Analysis of Pharmacist-Patient Communication using the Roter Method of Interaction Process Analysis System

Background: Effective communication between pharmacists and patients is a crucial factor in ensuring thatmedications are used properly. However, few studies have examined the contents of actual on-sitecommunications between pharmacists and patients.Objective: To identify the characteristics of and problems with routine communications betweenpharmacists and patients using the Roter Method of Interaction Process Analysis System (RIAS).Methods: Conversations between pharmacists and simulated patients (SPs) were recorded and transcribed.Using the RIAS technique, their utterances were classified into 42 categories, and these were furtherdivided into 11 clusters, such as open- and closed-ended questions, and analyzed. Furthermore, theinfluence that the different scenarios performed by the pharmacists may have had on the structure of theircommunication was investigated. All of the transcripts were double-coded by two certified coders.Results: A total of 57 pharmacists took part in the study. The mean ratio of utterances made by SPs andpharmacists were 44% and 56%, respectively. The percentage of pharmacists’ questions was more thandouble that of SPs’ for both open- and closed-ended questions. In the influence that the different scenarios,the scenarios for patients with cancer was significantly higher ratio of utterances by the pharmacists.Conclusions: Pharmacists’ communications tended to focus more on information-gathering activities thatconcentrated on closed-ended questions and frequent counseling, or directing utterances about themedication than on considering the patient’s background. On the other hand, the pharmacists didcommunicate in ways that matched each patient’s disease. This study identified the structure ofpharmacists’ on-site communications, and revealed the associated characteristics and problems

Reliability and Validity of the Nursing Student Competency Assessment Instrument and Related Factors

The purpose of this study was to confirm the reliability and validity of the competency assessment index of nursing students and to identify the factors associated with competency. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on nursing students enrolled from April 2021 to March 2022. Principal component analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were used to examine the reliability and validity of the competency factor structure. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze related factors. As a result, the reliability and validity of the factor structure of competency were statistically clarified. As related factors of competency, “grade level” and “thinking that learning in university education gives students confidence” and “cognitive regulation strategies” were identified. In the analysis by competency sub-factors, other than grade level,［ relationship building］ was affected by “being immersed in university education,” ［ethical care］ and ［cooperation and collaboration］ by “thinking that learning in university education gives students confidence”, and［ health problem-solving］ and［ professional development］ by “cognitive regulation strategies”. The importance of recommending experiential education in clinical practice, strengthening self-regulated learning strategies, and education to increase students’ self-confidence were suggested. The results of this study contribute to the reconstruction of education in which competencies are shared with students

Why Always Versatile? Dynamically Customizable Musical Instruments Facilitate Expressive Performances

In this paper, we discuss a design principle for the musicalinstruments that are useful for both novices and professionalmusicians and that facilitate musically rich expression. Webelieve that the versatility of conventional musicalinstruments causes difficulty in performance. By dynamicallyspecializing a musical instrument for performing a specific(genre of) piece, the musical instrument could become moreuseful for performing the piece and facilitates expressiveperformance. Based on this idea, we developed two new typesof musical instruments, i.e., a "given-melody-based musicalinstrument" and a "harmonic-function-based musicalinstrument." From the experimental results using twoprototypes, we demonstrate the efficiency of the designprinciple