity through a Library Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team. Part 1: Team Formation.

Health science libraries are ideally suited for proactive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, as their work and spaces transcend disciplinary boundaries. In 2018, a DEI Team was created by the Health Science Center Libraries at the University of Florida, with the purpose of improving the library's climate for its diverse patrons and employees. This article provides an overview of the Team's formation and development, including its charge, culture, structure, teamwork, leadership, and reporting processes. Recommendations are offered for other libraries seeking to establish similar committees.

Effects of hydrocodone rescheduling on opioid use outcomes: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate opioid prescribing, dispensing, and use in relation to hydrocodone-containing product (HCP) rescheduling. METHODS: Seven biomedical databases and grey literature sources were searched with keywords and database-specific controlled vocabulary relevant to HCP rescheduling for items published between January 2014 and July 2019. We included English-language quasi-experimental studies that assessed changes in HCP and other opioid prescribing, dispensing, utilization, and opioid-related health outcomes before and after HCP rescheduling. A data extraction sheet was created for this review. Two authors evaluated risk of bias for each included study. Two of 4 authors each independently extracted patient demographics and opioid-related outcomes from the included studies. Conflicts were resolved by a third author. RESULTS: All studies identified (n = 44) were quasi-experimental in design with 10 using an interrupted time series approach. A total of 24 studies reported a decrease in HCP prescribing by 3.1%-66.0%. Six studies reported a decrease in HCP days' supply or doses by 14.0%-80.8%. There was increased prescribing of oxycodone-containing products by 4.5%-13.9% in 5 studies, tramadol by 2.7%-53.0% in 9 studies, codeine-containing products by 0.8%-1352.9% in 8 studies). Five studies reported a decrease in morphine equivalents by at least 10%, whereas 2 studies reported an increase in morphine equivalents. Differences in populations, sample sizes, and approaches did not allow for a meta-analysis. Details regarding approach and findings were limited in published conference abstracts (n = 16). CONCLUSIONS: Hydrocodone rescheduling was associated with reductions in prescribing and use of HCPs but was also associated with increased prescribing and use of other opioids, both schedule II and nonschedule II.

Deprescribing Strategies for Opioids and Benzodiazepines with Emphasis on Concurrent Use: A Scoping Review.

While the Food and Drug Administration's black-box warnings caution against concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine (OPI-BZD) use, there is little guidance on how to deprescribe these medications. This scoping review analyzes the available opioid and/or benzodiazepine deprescribing strategies from the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases (01/1995-08/2020) and the gray literature. We identified 39 original research studies (opioids: n = 5, benzodiazepines: n = 31, concurrent use: n = 3) and 26 guidelines (opioids: n = 16, benzodiazepines: n = 11, concurrent use: n = 0). Among the three studies deprescribing concurrent use (success rates of 21-100%), two evaluated a 3-week rehabilitation program, and one assessed a 24-week primary care intervention for veterans. Initial opioid dose deprescribing rates ranged from (1) 10-20%/weekday followed by 2.5-10%/weekday over three weeks to (2) 10-25%/1-4 weeks. Initial benzodiazepine dose deprescribing rates ranged from (1) patient-specific reductions over three weeks to (2) 50% dose reduction for 2-4 weeks, followed by 2-8 weeks of dose maintenance and then a 25% reduction biweekly. Among the 26 guidelines identified, 22 highlighted the risks of co-prescribing OPI-BZD, and 4 provided conflicting recommendations on the OPI-BZD deprescribing sequence. Thirty-five states' websites provided resources for opioid deprescription and three states' websites had benzodiazepine deprescribing recommendations. Further studies are needed to better guide OPI-BZD deprescription.

Evaluating the use of prescription sequence symmetry analysis as a pharmacovigilance tool: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The (prescription) sequence symmetry analysis (PSSA) design has been used to identify potential prescribing cascade signals by assessing the prescribing sequence of an index drug relative to a marker drug presumed to treat an adverse drug event provoked by the index drug. OBJECTIVES: This review aimed to explore the use of the PSSA design as a pharmacovigilance tool with a particular focus on the breadth of identified signals and advances in PSSA methodology. METHODS: We searched Embase, PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, Web of Science and grey literature to identify studies that used the PSSA methodology. Two reviewers independently extracted relevant data for each included article. Study characteristics including signals identified, exposure time window, stratified analyses, and use of controls were extracted. RESULTS: We identified 53 studies which reported original results obtained using PSSA methodology or quantified the validity of components of the PSSA design. Of those, nine studies provided validation metrics showing reasonable sensitivity and high specificity of PSSA to identify prescribing cascade signals. We identified 340 unique index drug - marker drug signals published in the PSSA literature, representing 281 unique index - marker pharmacological class dyads (i.e., unique fourth-level Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical [ATC] classification dyads). Commonly observed signals were identified for index drugs acting upon the nervous system (34%), cardiovascular system (21%), and blood and blood-forming organs (15%), and many marker drugs were related to the nervous system (25%), alimentary tract and metabolism (23%), cardiovascular system (17%), and genitourinary system and sex hormones (14%). Negative controls and positive controls were utilized in 21% and 13% of studies, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The PSSA methodology has been used in 53 studies worldwide to detect and evaluate over 300 unique prescribing cascades signals. Researchers should consider sensitivity analyses incorporating negative and/or positive controls and additional time windows to evaluate time-varying biases when designing PSSA studies.

Predictive Modeling for Suicide-Related Outcomes and Risk Factors among Patients with Pain Conditions: A Systematic Review.

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the US. Patients with pain conditions have higher suicidal risks. In a systematic review searching observational studies from multiple sources (e.g., MEDLINE) from 1 January 2000-12 September 2020, we evaluated existing suicide prediction models' (SPMs) performance and identified risk factors and their derived data sources among patients with pain conditions. The suicide-related outcomes included suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, suicide deaths, and suicide behaviors. Among the 87 studies included (with 8 SPM studies), 107 suicide risk factors (grouped into 27 categories) were identified. The most frequently occurring risk factor category was depression and their severity (33%). Approximately 20% of the risk factor categories would require identification from data sources beyond structured data (e.g., clinical notes). For 8 SPM studies (only 2 performing validation), the reported prediction metrics/performance varied: C-statistics (n = 3 studies) ranged 0.67-0.84, overall accuracy(n = 5): 0.78-0.96, sensitivity(n = 2): 0.65-0.91, and positive predictive values(n = 3): 0.01-0.43. Using the modified Quality in Prognosis Studies tool to assess the risk of biases, four SPM studies had moderate-to-high risk of biases. This systematic review identified a comprehensive list of risk factors that may improve predicting suicidal risks for patients with pain conditions. Future studies need to examine reasons for performance variations and SPM's clinical utility.

Experiential education for the deaf or hard of hearing learner in a pharmacy curriculum.

INTRODUCTION: Pharmacy educators are responsible for providing appropriate resources for students of all abilities to eliminate barriers to accessible learning. This commentary focuses on the need for schools of pharmacy to provide equally accessible learning for students who are deaf/hard of hearing, including within the area of experiential education, while highlighting the potential challenges and areas for opportunity. COMMENTARY: Experiential education settings present unique challenges for students who are deaf/hard of hearing and their pharmacy educators due to the variety of educational settings and different learning logistics associated with experiential education in contrast to the learning environment of the classroom. Pandemic conditions have brought additional challenges since masks have limited the ability for students to lip read. The team has identified several resources to assist in the experiential setting. IMPLICATIONS: In order to provide equally accessible experiential education for students who are deaf/hard of hearing, it is imperative that pharmacy educators work together with other stakeholders such as disability resource centers, experiential site preceptors, and information technology departments to address associated challenges. Lack of literature concerning students with disabilities and experiential education programs in the health sciences shows that this is an area in need of further research and study in order to advance understanding and provide accessible learning for students with diverse needs.

The Effects of Anti-obesity Pharmacotherapy Interventions on Psychosocial Factors Among Adolescents with Obesity: a Scoping Review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review was to investigate and synthesize psychosocial outcomes from pharmacotherapy experimental trials for weight loss among adolescents with obesity. RECENT FINDINGS: There is a paucity of research regarding pharmacological interventions for adolescents with obesity. These studies have typically reported reductions in weight, and side effects have been inconsistently described. Overall, medication seems to be a safe and effective obesity treatment modality for adolescents with obesity. Six articles were included in this review. Studies varied in medication type, medication dosing, lifestyle components, psychosocial measures, measurement intervals, and psychosocial outcomes. All studies found a reduction in weight and/or BMI. Studies were often underpowered to detect differences in psychosocial variables, which were always considered secondary or exploratory outcomes. Future research should include psychosocial outcomes as a primary endpoint of pharmacological interventions for adolescent obesity. Ultimately, the treatment of the complex disease of obesity deserves to be assessed through multiple health domains extending beyond weight reduction.

Chronic Opioid Therapy: A Scoping Literature Review on Evolving Clinical and Scientific Definitions.

The management of chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) with chronic opioid therapy (COT) is controversial. There is a lack of consensus on how COT is defined resulting in unclear clinical guidance. This scoping review identifies and evaluates evolving COT definitions throughout the published clinical and scientific literature. Databases searched included PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. A total of 227 studies were identified from 8,866 studies published between January 2000 and July 2019. COT definitions were classified by pain population of application and specific dosage/duration definition parameters, with results reported according to PRISMA-ScR. Approximately half of studies defined COT as "days' supply duration >90 days" and 9.3% defined as ">120 days' supply," with other days' supply cut-off points (>30, >60, or >70) each appearing in <5% of total studies. COT was defined by number of prescriptions in 63 studies, with 16.3% and 11.0% using number of initiations or refills, respectively. Few studies explicitly distinguished acute treatment and COT. Episode duration/dosage criteria was used in 90 studies, with 7.5% by Morphine Milligram Equivalents + days' supply and 32.2% by other "episode" combination definitions. COT definitions were applied in musculoskeletal CNCP (60.8%) most often, and typically in adults aged 18 to 64 (69.6%). The usage of ">90 days' supply" COT definitions increased from 3.2 publications/year before 2016 to 20.7 publications/year after 2016. An increasing proportion of studies define COT as ">90 days' supply." The most recent literature trends toward shorter duration criteria, suggesting that contemporary COT definitions are increasingly conservative. PERSPECTIVE: This study summarized the most common, current definition criteria for chronic opioid therapy (COT) and recommends adoption of consistent definition criteria to be utilized in practice and research. The most recent literature trends toward shorter duration criteria overall, suggesting that COT definition criteria are increasingly stringent.