Perceptions of pharmacy technician students of the CARD (Comfort Ask Relax Distract) e-module introduced as part of vaccine injection training.

Introduction: The scope of practice for pharmacy technicians is expanding to include vaccine administration in some provinces. Vaccine training courses and programs currently do not include education about mitigating immunization stress-related responses (ISRR) and improving the vaccination experience. We obtained feedback from pharmacy technician students about a new e-module that addresses this identified knowledge gap, whereby learners are educated about CARD (Comfort Ask Relax Distract), a vaccine delivery framework that reduces ISRR and improves the vaccination experience. Methods: Mixed-methods design including second-year pharmacy technician students who elected to take an accredited vaccine injection training program. Students were given access to the CARD e-module after completing mandatory vaccine education components. Eight students answered a quantitative survey and 4 (50%) additionally participated in a focus group. Qualitative data were analyzed deductively using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Results: The study was conducted between April 28 and June 12, 2022. Students reported positive attitudes about the CARD e-module across quantitative and qualitative measures. Qualitative feedback spanned 4 CFIR constructs: intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting and individual characteristics. Students reported the e-module was well designed and that the content was relevant. They believed CARD facilitated provision of vaccinations using a person-centred approach that promotes vaccination. They felt that CARD could potentially add time to the vaccination appointment and that it would need to be acceptable to pharmacy leaders because of implications for training and vaccination delivery. They suggested that CARD education should be mandatory. CARD improved their confidence in delivering vaccinations, and they planned to integrate CARD into their practice. Conclusion: The CARD e-module was well received by pharmacy technician students when coupled with usual vaccine injection training.

A national survey of antimicrobial stewardship content in Canadian entry-to-practice pharmacy programs.

Objective: To describe the current landscape of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) instruction in Canadian entry-to-practice pharmacy programs and the perceived barriers and facilitators to optimizing teaching and learning. Design: Electronic survey. Participants: Faculty representatives from the 10 Canadian entry-to-practice pharmacy programs, including content experts and faculty leadership. Methods: A review of international literature pertaining to AMS in pharmacy curricula informed a 24-item survey, which was open for completion from March to May of 2021. Curriculum content questions were developed using AMS topics recommended by pharmacy educators in the United States, and professional roles described by the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada. Results: All 10 Canadian faculties returned a completed survey. All programs reported teaching AMS principles in their core curricula. Content coverage varied, with programs teaching, on average, 68% of the recommended AMS topics from the United States. Potential gaps were identified within the professional roles of "communicator" and "collaborator." Didactic methods of content delivery and student assessment, such as lectures and multiple-choice questions, were most frequently used. Three programs offered additional AMS content in their elective curricula. Experiential rotations in AMS were commonly offered, though teaching AMS in formalized interprofessional settings was rare. Curricular time constraints were identified by all programs as a barrier to enhancing AMS instruction. A course to teach AMS, a curriculum framework, and prioritization by the faculty's curriculum committee were perceived as facilitators. Conclusions: Our findings highlight potential gaps and areas of opportunity within Canadian pharmacy AMS instruction.

The impact of an online interprofessional course in disaster management competency and attitude towards interprofessional learning.

A recent national assessment of emergency planning in Canada suggests that health care professionals are not properly prepared for disasters. In response to this gap, an interprofessional course in disaster management was developed, implemented and evaluated in Toronto, Canada from 2007 to 2008. Undergraduate students from five educational institutions in nursing, medicine, paramedicine, police, media and health administration programs took an eight-week online course. The course was highly interactive and included video, a discussion forum, an online board game and opportunity to participate in a high fidelity disaster simulation with professional staff. Curriculum developers set interprofessional competency as a major course outcome and this concept guided every aspect of content and activity development. A study was conducted to examine change in students' perceptions of disaster management competency and interprofessional attitudes after the course was completed. Results indicate that the course helped students master basic disaster management content and raised their awareness of, and appreciation for, other members of the interdisciplinary team. The undergraduate curriculum must support the development of collaborative competencies and ensure learners are prepared to work in collaborative practice.

An evaluation of learner perception of competency and satisfaction with three models of an interdisciplinary surge capacity course.

Disaster preparation is a major public health issue, and hospitals play a front-line role in responding to emergencies and disasters. A key concern identified by clinicians is one of being overwhelmed by patients but also by their families and the general public in the event of a disaster. In response to this concern, an online, workplace-based, interprofessional course in surge capacity building was developed and delivered to 72 health and allied staff from five acute care and community health care organizations. Three versions of the course were evaluated: a stand-alone online course; the online course plus a tabletop exercise; and the online course plus the tabletop plus an e-simulation exercise. A descriptive study, using surveys, was conducted to examine the impact of the online course on learners' perceptions of their competency, their interprofessional skills, and satisfaction with the two different course delivery options. Learners made significant gains in their perceptions of surge and interprofessional practice competency after the online course. This study demonstrates that online learning, particularly when combined with a tabletop exercise, can be an effective way to support surge capacity skills. Further research, regarding simulation and its integration with online learning is an important topic for further exploration.