Lecture Capture Is the New Standard of Practice in Pharmacy Education.

The desire and need for remote access to education dramatically increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. As higher education struggles to find its "new normal," pharmacy programs have begun to review changes and approaches to decide which should be continued. This Commentary advocates that the use of lecture capture as an instructional delivery strategy, is no longer just a supplement to learning, but is now a standard of practice in health professions education. Lecture capture creates equity for students by providing additional opportunities to review material. Students may be balancing schoolwork with a job, caring for their children, or fulfilling other obligations. Lecture capture allows students to acquire information at lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy at a time that fits into their schedule, at a pace appropriate for them, and in a method that may better suit their learning needs. Students entering pharmacy school at this time have learned from audio/video media (eg, YouTube, Ted Talks, podcasts) and nontraditional educational competitors (eg, Khan Academy, Coursera, MasterClass). Students have become accustomed to learning via media technology and regularly do so in their everyday lives. Students desire lecture capture as it provides an opportunity to review unclear, complicated, or missed concepts as part of the studying process. Though its use is flexible, like any tool, lecture capture should not be used for all situations. Benefits and disadvantages of lecture capture for students, faculty, and institutions are described herein.

Effects of a Long-Term Use of Carbocysteine on Frequency and Duration of Exacerbations in Patients with Bronchiectasis.

BACKGROUND: The failure of mucus clearance in bronchiectasis can be improved by chest physiotherapy or/and mucoactive agents. AIM: To assess the effects of long-term use of carbocysteine on frequency and duration of exacerbations in patients with bronchiectasis. METHODS: We performed an observational, non-randomized, open study (a real-life study) including 64 patients with bronchiectasis divided into two groups, examined group (EG) and control group (CG). All participants were treated with appropriate treatment for the stable disease, but in the study, subjects of EG two capsules 375 mg carbocysteine three times a day was added over three months. Daily diary cards realised collection of data regarding the occurrence and duration of exacerbation in all study subjects. RESULTS: Over the study period 43 exacerbations were documented, 17 in the EG and 26 in the CG, 10 (23.4%) of which required hospital treatment (four in the EG [23.5%] and six in the CG [23.1%]). A mean number of exacerbations over the study period was significantly lower in the EG (0.5 ± 0.1) as compared to their mean number in the CG (0.8 ± 0.2) (P = 0.0000). Mean duration of exacerbations expressed in days needed for complete resolution of symptoms or return of the symptoms to their baseline severity in the EG was significantly shorter than the mean duration of exacerbations in the CG (10.1 ± 2.6 vs 12.8 ± 2.1; P = 0.0000). The frequency of adverse effects, i.e. mild gastrointestinal manifestations and headache which did not require discontinuation of the treatment, in the EG during the study period was 15.6%. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated positive effects of carbocysteine regarding the frequency and duration of exacerbations, as well as its good tolerability in the patients with bronchiectasis.

Moxifloxacin in the Outpatient Treatment of Moderate Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial infections are involved in more than a half of the exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of moxifloxacin in the outpatient treatment of moderate exacerbations of bacterial origin in the COPD patients. METHODS: We performed a prospective, observational study including 64 COPD patients with moderate exacerbation of bacterial origin empirically treated with moxifloxacin. In 31 of them, moxifloxacin was used as an initial antibiotic (Group 1), whereas in 33 of them moxifloxacin was used after treatment failure with another antibiotic (Group 2). All patients have treated 7 days with moxifloxacin 400 mg once daily per os, and they were followed up for 20 days, with an intermediate visit at 3, 5 and 7 days at which the duration of symptoms and the side effects of the drug were evaluated. RESULTS: We registered high clinical success rate, i.e. the complete resolution of the symptoms or their return to the baseline severity, similar in both groups (84.3% in all study subjects, 83.9% in the Group 1 and 84.8% in the Group 2). The mean time to complete resolution of the cardinal symptoms or their return to the baseline severity was 5.2 ± 1.1 days. Also, the mean time to complete resolution of the certain cardinal symptoms (increased dyspnea, increased sputum volume and increased sputum purulence) or their return to the baseline severity is given 4.9, 4.7 and 4.2 days, respectively. The incidence of adverse effects during the treatment with moxifloxacin in all study subjects was 10.9%, 9.6% in Group 1 and 12.1% in Group 2. There was no serious adverse effect that required discontinuation of the treatment. Relapse during a 20 days follow-up period was registered in 7.4% of the all study subjects with complete resolution of the cardinal symptoms or their return to the baseline severity, i.e. in two patients from both Group 1 and Group 2 (7.6% and 7.1%, respectively). 4. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest high efficacy and good tolerability of moxifloxacin in the treatment of moderate COPD exacerbations of bacterial origin.

Effects of Pleuran (Β-Glucan from Pleurotus Ostreatus) Supplementation on Incidence and Duration of COPD Exacerbations.

BACKGROUND: 1,3/1,6-ß-glucans are recognised as immunomodulators in human and veterinary medicine for over 50 years. AIM: To assess the effects of pleuran (1,3/1,6-ß-glucan from Pleurotus ostreatus) on incidence and duration of bacterial exacerbations in patients with COPD. METHODS: We performed an observational, non-randomized, open-label study including 32 COPD patients (Group D) in whom besides the recommended chronic treatment for the stable disease were administered supplement combination containing pleuran 100 mg, vitamin C 60 mg and zinc 5 mg once daily over a three month-period (Group 1). Also, an equal number of Group D COPD patients who besides the recommended treatment for stable disease received the supplement combination containing vitamin C 60 mg and zinc 5 mg once daily, matched to the study subjects of the Group 1 by sex and age served as control (Group 2). RESULTS: Over the study period 57 exacerbations (24 in the Group 1 and 33 in the Group 2) were documented. A mean number of exacerbations over the study period was significantly lower in the Group1 (0.7 ± 0.4) as compared to their mean number in the Group 2 (1.0 ± 0.6) (P = 0.0218). Furthermore, a mean duration of exacerbations expressed in days needed for cure or clinical improvement (i.e. complete resolution of symptoms or return of the symptoms to their baseline severity) in the Group 1 (6.7 ± 0.8 days) was significantly shorter than the mean duration of exacerbations in the Group 2 (7.4 ± 1.3 days) (P = 0.0118). There was not reported any adverse effect during the study period by study subjects from both examined groups. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that pleuran might impact the incidence and duration of bacterial exacerbations in patients with COPD. There is a need for further studies for more precise determination of the influence of pleuran on the course of COPD.

Motivational Interviewing Skills in Health Care Encounters (MISHCE): Development and psychometric testing of an assessment tool.

BACKGROUND: Motivational interviewing (MI) has demonstrated a significant impact as an intervention strategy for addiction management, change in lifestyle behaviors, and adherence to prescribed medication and other treatments. Key elements to studying MI include training in MI of professionals who will use it, assessment of skills acquisition in trainees, and the use of a validated skills assessment tool. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this research project was to develop a psychometrically valid and reliable tool that has been designed to assess MI skills competence in health care provider trainees. The goal was to develop an assessment tool that would evaluate the acquisition and use of specific MI skills and principles, as well as the quality of the patient-provider therapeutic alliance in brief health care encounters. METHODS: To address this purpose, specific steps were followed, beginning with a literature review. This review contributed to the development of relevant conceptual and operational definitions, selecting a scaling technique and response format, and methods for analyzing validity and reliability. Internal consistency reliability was established on 88 video recorded interactions. The inter-rater and test-retest reliability were established using randomly selected 18 from the 88 interactions. The assessment tool Motivational Interviewing Skills for Health Care Encounters (MISHCE) and a manual for use of the tool were developed. RESULTS: Validity and reliability of MISHCE were examined. Face and content validity were supported with well-defined conceptual and operational definitions and feedback from an expert panel. Reliability was established through internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability. The overall internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha) for all fifteen items was 0.75. MISHCE demonstrated good inter-rater reliability and good to excellent test-retest reliability. CONCLUSION: MISHCE assesses the health provider's level of knowledge and skills in brief disease management encounters. MISHCE also evaluates quality of the patient-provider therapeutic alliance, i.e., the "flow" of the interaction.