Academic pharmacist competencies in ordinary and emergency situations: content validation and pilot description in Lebanese academia.

BACKGROUND: In the absence of a similar study in the Lebanese context, this study aimed to validate the content of the specialized competencies frameworks of academic pharmacists (educators, researchers, and clinical preceptors) and pilot their use for practice assessment in the context of multiple severe crises. METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between March and September 2022 among academic pharmacists enrolled by snowball sampling using a questionnaire created on Google Forms. RESULTS: The suggested frameworks had appropriate content to assess the competencies of academic pharmacists. Educators and clinical preceptors were confident in all their competencies except for emergency preparedness. Researchers had varying levels of confidence, ranging from moderate to high confidence for many competencies, but gaps were reported in fundamental research, conducting clinical trials, and pharmacy practice research (mean < 80). Educators and researchers relied primarily on experience and postgraduate studies, while clinical preceptors emphasized undergraduate studies to acquire their respective competencies. Continuing education sessions/programs were the least cited as a competency-acquiring venue across all roles. CONCLUSION: This study could develop and validate the content of frameworks for specialized competencies of academic pharmacists, including educators, researchers, and clinical preceptors, in a challenging setting. The frameworks were also piloted for practice assessment, which could contribute to supporting effective performance and sustained development of practitioners and help link the skills and competencies pharmacists learn during their studies with those required for a career in academia.

Knowledge and Awareness of Stroke among the Elderly Population: Analysis of Data from a Sample of Older Adults in a Developing Country.

Background and Objectives: Stroke prevention has traditionally concentrated on research to improve knowledge and awareness of the disease in the general population. Since stroke incidents increase with age, there is a need to focus on the elderly, a high-risk group for developing the disease. This study aimed to examine the level of stroke awareness and knowledge, their predictors, and their source of information. Materials and Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study targeted Lebanese senior citizens aged 65 years and above. A total of 513 participants enrolled in the study through a self-administered survey distributed using a snowball sampling technique. Results: Most participants had appropriate baseline knowledge (more than 75% correct answers) of stroke, including risk factors, alarming signs, and preventive measures. Better knowledge of disease risks was significantly associated with having a university degree (ORa = 1.609; p = 0.029). Participants who had previous ischemic attacks showed significantly lower knowledge of the alarming signs (ORa = 0.467; p = 0.036) and prevention measures (ORa = 0.427; p = 0.029). Those suffering from depression had better knowledge of stroke alarming signs (ORa = 2.060.; p = 0.050). Seeking information from pharmacists, physicians, or the internet was not significantly associated with better knowledge of stroke risks, alarming signs, and preventive measures. Conclusions: The present study showed that seniors had fair knowledge of stroke, despite gaps in stroke prevention measures. Healthcare providers could play a leading role in improving public health by educating seniors to enhance awareness about prevention measures, detecting alarming signs, and acting fast to save a life.

Should samples be weighted to decrease selection bias in online surveys during the COVID-19 pandemic? Data from seven datasets.

BACKGROUND: Online surveys have triggered a heated debate regarding their scientific validity. Many authors have adopted weighting methods to enhance the quality of online survey findings, while others did not find an advantage for this method. This work aims to compare weighted and unweighted association measures after adjustment over potential confounding, taking into account dataset properties such as the initial gap between the population and the selected sample, the sample size, and the variable types. METHODS: This study assessed seven datasets collected between 2019 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic through online cross-sectional surveys using the snowball sampling technique. Weighting methods were applied to adjust the online sample over sociodemographic features of the target population. RESULTS: Despite varying age and gender gaps between weighted and unweighted samples, strong similarities were found for dependent and independent variables. When applied on the same datasets, the regression analysis results showed a high relative difference between methods for some variables, while a low difference was found for others. In terms of absolute impact, the highest impact on the association measure was related to the sample size, followed by the age gap, the gender gap, and finally, the significance of the association between weighted age and the dependent variable. CONCLUSION: The results of this analysis of online surveys indicate that weighting methods should be used cautiously, as weighting did not affect the results in some databases, while it did in others. Further research is necessary to define situations in which weighting would be beneficial.

Parental divorce and smoking dependence in Lebanese adolescents: the mediating effect of mental health problems.

BACKGROUND: Lebanon has the highest prevalence estimates among Middle Eastern countries and Arab women regarding cigarette smoking, with 43% of men and 28% of women involved in such trends. Marital disruption is a tremendous source of irritability and discomfort that may hinder a child's healthy development, creating perturbing distress and increasing disobedience that may exacerbate smoking addiction. Additionally, Lebanese adolescents are inflicted by high emotional and economic instability levels, rendering increased susceptibility to distress and propensity to engage in addictive behavior. This study aims to investigate the association between parental divorce and smoking dependence among Lebanese adolescents, along with exploring the potential mediating effect of mental health disorders of such correlation. METHODS: A total of 1810 adolescents (14 and 17 years) enrolled in this cross-sectional survey-based study (January-May 2019). Linear regressions were conducted to check for variables associated with cigarette and waterpipe dependence. PROCESS v3.4 model 4 was used to check for the mediating effect of mental health disorders between parental divorce and smoking dependence. RESULTS: Higher suicidal ideation and having divorced parents vs living together were significantly associated with more cigarette and waterpipe dependence. Higher anxiety was significantly associated with more waterpipe dependence. Insomnia and suicidal ideation played a mediating role between parental divorce and cigarette/waterpipe dependence. CONCLUSION: Our results consolidate the results found in the literature about the association between parental divorce and smoking addiction and the mediating effect of mental health issues. We do not know still in the divorce itself or factors related to it are incriminated in the higher amount of smoking in those adolescents. Those results should be used to inspire parents about the deleterious effect of divorce on their children to lower their risk of smoking addiction. Further longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the complexity of such associations and to see whether the divorce experience by itself or the factors that accompany it are involved in the increased smoking addiction among adolescents.

Assessing self-reported core competencies of public health practitioners in Lebanon using the WHO-ASPHER validated scale: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region recommend the self-assessment of public health core competencies to strengthen the proficiency of the public health workforce and prepare them for future challenges. A framework for these competencies is lacking and highly needed in Lebanon. This study aims to validate the WHO-ASPHER self-declared scale and evaluate the perceived competency level of the different categories of Lebanese public health practitioners. METHODS: This population-based cross-sectional study conducted online between July and September 2021 involved 66 public health practitioners who graduated from different universities in Lebanon. Data were collected using the snowball technique via a self-report questionnaire that assessed public health proficiency, categorized into 1) content and context, 2) relationship and interactions, and 3) performance and achievements. The rotated component matrix technique was used to test the construct validity of the scales. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed after ensuring the adequacy of the models. Significance was set at a p-value < 0.05. RESULTS: The factor analysis for scale domains showed that the Barlett test sphericity was significant (p < 0.001), high loadings of items on factors, and Cronbach's alpha values of more than 0.9 in all three categories, showing an appropriate scale validity and reliability. The perceived level of competencies was significantly different between public health professionals and other health professionals with public health activities. All respondents scored low in most public health categories, mainly science and practice. CONCLUSION: Data findings showed variability of self-declared gaps in knowledge and proficiency, suggesting the need to review the national public health education programs. Our study offers a valuable tool for academia and public health professionals to self-assess the level of public health proficiency and guide continuous education needs for professional development.

The healthcare costs of antimicrobial resistance in Lebanon: a multi-centre prospective cohort study from the payer perspective.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to examine whether the length of stay, hospital charges and in-hospital mortality attributable to healthcare- and community-associated infections due to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria were higher compared with those due to susceptible bacteria in the Lebanese healthcare settings using different methodology of analysis from the payer perspective . METHODS: We performed a multi-centre prospective cohort study in ten hospitals across Lebanon. The sample size consisted of 1289 patients with documented healthcare-associated infection (HAI) or community-associated infection (CAI). We conducted three separate analysis to adjust for confounders and time-dependent bias: (1) Post-HAIs in which we included the excess LOS and hospital charges incurred after infection and (2) Matched cohort, in which we matched the patients based on propensity score estimates (3) The conventional method, in which we considered the entire hospital stay and allocated charges attributable to CAI. The linear regression models accounted for multiple confounders. RESULTS: HAIs and CAIs with resistant versus susceptible bacteria were associated with a significant excess length of hospital stay (2.69 days [95% CI,1.5-3.9]; p < 0.001) and (2.2 days [95% CI,1.2-3.3]; p < 0.001) and resulted in additional hospital charges ($1807 [95% CI, 1046-2569]; p < 0.001) and ($889 [95% CI, 378-1400]; p = 0.001) respectively. Compared with the post-HAIs analysis, the matched cohort method showed a reduction by 26 and 13% in hospital charges and LOS estimates respectively. Infections with resistant bacteria did not decrease the time to in-hospital mortality, for both healthcare- or community-associated infections. Resistant cases in the post-HAIs analysis showed a significantly higher risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.517 [95% CI, 0.327-0.820]; p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: This is the first nationwide study that quantifies the healthcare costs of antimicrobial resistance in Lebanon. For cases with HAIs, matched cohort analysis showed more conservative estimates compared with post-HAIs method. The differences in estimates highlight the need for a unified methodology to estimate the burden of antimicrobial resistance in order to accurately advise health policy makers and prioritize resources expenditure.

Factors associated with undiagnosed type II diabetes mellitus, undiagnosed impaired fasting glucose and these patients' quality of life in Lebanon.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between undiagnosed impaired fasting glucose (UIFG) and diabetes (UD), their risk factors and the patients' knowledge about diabetes and their quality of life (QOL). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and September 2017 in four laboratories enrolling 495 patients. We used the Diabetes Knowledge and SF-12 questionnaires to assess the patients' knowledge about diabetes and QOL. This study meets the Wilson and Jungner criteria for disease screening. RESULTS: A higher knowledge score (ORa = 0.85) was significantly associated with the absence of diabetes compared to UPD, whereas an increased age (ORa = 1.2) and a positive family history of diabetes (ORa = 1.81) were significantly associated with higher odds of UPD. An increased knowledge score (ORa = 0.55) was significantly associated with an absence of diabetes compared to UD, whereas an increased BMI (ORa = 1.40) and an increased age (ORa = 1.07) were associated with increased odds of having UD.UD (Beta = -5.799) was significantly associated with decreased total physical component QOL score, whereas increased diabetes knowledge score (Beta = 0.415) was significantly associated with increased physical QOL. A higher diabetes knowledge score (Beta = 0.459) were associated with increased mental QOL. CONCLUSION: Seeing the relatively high percentage of UD and UIFG, we propose that screening should be considered and subject to proper assessment in the light of the findings of this study.

Current Trends in Hospital Pharmacy Practice in Lebanon.

Objectives: For decades, the role of hospital pharmacists has been instrumental in elevating pharmacy practice worldwide. Recently, the Hospital Pharmacy Section of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP), and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) updated their statements about the future role and responsibilities of the pharmacy executive in hospitals and health systems. A series of surveys were conducted around the globe to better understand the current state of hospital pharmacy practice. The purpose of these surveys was to identify challenges in hospital pharmacy practice and to develop improvement strategies. The objective of this national survey is to evaluate hospital pharmacy practice in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was performed among pharmacists working in hospital settings in Lebanon, from January through June 2016. Based on a literature review, a questionnaire to elicit Lebanese hospital pharmacists' practice was developed. Results: The results showed a nonsignificant difference between university teaching and nonuniversity teaching hospitals in the processes of drug procurement, preparation, dispensing, and drug administration. However, statistically significant differences were observed between university teaching and nonuniversity teaching hospitals with respect to having clinical pharmacists (P < .001) and highly qualified personnel (P < .005). Pharmacy services in teaching hospitals seemed to be more advanced cooperating with affiliated medical schools. Furthermore, teaching hospitals were more likely to have pharmacists providing information about the safety of the medications used (P = .029). Although not statistically significant, there was a higher trend toward having a designated champion for medication safety (P = .052). Conclusion: The results of our survey showed that teaching hospitals were more compliant with the International Statements of Hospital Pharmacy Practice compared with nonteaching hospitals. There is room for improvement especially if the application of the accreditation standards for safe hospital pharmacy practice becomes mandatory for all hospitals, which is expected to standardize pharmacy practice and secure both medication and patient safety.

Evaluating the influence of a 3-min online video on the community knowledge of stroke in four Arab countries.

Introduction: Studies from developed and developing countries showed that the knowledge levels of stroke need improvement. Educational campaigns varied and were of limited influence predominantly because of their short duration and the need for financial support. The study aims to test the impact of a 3-min online video on the knowledge of stroke and factors influencing the knowledge score in four Arab countries. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based pre-post study was conducted in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. The data were collected using the snowball technique. Participants were adults aged 18 years and above. The questionnaire sequence was conducting a pretest, followed by the educational video explaining stroke occurrence, types, risks, warning signs, preventive measures, and treatment, and finally, a posttest to evaluate the differences in knowledge from baseline. Statistical analysis included paired t-tests comparing pre-post-education stroke knowledge scores, while repeated measures ANOVA, adjusting for covariates, assessed mean changes. Results: The total number of participants was 2,721, mainly younger than 55 years. The majority had a university degree and were not healthcare professionals. A significant improvement was noted in the total knowledge score in all countries from a mean average (Mpretest = 21.11; Mposttest = 23.70) with p < 0.001. Identification of the stroke risks (Mpretest = 7.40; Mposttest = 8.75) and warning signs (Mpretest = 4.19; Mposttest = 4.94), understanding the preventive measures (Mpretest = 5.27; Mposttest = 5.39) and the importance of acting fast (Mpretest = 0.82; Mposttest = 0.85) improved from baseline with (p < 0.001) for all score components. Conclusion: The educational tool successfully enhanced public understanding of stroke risks, the identification of stroke signs, and the critical need for emergency action. The advantages of this video include its short length, free online access, use of evidence-based content in lay language, and reflective images. The ultimate goal remains the long-term improvement of sustainability by mandating full-scale trials.

Moderating effect of work fatigue on the association between resilience and posttraumatic stress symptoms: a cross-sectional multi-country study among pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists, despite their vital contributions, have faced significant challenges that have impacted their mental well-being, potentially leading to the development of Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms (PTSS). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of work-related fatigue as a potential moderator in the relationship between pharmacists' resilience and their likelihood of experiencing PTSS during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted online in eight countries from January to December 2021, including Brazil, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Serbia, and Tunisia. The mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS MACRO (an SPSS add-on) v3.4 model 1, taking work fatigue as a moderator in the association between resilience and PTSS. RESULTS: A total of 442 pharmacists were enrolled in this study (mean age = 33.91 ± 10.36 years) with 59.5% of them being females. The results were adjusted over country, gender, working in contact with COVID-19, working patients, working mandatory hours, working voluntary hours, age, household crowding index and number of months engaged in COVID-19. The interactions resilience by physical (Beta = 0.02; p = .029), mental (Beta = 0.02; p = .040) and emotional (Beta = 0.03; p = .008) work fatigue were significantly associated with PTSS; for pharmacists with low to moderate levels of physical (Beta = - 0.33; p < .001 and Beta = - 0.21; p = .001), mental (Beta = - 0.29; p < .001 and Beta = - 0.18; p = .006) and emotional (Beta = - 0.31; p < .001 and Beta = - 0.17; p = .008) work fatigue, higher resilience was significantly related to lower PTSS levels. However, for pharmacists with high levels of physical/mental/emotional work fatigue, the association between resilience and PTSS became non-significant. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the complex relationship between work-related fatigue, resilience, and PTSS in pharmacists. It emphasizes the need to address work-related fatigue for pharmacists' psychological well-being during crises, offering insights for tailored support and interventions.

Knowledge, Attitude and Conspiracy Beliefs of Healthcare Workers in Lebanon towards Monkeypox.

The emergence of a monkeypox (MPOX) outbreak in 2022 represented the most recent recognizable public health emergency at a global level. Improving knowledge and attitude towards MPOX, particularly among healthcare workers (HCWs), can be a valuable approach in public health preventive efforts aiming to halt MPOX virus spread. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of HCWs in Lebanon towards MPOX and to assess their conspiratorial attitude towards emerging virus infections (EVIs). The current study was based on a cross-sectional online survey distributed via Google Forms during September-December 2022 implementing a convenience sampling approach. The final study sample comprised a total of 646 HCWs: physicians (n = 171, 26.5%), pharmacists (n = 283, 43.8%), and nurses (n = 168, 26.0%), among others (n = 24, 3.7%). Variable defects in MPOX knowledge were detected, with a third of the participants having MPOX knowledge above the 75th percentile (n = 218, 33.7%). Satisfactory attitude towards MPOX (>75th percentile) was observed in less than a third of the participants (n = 198, 30.7%), while a quarter of the study sample endorsed conspiracy beliefs towards EVIs at a high level (>75th percentile, n = 164, 25.4%). Slightly more than two thirds of the participants agreed that MPOX vaccination should be used in disease prevention (n = 440, 68.1%). Better levels of MPOX knowledge and attitude were significantly associated with postgraduate education and older age. Physicians had significantly higher MPOX knowledge compared to other occupational categories. Less endorsement of conspiracies towards EVIs was significantly associated with male sex, occupation as a physician, and postgraduate education. Higher MPOX knowledge was associated with better attitude towards the disease. The current study showed unsatisfactory MPOX knowledge among Lebanese HCWs. Educational efforts can be valuable to improve the attitude towards the disease. Despite the relatively low level of embracing conspiracy beliefs regarding EVIs among HCWs in this study compared to previous studies, this area should be considered based on its potential impact on health-seeking behavior.

The specialized competency framework for industry pharmacists (SCF-IP): validation and pilot assessment.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to validate a specialized competency framework for industry pharmacists and assess correlates related to the competency domains in a pilot sample. METHODS: A team of experts assessed the old framework and improved its content validity after a thorough literature review, using the Delphi technique. Domains and their respective competencies and behaviors were re-defined in the framework. Afterward, a web-based cross-sectional study was carried out between March and October 2022, enrolling a convenient sample of ten industry pharmacists who worked in Lebanese pharmaceutical plants. Participants were contacted through the Syndicate of the Pharmaceutical Industries in Lebanon. RESULTS: The specialized competency framework for Lebanese industry pharmacists comprised seven domains. Behavioral items had appropriate loading on their respective factors, which could involve one, two or three competencies. Cronbach alpha values for all domains were close to one, showing appropriate reliability. Each domain was correlated with at least another one, except for domains related to pharmaceutical and industrial development and emergency preparedness, which were not correlated with other domains. The lowest confidence was found in the research and development domain, particularly among participants with only a PharmD. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated the specialized competency framework for Lebanese industry pharmacists. Some domains, specifically those related to industrial development and emergency preparedness, were found to diverge from others. Therefore, it would be recommended to include additional education in the emergency preparedness, research and development fields and to integrate industry-specific skills, courses, and training programs into academic curricula. Furthermore, specialized postgraduate degrees may be necessary to produce practice-ready pharmacists to operate effectively in this vital setting.

The specialized competency framework for community pharmacists (SCF-CP) in Lebanon: validation and evaluation of the revised version.

BACKGROUND: In the absence of similar studies in Lebanon, this study aimed at upgrading and validating the Lebanese specialized competencies framework for community pharmacists (SCF-CP) as a tool to transform community practice and support the professional development and career progression of community pharmacists. METHODS: Content validity was assessed and improved through a team of experts. After a thorough literature review and utilizing the Delphi technique, six domains were defined in the framework, with their respective competencies and behaviors. A cross-sectional study was then carried out from March to October 2022 using an online questionnaire created on Google Forms. The snowball technique was applied to reach community pharmacists across all the Lebanese governorates. RESULTS: The final sample included 512 community pharmacists. The construct validity of the framework was confirmed by factor analysis. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measures of sampling adequacy were satisfactory for all models ranging from 0.500 to 0.956 with a significant Bartlett's test of sphericity (P < 0.001). The internal consistency of all competency domains was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha, with values ranging from 0.803 to 0.953. All competencies were significantly correlated with their respective domains (P < 0.001), and all domains were significantly correlated with each other and with the framework (P < 0.001). The participants declared being competent in all domains relating to fundamental skills, safe and rational use of medicines, pharmacy management, professional skills, public health fundamentals, and emergency preparedness and response, with some exceptions, such as compounding, management, and emergency preparedness. A higher declared competency level was associated with having more experience and receiving more than 50 patients per day. CONCLUSION: Our findings could demonstrate that the Lebanese specialized competency framework is a valid and reliable tool. This framework could help assess the minimum competencies that community pharmacists should possess or acquire and direct initial and continuing education for better practice. Hence, it could be adopted by the authorities and implemented in the Lebanese community pharmacy setting.

Specialized competency framework for pharmacists in managerial positions in sales and marketing (SCF-PMSM): development, validation, and correlates.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists in sales and marketing roles need specific skills for managerial positions, and a framework for evaluating and developing these competencies is necessary. Currently, no such framework is known to exist. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and validate a specialized competency framework for pharmacists in sales and marketing managerial positions and assess correlates related to the competency domains. METHODS: This web-based study carried out between March and October 2022 enrolled a convenient sample of 60 pharmacists with managerial positions in sales and marketing, contacted by phone, working in the field of sales and marketing from the five governorates of Lebanon (Beirut, Beqaa, Mount Lebanon, South, and North). RESULTS: The framework demonstrated good construct and structural validity in all domains except for emergency preparedness, which had a low correlation with other domains. Competencies were well correlated with respective domains, and behaviors had excellent loadings on corresponding competencies. As for the correlates of the competency domains, males were more confident than females (p < .05), and participants with more experience (or heavier workload) reported higher competency levels (p < .05), particularly for upper management skills, communication skills, and professional practice. Further, education level was not significantly correlated with declared competency, with experience being the most cited source of competence (68.25%), followed by postgraduate degrees (42.48%) and continuing education sessions (33.93%), while undergraduate education was the least reported (29.5%). CONCLUSION: This study could develop and validate the Specialized Competency Framework for Pharmacists in Managerial Positions in Sales and Marketing (SCF-PMSM) among a sample of Lebanese pharmacists. This framework demonstrated good reliability, content, construct, and structural validity in all the domains, with the competencies being well correlated with their respective domains and behaviors having excellent loadings on related competencies, except for emergency preparedness and response. It also revealed a mismatch between what is taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and the needs in practice.

Assessing and validating the specialized competency framework for pharmacists in sales and marketing (SCF-PSM): a cross-sectional analysis in Lebanon.

OBJECTIVES: Competencies refer to the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors individuals develop through education, training, and experience. These competencies can be formulated into a framework to support practitioner development for effective and sustained performance. In the absence of a national framework for pharmacy education and practice in Lebanon, the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon (OPL, the official association of pharmacists in Lebanon) pioneered the development of a pharmacy competency framework in 2017. This study aimed to validate and assess the specialized competency framework for pharmacists in sales and marketing (SCF-PSM) after updating the framework previously published by the OPL. The secondary objective was to assess, in a pilot survey, the personal characteristics associated with these competencies. METHODS: After validating the content of the specialized competency framework, a survey involving Lebanese pharmacists was performed through a 15-min online questionnaire distributed over social media platforms, groups of pharmacists, and individual pharmacists' contact numbers. KEY FINDINGS: Pharmaceutical knowledge, communication, emergency response, and operation management during emergencies were satisfactory (more than 80/100). Other activities during emergencies, such as patient care and population health interventions and evaluation, research, and dissemination of research outcomes, received a moderate score (75-78/100), similar to legal practice (78/100), teamwork (76/100), and management skills (75/100). The lowest reported confidence was related to professional communication skills (other than communication per se), mainly negotiation, data processing skills, information technology, self-management, and ethical practice (< 75/100). This study reported deficiencies between what is acquired during undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing education on the one hand and the competency framework suggested by the OPL on the other hand, showing a mismatch between the competencies of working pharmacists acquired during education and the market needs. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated a competency framework for pharmacists in sales and marketing and explored the current gaps in self-reported competencies. It also identified areas necessitating reinforcement to optimize professional practice and underscored the need for improvement in undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional education.

Validation of the specialized competency framework for pharmacists in hospital settings (SCF-PHS): a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to validate the content of the specialized competency frameworks for pharmacists working in hospital settings (hospital and clinical pharmacists) and pilot the frameworks for practice assessment. METHODS: This online cross-sectional study was carried out between March and October 2022 among a sample of 96 Lebanese pharmacists working in hospital settings. The frameworks were distributed to full-time hospital and clinical pharmacists, who filled them out according to their role in the hospital. RESULTS: Overall, the competencies were distributed over five domains for hospital pharmacists (fundamental skills, safe and rational use of medicines, patient-centered care, professional skills, and preparedness for emergencies), while for clinical pharmacists, competencies were distributed over seven domains (quality improvement, clinical knowledge and skills, soft skills, ability to conduct clinical research, ability to provide effective education, use information technology to make decisions and reduce errors, and emergency preparedness). Moreover, Cronbach alpha values were appropriate, indicating sufficient to high internal consistency. Pharmacists were highly confident in most competencies, with some exceptions related to research in emergency settings (data evaluation, research, and reporting). CONCLUSIONS: This study could validate competency frameworks for clinical and hospital pharmacists, with the competencies and their respective behaviors showing an adequate construct analysis. It also identified the domains that require further development, i.e., soft skills and research in emergency settings. Both these domains are timely and needed to overcome the current practice challenges in Lebanon.

Demonstrating the In Vitro and In Situ Antimicrobial Activity of Oxide Mineral Microspheres: An Innovative Technology to Be Incorporated into Porous and Nonporous Materials.

The antimicrobial activity of surfaces treated with zinc and/or magnesium mineral oxide microspheres is a patented technology that has been demonstrated in vitro against bacteria and viruses. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency and sustainability of the technology in vitro, under simulation-of-use conditions, and in situ. The tests were undertaken in vitro according to the ISO 22196:2011, ISO 20473:2013, and NF S90-700:2019 standards with adapted parameters. Simulation-of-use tests evaluated the robustness of the activity under worst-case scenarios. The in situ tests were conducted on high-touch surfaces. The in vitro results show efficient antimicrobial activity against referenced strains with a log reduction of >2. The sustainability of this effect was time-dependent and detected at lower temperatures (20 ± 2.5 °C) and humidity (46%) conditions for variable inoculum concentrations and contact times. The simulation of use proved the microsphere's efficiency under harsh mechanical and chemical tests. The in situ studies showed a higher than 90% reduction in CFU/25 cm2 per treated surface versus the untreated surfaces, reaching a targeted value of <50 CFU/cm2. Mineral oxide microspheres can be incorporated into unlimited surface types, including medical devices, to efficiently and sustainably prevent microbial contamination.

Highlighting the Microbial Contamination of the Dropper Tip and Cap of In-Use Eye Drops, the Associated Contributory Factors, and the Risk of Infection: A Past-30-Years Literature Review.

The sterility of eye drop content is a primary concern from manufacturing until opening, as well as during handling by end users, while microbial contamination of the dropper tip and cap are often disregarded. The contamination of these sites during drug administration represents a risk of microbial transmission and ocular infection. In this review, we aim to assess microbial contamination of the dropper tip and cap of in-use eye drops, the associated contributory factors, and the risk of infection. We conducted a literature search of the MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cochrane Central databases. A total of 31 out of 1503 studies were selected. All the studies conducted in different settings that documented microbiologically contaminated in-use eye drops were included. Our review showed that microbial contamination of the dropper tip and cap of in-use eye drops ranged from 7.7 to 100% of the total contaminated tested samples. Documented contributory factors were conflicting across the literature. Studies investigating the association between eye infection and microbial contamination of the dropper tip and cap were scarce. New technologies offer a promising potential for securing the long-term sterility of eye drop content, tips, and caps, which could benefit from more research and well-defined study protocols under real-life scenarios.

Parental divorce and nicotine addiction in Lebanese adolescents: the mediating role of child abuse and bullying victimization.

BACKGROUND: Lebanon ranks first amongst Middle-Eastern countries in terms of cigarette and waterpipe smoking. Understanding the mediating factors for nicotine addiction in adolescents who have experienced parental divorce is vital to take effective measures that will help in lowering its prevalence in our community. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the increasingly concerning parental divorce and nicotine addiction in Lebanese adolescents while taking into consideration the plausible mediating effect of abuse and bullying victimization. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey-based study that was conducted between January and May 2019. A total of 1810 adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years was enrolled from 16 Lebanese schools. Linear regressions taking the cigarette and waterpipe dependence scores as dependent variables were conducted respectively, using the SPSS software. PROCESS v3.4 model 4 was used for mediation analysis. RESULTS: A total of 11.9% of the enrolled participants had divorced parents. Higher cigarette and waterpipe dependence were found in adolescents whose parents were divorced compared to those living together. More child psychological abuse, having divorced parents vs living together, and more child physical abuse were significantly associated with higher cigarette dependence. More child psychological and physical, and having divorced parents vs living together were significantly associated with more waterpipe dependence. In addition, all forms of abuse (except neglect) and bullying victimization had a partially mediating effect in the associations between parental divorce and nicotine dependence (cigarette and waterpipe) in adolescents. CONCLUSION: This study results may serve as a first step towards enrolling separated parents and their children in special prevention programs to help them create a protective and supportive environment.

Work Ethics and Ethical Attitudes among Healthcare Professionals: The Role of Leadership Skills in Determining Ethics Construct and Professional Behaviors.

(1) Background: The provision of healthcare is transforming, necessitating changes in descriptions and frameworks for ethical leadership. This study aimed to assess the association of the different leadership skills with the work ethical constructs and attitudes among healthcare professionals. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study design using a snowball sampling technique was used to enroll healthcare practitioners. The questionnaire used in this study included two parts: the first part gathered the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, while the second part consisted of three validated assessment scales, i.e., work ethics, ethical attitudes questionnaire for public health professionals, and leadership skills questionnaire. (3) Results: Higher work ethics and a higher intrinsic work motivation subscale were significantly associated with high leadership administrative skills (Beta = 6.04, p = 0.019, and Beta = 2.55, p < 0.001, respectively). However, higher leadership conceptual skills (Beta = −1.07, p = 0.027) were associated with a lower intrinsic work motivation subscale. Higher leadership administrative skills (Beta = 28.39, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with higher ethical attitudes scores. (4) Conclusions: Higher administrative leadership has an imperative positive impact on work ethic in the provision of different public health services. Leadership skills are not limited to a specific profession, experience, or career stage of health care, and could significantly predict the individual ethical attitude and professional behavior.