Pharmacy professionals' perceptions of educational supervision in primary care through the lens of Proctor's model.

BACKGROUND: Educational supervision plays a vital role in postgraduate medical education and more recently in pharmacy and advanced clinical practitioner training in England. Proctor's three-function model of clinical supervision (consisting of formative, restorative, and normative functions) is assumed to apply to educational supervision, but this has not been tested empirically. The aim of this study was to establish perceptions of the purpose of educational supervision from the perspective of primary care pharmacy professionals enrolled on a national training pathway in England. METHODS: Using a mixed methods design, data were collected using a validated 25-item online survey and respondents were invited to add comments explaining their responses. The survey was sent to all 902 learners enrolled on a postgraduate training pathway for pharmacy professionals working in primary care. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to interpret patterns in the survey data, and framework analysis of qualitative free text comments was used to identify themes and aid interpretation of quantitative findings. RESULTS: One hundred eighty-seven pharmacy professionals responded (response rate 20.7%). PCA extracted three factors explaining 71.5% of the total variance. Factor 1 corresponded with survey items linked to the formative function of Proctor's model, while factor 2 corresponded with survey items linked to the restorative function. No items corresponded with the normative function. Framework analysis of qualitative free-text comments identified two themes: learning support, which corresponded with factor 1; and personal support, which corresponded with factor 2. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified that pharmacy professionals perceived educational supervision to perform two functions, formative (educational) and restorative (pastoral), but did not perceive it to perform a normative (surveillance) function. Educational supervision has the potential to support allied health professionals advancing their roles and we suggest the need for more research to develop models of effective educational supervision which can inform practice.

Educational supervision to support pharmacy professionals' learning and practice of advanced roles.

Pharmacy professionals are increasingly moving into advanced roles, including in primary care. In England, the publicly funded Pharmacy Integration Fund (PhIF) enabled employment and training of pharmacy professionals in new patient-facing roles, including general practice and care homes. In recognition of the need for support and supervision during work-based learning and building on established support structures in medicine and nursing, one of the providers of PhIF funded learning developed a supervision structure which mirrors arrangements for postgraduate medical specialty training. This paper describes what informed this supervision model, with a particular focus on educational supervision, its delivery, and the training which was developed to support supervisors. This supervision enabled pharmacy professionals moving into primary care to practise safely, manage workplace challenges, extend their roles and make progress with their education. This model illustrates the benefits of supervision in supporting post-registration learning to facilitate the development of advanced patient-facing clinical roles.

Peppermint Oil: Evaluating Efficacy on Nausea in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy in the Ambulatory Setting.

BACKGROUND: Nausea is one of the most commonly reported side effects in patients receiving chemotherapy. Patients who experience nausea during chemotherapy may also experience depression, metabolic imbalances, dehydration, decreased ability to function, and treatment delays, which can ultimately affect outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a cool damp washcloth with peppermint essential oil versus a cool damp washcloth alone on the self-reported intensity of nausea in patients receiving chemotherapy in the outpatient ambulatory setting. METHODS: 79 adult patients receiving chemotherapy were recruited from an outpatient ambulatory infusion center in the southeastern United States. Patients were separated into two groups (no scent and peppermint) and asked to rate the intensity of their chemotherapy-induced nausea at pre- and postintervention using the Baxter Retching Faces pictorial scale. FINDINGS: The results demonstrated that the use of peppermint oil was effective in decreasing the intensity of nausea experienced by patients compared to a cool washcloth alone.

Sulfonamides as selective oestrogen receptor ß agonists.

A series of p-hydroxybenzenesulphonamides ERß receptor agonists were discovered and several compounds identified had excellent selectivity over the related ERα receptor. One of these, compound 11, had an interesting binding conformation determined by X-ray and represents an excellent starting point in the quest for further selective ERß agonists.

Phenylaminopyrimidines as inhibitors of Janus kinases (JAKs).

A series of phenylaminopyrimidines has been identified as inhibitors of Janus kinases (JAKs). Development of this initial series led to the potent JAK2/JAK1 inhibitor CYT387 (N-(cyanomethyl)-4-[2-[[4-(4-morpholinyl)phenyl]amino]-4-pyrimidinyl]-benzamide). Details of synthesis and SAR studies of these compounds are reported.

The structural basis of Janus kinase 2 inhibition by a potent and specific pan-Janus kinase inhibitor.

JAK2, a member of the Janus kinase (JAK) family of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), is an important intracellular mediator of cytokine signaling. Mutations of the JAK2 gene are associated with hematologic cancers, and aberrant JAK activity is also associated with a number of immune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. Accordingly, the development of JAK2-specific inhibitors has tremendous clinical relevance. Critical to the function of JAK2 is its PTK domain. We report the 2.0 A crystal structure of the active conformation of the JAK2 PTK domain in complex with a high-affinity, pan-JAK inhibitor that appears to bind via an induced fit mechanism. This inhibitor, the tetracyclic pyridone 2-tert-butyl-9-fluoro-3,6-dihydro-7H-benz[h]-imidaz[4,5-f]isoquinoline-7-1, was buried deep within a constricted ATP-binding site, in which extensive interactions, including residues that are unique to JAK2 and the JAK family, are made with the inhibitor. We present a structural basis of high-affinity JAK-specific inhibition that will undoubtedly provide an invaluable tool for the further design of novel, potent, and specific therapeutics against the JAK family.