26 research outputs found
Do entry year pharmacy students have similar personal characteristics? Comparing personalities, professional goals, and role perceptions
Background: Schools and faculties of pharmacy are responsible for selecting students to admit into the profession. Despite many similarities, admission processes, pharmacists’ training, and scope of practice are different across jurisdictions. Students that are selected for admission may then differ in a number of ways, including by personality traits and other individual difference measures. Objective: To compare the trait characteristics between students entering a New Zealand (NZ-University of Otago) and Canadian ((University of Waterloo) pharmacy programme and to compare their professional goals and role perceptions. Methods: Incoming first year students at each university were invited to take an online questionnaire that included personality characteristics and potential predictors of involvement in pharmacists’ roles: (1) the Big Five Inventory (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism); (2) the Achievement Goals Questionnaire-Revised; (3) the Rational Experiential Inventory; and (4) Counsellor Role Orientation. Statistical tests were conducted to determine if there were differences between entry level pharmacy students from NZ and Canada.Results: 184 students (97/150 Otago, 87/118 Waterloo) completed the survey. On average, Waterloo students scored higher on agreeableness (M = 80 vs. 76, p = 0.06), conscientiousness (M = 70 vs. 68, p = 0.30), mastery-approach (M = 93 vs.90, p = 0.06), and faith-in-intuition (M = 67 vs. 61, p = 0.03) compared to Otago pharmacy students who were higher for openness M = 70 vs. 66, p = 0.09). An item measuring reliance on physicians for medicine advice was endorsed more by Otago pharmacy students (M = 35 vs. M = 15, p Discussion: While entry-level pharmacy students had similar personality profiles, differences were observed in role expectations and in experiential learning orientation. This highlights differing societal views on the role of pharmacists in each respective country. Pharmacy schools should study their student bodies when designing their curricula and electives, helping ensure graduates feel like they have the training to do what they need to do. Future work will determine if these personality and learning goals influence students’ preparation for practice. </p
One-way sensitivity analysis: (A) BT versus standard therapy, (B) omalizumab versus BT.
<p>One-way sensitivity analysis: (A) BT versus standard therapy, (B) omalizumab versus BT.</p
(A) Cost-effectiveness plane; (B) Cost-effectiveness acceptability curve; and (C) Expected value of information.
<p>(A) Cost-effectiveness plane; (B) Cost-effectiveness acceptability curve; and (C) Expected value of information.</p
Trends in Asthma-Related Direct Medical Costs from 2002 to 2007 in British Columbia, Canada: A Population Based-Cohort Study
<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Asthma-related health resource use and costs may be influenced by increasing asthma prevalence, changes to asthma management guidelines, and new medications over the last decade. The objective of this work was to analyze direct asthma-related medical costs, and trends in total and per-patient costs of hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications.</p> <h3>Methods</h3><p>A cohort of asthma patients from British Columbia (BC), Canada, was created. Asthma patients were identified using a validated case definition. Costs for hospitalizations, physician visits, and medications were calculated from billing records (in 2008 Canadian dollars). Trends in total and per-patient costs over the study period were analyzed using Generalized Linear Models.</p> <h3>Results</h3><p>398,235 patients satisfied the asthma case definition (mid-point prevalence 8.0%). Patients consumed 49.4 M in 2002 to $54.7 M in 2007. Total annual costs attributable to hospitalizations and physician visits decreased (−39.8% and −25.5%, respectively; p<0.001), while medication costs increased (+38.7%; p<0.001).</p> <h3>Interpretation</h3><p>This population-based analysis shows that the total direct cost of asthma in BC has increased since 2002, mainly due to a rise in asthma prevalence and cost of medication. Combination therapy with inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting beta-agonists has become a significant component of the cost of asthma. Although billing records capture only a fraction of the true burden of asthma, the simultaneous increase in medication costs and reductions in hospitalization and physician visit costs provides valuable insight for policy makers into the shifts in asthma-related resource use.</p> </div
Sensitivity analysis for the costs of BT.
<p>Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio as a function of BT’s cost: (A) BT versus standard therapy, (B) omalizumab versus BT.</p
Age, sex, and asthma prevalence of the study population (N = 398,235).
<p>Age, sex, and asthma prevalence of the study population (N = 398,235).</p
Total annual costs and annual costs per patient: results of the sensitivity analyses (2008 Canadian dollars).
*<p>Narrow definition: hospitalizations in which asthma was coded as the ‘most responsible’ diagnosis (i.e., ICD-9 493.x or ICD-10 J45, J46), physician visits that were coded as asthma according to the ICD-9 code 493.x, short list of asthma-related medications;</p>†<p>Broad definition: all hospitalizations in which asthma was indicated among the discharge diagnoses, all physician visits for an asthma-related diagnosis, long list of asthma-related medications;</p>‡<p>Patient-years with active asthma are the years in which the patient has consumed at least one asthma-related health care resource. (hospitalization, physician visit or asthma-related medication).</p
Total (left) and per-patient (right) cost of asthma according to the level of control from 2002 to 2007 (2008 Canadian dollars)* <i>for 293,055 patients over 14 years old at the index date.</i>
<p>Total (left) and per-patient (right) cost of asthma according to the level of control from 2002 to 2007 (2008 Canadian dollars)* <i>for 293,055 patients over 14 years old at the index date.</i></p
Annual cost of asthma-related medications according to year and drug category (2008 Canadian dollars).
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<i>ICS: inhaled corticosteroids, SABA: short-acting beta-agonists, LABA: long-acting beta-agonists, ICS/LABA: inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists in combination, LTRA: leukotriene receptor antagonists.</i></p
Trends over 2002–2007 in asthma control.
<p>Trends over 2002–2007 in asthma control.</p