Pharmacoeconomic education in colleges of pharmacy outside of the United States

Objective. To determine the extent of pharmacoeconomic education offered by colleges and schools of pharmacy outside the United States. Methods. A total of 291 colleges and schools of pharmacy in 103 countries were surveyed via e-mail about the type and extent of pharmacoeconomic training offered to their professional and graduate level students. Results. Ninety colleges and schools of pharmacy from 43 countries provided usable responses. Fiftytwo percent of the colleges and schools of pharmacy provided pharmacoeconomics education (Europe, n=19; Asia, n=10; North America, n=7; Oceania, n=6; and other, n=5). Of the 47 colleges and schools responding, 9 provided pharmacoeconomics education at the professional level only, 16 at the graduate level only, and 22 at both levels. More professional students had access to pharmacoeconomics education than graduate students; however, graduate students were offered more pharmacoeconomics class hours than professional students. Conclusions. Many colleges and schools of pharmacy outside the United States offer pharmacoeconomics in their curriculum. Current trends in global pharmacoeconomics education seem to mirror trends that occurred in the United States in the 1990s

Morphinofobia: the situation among the general population and health care professionals in North-Eastern Portugal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Morphinofobia among the general population (GP) and among health care professionals (HP) is not without danger for the patients: it may lead to the inappropriate management of debilitating pain. The aim of our study was to explore among GP and HP the representation and attitudes concerning the use of morphine in health care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was done among 412 HP (physicians and nurses) of the 4 hospitals and 10 community health centers of Beira Interior (Portugal)and among 193 persons of the GP randomly selected in public places. Opinions were collected through a translated self-administered questionnaire.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A significant difference of opinion exists among GP and HP about the use of morphine. The word morphine first suggests drug to GP (36,2%) and analgesia to HP (32,9%.). The reasons for not using morphine most frequently cited are: for GP morphine use means advanced disease (56%), risk of addiction (50%), legal requirements (49,7%); for HP it means legal risks (56,3%) and adverse side effects of morphine such as somnolence - sedation (30,5%) The socio-demographic situation was correlated with the opinions about the use of morphine.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>False beliefs about the use of morphine exist among the studied groups. There seems to be a need for developing information campaigns on pain management and the use of morphine targeting. Better training and more information of HP might also be needed.</p

Report of the AACP Educating Clinical Scientists Task Force II

Clinical/translational research can be separated into two components, T1 and T2. T1 research applies discoveries generated during preclinical laboratory research to the development of clinical efficacy trials in humans, leading up to the submission of a New Drug Application or an amended New Drug Application claiming new uses of an approved medication. The second component of translation research, T2, is aimed at developing and identifying actions, interventions, or practices that enhance the effectiveness of approved agents in the larger population. The delivery of effective treatments through the implementation and evaluation of best practice guidelines within practice settings is another component of T2 research, but some authors have broken this aspect of patient care and practice into a subcategory of T2 research or simply labeled it as T3 research.1,2 Clinical and/or translational research are not new areas of research, but their importance in improving the public's health was heightened with the introduction of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap programs and by the Roadmap's Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program which aims to consolidate a number of NIH clinical research and training programs at the nation's Academic Health Centers (AHCs).3,4 A primary requirement for a successful CTSA program is the demonstration of involvement of several health professions colleges/schools that are either members of the submitting institution's AHCs or from a medical school and health professions programs at another institution. A number of the successful CTSA applications have significant involvement of colleges/schools of pharmacy