Evaluating board certification within international advance pharmacy practice frameworks.

Utilizing board certification to advance practice and promote specializationthrough  formal assessment of pharmacists' knowledge and skills is one way the profession  demonstrates its commitment to improving knowledge and competence as well as  assuring optimal outcomes for patients. Credentialing and privileging in health  care provides an opportunity for selfregulation, peer recognition, and evaluation of  a professional's education, training, experience, and competence. Board of  Pharmacy Specialties currently recognizes more than 51,500 active pharmacist  board certifications in 14 specialties. While oriented primarily to pharmacy practice  in the United States, at least one board-certified pharmacist is located in  more than 50 countries, including Spain. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the intersections of board certification and international advanced  pharmacy practice frameworks.

El uso de las certificaciones para impulsar el perfeccionamiento y la especialización profesional mediante la evaluación formal de los  onocimientos y habilidades de los profesionales de farmacia es una de las maneras en que la profesión farmacéutica demuestra su compromiso con la  mejora del nivel de competencia profesional de los farmacéuticos y la obtención de los mejores resultados clínicos de los pacientes. La certificación y la acreditación en el ámbito sanitario brindan oportunidades de autorregulación, de reconocimiento entre colegas y de evaluación de la educación, formación, experiencia y competencias de los profesionales. El Board of Pharmacy Specialties actualmente reconoce a más de 51.500  armacéuticos con certificaciones activas en 14 especialidades farmacéuticas. Aunque las certificaciones están orientadas principalmente a  profesionales que ejercen en los Estados Unidos, hay al menos un farmacéutico  certificado en más de 50 países, incluido España. El objetivo de  ste artículo es poner de manifiesto el papel de las certificaciones otorgadas por  el Board of Pharmacy Specialties con los mecanismos de especialización  profesional existentes a nivel internacional. sound, defensible process. The  verriding concern of BPS is to ensure that the public receives the level of  harmacy services that will improve a patient's quality of life.  A total of 14  specialties are currently recognized by BPS13,14, including: • Board Certified  Nuclear Pharmacist (BCNP), since 1978. • Board Certified Nutrition Support  Pharmacist (BCNSP), since 1988. • Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist  (BCPS), since 1988. • Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist (BCPP), since  1994. • Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist (BCOP), since 1996. • Board  Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist (BCACP), since 2009. • Board Certified  Critical Care Pharmacist (BCCCP), since 2013. • Board Certified Pediatric  pharmacy Specialist (BCPPS), since 2013. • Board Certified Geriatric  Pharmacist (BCGP), since 2017. • Board Certified Cardiology Pharmacist  (BCCP), since 2017. • Board Certified Infectious Diseases Pharmacist (BCIDP),  since 2017. • Board Certified Sterile Compounding Pharmacist (BCSCP), since  2018. • Board Certified Transplant Pharmacist (BCTXP), since 2018. • Board  Certified Emergency Medicine Pharmacist (BCEMP), since 2020.

Análisis de la certificación en el marco de especialización farmacéutica a nivel internacional / Evaluating board certification within international advance pharmacy practice frameworks

El uso de las certificaciones para impulsar el perfeccionamiento y laespecialización profesional mediante la evaluación formal de los conocimientosy habilidades de los profesionales de farmacia es una de lasmaneras en que la profesión farmacéutica demuestra su compromiso conla mejora del nivel de competencia profesional de los farmacéuticos y laobtención de los mejores resultados clínicos de los pacientes. La certificacióny la acreditación en el ámbito sanitario brindan oportunidades deautorregulación, de reconocimiento entre colegas y de evaluación de laeducación, formación, experiencia y competencias de los profesionales. ElBoard of Pharmacy Specialties actualmente reconoce a más de 51.500 farmacéuticoscon certificaciones activas en 14 especialidades farmacéuticas.Aunque las certificaciones están orientadas principalmente a profesionalesque ejercen en los Estados Unidos, hay al menos un farmacéutico certificadoen más de 50 países, incluido España. El objetivo de este artículo esponer de manifiesto el papel de las certificaciones otorgadas por el Boardof Pharmacy Specialties con los mecanismos de especialización profesionalexistentes a nivel internacional.

Utilizing board certification to advance practice and promote specializationthrough formal assessment of pharmacists’ knowledge and skills is oneway the profession demonstrates its commitment to improving knowledgeand competence as well as assuring optimal outcomes for patients. Credentialingand privileging in health care provides an opportunity for selfregulation,peer recognition, and evaluation of a professional’s education,training, experience, and competence. Board of Pharmacy Specialtiescurrently recognizes more than 51,500 active pharmacist board certificationsin 14 specialties. While oriented primarily to pharmacy practice in theUnited States, at least one board-certified pharmacist is located in morethan 50 countries, including Spain. The purpose of this paper is to highlightthe intersections of board certification and international advanced pharmacypractice frameworks.

Cómo ha impactado la COVID-19 a nivel mundial en el papel del farmacéutico / How COVID-19 has impacted the role of pharmacists around the world

Los farmacéuticos de todo el mundo están enfrentándose al desafíoplanteado por la COVID-19 y demostrando su compromiso para con lascomunidades a las que sirven. A medida que la pandemia pone al límite lossistemas sanitarios de todo el mundo, los farmacéuticos están demostrandohasta qué punto son parte integral de dichos sistemas. Los farmacéuticosde las oficinas de farmacia han respaldado las iniciativas gubernamentalescontra la pandemia y garantizado que los pacientes puedan disponer desus medicamentos. Los farmacéuticos hospitalarios han tenido que ir másallá de su ámbito de actuación habitual para proporcionar cuidados a lospacientes al tiempo que intentaban gestionar la escasez de medicamentosen las unidades de cuidados intensivos. Los investigadores en farmacia hantrabajado con denuedo en el desarrollo de vacunas eficaces y en identificartratamientos efectivos. En resumen, la profesión farmacéutica en su conjuntoha demostrado su pericia, fortaleza, coraje y alta dedicación al paciente.La Federación Internacional de Farmacéuticos, que representa a laprofesión a nivel mundial, tiene la misión de contribuir al avance de lafarmacia en todo el mundo compartiendo buenas prácticas e iniciativasinnovadoras con farmacéuticos de todo el planeta. Este artículo evidenciahasta qué punto los farmacéuticos han estado implicados durante la crisisde la COVID-19, proporcionando ejemplos procedentes de varios países.Pone de manifiesto, por ejemplo, cómo la telefarmacia ha adquirido mayor protagonismo al resultar imposibles las consultas presenciales; cómo se hanampliado las responsabilidades del farmacéutico; y cómo los profesoresde farmacia han sacado partido a las tecnologías digitales para impartir clases y evaluar al alumnado de forma remota. El artículo destaca enespecial la participación del farmacéutico en los programas de vacunacióncontra la COVID-19 en Australia, Canadá, Alemania, Irlanda, Suiza, elReino Unido y los Estados Unidos. (AU)

All over the world pharmacists are standing up to the challenge ofCOVID-19 and showing their commitment to the communities they serve.As the COVID-19 pandemic has tested global health systems to their limits,pharmacy professionals have shown themselves to be an integral partof them. Community pharmacists have supported government initiativesto control the pandemic and have ensured patients continued to receivetheir medicines. Hospital pharmacists have been moving beyond theirspecialties to help provide critical care to patients while dealing with ICUdrug shortages. Pharmaceutical scientists have been involved in findingeffective vaccines and identifying effective treatments. In short, the pharmacy profession has been demonstrating expertise, strength, courage anddedication to care at the highest level.The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), which represents thepharmacy profession globally, has a mission to advance pharmacy worldwide by sharing best pharmacy practice and innovation with the world.In this article, it describes how pharmacy has stepped up during theCOVID-19 crisis by giving examples from several countries. It highlights,for example, how virtual practice became more prominent as face-to-facemeetings became impossible, how pharmacists’ scope of practice hasbeen extended, and how pharmacy educators have embraced digitaltechnologies to teach and assess students remotely. In particular, the article highlights pharmacists’ involvement in the COVID-19 vaccinationprogrammes in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, theUK and the USA. (AU)

How COVID-19 has impacted the role of pharmacists around the world.

All over the world pharmacists are standing up to the challenge of COVID- 19 and showing their commitment to the communities they serve. As the COVID-19 pandemic has tested global health systems to their limits, pharmacy professionals have shown themselves to be an integral part of them. Community pharmacists have supported government initiatives to control the pandemic and have ensured patients continued to receive their medicines. Hospital pharmacists have been moving beyond their specialties to help provide critical care to patients while dealing with ICU drug shortages. Pharmaceutical scientists have been involved in finding effective vaccines and identifying effective treatments. In short, the pharmacy profession has been demonstrating expertise, strength, courage and dedication to care at the highest level. The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), which represents the pharmacy profession globally, has a mission to advance pharmacy worldwide by sharing best pharmacy practice and innovation with the world. In this article, it describes how pharmacy has stepped up during the COVID­19 crisis by giving examples from several countries. It highlights, for example, how virtual practice became more prominent as face-to-face meetings became impossible, how pharmacists' scope of practice has been extended, and how pharmacy educators have embraced digital technologies to teach and assess students remotely. In particular, the article highlights pharmacists' involvement in the COVID-19 vaccination programmes in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, the UK and the USA. As a result of all this, FIP sees an exciting future for the profession. Health ministers and heads of state have been praising pharmacists for their service, and FIP wants governments to translate this recognition into support for expanded roles and scientific research. It continues to gather data and intelligence to support an expansion of pharmacy practice, education and pharmaceutical workforce that builds on the profession's scientific base. All these advances are supported by scientific studies about our specialty. Finally, FIP expresses its worries about equity of access to medicines during the pandemic, as younger, healthier people in rich countries are vaccinated before people at greater risk in poor countries. It insists it will continue to advocate on this topic as a core component of its global vision. In this article, we share with readers a snapshot of how our profession around the world has adapted to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and our thoughts on the how it is affecting the evolution of pharmacy practice.

Los farmacéuticos de todo el mundo están enfrentándose al desafío planteado por la COVID-19 y demostrando su compromiso para con las comunidades a las que sirven. A medida que la pandemia pone al límite los sistemas sanitarios de todo el mundo, los farmacéuticos están demostrando hasta qué punto son parte integral de dichos sistemas. Los farmacéuticos de las oficinas de farmacia han respaldado las iniciativas gubernamentales contra la pandemia y garantizado que los pacientes puedan disponer de sus medicamentos. Los farmacéuticos hospitalarios han tenido que ir más allá de su ámbito de actuación habitual para proporcionar cuidados a los pacientes al tiempo que intentaban gestionar la escasez de medicamentos en las unidades de cuidados intensivos. Los investigadores en farmacia han trabajado con denuedo en el desarrollo de vacunas eficaces y en identificar tratamientos efectivos. En resumen, la profesión farmacéutica en su conjunto ha demostrado su pericia, fortaleza, coraje y alta dedicación al paciente.La Federación Internacional de Farmacéuticos, que representa a la profesión a nivel mundial, tiene la misión de contribuir al avance de la farmacia en todo el mundo compartiendo buenas prácticas e iniciativas innovadoras con farmacéuticos de todo el planeta. Este artículo evidencia hasta qué punto los farmacéuticos han estado implicados durante la crisis de la COVID-19, proporcionando ejemplos procedentes de varios países. Pone de manifiesto, por ejemplo, cómo la telefarmacia ha adquirido mayor protagonismo al resultar imposibles las consultas presenciales; cómo se han ampliado las responsabilidades del farmacéutico; y cómo los profesores de farmacia han sacado partido a las tecnologías digitales para impartir clases y evaluar al alumnado de forma remota. El artículo destaca en especial la participación del farmacéutico en los programas de vacunación contra la COVID-19 en Australia, Canadá, Alemania, Irlanda, Suiza, el Reino Unido y los Estados Unidos. Lo observado durante la pandemia hace que en la Federación Internacional de Farmacéuticos vislumbremos un futuro apasionante para nuestra profesión. Aunque es verdad que varios ministros de sanidad y jefes de estado han alabado a los farmacéuticos por el servicio que han prestado, desde la Federación Internacional de Farmacéuticos deseamos que ese reconocimiento se traduzca en un mayor número de competencias para los farmacéuticos y en un apoyo más decidido a la investigación en farmacia. Seguimos recogiendo datos e información en defensa de la ampliación de las competencias del farmacéutico, de la mejora de los programas académicos y de la potenciación de la formación continua de los farmacéuticos en ejercicio. Todos estos avances están avalados por los estudios científicos sobre nuestra especialidad. Por último, desde la Federación Internacional de Farmacéuticos deseamos expresar nuestra preocupación en relación con la equidad en el acceso a los medicamentos durante la pandemia, puesto que estamos viendo que, en muchos casos, las personas más jóvenes y saludables de los países ricos reciben la vacuna antes que las personas con mayor riesgo de los países pobres. Seguiremos con nuestra labor de sensibilización en relación con esta cuestión, que es una de las grandes prioridades dentro de nuestra visión global. En este artículo presentamos cómo los farmacéuticos de todo el mundo se han adaptado a los desafíos planteados por la COVID-19, compartiendo nuestras reflexiones sobre cómo la pandemia está condicionando la evolución de la práctica farmacéutica.

Age differences in presentation, diagnosis pathway and management of colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The gap in survival between older and younger European cancer patients is getting wider. It is possible that cancer in the elderly is being managed or treated differently than in their younger counterparts. This study aims to explore age disparities with respect to the clinical characteristics of the tumour, diagnostic pathway and treatment of colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter cross sectional study in 5 Spanish regions. Consecutive incident cases of CRC were identified from pathology services. MEASUREMENTS: From patient interviews, hospital and primary care clinical records, we collected data on symptoms, stage, doctors investigations, time duration to diagnosis/treatment, quality of care and treatment. RESULTS: 777 symptomatic cases, 154 were older than 80 years. Stage was similar by age group. General symptoms were more frequent in the eldest and abdominal symptoms in the youngest. No differences were found regarding perception of symptom seriousness and symptom disclosure between age groups as no longer duration to diagnosis or treatment was observed in the oldest groups. In primary care, only ultrasound is more frequently ordered in those <65 years. Those >80 years had a significantly higher proportion of iron testing and abdominal XR requested in hospital. We observed a high resection rate independently of age but less adjuvant chemotherapy in Stage III colon cancer, and of radiotherapy in stage II and III rectal cancer as age increases. CONCLUSION: There are no relevant age disparities in the CRC diagnosis process with similar stage, duration to diagnosis, investigations and surgery. However, further improvements have to be made with respect to adjuvant therapy.

Factors related with symptom duration until diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) survival depends mostly on stage at the time of diagnosis. However, symptom duration at diagnosis or treatment have also been considered as predictors of stage and survival. This study was designed to: 1) establish the distinct time-symptom duration intervals; 2) identify factors associated with symptom duration until diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of all incident cases of symptomatic CRC during 2006-2009 (795 incident cases) in 5 Spanish regions. Data were obtained from patients' interviews and reviews of primary care and hospital clinical records. MEASUREMENTS: CRC symptoms, symptom perception, trust in the general practitioner (GP), primary care and hospital examinations/visits before diagnosis, type of referral and tumor characteristics at diagnosis. Symptom Diagnosis Interval (SDI) was calculated as time from first CRC symptoms to date of diagnosis. Symptom Treatment Interval (STI) was defined as time from first CRC symptoms until start of treatment. Nonparametric tests were used to compare SDI and STI according to different variables. RESULTS: Symptom to diagnosis interval for CRC was 128 days and symptom treatment interval was 155. No statistically significant differences were observed between colon and rectum cancers. Women experienced longer intervals than men. Symptom presentation such as vomiting or abdominal pain and the presence of obstruction led to shorter diagnostic or treatment intervals. Time elapsed was also shorter in those patients that perceived their first symptom/s as serious, disclosed it to their acquaintances, contacted emergencies services or had trust in their GPs. Primary care and hospital doctor examinations and investigations appeared to be related to time elapsed to diagnosis or treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that gender, symptom perception and help-seeking behaviour are the main patient factors related to interval duration. Health service performance also has a very important role in symptom to diagnosis and treatment interval. If time to diagnosis is to be reduced, interventions and guidelines must be developed to ensure appropriate examination and diagnosis during both primary and hospital care.

Factors influencing delay in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer: a study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most frequent tumor in developed countries. Since survival from CRC depends mostly on disease stage at the time of diagnosis, individuals with symptoms or signs suspicious of CRC should be examined without delay. Many factors, however, intervene between symptom onset and diagnosis. This study was designed to: 1) Describe the diagnostic process of CRC from the onset of first symptoms to diagnosis and treatment. 2) Establish the time interval from initial symptoms to diagnosis and treatment, globally and considering patient's and doctors' delay, with the latter due to family physician and/or hospital services. 3) Identify the factors related to defined types of delay. 4) Assess the concordance between information included in primary health care and hospital clinical records regarding onset of first symptoms. METHODS: Descriptive study, coordinated, with 5 participant groups of 5 different Spanish regions (Balearic Islands, Galicia, Catalunya, Aragon and Valencia Health Districts), with a total of 8 acute public hospitals and 140 primary care centers. Incident cases of CRC during the study period, as identified from pathology services at the involved hospitals. A sample size of 896 subjects has been estimated, 150 subjects for each participant group. Information will be collected through patient interviews and primary health care and hospital clinical records. Patient variables will include sociodemographic variables, family history of cancer, symptom perception, and confidence in the family physician; tumor variables will include tumor site, histological type, grade and stage; symptom variables will include date of onset, type and number of symptoms; health system variables will include number of patient contacts with family physician, type and content of the referral, hospital services attending the patient, diagnostic modalities and results; and delay intervals, including global delays and delays attributed to the patient, family physician and hospital. DISCUSSION: To obtain a nonrestricted sample of patients with CRC we have minimized selection risk by identifying the patients from pathology services. A greater constraint may be associated with information sources based on clinical records. Due to inherent features of coordinated studies, it is important to standardize the collection of information.