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Geriatricians’, General Practitioners’, and Accredited Pharmacists’ Views of Medication Management Resources: A Qualitative Study
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Abstracts / Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy 8 (2012) e1–e66
unused medications were returned to pharmacies for disposal. Conclusions: A significant amount of medication is collected from pharmacies and subsequently unused. Reducing excess medications and subsequent wastage may reduce stockpiles of unused medications that may be implicated in accidental ingestions and will reduce the financial and environmental burden of the disposal of these medications.
Senior Pharmacy Students’ Attitudes towards Community Pharmacy Rotation B. Sethabouppha, S. Suwannakul, W. Saohin, S. Watcharathanakij, Ubon Ratchathani University (UBU), Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand Objectives: To survey senior pharmacy students’ attitude towards the community pharmacy rotation. Methods: Questionnaire was developed and tested for face and content validity by 2 experts, one community pharmacy manager and one faculty member. Questionnaire was distributed to UBU pharmacy students after the national license examination in March 2012. Results: Of 119 surveys, 86 returned the questionnaire. About 81% of respondents were female and were in clinical pharmacy major. 99.7% of respondents completed at least one 5-weeks community pharmacy rotation. Approximately 74% agreed the number of weeks and contents from the rotation was met the minimum requirement to be able to work in community pharmacy whereas 19.8% agreed additional hours and contents should be extended. 51.6% were confident in working as a community pharmacist after completing the rotation. 62% and 20% decided to work as a hospital pharmacist and community pharmacist respectively. The top 3 reasons to select the preferred job were (1) match my interests and skills, (2) near home town, and (3) parents’ expectation. 36.5% indicated this rotation was beneficial whereas 48.2% replied it helped decide whether to work in a community pharmacy. Over 60% indicated extra hours of screening for hypertension and diabetes, smoking cessation counselling, home health care, and outcome monitoring and assessment should be extended. Approximately 29% indicated other contents, including community pharmacy management, inventory control, and drug selection, should be added during rotation. 65.9% agreed pre-rotation in community pharmacy will strengthen students’ skills and experiences. Conclusions: Many students agreed the 5-week community pharmacy rotation met the minimum requirement whereas others agreed extra practice hours and contents should be included. However, about 52% are confident to work as a community pharmacist. Additional activities for community pharmacists’ proactive roles such as DM and HT screening, smoking cessation counselling, as well as pre-rotation should be included in the curriculum.
Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Pharmaceutical Companies on the Internet in Thailand S. Phunpon1, S. Pumtong2, 1Faculty of Pharmacy, Siam University, Bangkok, Thailand, 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhonnayok, Thailand Objectives: To examine features and contents of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) among pharmaceutical companies in Thailand on the internet. Methods: Data were collected from 70 pharmaceutical companies that presented in Thai language on their websites between September and November, 2010. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used. Results: Nearly 70% of pharmaceutical companies were Thai and over 50% were manufacturers. Regarding the features, both text and visual were used on all websites, and 40% also added multimedia. Thirty seven companies (53%) presented CSR information on the websites. Eight out of 37 companies used the word “Corporate Social Responsibility: CSR” on their websites. Although 16 companies had no exact topics of CSR, there were some activities or projects which were related to CSR. The remaining websites used other words, such as social activities and project for community, but the meanings were similar to CSR. Twenty one companies had prominent web pages of CSR activities. Regarding CSR contents, 31 companies had their business principles which were consistent with the concept of CSR. They were often shown on mission, vision and policy. The contents of CSR mainly focused on products quality and good services for customers. According to types of CSR activities, a social aspect (e.g. community, education and stakeholders) was the most popular among the pharmaceutical companies (78%), followed by environmental and economic aspects. Conclusions: Approximately half of pharmaceutical companies in Thailand presented CSR information on their websites. Mostly, contents were about social aspect. The majority were interested in the activities for community, especially health promotion. This is not only for CSR but also for their brand images and advertising.
Geriatricians’, General Practitioners’, and Accredited Pharmacists’ Views of Medication Management Resources: A Qualitative Study P. Stehlik1, J.L. Marriott1, P. Darzins2, 1Faculty of Pharmacy, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Objectives: To explore key health professionals (geriatricians, general practitioners and accredited pharmacists) views on currently available resources for geriatric medication management and whether they satisfy their needs during aged healthcare delivery.
Abstracts / Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy 8 (2012) e1–e66 To explore the views of key health professionals about what makes a medication management resources useful and appropriate in the Australian context. Methods: Purposive convenience sampling was used to recruit key health professionals to participate in one hour face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Recruitment continued until data saturation was reached. Thematic analysis was undertaken using NVivo9 software. Results: Data was analysed using both inductive and deductive methods. Identified hurdles in decision making included difficulty in finding and accessing appropriate information in a timely manner, lack of aged participant involvement in large studies, and difficulties in contextualising vast amounts of new health information. Major issues with current resources included inability to assist with complex patient prescribing and a lack of Australian relevance. Key components which make resources useful include clear formatting, simplicity, use of peer-reviewed evidence based recommendations, IT based interface and use of algorithms. Conclusions: Current prescribing resources do not sufficiently meet key health professionals’ needs. In order to improve prescribing in the elderly these needs should be met with the development of a new resource that is able to deliver quality information using a simple format, capable of handling complex patients, with relevance to current Australian medical practice.
Effect of the Novel Inhaler-Based Reminder Labels on Inhaler Technique Education and Asthma Clinical Outcomes I. Basheti, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Sciences University, Amman, Jordan Backgrounds: To investigate two patient educational interventions on inhaler technique: Control Groupverbal information + physical demonstration; Active Group- verbal information + physical demonstration + novel Inhaler Technique Labels containing steps to be followed for optimal use of inhalers. Methods: This single-blinded randomized parallel group Active-Controlled study was conducted in 2010/2011, and ethics approval was obtained from the Jordanian Ministry of Health. Interventions were delivered to patients using the Turbuhaler (TH) and Accuhaler (ACC) at baseline (V1) and 3 months post-baseline (V2). Patients were randomized to two groups (Active Group: THA; ACCA; Control Group: THC; ACCC) and delivered educational interventions based on their group. Patients’ inhaler technique scores and Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores were assessed at V1 and V2. Results: A total of 95 patients (THA:23, ACCA:28; THC:18, ACCC:26) were recruited into the study (mean age 45.615.8, 68% females). At baseline, patients demonstrated poor inhaler technique (score out of 9, meanSD), (THA:4.90.8, ACCA:5.21.0; THC:4.00.8, ACCC:5.4
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1.2, P¼0.489). At V2, improvement in inhaler technique scores were significantly greater in Active cf. Control patients (THA:8.02.2,ACCA:7.91.8; THC:6.41.7, ACCC:6.1 2.0, p!0.005, Independent Sample T-test). Clinical outcomes showed significant improvement (p! 0.05) in ACT mean scores for TH and ACC patients post intervention for both Active and Control groups (THA: 11.03.5 vs. 20.22.2, ACCA:15.23.3 vs. 18.44.6; THC:13.62.6 vs. 19.13.8; ACCC:14.15.4 vs. 19.0 5.9). No significant differences in ACT scores were detected between Active and Control groups at both visits (PO0.05). Conclusions: Majority of patients in Jordan do not use their dry powder inhalers correctly. An educational intervention including verbal information plus physical demonstration can improve patents’ technique long term. The use of the Labels augments patients’ inhaler technique long term. Improvement in inhaler technique scores are associated with improvement in clinical outcomes (ACT score) for both TH and ACC users.
A Pilot Study Exploring Barriers to Safe and Effective Use of Medicines in Scottish Rheumatology Clinic Settings W.K. Gidman1, B.J. Johnson1, M. Field2, R. Madhok3, M. Perry4, G. Roberts4, H. Wilson5, 1University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, 2University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, 3Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland, 4Royal Alexandra Hospital Paisley, 5 Stobhill Hospital Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland Objectives: Rheumatology patients can have difficulty in taking prescribed medication as intended. Non-adherence results in poor health outcomes, increased mortality and higher healthcare costs. Being able to identify those at risk of poor adherence in the clinic could assist in the timely delivery of targeted interventions to improve the use of medicines. This study aims to understand whether it was possible to apply validated instruments to explore barriers to medicine adherence in rheumatology clinics. Methods: Following NHS Ethics Committee and Research and Development approval questionnaire packs were distributed to patients, during clinics by clinical staff, in three hospitals in Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire, between November 2011 and January 2012. The pack containing a return envelope, a demographic information questionnaire, the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire, the Medicine Adherence Rating Scale, the Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire and the helplessness subscale of the Rheumatology Attitudes Index. Patients were asked to complete questionnaires in the clinic or in their own time. Data were entered into SPSS for analysis (v19) and descriptive statistics and non-parametric inferential statistics were generated. Results: Clinics were provided with questionnaires and 61 completed questionnaires were returned. A response rate could not be reported because not all study sites
Abstracts / Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy 8 (2012) e1–e66
unused medications were returned to pharmacies for disposal. Conclusions: A significant amount of medication is collected from pharmacies and subsequently unused. Reducing excess medications and subsequent wastage may reduce stockpiles of unused medications that may be implicated in accidental ingestions and will reduce the financial and environmental burden of the disposal of these medications.
Senior Pharmacy Students’ Attitudes towards Community Pharmacy Rotation B. Sethabouppha, S. Suwannakul, W. Saohin, S. Watcharathanakij, Ubon Ratchathani University (UBU), Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand Objectives: To survey senior pharmacy students’ attitude towards the community pharmacy rotation. Methods: Questionnaire was developed and tested for face and content validity by 2 experts, one community pharmacy manager and one faculty member. Questionnaire was distributed to UBU pharmacy students after the national license examination in March 2012. Results: Of 119 surveys, 86 returned the questionnaire. About 81% of respondents were female and were in clinical pharmacy major. 99.7% of respondents completed at least one 5-weeks community pharmacy rotation. Approximately 74% agreed the number of weeks and contents from the rotation was met the minimum requirement to be able to work in community pharmacy whereas 19.8% agreed additional hours and contents should be extended. 51.6% were confident in working as a community pharmacist after completing the rotation. 62% and 20% decided to work as a hospital pharmacist and community pharmacist respectively. The top 3 reasons to select the preferred job were (1) match my interests and skills, (2) near home town, and (3) parents’ expectation. 36.5% indicated this rotation was beneficial whereas 48.2% replied it helped decide whether to work in a community pharmacy. Over 60% indicated extra hours of screening for hypertension and diabetes, smoking cessation counselling, home health care, and outcome monitoring and assessment should be extended. Approximately 29% indicated other contents, including community pharmacy management, inventory control, and drug selection, should be added during rotation. 65.9% agreed pre-rotation in community pharmacy will strengthen students’ skills and experiences. Conclusions: Many students agreed the 5-week community pharmacy rotation met the minimum requirement whereas others agreed extra practice hours and contents should be included. However, about 52% are confident to work as a community pharmacist. Additional activities for community pharmacists’ proactive roles such as DM and HT screening, smoking cessation counselling, as well as pre-rotation should be included in the curriculum.
Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Pharmaceutical Companies on the Internet in Thailand S. Phunpon1, S. Pumtong2, 1Faculty of Pharmacy, Siam University, Bangkok, Thailand, 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhonnayok, Thailand Objectives: To examine features and contents of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) among pharmaceutical companies in Thailand on the internet. Methods: Data were collected from 70 pharmaceutical companies that presented in Thai language on their websites between September and November, 2010. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used. Results: Nearly 70% of pharmaceutical companies were Thai and over 50% were manufacturers. Regarding the features, both text and visual were used on all websites, and 40% also added multimedia. Thirty seven companies (53%) presented CSR information on the websites. Eight out of 37 companies used the word “Corporate Social Responsibility: CSR” on their websites. Although 16 companies had no exact topics of CSR, there were some activities or projects which were related to CSR. The remaining websites used other words, such as social activities and project for community, but the meanings were similar to CSR. Twenty one companies had prominent web pages of CSR activities. Regarding CSR contents, 31 companies had their business principles which were consistent with the concept of CSR. They were often shown on mission, vision and policy. The contents of CSR mainly focused on products quality and good services for customers. According to types of CSR activities, a social aspect (e.g. community, education and stakeholders) was the most popular among the pharmaceutical companies (78%), followed by environmental and economic aspects. Conclusions: Approximately half of pharmaceutical companies in Thailand presented CSR information on their websites. Mostly, contents were about social aspect. The majority were interested in the activities for community, especially health promotion. This is not only for CSR but also for their brand images and advertising.
Geriatricians’, General Practitioners’, and Accredited Pharmacists’ Views of Medication Management Resources: A Qualitative Study P. Stehlik1, J.L. Marriott1, P. Darzins2, 1Faculty of Pharmacy, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Objectives: To explore key health professionals (geriatricians, general practitioners and accredited pharmacists) views on currently available resources for geriatric medication management and whether they satisfy their needs during aged healthcare delivery.
Abstracts / Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy 8 (2012) e1–e66 To explore the views of key health professionals about what makes a medication management resources useful and appropriate in the Australian context. Methods: Purposive convenience sampling was used to recruit key health professionals to participate in one hour face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Recruitment continued until data saturation was reached. Thematic analysis was undertaken using NVivo9 software. Results: Data was analysed using both inductive and deductive methods. Identified hurdles in decision making included difficulty in finding and accessing appropriate information in a timely manner, lack of aged participant involvement in large studies, and difficulties in contextualising vast amounts of new health information. Major issues with current resources included inability to assist with complex patient prescribing and a lack of Australian relevance. Key components which make resources useful include clear formatting, simplicity, use of peer-reviewed evidence based recommendations, IT based interface and use of algorithms. Conclusions: Current prescribing resources do not sufficiently meet key health professionals’ needs. In order to improve prescribing in the elderly these needs should be met with the development of a new resource that is able to deliver quality information using a simple format, capable of handling complex patients, with relevance to current Australian medical practice.
Effect of the Novel Inhaler-Based Reminder Labels on Inhaler Technique Education and Asthma Clinical Outcomes I. Basheti, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Sciences University, Amman, Jordan Backgrounds: To investigate two patient educational interventions on inhaler technique: Control Groupverbal information + physical demonstration; Active Group- verbal information + physical demonstration + novel Inhaler Technique Labels containing steps to be followed for optimal use of inhalers. Methods: This single-blinded randomized parallel group Active-Controlled study was conducted in 2010/2011, and ethics approval was obtained from the Jordanian Ministry of Health. Interventions were delivered to patients using the Turbuhaler (TH) and Accuhaler (ACC) at baseline (V1) and 3 months post-baseline (V2). Patients were randomized to two groups (Active Group: THA; ACCA; Control Group: THC; ACCC) and delivered educational interventions based on their group. Patients’ inhaler technique scores and Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores were assessed at V1 and V2. Results: A total of 95 patients (THA:23, ACCA:28; THC:18, ACCC:26) were recruited into the study (mean age 45.615.8, 68% females). At baseline, patients demonstrated poor inhaler technique (score out of 9, meanSD), (THA:4.90.8, ACCA:5.21.0; THC:4.00.8, ACCC:5.4
e49
1.2, P¼0.489). At V2, improvement in inhaler technique scores were significantly greater in Active cf. Control patients (THA:8.02.2,ACCA:7.91.8; THC:6.41.7, ACCC:6.1 2.0, p!0.005, Independent Sample T-test). Clinical outcomes showed significant improvement (p! 0.05) in ACT mean scores for TH and ACC patients post intervention for both Active and Control groups (THA: 11.03.5 vs. 20.22.2, ACCA:15.23.3 vs. 18.44.6; THC:13.62.6 vs. 19.13.8; ACCC:14.15.4 vs. 19.0 5.9). No significant differences in ACT scores were detected between Active and Control groups at both visits (PO0.05). Conclusions: Majority of patients in Jordan do not use their dry powder inhalers correctly. An educational intervention including verbal information plus physical demonstration can improve patents’ technique long term. The use of the Labels augments patients’ inhaler technique long term. Improvement in inhaler technique scores are associated with improvement in clinical outcomes (ACT score) for both TH and ACC users.
A Pilot Study Exploring Barriers to Safe and Effective Use of Medicines in Scottish Rheumatology Clinic Settings W.K. Gidman1, B.J. Johnson1, M. Field2, R. Madhok3, M. Perry4, G. Roberts4, H. Wilson5, 1University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, 2University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, 3Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland, 4Royal Alexandra Hospital Paisley, 5 Stobhill Hospital Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland Objectives: Rheumatology patients can have difficulty in taking prescribed medication as intended. Non-adherence results in poor health outcomes, increased mortality and higher healthcare costs. Being able to identify those at risk of poor adherence in the clinic could assist in the timely delivery of targeted interventions to improve the use of medicines. This study aims to understand whether it was possible to apply validated instruments to explore barriers to medicine adherence in rheumatology clinics. Methods: Following NHS Ethics Committee and Research and Development approval questionnaire packs were distributed to patients, during clinics by clinical staff, in three hospitals in Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire, between November 2011 and January 2012. The pack containing a return envelope, a demographic information questionnaire, the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire, the Medicine Adherence Rating Scale, the Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire and the helplessness subscale of the Rheumatology Attitudes Index. Patients were asked to complete questionnaires in the clinic or in their own time. Data were entered into SPSS for analysis (v19) and descriptive statistics and non-parametric inferential statistics were generated. Results: Clinics were provided with questionnaires and 61 completed questionnaires were returned. A response rate could not be reported because not all study sites