Pharmacy education in Jordan: updates Alefan, Qais; Alsmadi, Mo'tasem M.
The International journal of pharmacy practice,
December 2017, Letnik:
25, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Objective
To describe the increasing number of pharmacy schools in Jordan.
Method
A review for numbers of schools and their curricula was conducted.
Key findings
To date, there are 18 pharmacy ...schools in Jordan. PharmD program is offered by two public schools. PhD program is offered by one school; while MSc program is offered by seven schools. Public pharmacy schools have two similar programs in terms of curricula, ‘regular’ and ‘parallel’. The ratio of pharmacists to 1000 population was 2.1 in 2012. Substantial increase in pharmacists’ integration is needed in public and private primary care settings.
Conclusions
Number of pharmacy schools and pharmacy graduates in Jordan seems to be ‘high’. If the schools are to remain on a track of growth, let the emphasis shift to PharmD expansion.
Since 2000, the Doctor of Pharmacy degree has served as the entry-level credential for pharmacy practice in the United States, Some 20-plus years following the complete transition to an entry-level ...clinical doctorate in pharmacy, a re-examination of the outcomes of this move and the trajectory of the profession is merited. Particular attention might be given to the increasing diversity within pharmacy and the myriad of practice types. Regardless of the path forward, intentional and critical appraisals of both the pros and cons of the entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy, as well as the future of pharmacy practice, are warranted. Nursing is a case study in contrast to pharmacy, with its multiple degree and training programs and its hierarchical and graded system of practice. Nursing practice clearly links progressive levels of education to increasing clinical privileges.
Objective: To determine if hospital‐based clinical pharmacy services and pharmacy staffing continue to be associated with mortality rates.
Methods: A database was constructed from 1998 MedPAR, ...American Hospital Association's Annual Survey of Hospitals, and National Clinical Pharmacy Services databases, consisting of data from 2,836,991 patients in 885 hospitals. Data from hospitals that had 14 clinical pharmacy services were compared with data from hospitals that did not have these services; levels of hospital pharmacist staffing were also compared. A multiple regression analysis, controlling for severity of illness, was used.
Results: Seven clinical pharmacy services were associated with reduced mortality rates: pharmacist‐provided drug use evaluation (4491 reduced deaths, p=0.016), pharmacist‐provided in‐service education (10,660 reduced deaths, p=0.037), pharmacist‐provided adverse drug reaction management (14,518 reduced deaths, p=0.012), pharmacist‐provided drug protocol management (18,401 reduced deaths, p=0.017), pharmacist participation on the cardiopulmonary resuscitation team (12,880 reduced deaths, p=0.009), pharmacist participation on medical rounds (11,093 reduced deaths, p=0.021), and pharmacist‐provided admission drug histories (3988 reduced deaths, p=0.001). Two staffing variables, number of pharmacy administrators/100 occupied beds (p=0.037) and number of clinical pharmacists/100 occupied beds (p=0.023), were also associated with reduced mortality rates.
Conclusion: The number of clinical pharmacy services and staffing variables associated with reduced mortality rates increased from two in 1989 to nine in 1998. The impact of clinical pharmacy on mortality rates mandates consideration of a core set of clinical pharmacy services to be offered in United States hospitals. These results have important implications for health care in general, as well as for our profession and discipline.
The prevalence of specialty pharmacies has grown, especially within the hospital setting. These pharmacies have shown benefits in the areas of patient education and adherence, financial support, and ...patient and provider satisfaction. Currently, there are gaps in literature describing use of a hybrid clinical model in health-system specialty pharmacies.
The UofL Health - UofL Hospital Specialty Pharmacy (UofL Health SP) is attached to a retail pharmacy in a larger health system. Pharmacists in the UofL Health SP utilize a hybrid clinical model in which they split their time between working in a specialty clinic and staffing in the specialty pharmacy. The specialty pharmacy and its oncology satellite pharmacy each have a primary staffing pharmacist, and 5 other pharmacists participate in this hybrid clinical model. In addition to the specialty pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and patient care advocates support the operations of the specialty pharmacy and ensure financial access to medications for patients.
With the hybrid clinical model at UofL Health SP, there is increased workflow efficiency and better communication between specialty clinics and the specialty pharmacy, which results in a streamlined patient experience. Additionally, there has been an increase in specialty pharmacy prescriptions dispensed in the specialty pharmacy since the implementation of this hybrid clinical model.
Regardless of practice setting, it is imperative that pharmacists be able to either participate in generating new knowledge or use the ever‐expanding body of literature to guide patient care. ...However, competing priorities in Pharm.D. curricula and residency training programs have resulted in limited emphasis on acquiring research and scholarly skills. Factors likely contributing to this reduced focus include the lack of curricular and postgraduate training standards emphasizing the development of research skills, time to commit to scholarly activity, and accessibility to experienced mentors. Strategies for increasing scholarly activity for pharmacy students and residents should therefore continue to be a focus of professional degree and residency training programs. Several resources are available for academic planners, program directors, and institutions to augment scholarly experience for pharmacy trainees and clinicians. This commentary highlights the importance of providing research opportunities for students and residents, describes the potential barriers to these activities, and provides recommendations on how to increase the instruction and mentoring of trainees to generate and use research.
Objective. To analyze the modifiable predictors of institution-wide residency match rates.
Methods. This was a retrospective analysis of colleges and schools of pharmacy data and school-wide PGY-1 ...pharmacy residency match rates for 2013 through 2015. Independent variables included NAPLEX passing rates, history of ACPE probation, NIH funding, academic health center affiliation, dual-degree availability, program length, admit-to-applicant ratio, class size, tuition, student-driven research, clinically focused academic tracks, residency affiliation, U.S. News & World Report rankings, and minority enrollment.
Results. In a repeated measures model, predictors of match results were NAPLEX pass rate, class size, academic health center affiliation, admit-to-applicant ratio, U.S. News & World Report rankings, and minority enrollment.
Conclusion. Indicators of student achievement, college/school reputation, affiliations, and class demographics were significant predictors of institution-wide residency match rates. Further research is needed to understand how changes in these factors may influence overall match rates.
Specialty medications often have high costs, pose difficulties with payor approval, and require additional monitoring. Earlier articles have defined various examples of clinical outcome measures ...(COMs); however, goals and benchmarks have not been well defined, and a gap in the literature exists. This study evaluated the effectiveness of our health-system specialty pharmacy (HSSP) patient management program (PMP) in achieving predefined COM goals.
Disease state protocols were developed within the HSSP, and clinical and adherence goals were created for each COM based on primary literature. This retrospective, single-center review examined outcomes and adherence data on patients enrolled in the PMP during 2022. The primary outcome was the number of predefined disease state COM goals met. Secondary outcomes included the number of predefined adherence goals met and annual financial impact.
Of 1,431 patients whose records were reviewed, 1,053 met criteria for inclusion. The primary outcome analysis showed that 85% (33 of 39) of the predefined disease state goals were met. Predefined adherence goals were met, with an average proportion of days covered (PDC) for all specialty medications of >90%. The PMP yielded $5,167,043 in direct patient cost savings and $167,260 in cost avoidance.
The PMP yielded positive results in meeting goals set for the COMs in the disease states managed within the HSSP. COMs will remain a focus for HSSPs to help patients achieve desired clinical outcomes and HSSPs adhere to accreditation standards. More research in this field and standardization of COM goals may benefit the larger HSSP community.
A large proportion of the world’s disease burden is attributable to mental illnesses. Although effective interventions are available, many patients still have limited access to evidence-based ...treatments. Aside from access, treatment gaps, including inappropriate medication selection and monitoring, are also routinely recognised. Mental health clinical pharmacists can help address these gaps and enable patients to receive optimised pharmaceutical care, particularly appropriate medication selection and monitoring. The European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP) Special Interest Group on Mental Health was established to improve standardised service provision in mental health settings across Europe. The Special Interest Group identified significant barriers (predominantly associated with reimbursement and position within the multidisciplinary team) to effective pharmaceutical care amongst those with mental illnesses. This commentary presents recommendations to address these gaps through improved mental health clinical pharmacy service provision.
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