Consumer Perceptions of a Shingles Infograph Intervention and Vaccination Plans in Community Pharmacy Settings.

Background: Cost and lack of knowledge are key barriers to improving shingles vaccination rates in community pharmacies. A health literacy (HL) tailored infograph intervention addressing these barriers can enhance consumer interest in shingles vaccinations. Objectives: The objectives were to: 1) design a health literacy tailored shingles infograph addressing cost and knowledge about vaccination barriers, 2) determine consumer perceptions of infograph usefulness, and 3) determine factors associated with shingles vaccination plans. Methods: An infograph addressing the study objectives, and a 22-item self-administered questionnaire assessing shingles vaccine awareness, HL, infograph usefulness, and vaccination plans were designed. The infograph was pilot tested with pharmacists and two community-based focus groups. Inclusion criteria consisted of age-eligible consumers at one chain and three independent community pharmacies. Consenting participants first reviewed the infograph and then completed the survey. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Of the 422 eligible consumers approached, 112 participated in the study, with 55.4% from the chain pharmacies. Participants were female (56%), white (94%), between 50-70 years old (77%), had adequate HL (96%) and aware of the shingles vaccine (87%). While only 8% of the respondents considered vaccinating on the survey date, 46% considered it in the future, and 29% planned to in the next six months. The infograph was useful (90%) in recognizing vaccination need, was readable (95.5%), and understandable (96%). Consumers who found the infograph useful were significantly more likely to have vaccination plans (OR= 4.06, CI: 1.37 - 11.9, p=0.016). Conclusion: A shingles vaccine infograph focused on key barriers to vaccination was well-received and useful in promoting consumers' vaccination plans.

Influenza in older patients: a call to action and recent updates for vaccinations.

Influenza affects millions of people in the United States each year. Older patients are particularly at risk for infection, hospitalization, and death due to influenza-related complications, such as pneumonia. One of the best ways to avoid becoming ill is to have the annual influenza vaccination. Unfortunately, immunization rates are poor in the older adult population, at about 65% each year. Vaccine effectiveness in this population is reduced because of lower seroconversion rates that arise from poorer immunologic response to vaccination. Several new influenza vaccines that have been introduced to the market in recent years attempt to boost immune response, including high-dose formulations and adjuvanted and recombinant vaccines. Managed care pharmacists need to understand the utility of these new agents in populations 65 years or older. This supplement highlights the impact of influenza on older patients, the features of new vaccine preparations, and the economic burden of influenza.

Student Self-Assessment and Faculty Assessment of Performance in an Interprofessional Error Disclosure Simulation Training Program.

Objectives. To conduct a prospective evaluation for effectiveness of an error disclosure assessment tool and video recordings to enhance student learning and metacognitive skills while assessing the IPEC competencies. Design. The instruments for assessing performance (planning, communication, process, and team dynamics) in interprofessional error disclosure were developed. Student self-assessment of performance before and after viewing the recordings of their encounters were obtained. Faculty used a similar instrument to conduct real-time assessments. An instrument to assess achievement of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) core competencies was developed. Qualitative data was reviewed to determine student and faculty perceptions of the simulation. Assessment. The interprofessional simulation training involved a total of 233 students (50 dental, 109 nursing and 74 pharmacy). Use of video recordings made a significant difference in student self-assessment for communication and process categories of error disclosure. No differences in student self-assessments were noted among the different professions. There were differences among the family member affects for planning and communication for both pre-video and post-video data. There were significant differences between student self-assessment and faculty assessment for all paired comparisons, except communication in student post-video self-assessment. Students' perceptions of achievement of the IPEC core competencies were positive. Conclusion. The use of assessment instruments and video recordings may have enhanced students' metacognitive skills for assessing performance in interprofessional error disclosure. The simulation training was effective in enhancing perceptions on achievement of IPEC core competencies. This enhanced assessment process appeared to enhance learning about the skills needed for interprofessional error disclosure.

Health professions ethics rubric: validation of reliability in an interprofessional health ethics course.

The aim of this study was to validate a health professions ethics rubric by an interprofessional team. The rubric was used by two pharmacy and two dental faculty members to score ethics cases submitted by 16 teams comprised of 80 pharmacy and 50 dental students. A debriefing session for each case was moderated by a non-rater faculty member to arrive at a consensus score for the cases. Interrater reliability was calculated for the four raters and the debriefing scores as well as the four raters without the debriefing scores. The overall interrater correlations were in the range of 0.790 to 0.906 for the four raters. Issues ranged from 0.320 to 0.758. Principles ranged from 0.610 to 0.838. Options ranged from 0.655 to 0.843. Analysis ranged from 0.667 to 0.918. Solution ranged from 0.739 to 0.886. With the inclusion of the consensus scores, the interrater correlations were even higher. The best correlations were for the overall score and solution components of the rubric. With further edits in the rubric and enhanced training by faculty raters and changes in the ethics learning session, the revised rubric could be evaluated again for grading. Further training for faculty using the rubric for grading student cases should enhance its reliability. Demonstrating to students the ethical decision making process using the rubric should enhance the validation process.

An interprofessional faculty seminar focused on interprofessional education.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate an interprofessional faculty seminar designed to explore the topic of interprofessional education (IPE) as a way to encourage dialogue and identify opportunities for collaboration among health professional programs. DESIGN: A seminar was developed with the schools of pharmacy, nursing, dental medicine, and medicine. Components included a review of IPE presentation, poster session highlighting existing IPE endeavors, discussion of future opportunities, and thematic round tables on how to achieve IPE competencies. ASSESSMENT: Fifty-four health professions faculty members attended the seminar. Significant differences in knowledge related to the IPE seminar were identified. Responses to a perception survey indicated that seminar goals were achieved. CONCLUSION: An interprofessional faculty seminar was well received and achieved its goals. Participants identified opportunities and networked for future collaborations.

Interprofessional ethics learning between schools of pharmacy and dental medicine.

A case-based interprofessional education (IPE) ethics activity between pharmacy and dental students was developed and evaluated. Eighty-two third-year pharmacy and 51 first-year dental students were divided into teams for two sessions. The IPE activity involved the student teams analyzing two cases at each session utilizing an ethical decision-making process followed by debriefing of each case. Assessments included pre-/post-Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), pre-/post-individual ethics knowledge quiz, pre-team ethics knowledge quiz and post-student perception survey. The results indicated no significant differences in RIPLS scores although scores indicated a high readiness for interprofessional learning including teamwork and collaboration among pharmacy and dental students. When comparing pre-/post-ethics knowledge quiz scores a significant difference was found between individual and team scores as well as between professions. Perception survey results were highly favorable toward the value of interprofessional learning activities. The sessions resulted in enhanced knowledge about ethical decision-making.

Evolution of self-care education.

During the past 15 years, the curriculum content for nonprescription medication and self-care therapeutics has expanded significantly. Self-care courses ranging from stand-alone, required courses to therapeutic content and skills laboratories, have evolved in colleges and schools of pharmacy to accommodate rapid changes related to nonprescription medications and to meet the needs of students. The design of and content delivery methods used in self-care courses vary among institutions. Teaching innovations such as team-based learning, role playing/vignettes, videos, and social media, as well as interdisciplinary learning have enhanced delivery of this content. Given that faculty members train future pharmacists, they should be familiar with the new paradigms of Nonprescription Safe Use Regulatory Expansion (NSURE) Initiative, nonprescription medications for chronic diseases, and the growing trends of health and wellness in advancing patient-care initiatives. This paper reviews the significant changes that may be impacting self-care curriculums in the United States.