Exploring the use of cognitive enhancement substances among Portuguese university students

Background Prescription drug use and the consumption of substances to enhance college students' cognitive performance, described as pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE), is a known phenomenon potentially impacting individuals' health. University and college students are two specific subpopulations noted to use PCE (up to 17%, on average). To our knowledge, no data have been published on the use of PCE drugs among university students at a national level in Portugal and the factors that might be associated with this usage. Objective The main objective was to estimate the prevalence of PCE use by Portuguese university students and to identify the PCE substances commonly used by university students, i.e., those classified as prescription drugs and other legal and nonprescribed substances, including food supplements. Methods The study followed a cross-sectional exploratory, descriptive design and pursued a convenience sample of students from Portuguese public and private universities (22 higher education institutions). Results From a sample of 745 university students, 32% indicated the use of prescribed and nonprescribed substances. The most consumed substances were food supplements with CNS stimulants being the most frequent prescription-only drugs but not necessarily accessed through a medical prescription. A significant statistical association was found between substance consumption and the field of study. Health science students reported more food supplements and drug intake, allegedly under prescribed regimens, compared to humanities and exact sciences students. The study discusses the need to better understand the competitive societies that produce and support young students' outputs and the perceived ‘need’ for performance-enhancing substances. Conclusions One-third of the university students aimed to improve their performance by pharmacological cognitive enhancement, with a preference for food supplements dispensed in pharmacies. PCE substance consumption in higher education is thus non-negligible. The study suggests the need to improve regulations on potential inequalities in academic rankings and success and an observant attitude concerning implications that negatively affect health in the long run.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Time spent by hospital personnel on drug changes: A time and motion study from an inand outpatient hospital setting

Introduction Medicines used at Danish public hospitals are purchased through tendering. Together with drug shortage, tendering result in drug changes, known to compromise patient safety, increase medicine errors and to be resource demanding for healthcare personnel. Details on actual resources required in the clinic setting to manage drug changes are unknown. The aim of the study is to explore time spend by hospital personnel in a drug change situation when dispensing medicine to in- and outpatients in a hospital setting in the Capital Region of Denmark. Method A time and motion study, using direct observation combined with time-registration tools, such as eye-tracking, video recording and manual time tracking. Data were obtained from observing nurses and social and health care assistants with dispensing authority while dispensing or extraditing medicine before and after the implementation of drug changes in two clinical setting; a cardiology ward and a rheumatology outpatient clinic. Results Hospital personnel at the cardiology inpatient ward spent 20.5 seconds on dispensing a drug, which was increased up to 28.4 seconds by drug changes. At the rheumatology outpatient clinic, time to extradite medicine increased from 8 minutes and 6 seconds to 15 minutes and 36 seconds by drug changes due to tender. Similarly, drug changes due to drug shortage prolonged the extradition time to 16 minutes and 54 seconds. Statistical analysis reveal that drug changes impose a significant increase in time to dispense a drug for both in- and outpatients. Conclusion Clinical hospital personnel spent significantly longer time on drug change situations in the dispensing of medicine to in- and outpatients in a hospitals. This study emphasizes that implementing drug changes do require extra time, thus, the hospital management should encounter this and ensure that additional time is available for the hospital personnel to ensure a safe drug dispensing process.publishedVersio

Improving the quality of publications in and advancing the paradigms of clinical and social pharmacy practice research : the Granada statements

Peer reviewe

Mejora de la Calidad de las Publicaciones y Avance en los Paradigmas de la Investigación en Farmacia Práctica Clínica y Social: La Declaración de Granada

La farmacia y las ciencias farmacéuticas abarcan una serie de disciplinas diferentes. La farmacia práctica se ha definido como "la disciplina científica que estudia los diferentes aspectos de la práctica de la farmacia y su impacto en los sistemas sanitarios, el uso de los medicamentos y la atención al paciente". Así pues, los estudios sobre la farmacia práctica abarcan tanto elementos de farmacia clínica como de farmacia social. Como cualquier otra disciplina científica, la farmacia práctica clínica y social difunde los resultados de la investigación mediante revistas científicas. Los editores de revistas de farmacia clínica y farmacia social tienen un papel en la promoción de la disciplina mediante la mejora de la calidad de los artículos publicados. Al igual que ha ocurrido en otras áreas sanitarias (medicina y enfermería), un grupo de editores de revistas de farmacia práctica clínica y social se reunió en Granada, España, para debatir cómo las revistas podrían contribuir a fortalecer la farmacia práctica como disciplina. El resultado de esa reunión se recogió en esta Declaración de Granada, que comprende 18 recomendaciones agrupadas en seis temas: el uso adecuado de la terminología, los resúmenes con impacto, las revisiones por pares requeridas, la dispersión de revistas, un uso más eficaz y prudente de los indicadores bibliométricos de revistas y artículos, y la selección por parte de los autores de la revista de farmacia práctica más adecuada para presentar sus trabajos

Mejorando la calidad de las publicaciones y avanzando en todos los paradigmas de la investigación de la farmacia Asistencial, clínica y social: las declaraciones de Granada

Pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences embrace a series of different disciplines. Pharmacy practice has been defined as “the scientific discipline that studies the different aspects of the practice of pharmacy and its impact on health care systems, medicine use, and patient care”. Thus, pharmacy practice studies embrace both clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy elements. Like any other scientific discipline, clinical and social pharmacy practice disseminates research findings using scientific journals. Clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy journal editors have a role in promoting the discipline by enhancing the quality of the articles published. As has occurred in other health care areas (i.e., medicine and nursing), a group of clinical and social pharmacy practice journal editors gathered in Granada, Spain to discuss how journals could contribute to strengthening pharmacy practice as a discipline. The result of that meeting was compiled in these Granada Statements, which comprise 18 recommendations gathered into six topics: the appropriate use of terminology, impactful abstracts, the required peer reviews, journal scattering, more effective and wiser use of journal and article performance metrics, and authors’ selection of the most appropriate pharmacy practice journal to submit their work.La farmacia y las ciencias farmacéuticas abarcan una serie de disciplinas diferentes. La Farmacia Asistencial se ha definido como “la disciplina científica que estudia los diferentes aspectos de la práctica de la farmacia y su impacto en los sistemas de atención de la salud, el uso de medicamentos y la atención al paciente”. Por lo tanto, los estudios de Farmacia Asistencial abarcan tantos elementos de farmacia clínica como de farmacia social. Como cualquier otra disciplina científica, la práctica de la farmacia clínica y social difunde los resultados de la investigación utilizando revistas científicas. Los editores de revistas de farmacia clínica y farmacia social tienen un papel en la promoción de la disciplina al mejorar la calidad de los artículos publicados. Como ha ocurrido en otras áreas del cuidado de la salud (es decir, medicina y enfermería), un grupo de editores de revistas de práctica farmacéutica clínica y social se reunió en Granada, España, para discutir cómo las revistas pueden contribuir a fortalecer la práctica farmacéutica como disciplina. El resultado de esa reunión se compiló en estas Declaraciones de Granada, que comprenden 18 recomendaciones reunidas en seis temas: el uso apropiado de la terminología, los resúmenes con impacto, la necesidad de la revisión por pares, la dispersión de revistas, el uso más eficaz y más inteligente de los indicadores bibliométricos y la selección por parte de los autores de la revista de práctica farmacéutica más adecuada para presentar su trabajo