Evaluación del conocimiento en atención farmacéutica a personas con discapacidad visual en estudiantes de regencia de farmacia de una universidad de Colombia / Evaluation of knowledge in pharmaceutical care for people with visual disabilities in students of pharmacy regency of a university of Colombia

En la formación académica y profesional del personal de farmacia sean desde el punto de vista técnico, tecnológico o profesional incluyendo a la Química farmacéutica, no solo se debe centralizar en cúmulo de conocimientos y practicas formativas sino que además debemos contemplar aspectos socio-morales como el de tener profesionales los mas completos formativos como para una atención farmacéutica para personal con discapacidades visuales, físicas o neurológicas ( dependiendo del grado debcomplejidad);donde el poder de su rehabilitación radica en su independencia y habilidad de desenvolverse por sí solos autosuficientes. Por todo lo anterior se requiere que dentro del plan educativo institucional o llamados pensul académicosbse contemple en las clases socio -éticas formación de lenguaje de señas o capacitaciones para atención ambulatoria y Clinicas a este tipo de población que tienen los mismos derechos y deberes ciudadanosbde sus congéneres. (AU)

In the academic and professional training of pharmacy personnel, whether from a technical, technological or professional point of view, including Pharmaceutical Chemistry, not only should the accumulation of knowledge and training practices be centralized, but we should also contemplate socio-moral aspects such as to have professionals with the most complete training such as pharmaceutical care for personnel with visual, physical or neurological disabilities (depending on the degree of complexity); where the power of their rehabilitation lies in their independence and ability to function on their own, self-sufficient. For all of the above, it is required that within the institutional educational plan or called academic pensul, socio-ethical classes provide sign language training or training for outpatient care and clinics for this type of population that have the same rights and duties as citizens of their congeners. (AU)

Perception of pharmacists regarding human resources, training, and development of a national hospital pharmacy: a preliminary report on Basel Statements

Abstract The hospital pharmacy needs a constant process of evaluation and monitoring of its activities. In Brazil, several agencies establish tasks and duties for pharmacists, but little is known about the compliance and the perception of the professional regarding these policies. The present study aims to characterize the pharmacist's perception of Brazilian hospital pharmacy policies according to the Basel Statements. A search was performed for the contacts of all medium and high complexity hospitals in the country. Subsequently, a questionnaire elaborated following the Basel Statements was sent by e-mail to hospital pharmacists throughout the country. The domain analyzed was "Human Resources, Training, and Development". Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 19.0. Pharmacists representing a total of 111 hospitals from all Brazilian regions answered the survey questionnaire and showed that more than half of the hospital pharmacists perceive themselves as not complying, whether in the service of local, national, or pharmaceutical education. Besides updating the professionals in relation to national policies, it is necessary that the representative bodies of the pharmaceutical class be more present in the elaboration and evaluation of the policies directed to human resources, seeking uniformity and the possibility of carrying out the activities required.

How pharmacy and medicine students experience the power differential between professions: "Even if the pharmacist knows better, the doctor's decision goes".

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is one approach to improving communication and collaborative practice between professions, which are essential for the optimal delivery of healthcare. Common barriers include negative attitudes, professional stereotypes, professional cultures and power differentials between professional groups. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how professional hierarchies and power differentials shape interprofessional interactions between preregistration pharmacy and medicine students. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews and subject to thematic analysis. Four main themes were identified: Reproducing traditional hierarchies; Social norms around respect; Hierarchies in care values and goals; and Challenging the narrative is possible. Students' interactions with and views of the other profession largely reflected traditional stereotypes and power differentials. Hierarchy was evident in how respect was accorded and in how care values and goals were managed. Despite this, students overwhelmingly perceived and reported a sense of agency in changing the status quo. Emerging professional identity and conceptualisation of future roles is heavily influenced by the hierarchical relationship between the professions and can pose a significant barrier to collaborative practice. Greater support for collaborative interprofessional practice is needed at the level of policy and accreditation in health education and healthcare to ensure greater commitment to change.

Confronting the "Brutal Facts" and Identifying Opportunities as Pharmacy Education Weathers the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted almost every facet of modern life, causing almost a million deaths worldwide as well as widespread economic and social strife. While contemplating how we might emerge from this pandemic, we were reminded of the Stockdale paradox. We suggest that the Academy must not only confront the brutal facts of the current situation, but we must also maintain faith in the endgame and a commitment to prevail despite the enormous challenges we face. The Academy can play a key role in helping the world recover from this pandemic if we build on the diversity and strengths of our programs nationally and globally. We suggest that there are three key actions that pharmacists and pharmacy educators must take to show leadership in this time of need. First, we must be the voice that reassures the public about the value of science and the scientific method. Second, we must work locally and nationally to ensure an optimal public health response. Finally, members of the Academy must serve as role models with respect to the essential public health tools to prevent the spread of COVID-19. By remaining positive, keeping the endgame in mind, and confronting the most brutal facts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are confident that pharmacy education and pharmacy will weather this storm and arise even stronger for it.

Assessment of research ethics education offerings of pharmacy master programs in an Arab nation relative to top programs worldwide: A qualitative content analysis.

The importance of research ethics (RE) training has led academic and funding institutions to require that students, trainees, and faculty obtain such training at various stages of their careers. Despite the increasing awareness of the value RE education offers, this training requirement is absent in Jordan. We aimed to assess RE education offerings of pharmacy master programs in Jordan and compare with the top-ranked pharmacy graduate programs globally. Therefore, a list of universities that offer research-based pharmacy master programs was created. Each program was evaluated for the inclusion of RE education. A qualitative content analysis approach based on inductive reasoning and latent analysis was followed to analyze the data. Results of the study showed a lack of appropriate RE education for graduate-level pharmacy programs in Jordan with only 40% of the programs partially discuss selected topics related to RE. Regarding pharmacy graduate programs globally, 10% offer a standalone RE course, 40% offer some discussions related to RE, another 10% do not offer RE education in any form, and the remaining 40% of the programs were difficult to assess due to lack of sufficient information available online. Based on the findings of this study, training in RE is tends to be lacking in pharmacy graduate programs in Jordan and globally, with a greater lack in Jordan than globally. There is a need to incorporate formal RE education into programs that do not offer this type of instruction. Programs that formally touch on some aspects of RE need to expand the scope of topics to include more RE-related themes. Integrating a standalone RE course into pharmacy graduate programs is highly encouraged.

La automedicación en estudiantes del Grado en Farmacia / Self-medication in Pharmacy students

La automedicación es la administración de medicamentos para aliviar un síntoma o curar una enfermedad sin pasar por el control médico. Este comportamiento está muy extendido a nivel mundial, incluso dentro de la universidad en la que se forman los futuros profesionales que configurarán los servicios sanitarios de la comunidad. Aunque existen estudios relativos a las conductas de automedicación en la población universitaria en otros países, existen pocos datos relativos a este comportamiento en nuestro ámbito. El propósito de este estudio es estimar el nivel de automedicación en un colectivo universitario, así como los factores asociados a este comportamiento. El hábito de automedicación es muy frecuente en nuestra población de estudio, con una media de un 72,5%. Este valor va ascendiendo curso a curso desde un 53% en el primer curso de carrera hasta el 93% en el último. Casi el total de los alumnos admite la automedicación con analgésicos y es de destacar la automedicación con antibióticos (13,6%) utilizados para situaciones clínicas poco definidas. Más preocupante aún es la automedicación con medicamentos bajo receta regulada, como es el caso de los ansiolíticos y tranquilizantes, usado por un 5% de los estudiantes. Concluimos que el alto porcentaje de automedicación de la población general se ve prácticamente correspondido en esta población de estudiantes de Farmacia. Los medicamentos más consumidos son los analgésicos, antihistamínicos y antigripales; existen, además, porcentajes bajos pero notables de automedicación con antibióticos y ansiolíticos, lo que resulta más preocupante

Self-medication is the administration of medications to relieve a symptom or cure a disease without medical supervision. This behaviour is very widespread worldwide, even within the university in which the future professionals who will play a major role in the community health services are trained. Although there are studies concerning self-medication behaviours in the university population in other countries, there is little data regarding this behaviour in our field. The purpose of this study is to estimate the level of self-medication in a university group of students, as well as the factors associated with this behaviour. The habit of self-medication is very frequent in our study population, with a mean of 72.5%. This figure increases from year to year, from 53% in the first year to 93% in the last. Almost all students admit self-medication with analgesics, and it is worth noting the self-medication with antibiotics (13.6%) used for poorly defined clinical situations. Even more worrying is self-medication with prescription drugs, such as anxiolytics and tranquillisers, used by 5% of students. We conclude that the high percentage of self-medication of the general population is practically matched in this population of pharmacy students. The most commonly used drugs are analgesics, antihistamines and anti-influenza, and there are also low but notable percentages of self-medication with antibiotics and anxiolytics, which is more worrying

Gender-Based Differences Among Pharmacy Students Involved in Academically Dishonest Behavior.

Objective. To determine whether differences based on gender exist among pharmacy students involved in cases of admitted cheating or other academic dishonesty and to assess perceptions of academic dishonesty. Methods. Two cohorts of second-year male and female pharmacy students from four Northern California pharmacy programs were invited to complete a 45-item cross-sectional survey. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-squared test were used for statistical analysis. Results. There were 330 surveys completed with a 59% response rate. No significant gender-based differences were found regarding admitted cheating in pharmacy school and in regards to participating in various forms of academically dishonest behavior. Female students were more likely than male students to report witnessing a classmate copying another student's assignment. Male students were less likely than female students to perceive a student who distributed a stolen exam as a cheater. Conclusion. No gender-based differences were noted in cases of admitted cheating or with regards to taking part in various forms of academically dishonest behavior. However, female students report witnessing cheating more than male students, and male students may have a more lenient perception toward academically dishonest behavior than female students. The information gathered from this study may provide further insight to pharmacy programs and educators regarding academic dishonesty at their institution.

[Efforts to Promote Research Integrity in Academia].

　The revised model/core curriculum for pharmaceutical education in Japan was introduced in 2015. The need to provide ethics education, which includes research integrity for pharmacists and those conducting pharmaceutical research, was clearly described in the document: "G: pharmaceutical research (2) rule of law and ethics essential for research activity." Additionally, this newly introduced model/core curriculum was officially requested within each pharmaceutical university. As recently as 2014, a severe situation was exposed in the field of life sciences and clinical research: many reports emerged about scientific misconduct in Japan. The members of Kyoto Pharmaceutical University were deeply concerned about this situation and thus decided that our guidelines of action for research integrity would be approached as follows: All members of Kyoto Pharmaceutical University would individually rethink the university's research integrity and ethics with a strong sense of ownership and importance, discuss concrete countermeasures and future plans to establish our university's research integrity, and collectively implement these strategies through education programs. In this review, we introduce several examples of educational activities undertaken by our university, and use them as a basis for discussing how we should address research integrity and the responsible conduct of research in education for academics, graduate students, and undergraduates.

Differentiating predatory scholarship: best practices in scholarly publication.

OBJECTIVE: The intent of this article is to define predatory publishing, identify the risks and costs associated with publishing scholarship with these types of organizations and to provide recommendations for best practices how a potential author can protect themselves against predatory organizations. METHODS: A thorough review of the literature concerning predatory publishing was conducted and gleaned for best practices along with the authors' experiences. KEY FINDINGS: Pharmacy scholars and researchers worldwide recognize the virtues of the open access (OA) publication system, which is intended to freely disseminate research electronically, stimulate innovation and improve access to scholarship. Both subscription-based and OA publication systems, however, have potential areas of conflicts, including coordination of the peer-review process and the potential for the publisher to capitalize on selling the commodity in a capitalistic society. The intent of OA is welcomed; however, publishers are still in a business and profits need to be made. It is by the exploitation of the model that has given rise to a small but growing subset known as predatory publishers. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacy researchers and clinicians alike need to be aware of predatory organizations, both publishers and meeting organizers, when seeking a venue to publish their own scholarly research. Additionally, this knowledge is critical when evaluating medical literature in providing direct patient care services to assure the best available evidence is utilized.

La Autoenografía como un instrumento de (trans)formación profesional en la práctica del Pharmaceutical Care / Autoethnography as an Instrument for Professional (Trans) Formation in Pharmaceutical Care Practice

La inclusión reciente de farmacéuticos en atención primaria en Brasil a través del Equipo de Apoyo de Salud Familiar los ha alentado a reflexionar sobre la necesidad de dejar de ser un profesional enfocado en los medicamentos a un profesional enfocado en las personas. La autoetnografía le permitió a una farmacéutica confrontar sus perspectivas sobre la práctica clínica entre 2014 y 2016, período en el que ella decidió desafiar, como farmacéutica, su formación tradicional centrada en los medicamentos. Utilizando como marco teórico la práctica del Pharmaceutical Care que había impulsadoa la profesión farmacéutica a cambiar su enfoque hacia el paciente, los autores colaboraron en la construcción de un monólogo sobre lo que significa centrarse en el paciente,de manera que éste cautivara a los lectores. Los hallazgos de la investigación también respaldan la versatilidad de la aplicación del proceso reflexivo proporcionado por la autoetnografía. Durante el trabajo de campo, a través de una redacción reflexiva y la realización de entrevistas, la farmacéutica descubrió una nueva forma de relacionarse con el "cuidado" y los "pacientes" en su rutina diaria

The recent inclusion of pharmacists in primary healthcare in Brazil through the Family Health Support Team has encouraged them to reflect on the need to change from a professional focused on medications to one focusedon individuals. This autoethnography allowed a pharmacist to confront her perspectives on clinical practice between 2014 and 2016, a period when she decided to challenge her traditional training as a pharmacist centered on medications. Using pharmaceutical care practice as the theoretical framework that prompted the profession of pharmacy to change its focus to the patient, the authors collaborated to construct a monologue that engages readers in the meanings of becoming patient centered. The research findings also support the versatility of application of the reflective process provided by autoethnography. Through fieldwork, reflective writing and interviews, the pharmacist discovered a new way to relate to "caring" and "patients" in her daily routine

Recommendations for Planning and Managing International Short-term Pharmacy Service Trips.

International pharmacy service trips by schools and colleges of pharmacy allow students to provide health care to medically underserved areas. A literature review (2000-2016) in databases and Internet searches with specific keywords or terms was performed to assess current practices to establish and maintain successful pharmacy service trips. Educational documents such as syllabi were obtained from pharmacy programs and examined. A preliminary draft was developed and authors worked on sections of interest and expertise. Considerations and current recommendations are provided for the key aspects of the home institution and the host country requirements for pharmacy service trips based on findings from a literature search and the authors' collective, extensive experience. Evaluation of the trip and ethical considerations are also discussed. This article serves as a resource for schools and colleges of pharmacy that are interested in the development of new pharmacy service trips and provides key considerations for continuous quality improvement of current or future activities.

Professionalism: An exemplar for the sciences.

The construct of a profession encompasses several core elements that guide the behavior of its members and the quality standards for the services they provide and products they produce: primarily, competency specifications for members of the profession, a code of professional and ethical behavior, and a commitment to serve the public good. Professionalism is the embodiment of a profession's expertise, ethos, and service to the public good. As an academic scientist, David Triggle exhibited an extraordinary mastery of professionalism in two domains: science and academic leadership in higher education. Sociocultural changes, including the commodification of knowledge, science, and higher education, are posing challenges to the professions and their traditional values. Whereas the effectiveness of ethics instruction is questionable, positive mentoring has shown promise as a means to help professionals maintain the ideals and the values of their chosen occupations. David Triggle was an extremely effective and revered mentor to numerous individuals in the sciences as well as in higher education, enhancing their professional enculturation and development. He fostered integrity of purpose in our respective professional lives and work, and was and remains an exemplar of professionalism.

Da sala de aula à práxis clínica no contexto do Sistema Único de Saúde: o currículo de Farmácia frente às necessidades da população brasileira / From the classroom to the clinical practice within the National Healtcare System: Pharmacy's curriculum facing Brazilian population's needs

As mudanças ocorridas no Sistema Único de Saúde nos últimos anos, associadas às mudanças nas políticas educacionais, forçaram uma modificação na atuação do profissional farmacêutico. Nesse sentido, o farmacêutico necessita adquirir capacitação para atuar em conjunto com a Equipe Multiprofissional de Saúde. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar se o ensino superior em Farmácia no Brasil capacita o farmacêutico a atuar em colaboração com a Equipe Multiprofissional de Saúde dentro dos preceitos do Sistema Único de Saúde. Com base em metodologia quanti-qualitativa, este trabalho analisou projetos político-pedagógicos e o cenário clínico de hospitais universitários de cinco instituições de ensino superior brasileiras, e estudou, a partir de questionários qualitativos, aplicados a diversos profissionais de saúde, as necessidades da equipe em relação à atividade do farmacêutico. Verificou-se inserção ainda modesta do farmacêutico, muitas vezes causada pela falta de conhecimento da equipe sobre sua função ou por uma sensação de falta de preparo do próprio profissional. Também, a análise dos documentos oriundos dos cursos permitiu a constatação da falta de um olhar direcionado para o Sistema Único de Saúde e para a formação clínica. Poucas iniciativas curriculares tem surgido nesse sentido. Por fim, são apresentadas propostas, por meio de mapeamento conceitual, para se pensar um currículo em que coexistam a formação técnica, já tradicional, e a formação clínica, permitindo abarcar essa última, deixada de lado a partir de meados do século XX, que retorna hoje como uma demanda social

Recent modification in the Brazilian's Public Health System, associated with changes in educational policies for higher education, forced a change in the pharmacist's professional performance area. Accordingly, the pharmacist needs to acquire capacity to act in conjunction with the Health Multidisciplinary Team. The objective of this thesis was to evaluate whether higher education in Brazil Pharmacy Schools enables the professional to work in collaboration with the Health Multidisciplinary Team within the precepts of National Public Health System. Based on quantitative and qualitative methodology, this study analyzed political-pedagogical projects and the clinical setting of university hospitals of five Brazilian higher education institutions, and studied from qualitative questionnaires applied to various health professionals the needs of the Multidisciplinary Health Team in having as a team member the pharmacist. There was verified a still modest insertion of the pharmacist in health teams, often caused by lack of staff knowledge about their function or by a sense of lack of readiness of the professional himself. Also, the analysis of documents from Pharmacy courses led to confirmation of the lack of educational policies directed to the National Public Health System and clinical training. Few curriculum initiatives have arisen in this regard. Finally, proposals are developed through conceptual mapping, to think of a Pharmacy course curriculum that can coexist in both the technical training as clinical training, allowing embrace this professional area of actuation that was set aside from the mid-twentieth century and returns today as a social demand

Pharmacy students' interpretation of academic integrity.

OBJECTIVE: To explore pharmacy students' recognition and interpretation of situations constituting breaches of academic integrity. METHODS: A survey instrument comprising 10 hypothetical student(s) scenarios was completed by 852 students in the bachelor of pharmacy program at an Australian university. The scenarios were relevant to current modes of assessment and presented degrees of ambiguity around academic integrity. RESULTS: Identification of the hypothetical student(s) at fault, particularly in the deliberately ambiguous scenarios, was not related to the respondents' year of study or sex. Students with fewer years of postsecondary education were more definitive in their interpretation of contentious cases. Respondents from all 4 years of study reported witnessing many of these behaviors among their peers. CONCLUSION: This study provided novel insight into the ambiguity surrounding academic integrity and students' perceptions relating to the deliberate or inadvertent involvement of other parties.

A cross-sectional study of applied bioethical reasoning in pharmacy students and preceptors / Estudio transversal de razonamiento bioético aplicado en estudiantes de farmacia y tutores

Objective: To compare ethical principles most often utilized by pharmacy students and preceptors to determine plan of action for an ethical dilemma and to determine if ethical principles utilized are the same for individuals in the postconventional range Method: A two part survey was administered to a convenience sample of pharmacy students and preceptors. The first part was comprised of an original measure, the Pharmacy Ethical Dilemmas Survey (PEDS), that was developed to assess participants’ action choices on healthcare-related ethical dilemmas and which moral rule or ethical principle was most influential in their decision. The second part was comprised of the Defining Issues Test. Results: Patient autonomy and non-maleficience were the primary bioethical principles applied by students but pharmacists applied non-maleficience, patient autonomy, and also pharmacist autonomy. For all scenarios, students were more likely to rely on the principle of beneficence, while preceptors were more likely to rely on the pharmacist’s right to autonomy. In the analysis of application of bioethical principles by higher and lower principled reasoning individuals, only in the assisted suicide scenario did the two groups agree on the primary principle applied with both groups relying predominantly on patient autonomy. Conclusion: Students and preceptors utilize different bioethical principles to support how they would handle each ethical dilemma but P-scores do not play a role in determining which bioethical principles were used to justify their action choices (AU)

Objetivo: Compararlos principios éticos más comúnmente utilizados por los estudiantes de farmacia y los tutores para determinar el plan de acción ante un dilema ético, y determinar si los principios éticos utilizados son los mismos para individuos en fase post-convencional. Método: Un cuestionario en dos partes se administró a una muestra de conveniencia de estudiantes de farmacia y tutores. La primera parte estaba formada por una medida original, el Pharmacy Ethical Dilemmas Survey (PEDS), que se desarrolló para evaluar la elección de acciones de los participantes sobre dilemas éticos relacionaos con la salud y cuáles eran sus reglas morales o principios éticos más influyentes en sus decisiones. La segunda parte estaba formada por el Defining Issues Test. Resultados: La autonomía del paciente y la no maleficencia eran los principios bioéticos aplicados por los estudiantes, pero los farmacéuticos aplicaban la no maleficencia, la autonomía del paciente, pero también la autonomía del farmacéutico. En todos los escenarios los estudiantes confiaban más en el principio de beneficencia, mientras que los tutores tenían más probabilidad de confiar en el derecho de autonomía del farmacéutico. En el análisis de la aplicación de los principios bioéticos por los individuos con más y con menos razona miento basado en principios, sólo en el escenario del suicidio asistido los dos grupos estuvieron de acuerdo en que el principio más importante a ser aplicado era el de autonomía del paciente. Conclusión: Los estudiantes y los tutores utilizan diferentes principios bioéticos para apoyar el manejo de dilemas éticos, pero las puntuaciones P no determinan que principios bioéticos fueron usados en su selección de acciones (AU)

Reasons for academic honesty and dishonesty with solutions: a study of pharmacy and medical students in New Zealand.

This paper presents students' views about honest and dishonest actions within the pharmacy and medical learning environments. Students also offered their views on solutions to ameliorating dishonest action. Three research questions were posed in this paper: (1) what reasons would students articulate in reference to engaging in dishonest behaviours? (2) What reasons would students articulate in reference to maintaining high levels of integrity? (3) What strategies would students suggest to decrease engagement in dishonest behaviours and/or promote honest behaviours? The design of the study incorporated an initial descriptive analysis to interpret students' responses to an 18-item questionnaire about justifications for dishonest action. This was followed by a qualitative analysis of students' commentaries in reference to why students would engage in either honest or dishonest action. Finally a qualitative analysis was conducted on students' views regarding solutions to dishonest action. The quantitative results showed that students were more likely to use time management and seriousness justifications for dishonest actions. The qualitative findings found that students' actions (honest or dishonest) were guided by family and friends, the need to do well, issues of morality and institutional guidelines. Students suggested that dishonest action could be ameliorated by external agencies and polarised views between punitive and rewards-based mechanisms were offered. These results suggest that these students engaged in dishonest action for various reasons and solutions addressing dishonest action need to consider diverse mechanisms that likely extend beyond the educational institution.

The inclusion of a business management module within the master of pharmacy degree: a route to asset enrichment? / Inclusión de un módulo de gestión de empresa en el grado de master en farmacia: ¿un camino hacia la mejora?

Background: Over the past decade the profession of pharmacy has steadily evolved. The New Pharmacy Contract exposed pharmacists to a fundamental change in traditional pharmacy business models. Objective: This study will consider whether community pharmacists, pharmacy undergraduates and academic staff within the United Kingdom believe it would be beneficial to incorporate a business management module within the Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) undergraduate degree along with potential mechanisms of delivery. Methods: Further to ethical approval, the questionnaire was distributed to UK registered pharmacists (n=600), MPharm undergraduates (n=441) and academic staff at Liverpool John Moores University (n=44). The questions were formatted as multiple choice questions, Likert scales or the open answer type. On questionnaire completion and return, data were analysed using simple frequencies, cross tabulations and nonparametric techniques in the SPSS (v18). Results: The majority of pharmacists (84.9%) confirmed that business skills affect their everyday responsibilities to a considerable extent. A high proportion of undergraduate students (92.8%) believed that business management skills will impact on their future role. In total, 64.3% of this cohort declared that if a module were introduced they would study it. The majority of staff (79%) agreed that business skills are gaining increased importance within the field of pharmacy. Conclusions: Data suggest that business skills are of relevance to the practice of pharmacy. Appropriate staff to deliver the taught material would include business owners / lecturers and teaching practitioners covering topics including management, leadership, interpersonal skills and regulation. We suggest the inclusion of a business module with the MPharm degree would be of great value in preparing individuals for practice within a modern day healthcare setting (AU)

Antecedentes: Durante la década pasada, la profesión de farmacia ha evolucionado firmemente. El New Pharmacy Contract expuso a los farmacéuticos a un cambio en los modelos tradicionales de negocio. Objetivo: Este estudio considerará si los farmacéuticos, estudiantes de farmacia y académicos en Reino Unido se beneficiarían incorporando un módulo de gestión de empresa en el grado de Master en Farmacia (MPharm) así como los potenciales mecanismos de enseñanza. Métodos: Después de la aprobación de ética, se distribuyó el cuestionario e farmacéuticos en ejercicio en Reino Unido (n=600), estudiantes del MPharm (n=441) y personal académico de la Liverpool John Moores University (n=44). Las preguntas tenían formato de preguntas de elección múltiple, escalas de Likert o preguntas abiertas. Cuando se cumplimentaban y retornaban los cuestionarios, se analizaron los datos usando frecuencias simples, tablas cruzadas y técnicas noparamétricas con el SPSS (v18). Resultados: La mayoría de los farmacéuticos (84,9%) confirmó que las habilidades empresariales afectan sus responsabilidades diarias en grado considerable. Una proporción elevada de estudiantes (92,8%) creía que las habilidades en gestión empresarial tendrían impacto en su papel futuro. En total, el 64,3% de esta cohorte declaró que si se introdujese un módulo, lo estudiarían. La mayoría del personal académico (79%) concordó que las habilidades empresariales están ganando importancia en el campo de la farmacia. Conclusiones: Los datos sugieren que las habilidades empresariales son de relevancia en la práctica de la farmacia. El personal adecuado para proporcionar el material docente debería incluir propietarios, y profesores de prácticas que cubran los temas como gestión, liderazgo, habilidades interpersonales y legislación. Sugerimos que la inclusión de un módulo de empresa en el grado de MPharm sería de gran valor en la preparación de los individuos para el ejercicio en los establecimientos sanitarios modernos (AU)

Academic dishonesty and ethical reasoning: pharmacy and medical school students in New Zealand.

BACKGROUND: There is ample evidence to suggest that academic dishonesty remains an area of concern and interest for academic and professional bodies. There is also burgeoning research in the area of moral reasoning and its relevance to the teaching of pharmacy and medicine. AIMS: To explore the associations between self-reported incidence of academic dishonesty and ethical reasoning in a professional student body. METHODS: Responses were elicited from 433 pharmacy and medicine students. A questionnaire eliciting responses about academic dishonesty (copying, cheating, and collusion) and their decisions regarding an ethical dilemma was distributed. Multivariate analysis procedures were conducted. RESULTS: The findings suggested that copying and collusion may be linked to the way students make ethical decisions. Students more likely to suggest unlawful solutions to the ethical dilemma were more likely to disclose engagement in copying information and colluding with other students. CONCLUSIONS: These findings imply that students engaging in academic dishonesty may be using different ethical frameworks. Therefore, employing ethical dilemmas would likely create a useful learning framework for identifying students employing dishonest strategies when coping with their studies. Increasing understanding through dialog about engagement in academic honesty will likely construct positive learning outcomes in the university with implications for future practice.

Assessing pharmacists’ perspectives of HIV and the care of HIV-infected patients in Alabama / Evaluando las perspectivas de los farmacéuticos sobre el VIH y la atención de los pacientes infectados de VIH en Alabama

Objective: The purpose was to assess factors potentially affecting care pharmacists provide to HIV/AIDS patients including comfort level, confidence, education, experience, professional competence, continuity of care and patient-provider relationship between pharmacists and HIV-infected patients. Methods: A 24-item questionnaire assessed the constructs of this study. Surveys were distributed from October 2009 to April 2010 to pharmacists in Alabama with varying levels of experience treating HIV-infected patients. Chi-square tests determined whether relationships existed between responses, consisting of how often respondents reported treating HIV-infected patients, amount of HIV education respondents had, participants’ confidence with HIV/AIDS knowledge and comfort level counseling HIV-infected patients about their medications. Results: Thirty-three percent of the pharmacists cared for HIV-infected patients on a monthly basis, yet 86% do not feel very confident with their HIV/AIDS knowledge. Forty-four percent were not comfortable counseling patients on antiretroviral medications, and 77% would feel more comfortable with more education. Significant, positive relationships were revealed concerning how often respondents treat HIV-infected patients and their comfort level counseling them (r=0.208, p<0.05). Similar relationships pertaining to the amount of education respondents had regarding HIV, how confident they are in their HIV/AIDS knowledge (r=0.205, p< 0.05), and their comfort level counseling HIV-infected patients on their medications (r=0.312, p<0.01) were found. The time spent treating HIV-infected patients and the education respondents had pertaining to HIV/AIDS related to increased comfort levels concerning counseling patients on their medications. Conclusion: This research uncovered areas where pharmacists can improve care and treatment for HIV-infected patients. Increasing education on HIV/AIDS and treatment options may lead to increased comfort and confidence in therapeutic management. Through changes in pharmacists’ perspectives and abilities to care for their patients the patient-provider relationship could strengthen, potentially leading to improved medication compliance, enhanced overall health, and a better quality of life for HIV-infected patients (AU)

Objetivo: El propósito fue evaluar los factores que potencialmente afectan la atención proporcionada por farmacéuticos a pacientes VIH/SIDA incluyendo niveles de comodidad, educación, competencia, continuidad de cuidados, y relación paciente-profesional entre los farmacéuticos y los pacientes infectados con VIH. Métodos: Un cuestionario de 24 ítems evaluó los constructos de este estudio. Entre octubre 2009 y abril 2010 se distribuyeron las encuestas a farmacéuticos de Alabama con varios niveles de experiencia en el tratamiento de pacientes infectados de VIH. Pruebas chi-cuadrado determinaron si existía asociación entre las respuestas y lo a menudo que los respondedores trataban pacientes infectados con VIH, la educación que tenían, la confianza con sus conocimientos sobre VIH/SIDA y el nivel de comodidad aconsejando a los pacientes infectados con VIH sobre sus medicamentos. Resultados: El 33% de los farmacéuticos atendía pacientes infectados por VIH mensualmente, aunque el 86% no se sentía muy cómodo con sus conocimientos sobre VIH/SIDA. El 44% no estaba cómodo aconsejando a los pacientes sobre medicamentos antirretrovirales y el 77% se sentiría más cómodo con más educación. Se encontró una relación positiva entre la frecuencia con la que los respondentes trataban pacientes con VIH y su nivel de comodidad (r= 0.208, p<0.05). Aparecieron relaciones semejantes entre la cantidad de educación que tenían los respondentes sobre VIH, lo confiados que estaban en sus conocimientos sobre VIH/SIDA (r= 0.205, p< 0.05), y su nivel de comodidad cuando aconsejan pacientes con VIH sobre su medicación (r= 0.312, p< 0.01). El tiempo dedicado a tratar pacientes con VIH y la educación que los respondentes tenían sobre VIH/SIDA se relacionaba con mayores niveles de comodidad al aconsejar a los pacientes sobre sus medicaciones. Conclusión: Esta investigación desveló las áreas donde los farmacéuticos pueden mejorar la atención y el tratamiento de pacientes infctados con VIH. Aumentar la educación sobre VIH/SIDA y sus opciones de tratamiento puede llevar a un aumento de comodidad y confianza en la gestión de la terapéutica. Mediante cambios en las perspectivas y capacidades de cuidar pacientes de los farmacéuticos puede reforzarse la relación paciente-profesional, llevando potencialmente a un mejor cumplimento terapéutico, aumentando la salud en general y mejorando la calidad de vida de los pacientes con VIH (AU)