Sleep Duration and Academic Performance Among Student Pharmacists.

OBJECTIVE: To identify sleep patterns and frequency of daytime sleepiness and to assess the association between sleep duration and academic performance among student pharmacists. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used. An anonymous self-administered paper questionnaire was administered to first-year through third-year students at a pharmacy school. RESULTS: Questionnaires were completed by 364 student pharmacists (79.4% response rate and 93.8% cooperation rate). More than half of student pharmacists obtained less than 7 hours of sleep at night during a typical school week (54.7%) and a large majority on the night prior to an examination (81.7%). Almost half (47.8%) felt daytime sleepiness almost every day. Longer sleep duration the night prior to an examination was associated with higher course grades and semester grade point averages (GPAs). CONCLUSION: A majority of student pharmacists had suboptimal durations of sleep, defined as fewer than 7 hours. Adequate sleep the night prior to an examination was positively associated with student course grades and semester GPAs.

Factors associated with herpes zoster vaccination status and acceptance of vaccine recommendation in community pharmacies.

OBJECTIVES: 1. Identify patient characteristics, awareness and knowledge associated with herpes zoster (HZ) vaccination status. 2. Identify self-reported reasons for not receiving Zostavax(®). 3. Assess the impact of a patient education program by measuring post-intervention interest in obtaining the Zostavax(®) vaccine across reasons for being unvaccinated. METHODS: A cross-sectional design with patients aged 60 years or older in 51 community pharmacies in Alabama and Florida was utilized. During the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience in summer 2013, 137 immunization-certified student pharmacists provided patient education on HZ and Zostavax(®) to unvaccinated patients using the Shingles Vaccine Information Statement. An interviewer-administered questionnaire assessed patient awareness of HZ, receipt of recommendations to receive Zostavax(®), and patient characteristics as well as vaccination status, reasons for being unvaccinated and interest in obtaining Zostavax(®) after the educational session. RESULTS: A total of 681 patients participated in a conversation with a student pharmacist regarding their HZ vaccination status. The majority were female (57.6%), white (84.6%), and unvaccinated (73.6%). Results from logistic regression suggest that participants were more likely to be vaccinated if they received a recommendation from a healthcare provider (OR=5.15), received the influenza vaccine during the previous year (OR=3.56), or knew that Zostavax(®) was recommended for individuals over 60 years of age (OR=3.55). The most frequently provided reasons for being unvaccinated were "haven't gotten around to it/forgot" (27.2%) and "didn't know it was needed" (27.1%). After the educational session, the majority (72.5%) of unvaccinated patients were interested in speaking with their pharmacist or physician about receiving Zostavax(®). Analysis suggests that interest differed across initial reason for being unvaccinated (χ(2)=64.44; p<0.01). IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations from healthcare providers are valued by patients and can improve vaccination rates. The patient education program increased interest in receiving Zostavax(®) and this interest differed depending on the reason provided for being unvaccinated.