Psychological well-being among government pharmacy staff in Sarawak and the associating factors.

Objectives. Studies have highlighted that healthcare workers are exposed to various forms of psychological distress. This study aimed to assess the psychological well-being of pharmacy staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associating factors. Methods. The cross-sectional study explored the psychological well-being of pharmacy staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. An adopted questionnaire was employed to collect quantitative data from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. Results. A total of 515 respondents were recruited. Those who perceived good health status were 1.9 times more likely to have normal depression scores (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 0.53; B = -0.64), and 2.4 times (RRR = 0.41; B = -0.88) more likely to have normal stress scores. Those who were greatly affected by COVID-19 in their work were found to be 1.2 times (RRR = 1.20; B = 0.18) more likely to have moderate anxiety scores and 1.44 times (RRR = 1.44; B = 0.36) more likely to have severe depression scores. Respondents with higher work characteristic scores were more likely to have normal depression, stress and anxiety scores. Conclusions. Good health status perception and work characteristics appeared to be the factors affecting respondents' scores in all dimensions of psychological well-being. Hence, improving both domains will be key in improving overall psychological well-being.

Awareness and Acceptance of Nicotine-free Smoking Intervention Methods (Acetium® Lozenge) Increased Among Health Care Professionals by Targeted E-training as Confirmed by Post-training Surveys.

BACKGROUND/AIM: To increase the awareness and acceptance of the new nicotine-free smoking intervention method (Acetium® lozenge; Biohit Oyj, Finland), targeted E-Training with accompanying surveys were conducted in 2018, 2020 and 2023. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The target groups were derived from the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)-compliant registers of Finnish physicians, pharmacy staff and nurses owned by Success Clinic Oy. The post-training surveys recorded 1) awareness of the responders on Acetium® lozenge, 2) their attitude to nicotine-free smoking intervention methods in general as well as 3) their readiness for recommending this new tool to their patients. RESULTS: The three surveys accumulated a total of 1.892 responders. There was a constantly increasing awareness on Acetium® lozenge, increased interest in nicotine-free smoking intervention methods in general and a substantially increased readiness to recommend Acetium® acceptance to the smoking patients. The impact of E-Training, as measured by the increased interest in nicotine-free methods (56%) and readiness to endorse Acetium® acceptance (58%), was most marked among nurses who had the least awareness on Acetium® lozenge beforehand, exceeding the respective increase among medical doctors by 20% and 10% and among pharmacy staff by 30% and 20%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This E-Training had a favorable effect 1) on the responders' interest in nicotine-free smoking intervention method in general, 2) on increasing the awareness of Acetium® lozenge as a novel innovative method to quit smoking, as well as 3) on increasing the responders' readiness to introduce the new device to their smoking patients who are motivated to stop smoking nicotine-free.

Management of sexually transmitted infections: a qualitative assessment of community pharmacy practices in the Ho Municipality, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Effective management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is crucial in the control and spread of these infections in health systems. Community pharmacies are usually the first port of call in Ghana for most people who contract STIs for therapy. Delayed and inappropriate treatment contributes significantly to treatment failures, drug resistance and complications. However, the community pharmacies may not have diagnostic tools and trained personnel for prompt case detection and appropriate therapeutic action. Thus, posing a higher risk for inappropriate therapy with consequences of worsening symptoms and poor treatment outcomes. This study explored the STI management practices in community pharmacies in the Ho Municipality. METHODS: Purposively selected study participants were community pharmacy staff including Pharmacists (n = 6), Pharmacy Technicians (n = 2) and Dispensing Assistants (n = 10) in outlets in Ho Municipality of the Volta region, Ghana. Data collection was carried out from December 2020 to January 2021. In-depth interviews of the participants using a semi-structured interview guide were conducted and recorded. Data obtained was transcribed and analyzed using NVivo version 12 using the thematic framework. RESULTS: Some of the pharmacy staff were unaware of National Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) and its recommendations for STI management. More than half of the participants believed the STG recommendations were important for therapy but few thought the STG recommendations were ineffective sometimes. Appropriate STI management practices observed included infection treatment based on laboratory data, and STG protocols that recommend syndromic approach. Negative STI management practices included disregarding the presence of possible mixed infections and treating all symptoms observed empirically as a single infection without laboratory confirmation. CONCLUSION: The STI management practices in the community pharmacies had many gaps that risk infective therapy, treatment failures, STI complications, and antibiotic resistance. Efforts should be invested into the training of practitioners in community pharmacies for safe and effective practices for STI management, and encouraged to have diagnostic kits or work with laboratory facilities for testing to inform definitive therapy for optimal outcomes.

Burnout among public sector pharmacy staff two years into the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors contributing to burnout among public sector pharmacy staff in Sarawak, Malaysia, two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. Impact of burnout on their lives and their coping strategies were also examined. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out among all pharmacy staff in public healthcare facilities throughout Sarawak. Burnout was measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Multiple logistic regression analysed demographic and work characteristics associated with burnout. Open-ended replies on burnout causes, impact, coping strategies and employer's role were coded and thematically analysed. KEY FINDINGS: A total of 329 responses were received. The prevalence of personal, work and patient-related burnout was 54.7, 47.1 and 35.3%, respectively. Respondents facing problems with child support were 8.26 and 3.62 times more likely to suffer from personal and work-related burnout. Working in areas with potential exposure to COVID-19 patients increased the odds of patient and work-related burnout by 2.80 and 1.86 times, respectively. Burnout symptoms affected their quality of life; nevertheless, self-reported coping strategies were mostly positive. Respondents emphasised the need for organisational interventions, including increased resource allocation, better workload distribution and promotion of work-life balance, to mitigate burnout. CONCLUSIONS: A significant percentage of public sector pharmacy staff continue to experience burnout two years into the pandemic. Regular well-being assessments and supportive policies are recommended to help them cope with increased stress. Additional training for supervisors may be necessary to effectively manage staff and workload during a pandemic.

Medication errors in community pharmacies: Evaluation of a standardized safety program.

Background: The mandated reporting of medication-related errors in community pharmacies including incidents resulting in inappropriate medication use and near misses intercepted before reaching the patient can be utilized as learning opportunities to aid in the prevention of future events. Objectives: To examine reporting uptake, trends, and initial learnings from medication errors reported by community pharmacists to the Assurance and Improvement in Medication Safety (AIMS) Program based in Ontario, Canada between April 1st, 2018, and June 30th, 2021. Methods: A descriptive analysis was conducted of all events reported to the AIMS Program during the study period. The web-based reporting form includes a series of mandatory and optional fields completed by the reporter. Individual medications were grouped into broader classes prior to conducting the analysis. Results: Among the 31,768 event reports received from 2856 community pharmacies, there were 19,639 incidents and 12,129 near misses. Low reporting followed by a rapid increase was observed during expansion of the AIMS Program in 2018, with almost 60% of Ontario community pharmacies submitting at least 1 event over the study period. In most cases (90.5%), no patient harm was reported. The most frequent event types involved the incorrect drug (19.5%), concentration (17.2%) or quantity (14.5%). Approximately 25% of events were identified by the involved patient or their agent. When looking at medication classes, antihypertensives, opioids and antidepressants were involved in over one-quarter of overall and higher severity events. Environmental staffing problems and interruptions were the contributory factor and sub-factor most frequently reported, respectively. Conclusions: This study provides insights into engagement with the AIMS Program by Ontario community pharmacy teams since implementation in 2018. The identification of the circumstances and medications associated with both incidents and near misses, aids in the continued development of strategies and processes to help prevent future events.

Mental health training programs for community pharmacists, pharmacy staff and students: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Primary care is often the first point of contact for people living with mental disorders. Community pharmacists, pharmacy staff and students are increasingly being trained to deliver mental health care. However, there is still a gap in the literature exploring the characteristics of all available mental health training programs and their components and their influence on pharmacists, pharmacy staff and students' outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To summarize the evidence evaluating mental health training programs completed by community pharmacists, pharmacy staff and students. More specifically, to explore the components of mental health training programs and identify those that facilitate significant improvements in outcomes. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted following the Cochrane handbook and reported according to PRISMA guidelines. A search for published literature was conducted in three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) in July 2021. Eligible studies were included if they described and evaluated the impact of mental health training programs delivered to community pharmacists, pharmacy staff and pharmacy students regardless of design or comparator. The methodological quality of included studies was appraised using both the NIH quality assessment, to evaluate studies with an uncontrolled pre-post design, and the Cochrane EPOC risk of bias assessment, to evaluate studies with a controlled (randomized and non-randomized) study design. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies were included. Most of the identified mental health training programs contained knowledge-based components and active learning activities. Changes in participants' attitudes, stigma, knowledge, confidence and skills were frequently assessed. An extensive range of self-assessment and observational instruments used to evaluate the impact of the training programs were identified. Positive improvements in participants' attitudes, knowledge and stigma were frequently identified following participation in training programs. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review highlights the importance of mental health training programs in increasing pharmacists', pharmacy staff and pharmacy students' skills and confidence to deliver mental health care in community pharmacy. Future research should build upon this basis and further focus on finding the most efficient measures to evaluate these training programs and assess their long-term effectiveness, allowing comparison between programs.

How do Polish pharmacy staff evaluate own qualifications, competences, relevance, motivation, effectiveness in health promotion?

Health promotion programmes are complex and need to engage all health care specialists, including pharmacists. Pharmacies are considered as a potentially ideal place for health promotion and education. To evaluate own qualifications, competences, relevance, motivation and effectiveness of Polish pharmacy staff with regard to health-related information provided to patients, which contributes to health promotion. 308 pharmacy staff from Lublin (Poland) were surveyed with a questionnaire prepared by the researchers and piloted previously. It consisted of 5 domains: qualifications, competences, relevance, motivation, and effectiveness of health promotion. Items in each domain were scored by respondents in 1 - 10 scale where 1 is 'very low' and 10 is 'very high'. Pharmacy staff rated the relevance of health promotion the highest, while the lowest-own competences and effectiveness in health promotion. Female pharmacy staff assessed the relevance of health promotion significantly higher than males (7.1 vs. 6.1, p = 0.005). Higher self-assessments of qualifications, competences, relevance, motivation and effectiveness in health promotion were provided by: the youngest pharmacy staff, those with a short period of employment, and pharmacy staff working in pharmacies employing up to 3 persons. Qualification and competences in health promotion were assessed higher by pharmacy technicians and masters of pharmacy with post-graduate studies or professional specialization, or Ph.D. than by masters of pharmacy. Relevance and effectiveness in health promotion were evaluated higher by pharmacy staff in pharmacies serving more than 100 customers daily. There is a need to improve qualifications, competences, relevance, motivation and effectiveness in health promotion conducted by Polish pharmacy staff.

Attitudes towards influenza and uptake of the flu vaccine: A survey of pharmacy staff working in English hospitals.

OBJECTIVES: Pharmacy staff working in hospitals are at risk of contracting and disseminating influenza. Previous research focuses on community pharmacists' attitudes towards influenza and vaccination. This survey investigates the beliefs and attitudes of pharmacists and other pharmacy staff working in English Hospitals regarding influenza and the vaccine and how this relates to vaccine uptake. METHODS: A self-administered survey was provided to pharmacy staff at three hospitals in the East Midlands of England. Job role, age and vaccination status (vaccinated, intended to be vaccinated, and not vaccinated) were collected alongside ratings of agreement with 20 statements regarding influenza and vaccination using a Likert scale. RESULTS: 170 pharmacy staff responded; 50.6% had been vaccinated, 17.1% intended to be vaccinated and 32.4% were not vaccinated. Increasing age showed a significant (p = 0.017) positive correlation with increased vaccine uptake as did the beliefs that vaccination protects the individual from influenza (p = 0.049) and that vaccination should be mandatory for NHS staff (p = 0.006). Fear of needles and believing their immune system is strong enough to protect against influenza were negatively correlated with vaccine uptake (p = 0.016 and p = 0.010, respectively). Job role was also strongly correlated with vaccine uptake (p = 0.001), with those holding a pharmacy degree more likely to report being vaccinated or intending to be vaccinated compared to all other pharmacy staff groups. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first survey to focus on vaccine behaviours of all pharmacy staff groups working in hospitals. Current uptake of the influenza vaccine may be increased through engagement of senior pharmacy colleagues and providing education on influenza, vaccines, and vaccination. Similar studies should be undertaken on a larger scale to fully interrogate the differences between pharmacy staff groups.

Programas e intervenciones educativas ofrecidas al personal farmacéutico para mejorar la prestación de los servicios asistenciales farmacéuticos: una revisión estructurada / Educational programs and interventions offered to pharmacy staff to improve the delivery of pharmaceutical assistance services: A structured review

Resumen Objetivo: Describir los programas y las intervenciones educativas ofrecidas al personal farmacéutico, para mejorar la prestación de los servicios asistenciales farmacéuticos y los métodos utilizados para evaluar la efectividad de estos programas. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión estructurada, se utilizó la base de datos PubMed/Medline entre 2007 y 2019, sobre el desarrollo, la descripción, la evaluación del impacto, la efectividad o la comparación de una intervención educativa, un entrenamiento específico o un programa educativo dirigido al personal farmacéutico de farmacias comunitarias (ambulatorias) y/o hospitalarias. Resultados: En total, 1290 referencias bibliográficas fueron identificadas: se incluyeron 26 referencias adicionales y se seleccionaron 90 artículos para su revisión y análisis. Se encontró que el 70 % (63) de los estudios fueron realizados en países desarrollados, principalmente en Estados Unidos, Australia, Canadá e Inglaterra. El 67 % (60) de los estudios se realizaron a nivel ambulatorio, el 10 % (9) a nivel hospitalario y el 23 % (21), en ambos contextos. Las intervenciones fueron clasificadas en tres categorías: Entrenamientos Específicos (41 %), programas de Educación Continua (43 %) y de Desarrollo Profesional Continuo, (16 %). De las metodologías o métodos de provisión de la intervención, la más común fue la presencial en el 72 % (65) de los estudios, seguido de metodologías apoyadas con herramientas virtuales en el de las intervenciones educativas varió entre menos de 1 hora y 120 horas. Conclusión: Se describen los programas y las intervenciones educativas ofrecidas al personal farmacéutico, principalmente para mejorar sus competencias laborales y la prestación de los servicios asistenciales farmacéuticos, además de los métodos utilizados para evaluar la efectividad de las intervenciones educativas.

Abstract Objective: To describe the educational programs and interventions offered to pharmacy staff, to improve the delivery of pharmaceutical healthcare services and the methods used to evaluate the programs' effectiveness. Methods: A structured review was performed using the PubMed/Medline database from 2007 to 2019. Results: In total, 1290 bibliographic references were identified; besides, 26 references identified by other sources were included and 90 articles for review and analysis were selected. It was found that 70% (63) of the studies were made in developed countries, mainly in the United States, Australia, Canada, and England. 67% (60) of the studies were carried out at the outpatient level, 10% (9) at the hospital level, and 23% (21) in both contexts. The interventions were classified into three categories: Specific settings (41%), Continuing Education (43%), and Continuing Professional Development (16%) programs. The most common methodology or delivery methods for the intervention were face-to-face in 72% (65) of the studies, followed by methodologies supported by virtual tools in 28% (25) and 11% (10) of the studies combined face-to-face and virtual methods. The duration of the educational interventions ranged from less than 1 hour to 120 hours. Conclusion: The educational programs and interventions offered to the pharmacy staff are described, mainly to improve their labor competencies. Additionally the provision of pharmaceutical healthcare services and the methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational intervention.

Revisión, diseño y construcción de un instrumento de medición para evaluar las competencias laborales del personal farmacéutico ambulatorio / Review, design, and construction of a measuring instrument to assess the labor competencies of outpatient pharmacy staff

Resumen Introducción: La medición y evaluación de las competencias laborales, en el personal farmacéutico ambulatorio, debe combinar aspectos relacionados con los conocimientos (que sabe), habilidades (como lo hace) y actitudes (de que modo lo hace). Objetivo: Identificar y seleccionar las directrices y recomendaciones sobre las competencias laborales que requiere el personal farmacéutico ambulatorio, y construir un instrumento para su medición. Métodos: Se realizó una revisión estructurada en dos fases: a) se revisaron y seleccionaron las funciones/dominios, los criterios de desempeño (habilidades y actitudes), los conocimientos, los marcos de competencias establecidas a nivel internacional, y los instrumentos de medición reportados en la literatura; y b) se identificaron las competencias laborales necesarias de acuerdo con la normatividad colombiana y con los procesos de los Establecimientos Farmacéuticos ambulatorios (droguerías y farmacias-droguerías). Finalmente, se construyó el instrumento de medición por un panel de expertos. Resultados: Se identificaron las competencias laborales establecidas por las organizaciones de regulación internacional. Se revisaron 993 artículos que reportaban la medición y evaluación de las competencias, seleccionándose y analizándose 9 referencias. Se analizaron los marcos de competencias de diferentes países. Se analizaron las regulaciones en Colombia sobre el tema. El instrumento construido contiene 101 competencias distribuidas en los siguientes componentes: a) suministro de cuidados al paciente; b) personales; c) solución de problemas; y d) gestión y organización. Conclusión: Directrices y recomendaciones internacionales, además, la normatividad colombiana para identificar las competencias laborales que requiere el personal farmacéutico para el correcto funcionamiento de los Establecimientos Farmacéuticos ambulatorios, y partir de esto, se construye un instrumento de medición para evaluarlas.

Abstract Introduction: The measurement and evaluation of labor competencies, in outpatient pharmacy staff, must combine aspects related to knowledge (who knows), skills (as it does) and attitudes (in what way it does). Objective: Identify and select the guidelines and recommendations on labor competencies required by outpatient pharmacy staff and build an instrument for their measurement. Methodology: A structured review was carried out in two phases: a) the functions/ domains, performance criteria (skills and attitudes), knowledge, competency frameworks established internationally, and measurement instruments reported were reviewed and selected in the literature; and b) the necessary labor competencies were identified in accordance with Colombian regulations and with the processes of the outpatient Pharmaceutical Establishments (drugstores and pharmacies-drugstores). Finally, the measuring instrument was built by a panel of experts. Results: Labor competencies established by international regulation organizations. were identified. A total of 993 articles were reviewed that reported the measurement and evaluation of competencies, selecting and analyzing 9 references. Competency frameworks from different countries were analyzed. The regulations in Colombia on the subject were analyzed. The constructed instrument contains 101 competencies distributed in the following components: a) provision of patient care; b) personal; c) troubleshooting; and d) management and organization. Conclusion: The international guidelines and recommendations were reviewed and analyzed, in addition, the Colombian regulations to identify the labor competencies required by the pharmacy staff for the correct functioning of the outpatient Pharmaceutical Establishments, and from this, an instrument was built of measurement to evaluate them.

Skills and practices of pharmacy staff for dispensing of drugs with fiscalized substances in drugstores and pharmacies

ABSTRACT OBJETIVE To evaluate the skills and practices of pharmacy staff during the dispensing of tramadol (drug with fiscalized substance) in drugstores and pharmacies in Medellin, Colombia. METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed. The simulated patient technique was used. The main outcomes included the information provided on the dispensed drug (tramadol), the use of tools to provide information, and the information provided on drug precautions and use recommendations. RESULTS We visited 305 drugstores and pharmacies. The average dispensing time was 2.3 min (SD 1.1 min). In nine drugstores and pharmacies (3.0%), tramadol was not dispensed because it was not in stock. In 17 drugstores and pharmacies (5.7%), the simulated patients were actively informed by the dispensing pharmacy staff; of these, 16 provided oral information and one provided oral and written information. Eight patients (2.7%) received information regarding tramadol use. However, 99% of patients were not informed about tramadol side effects such as dependence, sedation, or hypnosis, and none of the simulated female patients were informed on the precautions related to tramadol use during pregnancy or lactation. CONCLUSIONS Communication skills and appropriate practices of pharmacy staff are critical to patient self-care. However, this study shows their difficulty in counseling about precautions and use recommendations of drugs with fiscalized substances. These outcomes could inform future studies focusing on the rational use of these drugs in drugstores and pharmacies. It is necessary to improve the pharmacy staff competencies through continuing education programs, to facilitate access to information and training.

Staff and Users' Experiences of Pharmacy-Based Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: A Qualitative Interview Study from the UK.

Since August 2015, a large range of sexual health and reproductive health services have been provided in more than 120 pharmacies across Birmingham (England). Our study aimed to explore how pharmacy staff and pharmacy users experience delivering or being provided with sexual health and reproductive health services. Between March and September 2019, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 pharmacy staff delivering sexual and reproductive health services and 15 people who had used a sexual and reproductive health service at the pharmacy. Interviews were analysed thematically. Pharmacy users found services convenient to use and were largely satisfied with pharmacy staff consultation skills. Staff were motivated to deliver the services, although some felt that they did not receive sufficient recognition for their work. Barriers to pharmacy-based sexual and reproductive health services were identified, including lack of privacy for users, lack of staff and user awareness of the services, lack of trained staff to deliver services and lack of capacity for copper coil insertions in females presenting for emergency contraception. The identification of barriers to effective service provision can be used to improve the delivery of sexual and reproductive health services in pharmacies and lead to a greater uptake.

Evaluation of the effects of a drug with fiscalized substance dispensation, health education, and pharmacovigilance continuing education program in Colombia drugstores and drugstores/pharmacies: study protocol of a multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Health disorders, due to the use of drugs with fiscalized substances, including controlled substances, have become a common problem in Colombia. Multiple reasons can help explain this problem, including self-medication, since access to these drugs may be easier. Also, there is a lack of knowledge that these drugs are safer than illicit drugs. The use of these drugs without a valid medical prescription and follow-up can have negative consequences such as drug abuse, addiction, and overdose, and eventually, have negative health consequences. Pharmacy staff is essential to both assure the correct drug use and minimize prescription errors to help outpatients have better management of their pharmacotherapy. For this reason, it is necessary to increase key competencies like knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the pharmacy staff of ambulatory (outpatients) pharmacies. METHODS: This study is a prospective, cluster-randomized, parallel-group, multicenter trial of drugstores and drugstores/pharmacies (ambulatory pharmacies). The study is designed to determine the effectiveness of a drug with fiscalized substance dispensation, health education, and pharmacovigilance continuing education program in drugstores and drugstores/pharmacies. Pharmacy staff will be randomly selected and assigned to one of the study groups (intervention or control). The intervention group will receive a continuing education program for over 12 months. The control group will receive only general information about the correct use of complex dosage forms. The primary objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a continuing education program to improve pharmacy staff competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) to improve the ambulatory (outpatient) pharmacy services: dispensation, health education, and pharmacovigilance of drugs with fiscalized substances. The secondary outcomes include (a) processes associated with the management of drugs with fiscalized substances in drugstores and drugstores/pharmacies, including regulation compliance; (b) degree of implementation of ambulatory (outpatient) pharmacy services targeting these drugs in drugstores and drugstores/pharmacies; (c) patient satisfaction with such services; and (d) pharmacy staff satisfaction with the continuing education program. DISCUSSION: This clinical trial will establish whether providing a continuing education program for the adequate utilization of drugs with fiscalized substances improves pharmacy staff competencies regarding these drugs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03388567. Registered on 28 November 2017. First drugstore or drugstore/pharmacy randomized on December 1, 2018. PROTOCOL VERSION: 0017102017MC.

Consumer perspectives on pharmacy staff roles in providing oral health services in Australia.

Australian and international findings report pharmacy staff are motivated to expand and undertake new roles in public health and expressed a strong interest in providing oral healthcare services to the community. We sought to describe consumer experiences within primary oral healthcare, and views about pharmacy staff roles and boundaries in providing oral health services as perceived by a sample of consumers living within metropolitan Australia. Sampling occurred purposively to enable diverse perspectives on the topic. Socioeconomic status, as defined by the Socio-Economic Index for Areas, was used as the primary criteria to stratify focus group recruitment. Thematic, in-depth analysis of focus group discussions was carried out. In all, 34 participants took part in six focus groups, held in metropolitan settings in Queensland, Australia. Findings show that consumers supported pharmacy staff performing non-invasive oral health services including providing oral health education and advice, reviewing medications and recommending evidence-based medications. As services became more invasive (i.e., oral screening and fluoride application), questions and concerns were raised around the appropriateness of the community pharmacy setting and the level of training of pharmacy staff to provide these services. This study identifies the need to support greater integration of oral healthcare roles by community pharmacy staff. Future innovative and collaborative research involving additional stakeholder groups are necessary to explore, develop and test the feasibility and effectiveness of pharmacy-led oral healthcare models.

Training Community Pharmacy Staff How to Help Manage Urgent Mental Health Crises.

Nearly 44 million Americans are affected by mental illness every year. Many individuals, however, are not diagnosed and/or do not receive treatment. The present manuscript reviews the incidence of mental illness, the continuum from mental wellness to mental illness, and the role of the pharmacy staff in helping individuals manage different mental health needs. In particular, there is discussion of stigma of mental illness that those with mental health needs experience by those around them including health professionals such as pharmacy staff. One way to resolve such stigma is through training such as Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). The paper reviews key aspects of MHFA, the evidence supporting MHFA, and how MHFA relates specifically to pharmacy practice and services. A conceptual framework for MHFA and its relationship to individual factors, attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes. Lastly, a discussion is presented that briefly compares MHFA to other similar approaches to helping those in mental health crises, the limits of what is known about MHFA, and what future research might explore to better understand the outcomes of pharmacy staff providing mental health education, support, and referral to care.

Community pharmacy staff's response to symptoms of common infections: a pseudo-patient study.

Background: Inappropriate over-the-counter supply of antibiotics in pharmacies for common infections is recognised as a source of antibiotic misuse that can worsen the global burden of antibiotic resistance. Objectives: To assess responses of community pharmacy staff to pseudo-patients presenting with symptoms of common infections and factors associated with such behaviour. Methods: A cross-sectional pseudo-patient study was conducted from Jan-Sept 2017 among 242 community pharmacies in Sri Lanka. Each pharmacy was visited by one trained pseudo-patient who pretended to have a relative with clinical symptoms of one of four randomly selected clinical scenarios of common infections (three viral infections: acute sore throat, common cold, acute diarrhoea) and a bacterial uncomplicated urinary tract infection. Pseudo-patients requested an unspecified medicine for their condition. Interactions between the attending pharmacy staff and the pseudo-patients were audio recorded (with prior permission). Interaction data were also entered into a data collection form immediately after each visit. Results: In 41% (99/242) of the interactions, an antibiotic was supplied illegally without a prescription. Of these, 66% (n = 65) were inappropriately given for the viral infections. Antibiotics were provided for 55% of the urinary tract infections, 50% of the acute diarrhoea, 42% of the sore throat and 15% of the common cold cases. Patient history was obtained in less than a quarter of the interactions. In 18% (44/242) of the interactions staff recommended the pseudo-patient to visit a physician, however, in 25% (11/44) of these interactions an antibiotic was still dispensed. Pharmacy staff advised the pseudo-patient on how to take (in 60% of the interactions where an antibiotic was supplied), when to take (47%) and when to stop (22%) the antibiotics supplied. Availability of a pharmacist reduced the likelihood of unlawful antibiotic supply (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.31-0.89; P = 0.016) but not appropriate practice. Conclusions: Illegal and inappropriate dispensing of antibiotics was evident in the participating community pharmacies. This may be a public health threat to Sri Lanka and beyond. Strategies to improve the appropriate dispensing practice of antibiotics among community pharmacies should be considered seriously.

Seeking emergency contraception in the United States: A review of access and barriers.

Federal regulations governing access to levonorgestrel (LNG) emergency contraception (EC) have evolved since its introduction in the 1990s. LNG EC was initially available by prescription only, but is now available over-the-counter to consumers of all ages. Nonetheless, consumers seeking EC in their communities may face ongoing barriers to access, including low stock and inaccurate information provided by pharmacy staff. We conducted a review of LNG EC secret shopper studies to describe changes in EC access and barriers over time. EC access was compared across all applicable studies, which were published during 2003-2016. When possible, reasons for EC unavailability, helpfulness of pharmacy staff when EC was not in stock, and accuracy of EC information provided by pharmacy staff were described. Overall, access to EC appeared to be improving. However, EC was unavailable during 31 percent of encounters. Pharmacy staff attributed this to "low demand" (30 percent) or EC being "out of stock" (21 percent). Personal objections (9 percent) and store policy (10 percent) were also cited in studies from earlier years. Inaccurate information provided by pharmacy staff persists regarding federal EC regulations, mechanism of action, and drug administration. Pharmacy staff should remain informed about EC and its regulations in order to reduce remaining access barriers.

A comparative analysis of pharmacists' perspectives on codeine use and misuse - a three country survey.

BACKGROUND: The misuse of codeine is of increasing concern in a number of countries, particularly as this relates to over -the-counter pain and cough relief medication, and is also supplied as a prescription medicine. The study aimed to obtain and analyse the opinions and experience of pharmacy staff with regard to codeine misuse. METHODS: A cross-sectional web-based survey of pharmacy staff's perspectives on this issue was administered through professional or regulatory bodies and completed by samples drawn in South Africa (n = 124), Ireland (n = 464) and the United Kingdom (n = 129). RESULTS: The majority of participants reported combination codeine-containing products as most popular, but significantly more pharmacy staff in South Africa reported codeine-containing cough syrups as most commonly popular (X2 = 122.7(2), p < 0.001). Codeine use was also seen significantly more of a public health problem in South Africa than in the other two countries (X2 = 7.6(2), p = 0.02). There was no difference across countries in the level of codeine misuse reported by pharmacy staff. Further findings indicate that professional training and education is desired, with unequivocal findings for the need for greater codeine control (X2 = 12.0(2), p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, there were some inter-country differences, but overall the findings seem to suggest that pharmacists across all three countries view codeine misuse as a problem among their customers. Recommendations centre on risk management, surveillance and staff training.

Design of an automated staff scheduling system for an independent pharmacy.

BACKGROUND: In service industries, employee salaries and wages often constitute the largest portion of the costs to the company. This is very true in the case of an independent pharmacy, which employs pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Thus, for pharmacies to cost effectively meet the increasing demand for pharmaceuticals, it is crucial that pharmacy managers efficiently allocate the pharmacy staff's time. METHOD: Through a case study, this paper demonstrates the use of an Excel VBA based on a mathematical model to schedule the staff of an independent pharmacy. The whole year data was used in this study. After collection of whole year's data, the number of prescriptions to be filled for each day by hour of hour of the day were sourced and classified. RESULTS: It is indicated that the pharmacy employees' time could be more efficiently assigned to meet the demand of the pharmacy. The benefit of modeling the pharmacy employees at this pharmacy is based on the data (the number of total prescriptions filled on Friday in March) with the following results; 12 h shifts are covered where one employee must be between 04:00-16:00, two employees between 06:00-18:00, one employee between 07:00-19:00 and one employee between 15:00-03:00. CONCLUSION: In this study a basic model was presented that can be used schedule pharmacy employees in an independent pharmacy and solved by Excel VBA. This model can be further extended to meet the needs of a specific pharmacy.

A qualitative case study of ehealth and digital literacy experiences of pharmacy staff.

BACKGROUND: eHealth's many forms are benchmarked by the World Health Organization. Scotland is considered an advanced adopter of ehealth. The third global survey on ehealth includes pharmacy-related ehealth indicators. Advances in ehealth place an obligation on pharmacy staff to demonstrate proficiency, or digital literacy, in using ehealth technologies. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to provide an indepth exploration of the ehealth and digital literacy experiences of pharmacy staff in the North East of Scotland. METHOD: A qualitative local case study approach was adopted for observational and interview activities in community and hospital pharmacies. Interview and observational data were collated and analysed using a framework approach. This study gained management approval from the local health board following ethical review by the sponsor university. RESULTS: Nineteen pharmacies and staff (n = 94) participated including two hospitals. Most participants were female (n = 82), aged 29 years and younger (n = 34) with less than 5 years pharmacy experience (n = 49). Participants identified their own digital literacy as basic. Most of the pharmacies had minimum levels of technology implemented (n = 15). Four themes (technology, training, usability, processes) were inducted from the data, coded and modelled with illustrative quotes. CONCLUSION: Scotland is aspirational in seeking to support the developing role of pharmacy practice with ehealth, however, evidence to date shows most pharmacy staff work with minimum levels of technology. The self-reported lack of digital literacy and often mentioned lack of confidence in using IT suggest pharmacy staff need support and training. Informal work based digital literacy development of the pharmacy team is self-limiting. Usability of ehealth technology could be a key element of its' acceptability. There is potential to better engage with ehealth process efficiencies in both hospital and community pharmacy. As Scotland increasingly invests in ehealth pharmacy technology, it is important that it also invests in pharmacy staff training.