Social media use and educational preferences among first-year pharmacy students.

BACKGROUND: Social media may offer a means to engage students, facilitate collaborative learning, and tailor educational delivery for diverse learning styles. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to characterize social media awareness among pharmacy students and determine perceptions toward integrating these tools in education. METHODS: A 23-item survey was administered to 1st-year students at a multicampus college of pharmacy. RESULTS: Students (95% response rate; N = 196) most commonly used wikis (97%), social networking (91%), and videosharing (84%). Tools reported as never used or unknown included social bookmarking (89%), collaborative writing (84%), and RSS readers (73%). Respondents indicated that educational integration of social media would impact their ability to learn in a positive/very positive manner (75%) and make them feel connected/very connected (68%). CONCLUSIONS: Selectively targeting social media for educational integration and instructing pharmacy students how to employ a subset of these tools may be useful in engaging them and encouraging lifelong learning.

Evaluation of adverse drug event information in US manufacturer labels.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer labels are an important source of adverse drug event (ADE) information. The study objective was to determine the sufficiency of ADE reporting in US drug labels. A sample of 50 labels was evaluated from the top 200 drugs dispensed in the US. Electronic copies of labels were obtained and reviewed by 2 pharmacists for ADE incidence and discontinuation data. ADE incidence data were provided in 86% of labels. However, discontinuation rates due to ADEs and ADE incidence by dose were only reported in 60%. ADE incidence reporting by age (46%) or gender (18%) was also low. ADEs that occurred in less than 2% of the population were rarely reported. Incidence rates were based on small populations (median of 794) and short term studies (median of 84 days for chronic conditions). Labels for 19 drugs used chronically had no long term study data. Methods for collecting ADE data were stated in only 12% of labels. Adverse drug event and drug discontinuation data is under-reported in US labels. More information on adverse events causing discontinuation (especially serious events) and those related to dose, age, and gender is needed in labels to ensure safe prescribing and dispensing of drugs.

Pharmacy practice in the diabetes care team - a quality and economic approach for the Caribbean

As the number of people with diabetes increases, the disease with it's complications takes an ever-increasing toll on health care budgets. It is projected to become one of the world's main disablers and killers by 2025. In the Caribbean the rates of diabetes are also projected to continue to climb rapidly. Immediate action is needed to prevent the rise of new diabetics and instill cost-effective interventions in patients with established diabetes. A multidisciplinary team approach is recommended in the provision of diabetes care. The benefits of this approach to diabetes management are well established globally. A "pharmacist-managed" diabetic clinic operating in collaboration with health care team has extended quality and cost-effective services to diabetic population. In the Caribbean, the multidisciplinary team needs an improved collaborative approach within which the vital role of pharmacy practitioner can be defined. The objective of this study is to recommend evidence-based approaches that Caribbean pharmacists as members of diabetes multidisciplinary team, can adopt in order to develop pharmacist-managed diabetes practice. A literature search was conducted from 1995 to present. Of the 49 studies identified only 14 met the inclusion criteria. There were no published studies on diabetes disease management by pharmacists in the Caribbean. The selected studies were reviewed to determine the primary care functions that Caribbean pharmacists should opt to introduce in a pharmacist managed diabetes practice and thereby assist with quality of care and cost effectiveness. Studies from several countries have confirmed the improved quality of health care and positive impact on costs that pharmacists' involvement had on the management of diabetic patients. A Caribbean pharmacist-managed diabetic practice can result in a meaningful and sustained impact on the diabetes epidemic and its escalating cost to regional health systems.

FDA direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs: what are consumer preferences and response tendencies?

The effect of direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertising of prescription medications is a growing concern of the United States (U.S.) Congress, state legislatures, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This research study was conducted in order to examine consumers' perceived preferences of DTC television advertisement in relation to "reminder" "help-seeking," and "product-claim" FDA-approved advertisement categories. An additional objective was to examine the influence of DTC television advertising of prescription drugs on consumers' tendency to seek more information about the medication and/or the medical condition. The research indicates that DTC television drug ads appear to be insufficient for consumers to make informed decisions. Their mixed perception and acceptance of the advertisements seem to influence them to seek more information from a variety of medical sources.

The prescribing of psychotropic drugs in mental health services in Trinidad

Objective: To describe, analyze, and interpret patterns of psychotropic drug prescribing in new psychiatric patients attending psychiatric outpatients clinics in the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Design and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of psychotropic drug prescribing by psychiatrists for 132 new psychiatric outpatients who were seen at the outpatient clinics surveyed and who were entering the mental health system during the period of research, November 1998 through February 1999. Results: A single patient could be prescribed more than one psychotropic drug. Antidepressant drugs were the class of psychotropic drugs most prescribed (70 of 132 patients, 59.8 percent), followed by antipsychotropic drugs (67 of 132 patients, 50.8 percent). Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) were the antidepressants most prescribed (58 of the 79 patients), mainly amitriptyline (53 of the 58). Fluoxetine was the only selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescribed (21 of the 79 patients prescribed antidepressants). Of the 67 patients receiving antipsychotic drugs, phenothiazines accounted for 41 of those 67, including trifluoperazine (14 of the 41) and thioridazine (13 of the 41). The individual antipsychotic most prescribed was sulpiride (21 of the 67 patients). Anticholinergic drugs were prescribed to 20 of the 132 patients (15.1 percent). Eighty-three of the patients were prescribed more than one drug concomitantly (either more than one psychotropic or a combination of psychotropic(s) and nonpsychotropic(s). Prescription by ethnicity, age, and gender coincided with the morbidity rates encountered in these patients. The prescribing of SSRIs to persons of African or East Indian ethnicity was significantly lower than it was for persons of mixed heritage. Conclusions: The prescription patterns of psychotropic drugs in Trinidad revealed the psychiatrists' preferences for traditional psychotropic drugs, the moderate use of anticholinergic drugs, and polypharmacy in some cases, with probable predisposition to adverse drug reactions. Given our results and based on the evaluation of the individual patients, consideration should be given to a broader use of the newer antidepressants (SSRIs) and antipsychotics. Unless justified, polypharmacy should be avoided (AU)