A qualitative analysis of student pharmacists' perceptions working in community settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Student pharmacists made a considerable contribution to healthcare provision and public health efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about student pharmacists' experiences working in community pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to describe the perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student pharmacists working in community-based pharmacy settings. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Spring 2023 with student pharmacists enrolled in the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy who also worked at a community pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were asked five core questions with additional probing questions as necessary. Students were also asked to provide three words that described their experience working in community pharmacy through the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed, then coded by two independent reviewers with differences resolved through consensus. RESULTS: Eighteen students participated in a semi-structured interview. Four key themes were identified: (1) health and wellness of self and others; (2) education (online didactic and experiential) and work experience; (3) pharmacy workforce; and (4) appreciation and value of the pharmacy profession. The most common words to describe working in community pharmacy through the COVID-19 pandemic were stressful (n = 7) and rewarding (n = 5). CONCLUSIONS: This study offers some insight into the experiences of student pharmacists from one United States school of pharmacy working in community pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future work is warranted to assess the long-term impact on student pharmacist wellbeing, education, work experience, and appreciation of the profession.

Investigating the Association of Pain Intensity and Health Status among Older US Adults with Pain Who Used Opioids in 2020 Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

The number of older United States (US) adults is increasing, yet extra life years are not always spent in good health. This study explored the relationship between pain intensity and health status among US adults aged ≥50 with pain who used an opioid in the 2020 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for demographic, economic, and health variables. Most (60.2%) older US adult opioid users with pain reported having good health (versus 39.8% poor health). In the fully adjusted analysis, those with extreme pain (odds ratio (OR) = 0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.10, 0.35) and quite a bit of pain (OR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.19, 0.60) had lower odds of reporting good health compared to those with little pain. There was no statistical relationship between health status for moderate versus little pain. In addition, males (versus females; OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.40, 0.91), white race (versus not white; OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.22, 0.84), education ≤high school (versus >high school; OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.41, 0.92), and current smoker (versus non-smoker; OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.32, 0.93) were associated with lower odds of reporting good health. Being employed (versus unemployed; OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.06, 3.33), having <2 chronic conditions (versus ≥2; OR = 4.38, 95% CI = 1.91, 10.02), and doing regular physical activity (versus not; OR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.73, 4.19) were associated with higher odds of reporting good health. These variables should be considered when assessing the health needs and developing treatment plans for older US adult opioid users with pain.

Association between Pain and Frequent Physical Exercise among Adults in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Database Study.

Pain affects over 20% of United States adults, and less than 50% of United States adults participate in frequent physical exercise. This cross-sectional database study included 13,758 United States adults aged >18 years from the 2020 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and analyzed the association between severity of pain (independent variable) and frequent physical exercise (dependent variable), adjusting for demographic, economic, limitation, and health variables using multivariable logistic regression. The study showed 50.3% of adults report frequently exercising. Only 37.1% of adults reported experiencing pain of any degree, with a majority of them experiencing little pain. In the adjusted model, extreme pain vs. none, quite a bit of pain vs. none, Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic ethnicity, having a functional limitation vs. no limitation, and being overweight/obese vs. not being obese/overweight were associated with lower odds of reporting doing frequent physical exercise. Meanwhile, being ≥65 or 40-64 vs. 18-39 years of age, male vs. female, white vs. not white race, private or public vs. no health coverage, and good vs. poor general health were associated with greater odds of reporting doing frequent physical exercise. These variables associated with frequent physical exercise should be considered in future work when designing health interventions.