Allocation of faculty and curricular time to the teaching of transitions of care concepts by colleges of pharmacy.

INTRODUCTION: To determine the allocation of faculty and curricular time to the teaching of transitions of care (ToC) concepts by colleges of pharmacy (COPs) to equip students with the necessary skills for the provision of these services. METHODS: A novel 15-question anonymous electronic survey was sent to 136 pharmacy practice chairpersons. RESULTS: Response rate was 26.5% (n = 36). Of these, 47% employed ToC faculty while 44% are not actively recruiting for that position in the foreseeable future. Median total curriculum hours dedicated to teaching ToC was four (interquartile range two to 10 hours). Medication reconciliation skills were taught didactically and via interactive lab sessions by 53% of respondents. Only 11% offered an interdisciplinary ToC program. A significant association between not having ToC faculty and lack of implementation of ToC concepts within a pharmacy curriculum (p = 0.02, Fisher's Exact) and practice site (p = 0.045, Pearson's) was observed. Barriers to adopting ToC within the curriculum (e.g., uncertainty of placement within curriculum, resistance by faculty and administrators) and at a practice site (e.g., inadequate infrastructure to accommodate ToC delivery, ToC faculty unavailability and resistance by other health care providers) were reported. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that COPs devote curricular time to ToC activities and involve dedicated faculty in the provision of these services. Several barriers to employing ToC faculty and planning additional time in the curriculum for teaching these skills were identified. Future research should determine the best methods for training students to ensure competence in performing ToC tasks.

Use of pharmacy technicians in elements of medication therapy management delivery: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Documented barriers to Medication Therapy Management (MTM) delivery, such as limited time and inefficient workflow may be overcome by utilizing support staff for administrative services. However, it is unknown how pharmacy technicians have been historically utilized to assist pharmacists in MTM-delivery. OBJECTIVE: To characterize literature describing pharmacy technicians' participation in actions commonly undertaken in the provision of MTM services. METHODS: In August 2016, a PubMed (MEDLINE) and Journal of Pharmacy Technology search was conducted using the term "pharmacy technician" with services outlined within the MTM Core Elements Version 2.0, and with terms related to administrative actions in the provision of MTM. References were searched using identified studies. Eligible articles described pharmacy technicians' performance and/or assistance in at least one MTM Core Element or related administrative action to the provision of MTM. Data was independently extracted by two researchers; any variation in extraction was reconciled via with discussion until consensus reached. A standardized data extraction template was used. RESULTS: Forty-four manuscripts were included. Manuscripts were most likely to describe pharmacy technicians' assistance with medication reconciliation (70%), documentation (41%) and medication therapy review (30%). Actions least likely to be described included personal medication record development (5%), physical assessment (5%), follow-up (2%), and medication action plan development (0%). Most articles were written in the United States (73%), or Europe (16%), while the remaining articles were Canadian (11%); no articles were found originating from Asia, Africa, Australia or the Middle East. CONCLUSION: Pharmacy technicians are utilized most often to support MTM through assistance in medication reconciliation. Standardized training for pharmacy technicians that delineates administrative support from pharmacists' role of clinical decision making could help pharmacists obtain greater efficiency in MTM delivery.