Implementation of an ACPE-Accredited PharmD Curriculum at a Saudi College of Pharmacy.

Objective. To establish an academic curricular collaboration between the newly established college of pharmacy at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Saudi University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) and a US college of pharmacy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, and assess measures of success. Methods. Criteria for selecting a college for collaboration were established. A systematic approach was followed in negotiating legal, logistical, and financial issues with the selected collaborating institution. Course materials were transferred and implemented and minimal changes were made to the alignment and sequencing of lectures. The faculty at KSAU-HS developed and implemented research and seminar courses. Pharmacy practice experiences were designed and rubrics were developed. Results. All courses were implemented successfully. The PharmD students scored significantly higher in all academic levels in a benchmarked progress test than did students in other programs. Students' evaluation of 43 first-, second-, and third-year courses in 2017-2018 using a survey that assessed numerous aspects of each course showed significantly higher overall satisfaction than the institutional averages. Also, female students indicated significantly higher satisfaction with the PharmD program than did male students. Conclusion. The transfer and implementation of an accredited PharmD curriculum to the KSAU-HS College of Pharmacy went smoothly and the program was launched on time. Learning and teaching success was facilitated by the KSAU-HS faculty. Program outcomes were verified by students' high scores on a benchmarked examination and by their satisfaction with the courses.

An international capstone experience for pharmacy students.

This report describes the experiences of the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy over 20 years with an international capstone educational experience for students. Although the university provides reciprocal opportunities to international students, this report focuses on the experiences of the college's pharmacy students who have participated in the program. This capstone course is offered as an elective course in the advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) component of the college's experiential program. Goals of the program and a brief description of its organizational structure are provided. Results of a structured student satisfaction survey and a survey covering the most recent 3 years of the program are presented. This program has greatly broadened participants' cultural horizons and expanded their global view and understanding of the contributions of pharmacy to health care.

Does combining antiretroviral agents in a single dosage form enhance quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients? A cost-utility study.

BACKGROUND: Combining various antiretroviral agents into one single dosage form has been a strategy to reduce pill burden and enhance medication adherence among human immunodeficiency virus /AIDS (HIV/AIDS) patients. OBJECTIVES: This is a cost-utility study from a health care system's perspective comparing coformulated fixed dose (FXD) strategy versus multiple free dose combination (FRC) in antiretroviral therapy. METHOD: The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) was used to identify HIV/AIDS patients with ≥2 active antiretroviral medications. Patients on FXD were matched in 1:1 ratio with the FRC group using propensity scores. All medical costs excluding those paid by patients and families were included. Utility was measured using SF-6D scores from the SF-12 questionnaire. Incremental cost-utility ratios (ICURs) were calculated using the mean annual estimates. A cost-effectiveness acceptability curve was determined using a Monte Carlo probabilistic simulation technique. RESULTS: Nine FXD antiretroviral formulations approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by 2005 was included in this study. One hundred seventy HIV/AIDS patients with ≥2 antiretroviral agents were identified from the MEPS database, of which 53% (n=92) were on FXD formulation. On matching, 70 patients from FXD had a match from the FRC group. No differences in sociodemographic and health status variables were observed between the matched groups. The mean annual cost was $15,766.15 for FXD patients and $11,875.21 for FRC patients. The mean utility gained by using FXD over FRC was 0.085; however, this difference was not statistically significant. The ICUR for the FXD treatment over FRC treatment was $45,540.49/quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed FXD to dominate FRC (>50% probability of being cost-effective) above the $40,000 threshold. CONCLUSION: Although the cost-effectiveness of a single-pill strategy was within the acceptable willingness-to-pay threshold, the QALY difference were minimal. Further research is recommended to explore the long-term impact of the strategy.

African American patients' attitudes toward proactive health behaviors after exposure to direct-to-consumer advertising.

BACKGROUND: Previous research on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) has not focused exclusively on the African American population. PURPOSES: The purpose of this study was to explore African Americans' attitudes toward proactive health behaviors following exposure to DTCA of atorvastatin calcium (Lipitor, Pfizer Inc). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One-hundred fifty African American patients participated in the study. Participants' functional health literacy and health locus of control were assessed. The participants were asked to view a DTCA of Lipitor, followed by face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: After watching the DTCA of Lipitor, 89.4% of participants agreed that they would talk to their physician about their cholesterol, 88.6% agreed that they would ask their physician to test their cholesterol level, and 47.3% agreed that they would ask their physician to write them a prescription for Lipitor. Those who had a history of high cholesterol were more likely to agree to ask their physician to test their cholesterol levels. Low household income, having public health insurance, and prior experience with taking Lipitor were significant positive predictors of patients agreeing to ask their physician to write a prescription of the advertised drug. CONCLUSIONS: African American patients showed favorable attitudes toward proactive health behaviors after exposure to DTCA of Lipitor.

Patterns of reporting health-related quality of life across racial and ethnic groups.

The National Institute of Health and the US FDA have regulations on the inclusion of minorities in research, and guidelines on how to conduct and report subgroup analyses among each racial and ethnic group. Although health-related quality of life (HRQL) has enjoyed increased popularity as an important end point in clinical research, the literature lacks a comprehensive review on whether or not racial and ethnic groups report HRQL differently, particularly among patients with specific disease states. HRQL is different from most other end points in clinical research in that it is reported by patients and thus is affected by patients' racial and ethnic background in a special way. This paper summarizes the existing literature on patterns of reporting HRQL across racial and ethnic groups. It begins with a summary of general HRQL patterns and subsequently covers HRQL related to renal disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer. This paper is not intended to be exhaustive, but to inform researchers of good practice in clinical research utilizing HRQL as study end points.

A comprehensive approach to faculty development.

The purpose of this report was to describe the development, implementation, and outcomes from 3 complementary programs to facilitate the development of faculty members. The Faculty Development Committee (FDC) at the University of Tennessee developed 3 new complementary programs: the Individual Faculty Development Program to encourage faculty members to assess and identify their own specific developmental needs; the Seed Research Grant Program to fund scholarly activities by faculty; and the Technology Support Program to foster financial support of technology upgrades crucial for meeting the research, education, and service needs of faculty members. Eighteen faculty members participated in the Individual Faculty Development Program during the first 2 academic years and all provided positive feedback about their experiences. The Seed Research Grant Program funded 6 projects during its inaugural year. Limited outcome data from these 2 programs are extremely favorable relative to grant submissions and publications, and enhanced educational offerings and evaluations. The Technology Support Fund was initiated in the 2005-2006 academic year. The 3 faculty development programs initiated are offered as examples whereby faculty members are given a high degree of self-determination relative to identifying programs that will effectively contribute to their growth as academicians. Other colleges of pharmacy are encouraged to consider similar initiatives to foster individual faculty development at this critical period of growth within academic pharmacy.

Status of PharmD/PhD programs in colleges of pharmacy: the University of Tennessee dual PharmD/PhD program.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the University of Tennessee PharmD/PhD program and assess the prevalence and characteristics of PharmD/PhD programs in the United States. METHODS: Survey instruments were mailed in May 2004 to UT dual-degree program participants and deans of US colleges and schools of pharmacy. RESULTS: University of Tennessee PharmD/PhD students completed more than 30 hours of graduate credit before obtaining their PharmD and 72.2% agreed or strongly agreed that the program met their professional goals. More than 40% of US pharmacy colleges and schools have or plan to have PharmD/PhD programs. A wide variation exists in the level of integration, PhD concentrations offered, entrance requirements, and student benefits. Most schools with PharmD/PhD programs had few students enrolled in the program, but attrition rates were low (<20%) for 69% of the schools. CONCLUSIONS: Dual-degree programs attract and retain pharmacy students in research programs and 47.6% of graduates entered academia and industry.