Characterisation of professional pharmacy association resources and recommendations on COVID-19 pandemic

Background: As one of the most accessible healthcare workers, pharmacists are at the frontlines during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Professional pharmacy associations provide resources and recommendations for pharmacists on COVID-19. Yet, the extent and repository of resources are currently not categorised. Purpose(s): To identify COVID-19 resources for pharmacists provided by associations in the United States of America and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and characterise these resources to better serve pharmacists' needs to combat the pandemic. Method(s): A review of 17 pharmacy association websites was conducted to identify available resources. Search terms included 'resource, policy and recommendation'. Specific criteria were applied to categorise results in six areas. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Result(s): Of the 16 US pharmacy associations and the FIP websites, 94% provided COVID-19 resources, 53% developed policies, and 94% had specific recommendations. Those were characterised into 6 types of recommendations, including 94% on general recommendations, 65% on education/training, 53% on supply chain management/drug shortages, 47% on guidelines/protocols, 71% on scope of practice, and 24% on the emergence of tele-health. Conclusion(s): Whilst the majority of associations provide COVID-19 related resources on general recommendations, scope of practice, and education/training, there are opportunities for more specific areas on guidelines/protocols and telehealth. With the dynamic nature of COVID-19, it is important for pharmacists to stay updated to provide optimal care for diverse patients and populations while combating the current pandemic and beyond.

Feasibility of virtual mock trials as a parallel teaching-assessment activity for student pharmacists at two American pharmacy programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Background: Student-pharmacists forced into remote-learning by the COVID-19 pandemic participated in a Virtual Mock Trial (VMT). Objective(s): Feasibility of VMTs was assessed by evaluating student VMT performance, student perceptions on technology and overall experiences. Method(s): The VMT was implemented via video conferencing technology in April 2020. Faculty-judges and student-jurors observed/rated student performance using pre-established rubrics. A post-VMT survey was administered electronically. Descriptive analyses were performed, and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests were conducted to compare programmes. Result(s): Forty-six students from Programme A (East Coast, USA) and 89 from Programme B (West Coast, USA) participated in the VMTs. The faculty-judges' evaluation scores for student performance ranged from 85.0% to 96.7%, while the student-jurors' evaluation scores ranged from 68.3% to 100%. Student perceptions on the four categories regarding technology use all had means > 5 on a 7-Point Likert Scale. More than 79.0% of students rated their VMT experience positively (i.e. 6 or 7). Conclusion(s): VMT is feasible for the current pandemic remote-learning environment, and it could be replicated in other pharmacy or healthcare programmes to enrich students' active learning in virtual education. Copyright © 2021 FIP.

Telehealth education and music therapy for nursing-home residents during COVID19

Objective: This project evaluated the effect of patient education and music therapy delivered by telehealth on depression related to COVID19 among rural nursing home residents. Method(s): This was a prospective, pilot intervention involving 56 residents from three rural nursing homes. The study included a convenience sample of residents at three rural nursing homes. The mean age for the three groups ranged from 67-81 years of age. Participants received either patient education or combined patient education and music therapy as depression interventions. The primary outcome was the change in PHQ-9 scores from baseline to the end of an eight-week period. The secondary outcome was resident satisfaction as measured through an evaluation survey. Result(s): Of the 56 participants enrolled, 28 completed the study and were included in data analysis. Low pretreatment PHQ-9 implied minimal depression. Summary statistics show a 1.53 mean PHQ-9 change for those receiving education-only (53.6%) and a -1.16 PHQ-9 for those receiving combined therapy (46.4%) (p = 0.092). Results did not demonstrate positive outcomes on depression. A potential difference was noted among each facility. Two-thirds of participants rated their experiences as good to excellent. Conclusions and Implications: It appears that education played a positive role, yet music therapy delivered as telehealth did not show improvement in depression. Further studies are needed to determine the potential impact of non-pharmacological interventions in rural nursing home residents during the pandemic.

Potential cost of not vaccinating against COVID19 in the United States

Introduction: As of April 2022, the COVID19 global pandemic has resulted in over six million deaths globally, and over 81 million cases of COVID19 in the United States. Objective(s): The objective of the presentation is to share estimated direct and indirect costs due to COVID19 infection juxtaposed with the costs of COVID19 vaccine administration in the United States. Method(s): A literature review was conducted to identify potential cost savings from being immunized against COVID19. The costs of COVID19 vaccinations, direct costs related to healthcare and types of indirect costs were noted. Result(s): After reviewing over 40 resources, several costs were identified. The cost of COVID19 vaccine series, as defined by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is currently USD40 for single-dose and USD40 per dose in a multiple-dose series. It is estimated that the average hospitalisation stay of an uninsured inpatient was ~USD7000-USD10,000 per day. The average cost of 12 major metropolitan cities in the United States were estimated for primary care facilities, urgent care facilities, and emergency room visits at USD195, USD239, USD1,425, respectively. As of April 2, 2022, 77% of the US have received at least one dose of COVID19 vaccine and 66% are considered to be fully vaccinated against COVID19 primary series. Conclusion(s): According to the data, the cost reduction in healthcare is consequential and cost-effective in vaccinating the population. This analysis contributes to the limited reports of a national cost-benefit analysis.