Moderating effect of work fatigue on the association between resilience and posttraumatic stress symptoms: a cross-sectional multi-country study among pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists, despite their vital contributions, have faced significant challenges that have impacted their mental well-being, potentially leading to the development of Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms (PTSS). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of work-related fatigue as a potential moderator in the relationship between pharmacists' resilience and their likelihood of experiencing PTSS during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted online in eight countries from January to December 2021, including Brazil, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Serbia, and Tunisia. The mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS MACRO (an SPSS add-on) v3.4 model 1, taking work fatigue as a moderator in the association between resilience and PTSS. RESULTS: A total of 442 pharmacists were enrolled in this study (mean age = 33.91 ± 10.36 years) with 59.5% of them being females. The results were adjusted over country, gender, working in contact with COVID-19, working patients, working mandatory hours, working voluntary hours, age, household crowding index and number of months engaged in COVID-19. The interactions resilience by physical (Beta = 0.02; p = .029), mental (Beta = 0.02; p = .040) and emotional (Beta = 0.03; p = .008) work fatigue were significantly associated with PTSS; for pharmacists with low to moderate levels of physical (Beta = - 0.33; p < .001 and Beta = - 0.21; p = .001), mental (Beta = - 0.29; p < .001 and Beta = - 0.18; p = .006) and emotional (Beta = - 0.31; p < .001 and Beta = - 0.17; p = .008) work fatigue, higher resilience was significantly related to lower PTSS levels. However, for pharmacists with high levels of physical/mental/emotional work fatigue, the association between resilience and PTSS became non-significant. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the complex relationship between work-related fatigue, resilience, and PTSS in pharmacists. It emphasizes the need to address work-related fatigue for pharmacists' psychological well-being during crises, offering insights for tailored support and interventions.

Path analysis of the role of coping strategies between emotional intelligence and lifestyle habits during COVID-19 lockdown.

The relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and lifestyle choices during the COVID-19 pandemic is obscure and not very well understood. To clarify the mechanisms underlying this relationship, we proposed to test the hypothesis that different coping styles (avoidant and approach) have an indirect effect on the association between EI and many types of lifestyle habits. A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2020 and January 2021. Our target sample consisted of Lebanese adults from the general population. In path analysis, approach coping mediated the association between EI and different lifestyle habits (rest, nutrition, general physical conditions), but not exercise. Furthermore, avoidant coping did mediate the association between EI and general physical conditions, but not between EI and other lifestyle choices (namely rest, exercise, and nutrition). To conclude, individuals with high EI, and that are users of approach coping strategies to deal with stressors, have increased rest time, healthy nutrition and general physical conditions. This cautiously implies that fostering approach coping may help improve the positive effects of EI on healthy lifestyles during crises such as this pandemic.

Needs assessment of global pharmaceutical development goals: an explanatory mixed-methods study of 21 countries.

OBJECTIVES: Investment in the development of the pharmacy workforce has been recognized as crucial for achieving universal health coverage. The 21 International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Development Goals (DGs) have been used when conducting national needs assessments in several countries to provide evidence-based policy on workforce development. This study aimed to explore factors contributing to education and training in a FIP sample of mainly low- to middle-income countries (LMICs), and current national policy initiatives and priorities, mapped against the FIP DGs. METHODS: The study employed a mixed-methods approach, including an online survey questionnaire and interviews with representatives from 26 national professional organizations from 21 countries. A Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), descriptive analysis, and thematic analysis were carried out to analyse the data. KEY FINDINGS: A total of 26 national professional organizations from 21 countries participated in this study. The quantitative MCA results indicated categorical correlations with variables related to the maintenance of licensed pharmacy practice and mechanisms for personal career development and advancement, such as the availability of competency development frameworks. Six themes emerged from the qualitative analysis of ongoing national programmes in the sampled countries: strengthening initial education and training, competency and career development programmes, initiatives related to pharmacists' role in patient safety, communicable diseases, and antimicrobial stewardship, pharmaceutical care and medicines access, strengthening research to improve pharmacists' impact, and outcomes and policy review and development. CONCLUSION: This study provided an evidence-based needs assessment exploring factors contributing to workforce development and identifying pharmaceutical development priorities mapped to the FIP DGs across a cohort of nations.

Association between culture and the preference for, and perceptions of, 11 routes of medicine administration: A survey in 21 countries and regions.

Medicines can be taken by various routes of administration. These can impact the effects and perceptions of medicines. The literature about individuals' preferences for and perceptions of the different routes of administration is sparse, but indicates a potential influence of culture. Our aim was to determine: (i) any association between one's culture and one's preferred route of medicine administration and (ii) individual perceptions of pain, efficacy, speed of action and acceptability when medicines are swallowed or placed in the mouth, under the tongue, in the nose, eye, ear, lungs, rectum, vagina, on the skin, or areinjected. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey of adults was conducted in 21 countries and regions of the world, namely, Tunisia, Ghana, Nigeria, Turkey, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Malta, Brazil, Great Britain, United States, India, Serbia, Romania, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, mainland China and Estonia, using the Inglehart-Welzel cultural map to ensure coverage across all cultures. Participants scored the pain/discomfort, efficacy, speed of onset and acceptability of the different routes of medicine administration and stated their preferred route. Demographic information was collected. A total of 4435 participants took part in the survey. Overall, the oral route was the most preferred route, followed by injection, while the rectal route was the least preferred. While the oral route was the most preferred in all cultures, the percentage of participants selecting this route varied, from 98% in Protestant Europe to 50% in the African-Islamic culture. A multinomial logistic regression model revealed a number of predictors for the preferred route. Injections were favoured in the Baltic, South Asia, Latin America and African-Islamic cultures while dermal administration was favoured in Catholic Europe, Baltic and Latin America cultures. A marked association was found between culture and the preference for, and perceptions of the different routes by which medicines are taken. This applied to even the least favoured routes (vaginal and rectal). Only women were asked about the vaginal route, and our data shows that the vaginal route was slightly more popular than the rectal one.

Adherence to treatment and harmful effects of medication shortages in the context of severe crises: scale validation and correlates.

BACKGROUND: Medication shortage is a public health problem, affecting patients' outcomes mainly through the difficulty in maintaining adherence, particularly in the context of a severe economic crisis. There is a need for a new scale that assesses the effect of medication shortage on adherence. AIM: To develop and validate a scale to evaluate the harmful impact of medication shortage among the general Lebanese population and assess its correlates and association with medication adherence. METHODS: A questionnaire was used to assess medication shortage harmful effects and patients' adherence, allowing to generate the Harmful Impact of Medication Shortage scale (HIMS). The factor analysis, convergent validity and reliability of the generated scale were assessed, followed by multivariable regressions to evaluate its correlates. RESULTS: The developed HIMS scale is a 9-item tool, used to assess how difficult it was for people to deal with medication shortages and their harmful effects on treatment. It was significantly and inversely linked to treatment adherence and affected by the patients' socioeconomic status and the type of chronic disease. CONCLUSION: The Harmful Impact of Medication Shortage scale could be an efficient tool to measure the detrimental effects of medication shortages among the Lebanese adult population with chronic diseases, particularly affecting treatment adherence. Future studies and evidence are still needed to confirm our findings and help build global mitigation policies addressing medication shortages.

The Moderating Effect of Emotion Regulation Between Fear of COVID-19 and Quality of Life Among Lebanese Adults.

Background: To evaluate the moderating effect of emotion regulation between fear of COVID-19 and quality of life (QOL) among a sample of Lebanese adults.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 449 participants who completed an online survey (between December 2020 and January 2021).Results: Higher positive (P = .047) and negative (P = .001) affect were associated with better physical QOL. Higher positive affect (P < .001) and cognitive reappraisal (P = .031) were associated with better mental QOL. The interactions fear of COVID-19 by cognitive reappraisal (P = .002) and fear of COVID-19 by expressive suppression (P = .003) were significantly associated with mental QOL. In people with high fear of COVID-19, high cognitive reappraisal and low expressive suppression were associated with better mental QOL.Conclusions: The results suggest that those providing mental health services during a pandemic should bolster their patients' use of cognitive reappraisal rather than expressive suppression and positive affect rather than negative affect to improve their mental and physical QOL. Awareness in all settings, from home to school/university to workplace, is recommended to restore balance in the lives of individuals during stressful times, with emotion and mental health at the center.Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2023;25(6):23m03546. Author affiliations are listed at the end of this article.

Association between alexithymia, emotional intelligence, smoking addiction, and alcohol use disorder among a sample of Lebanese adults.

BACKGROUND: Alexithymia can be associated with worse addictive traits, while emotional intelligence is associated with better addictive outcomes. In Lebanon, the prevalence of cigarette and waterpipe smoking is on the rise, although people are aware of the associated harms. Also, around 11% of Lebanese adults have experienced alcohol use disorder (AUD). This study aimed to assess the association between alexithymia, emotional intelligence, smoking (cigarette and waterpipe), and AUD among a sample of Lebanese adults. METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional study carried out between February and April 2020, during the lockdown period, enrolled 408 community-dwelling adults. The survey link was shared on social media to reach participants from all Lebanese districts/governorates. RESULTS: Taking antidepressants (Beta = 4.37) was significantly associated with more cigarette dependence, while female gender (Beta = -1.52) and having a high vs. low monthly income (Beta = 1.02) were significantly associated with less cigarette dependence. None of the variables, including alexithymia, were significantly associated with waterpipe dependence. Female gender (Beta = -0.15) and higher emotional intelligence (Beta = -0.003) were significantly associated with less AUD, whereas higher alexithymia (Beta = 0.003) was significantly associated with more AUD. CONCLUSION: This study could demonstrate a significant association between alexithymia and cigarette smoking and alexithymia and alcohol consumption. Future research is warranted to investigate the mediating effect of emotional intelligence and how these results may be used to meet the needs of alexithymic individuals with addictions.

Academic pharmacist competencies in ordinary and emergency situations: content validation and pilot description in Lebanese academia.

BACKGROUND: In the absence of a similar study in the Lebanese context, this study aimed to validate the content of the specialized competencies frameworks of academic pharmacists (educators, researchers, and clinical preceptors) and pilot their use for practice assessment in the context of multiple severe crises. METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between March and September 2022 among academic pharmacists enrolled by snowball sampling using a questionnaire created on Google Forms. RESULTS: The suggested frameworks had appropriate content to assess the competencies of academic pharmacists. Educators and clinical preceptors were confident in all their competencies except for emergency preparedness. Researchers had varying levels of confidence, ranging from moderate to high confidence for many competencies, but gaps were reported in fundamental research, conducting clinical trials, and pharmacy practice research (mean < 80). Educators and researchers relied primarily on experience and postgraduate studies, while clinical preceptors emphasized undergraduate studies to acquire their respective competencies. Continuing education sessions/programs were the least cited as a competency-acquiring venue across all roles. CONCLUSION: This study could develop and validate the content of frameworks for specialized competencies of academic pharmacists, including educators, researchers, and clinical preceptors, in a challenging setting. The frameworks were also piloted for practice assessment, which could contribute to supporting effective performance and sustained development of practitioners and help link the skills and competencies pharmacists learn during their studies with those required for a career in academia.

Instructional educational games in pharmacy experiential education: a quasi-experimental assessment of learning outcomes, students' engagement and motivation.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the impact of implementing instructional educational games on attaining the intended learning outcomes mapped with the competencies of a pharmacy practice experience course, and to assess students' attitudes towards motivation and engagement in this active learning activity. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study that utilized a pretest-posttest for the research groups. Students were divided into teams and challenged to answer different questions related to the case scenarios. Different gaming platforms as Gamilab, Wisc-Online, and Quizizz were accordingly used to create different questions that help students memorize medications' brand names, and acquire the advanced community knowledge and skills. The attainment of the intended learning outcomes was assessed and compared between the experimental and control groups through the course total average of grades, and the subsequent averages of domains relating to the course competencies. Attitudes towards motivation and engagement in educational games activities were also assessed among the experimental group. RESULTS: A total of 233 students were enrolled in the study. The experimental group had significantly higher total posttest average compared to the control group (Beta = 7.695, 95% CI = 4.964-10.425, P < 0.001). The experimental group had also significantly higher averages of competency domains related to foundational knowledge (Beta = 1.471, 95% CI = 0.723-2.219, P < 0.001), pharmaceutical care (Beta = 1.650, 95% CI = 0.673-2.627, P < 0.001), essentials to practice and care (Beta = 1.838, 95% CI = 0.626-3.050, P < 0.003), and approach to practice and care (Beta = 2.736, 95% CI = 1.384-4.088, P < 0.001) averages. The experimental group reflected positive attitudes toward gamification engagement and motivation, with greater than 60% of the students recommend engage educational games to be part of the course. CONCLUSION: Incorporation of educational games into pharmacy practice experiences resulted in better learning outcomes. This kind of active learning appears to be acceptable and motivational for students, and is recommended for further research in didactic courses in the pharmacy curriculum.

Assessing and validating the specialized competency framework for pharmacists in sales and marketing (SCF-PSM): a cross-sectional analysis in Lebanon.

OBJECTIVES: Competencies refer to the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors individuals develop through education, training, and experience. These competencies can be formulated into a framework to support practitioner development for effective and sustained performance. In the absence of a national framework for pharmacy education and practice in Lebanon, the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon (OPL, the official association of pharmacists in Lebanon) pioneered the development of a pharmacy competency framework in 2017. This study aimed to validate and assess the specialized competency framework for pharmacists in sales and marketing (SCF-PSM) after updating the framework previously published by the OPL. The secondary objective was to assess, in a pilot survey, the personal characteristics associated with these competencies. METHODS: After validating the content of the specialized competency framework, a survey involving Lebanese pharmacists was performed through a 15-min online questionnaire distributed over social media platforms, groups of pharmacists, and individual pharmacists' contact numbers. KEY FINDINGS: Pharmaceutical knowledge, communication, emergency response, and operation management during emergencies were satisfactory (more than 80/100). Other activities during emergencies, such as patient care and population health interventions and evaluation, research, and dissemination of research outcomes, received a moderate score (75-78/100), similar to legal practice (78/100), teamwork (76/100), and management skills (75/100). The lowest reported confidence was related to professional communication skills (other than communication per se), mainly negotiation, data processing skills, information technology, self-management, and ethical practice (< 75/100). This study reported deficiencies between what is acquired during undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing education on the one hand and the competency framework suggested by the OPL on the other hand, showing a mismatch between the competencies of working pharmacists acquired during education and the market needs. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated a competency framework for pharmacists in sales and marketing and explored the current gaps in self-reported competencies. It also identified areas necessitating reinforcement to optimize professional practice and underscored the need for improvement in undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional education.

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Arabic version of the short 12-item stroke-specific quality of life scale.

Background: Given the excessive length and inconsistent validity of the existing long stroke-specific quality of life (SS-QOL) scales, there is a need to validate a shorter measuring tool. The aim of this study was to validate the Arabic version of the short 12-item SS-QOL (SS-QOL-12-AR) and examine its validity measures and psychometric properties. Additionally, the study aimed to assess the QOL after stroke and identify the sociodemographic and clinical factors that influence it in Lebanon. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. The SS-QOL-12-AR structure was validated, and its reliability and internal consistency were assessed. The scale's specificity and sensitivity were evaluated and then compared with those of other SS-QOL scales. The correlation between each item and the overall scale were examined, and its convergent validity was evaluated. Results: A total of 172 stroke survivors were included. The SS-QOL-12-AR structure was validated with a solution of two factors, with a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy of 0.850 and a significant Bartlett's test of sphericity (p < 0.001). The Cronbach's alpha of the scale was 0.917. According to ROC curve analysis, the optimal cut-off point for distinguishing between lower and better QOL was 32.50. At this cut-off, the sensitivity and specificity were 70.0% and 71.2%, respectively. The area under the curve was 0.779 (95% CI 0.704-0.855, p < 0.001). The SS-QOL-12-AR demonstrated a strong and highly significant correlation with existing versions of the SS-QOL, confirming its convergent validity. 61.6% of stroke survivors had a lower QOL, which was significantly associated with poor stroke prognosis, increased physical dependence, current smoking, and alcohol abstinence. Conclusion: The SS-QOL-12-AR exhibits strong validity and reliability, demonstrating excellent psychometric properties. The scale holds potential for application in clinical practice and research settings, enabling the measurement of stroke-related consequences and evaluation of management outcomes.

Profiling orthorexia nervosa in young adults: the role of obsessive behaviour, perfectionism, and self-esteem.

BACKGROUND: Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a relatively new potential eating disorder characterized by an intense fixation on one's eating habits and the imposition of rigid and inflexible rules on oneself. Psychological factors such as obsessive-compulsive tendencies, perfectionism and self-esteem may interact in complex ways and contribute to the development and maintenance of ON. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 977 participants from Italy, Lebanon, and Poland. Participants completed a questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic information, the Eating Habits Questionnaire, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire-44, Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Cluster analysis was used to identify subgroups of individuals with common psychological characteristics associated with ON. RESULTS: Three distinct clusters were identified based on their levels of obsession-compulsive beliefs, perfectionism, and self-esteem. The first group, labeled "High Self-Mastery," consisted of 37.0% of participants and exhibited low levels of obsession-compulsion, obsessive beliefs, and perfectionism, but high self-esteem. The second group, "Moderate Self-Mastery," comprised 39.5% of participants and had moderate levels of these traits. The third group, "Low Self-Mastery," consisted of 23.6% of participants and exhibited the highest levels of obsession-compulsion, obsessive beliefs, and perfectionism, but the lowest self-esteem. Additionally, a multivariable analysis revealed that being Lebanese (Beta = 3.39) and belonging to the last cluster (Beta = 4.53) were significantly associated with higher ON tendencies. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that individuals with low self-mastery, characterized by low self-esteem and high levels of obsessive perfectionism, are more likely to exhibit ON tendencies. This study emphasizes the need to have a comprehensive understanding of how cultural and psychological factors interact in the development of eating disorders.

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a relatively new eating disorder that involves an intense focus on eating habits and strict rules about food. This study aimed to identify factors that may predict the development of ON. A questionnaire was given to 977 participants from Italy, Lebanon, and Poland to assess their psychological characteristics such as obsessive­compulsive tendencies, perfectionism, and self-esteem. Cluster analysis was performed to identify subgroups of individuals with common psychological characteristics associated with ON. The study found that participants from Lebanon, and individuals with low self-mastery, characterized by low self-esteem and high levels of obsessive perfectionism, are more likely to exhibit ON tendencies and were particularly vulnerable to the disorder.

Comprehension of prescription orders with and without pictograms: tool validation and comparative assessment among a sample of participants from a developing country.

BACKGROUND: Medication errors can often occur due to the patient's inability to comprehend written or verbal medication orders. This study aimed to develop pictograms of selected medication orders and to validate the comprehension of prescription orders index and compare the comprehension scores with and without pictograms. In addition to determine the predictors that could be associated with a better or worse comprehension of prescription orders with pictograms versus that of their written counterparts. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a snowball sampling technique. Six pictograms were developed to depict specific medication orders. The comprehension of prescription orders index was constructed and validated. The study then compared the comprehension scores of prescription orders with and without pictograms, and identified the predicting factors score difference. RESULTS: A total of 1848 participants were included in the study. The structure of the comprehension of prescription orders index was validated over a solution of four factors, with an adequate Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy of 0.711 and a significant Bartlett's test of sphericity (P < 0.001). The construct validity of the index was further confirmed by highly significant correlations between each item and the full index (P < 0.001). The study also found a significant association between the difference in comprehension scores for prescription orders with and without pictograms and several factors, including age, level of education, area of residence, number of children, and smoking status with the difference of comprehension scores (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Pictogram-based instructions of medication orders were better understood by the Lebanese population than written instructions, making the incorporation of pictograms in pharmacy practice paramount to optimize medication use by the patient and thus yielding better health outcomes.

Association of Computer Vision Syndrome with Depression/Anxiety among Lebanese Young Adults: The Mediating Effect of Stress.

Computers have become indispensable in daily activities. With this excess use of electronics, computer vision syndrome (CVS), a highly prevalent condition, is associated with various symptoms. Although understanding the relationship between CVS and mental health has been reported, the impact of CVS has not been explored on more than one psychological aspect. We hypothesize that higher CVS symptoms could be associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression, mediated by higher stress. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the association between CVS and depression and anxiety among a sample of Lebanese young adults, along with evaluating the mediating effect of stress on these associations. Between August 2020 and April 2021, 749 participants completed an online questionnaire for this cross-sectional study. Females compared to males (Beta = 3.73) and those with CVS compared to those who did not (Beta = 3.14) were significantly associated with more anxiety, whereas having a university level of education compared to secondary or less (Beta = -3.02) was significantly associated with less anxiety. Females compared to males (Beta = 2.55) and those with CVS compared to those without (Beta = 2.61) were significantly associated with more depression, whereas being of an older age (Beta = -0.18) was significantly associated with less depression. Stress partially mediated the association between CVS and anxiety and between CVS and depression. More CVS was significantly associated with more stress (Beta = 3.05). Higher stress was significantly associated with more anxiety (Beta = 0.70) and depression (Beta = 0.71), whereas more CVS was significantly and directly associated with more anxiety (Beta = 3.14) and depression (Beta = 2.61). This study is the first worldwide to evaluate an association between CVS and mental health. Our results serve as a starting point for healthcare providers (psychiatrists and psychologists, most importantly) to look deeper into CVS when looking for reasons behind mental health issues. Further studies are warranted to confirm our results and look for more factors and mediators in such associations.

The assessment of mentorship programs on pharmacy students’ leadership roles and performance in experiential education

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the perception and to assess the impact of mentorship programs on students’ performance and development in pharmacy education during experiential education. Methods: Students from all the schools of pharmacy and from different academic years across pharmacy programs in Lebanon were included. The study involved a survey that included a variety of questions and of different structures including the use of Likert-scale questions and multiple-choice grids that assessed the aim of this study. Results: Out of 260 students, the results indicated that 228, 227, and 219 students agreed/strongly agreed that clinical mentors in experiential education help students develop communication skills, promote their professional development, and develop leadership skills, respectively. In addition, 239, 224, 217, and 217 students agreed/strongly agreed that mentors influence students in advancing performance in experiential training, pursuing leadership positions, promoting general academic performance, and engaging in extracurricular activities, respectively. Conclusion: Mentorship is crucial for students’ performance in experiential education and supports them to take on leadership roles to become prospective pioneers of the pharmacy profession. Mentoring programs are perceived to have positive outcomes which supports the need to evaluate their impact on students. (AU)

Development and validation of the Socioeconomic Status Composite Scale (SES-C).

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic status (SES) is a critical multifactorial determinant of health and plays a significant role in shaping an individual's health outcomes. While a composite scale has been proposed to measure SES in children, to our knowledge, limited composite scales were developed for adults in different contexts, highlighting the need for a comprehensive and valid SES measure to elucidate the relationship between SES and health in this population. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and validate a composite scale that measures the socioeconomic status in Lebanon and assess its correlates in a socioeconomic crisis context. METHODS: An online study was carried out between October and November 2022 across all Lebanese regions. Snowball sampling was used to enroll 448 adults living in Lebanon through a questionnaire created on Google Forms and shared by WhatsApp to a first sample from all geographic areas. RESULTS: The developed composite scale (SES-C) was found to be reliable and valid. It was based on several aspects of socioeconomic status, i.e., participant education level, family head education level, perceived social class, not being in debt, not receiving financial help, crowding index, participant work status, family head work status, monthly household income, and financial well-being. Furthermore, high SES was significantly associated with married status, older age, alcohol consumption, the absence of chronic disease, easy access to healthcare, private insurance coverage, and the number of rooms in the house in the bivariate analysis. In the multivariable analysis, high SES was significantly associated with age (ORa-1.13; p = 0.011) and easy access to healthcare (ORa = 7.81; p = 0.001) and inversely associated with chronic disease (ORa = 0.17; p = 0.002). Similar results with lower magnitude were found for moderate SES. CONCLUSION: The study successfully developed and validated a composite scale (SES-C) for measuring the socioeconomic status in Lebanon, taking into account the complexities of the Lebanese context. The scale was found to be reliable and valid, and its results showed significant correlations with various factors such as older age, lower risk of chronic disease, and easy access to healthcare.

Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age.

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research.

The specialized competency framework for industry pharmacists (SCF-IP): validation and pilot assessment.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to validate a specialized competency framework for industry pharmacists and assess correlates related to the competency domains in a pilot sample. METHODS: A team of experts assessed the old framework and improved its content validity after a thorough literature review, using the Delphi technique. Domains and their respective competencies and behaviors were re-defined in the framework. Afterward, a web-based cross-sectional study was carried out between March and October 2022, enrolling a convenient sample of ten industry pharmacists who worked in Lebanese pharmaceutical plants. Participants were contacted through the Syndicate of the Pharmaceutical Industries in Lebanon. RESULTS: The specialized competency framework for Lebanese industry pharmacists comprised seven domains. Behavioral items had appropriate loading on their respective factors, which could involve one, two or three competencies. Cronbach alpha values for all domains were close to one, showing appropriate reliability. Each domain was correlated with at least another one, except for domains related to pharmaceutical and industrial development and emergency preparedness, which were not correlated with other domains. The lowest confidence was found in the research and development domain, particularly among participants with only a PharmD. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated the specialized competency framework for Lebanese industry pharmacists. Some domains, specifically those related to industrial development and emergency preparedness, were found to diverge from others. Therefore, it would be recommended to include additional education in the emergency preparedness, research and development fields and to integrate industry-specific skills, courses, and training programs into academic curricula. Furthermore, specialized postgraduate degrees may be necessary to produce practice-ready pharmacists to operate effectively in this vital setting.

Validation of the specialized competency framework for pharmacists in hospital settings (SCF-PHS): a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to validate the content of the specialized competency frameworks for pharmacists working in hospital settings (hospital and clinical pharmacists) and pilot the frameworks for practice assessment. METHODS: This online cross-sectional study was carried out between March and October 2022 among a sample of 96 Lebanese pharmacists working in hospital settings. The frameworks were distributed to full-time hospital and clinical pharmacists, who filled them out according to their role in the hospital. RESULTS: Overall, the competencies were distributed over five domains for hospital pharmacists (fundamental skills, safe and rational use of medicines, patient-centered care, professional skills, and preparedness for emergencies), while for clinical pharmacists, competencies were distributed over seven domains (quality improvement, clinical knowledge and skills, soft skills, ability to conduct clinical research, ability to provide effective education, use information technology to make decisions and reduce errors, and emergency preparedness). Moreover, Cronbach alpha values were appropriate, indicating sufficient to high internal consistency. Pharmacists were highly confident in most competencies, with some exceptions related to research in emergency settings (data evaluation, research, and reporting). CONCLUSIONS: This study could validate competency frameworks for clinical and hospital pharmacists, with the competencies and their respective behaviors showing an adequate construct analysis. It also identified the domains that require further development, i.e., soft skills and research in emergency settings. Both these domains are timely and needed to overcome the current practice challenges in Lebanon.