Unlocking the Value: Communicating the Value of the Pharmacist to the Patient

Objective: To evaluate student pharmacists’ perspectives of the value that they provide to their patients. Methods: Third year (P3) professional pharmacy students were required to complete an educational workshop programme integrated into the Professional Practice Skills Laboratory. Prior to, and after the completion of the audio- visual teaching, an Institutional Review Board approved, anonymous, voluntary paper-based survey was distributed to all students. These surveys were intended to assess the perceptions of pharmacy students towards the value of the services they provide. The authors examined student opinions regarding the services most important to their patients, as well as their response to the contents of the workshop. The post-workshop survey also evaluated the impact of the exercise on the students’ ability to have gained new insights on addressing the issues they might have in communicating their value and their ideas regarding the ideal patient attitude to the services provided by the pharmacist. The survey was analysed descriptively. Results: Four hundred and seventy-seven students completed the survey. In the baseline survey, 37% of the students believed that providing accurate clinical information was the most critical service they provided to the patients, with 50% of the students highlighting cost and insurance questions as the most frustrating aspect of their daily routine. The educational workshop was generally well received with 66% of the students strongly agreeing that the speaker met the goals. In the post-workshop survey, 77.7% of the students reported being better equipped to communicate their value to patients by moving the conversation from other issues to the clinical aspects of care. In the baseline survey, 30.2% of the students indicated that clinical information and accurate dispensing were the most important services to the patients. As a result of the exercise, a higher proportion of students (66%) in the post-workshop survey wanted this to be the most valuable service according to the patients. Conclusions: Clinical aspects of care were of most value according to the pharmacy students. As a result of the educational workshop, students gained a new perspective to shift the conversations with the patients to these aspects. The workshop demonstrated a positive impact on student perceptions of ideal patient attitude towards the role of the pharmacists

Structure-based stabilization of insulin as a therapeutic protein assembly via enhanced aromatic-aromatic interactions

Key contributions to protein structure and stability are provided by weakly polar interactions, which arise from asymmetric electronic distributions within amino acids and peptide bonds. Of particular interest are aromatic side chains whose directional π-systems commonly stabilize protein interiors and interfaces. Here, we consider aromatic-aromatic interactions within a model protein assembly: the dimer interface of insulin. Semi-classical simulations of aromatic-aromatic interactions at this interface suggested that substitution of residue TyrB26 by Trp would preserve native structure while enhancing dimerization (and hence hexamer stability). The crystal structure of a [TrpB26]insulin analog (determined as a T3Rf3 zinc hexamer at a resolution of 2.25 Å) was observed to be essentially identical to that of WT insulin. Remarkably and yet in general accordance with theoretical expectations, spectroscopic studies demonstrated a 150-fold increase in the in vitro lifetime of the variant hexamer, a critical pharmacokinetic parameter influencing design of long-acting formulations. Functional studies in diabetic rats indeed revealed prolonged action following subcutaneous injection. The potency of the TrpB26-modified analog was equal to or greater than an unmodified control. Thus, exploiting a general quantum-chemical feature of protein structure and stability, our results exemplify a mechanism-based approach to the optimization of a therapeutic protein assembly

The influence of vitamin B<SUB>12</SUB> on the content, distribution and in vivo synthesis of thiamine pyrophosphate, flavin adenine dinucleotide and pyridine nucleotides in rat liver

This article does not have an abstract

An Introductory Interprofessional Exercise for Healthcare Students

Objective: To evaluate healthcare students’ perceptions of an introductory interprofessional exercise and their team dynamics. Design: A workshop was developed, combining second-year medical students, fourth-year nursing students, and third-year pharmacy students to work as an interdisciplinary team. The teams alternated between working together on patient cases focusing on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, and on the evaluation of standardized pneumonia patients. Teams were given the patients’ health information and no other instructions. A faculty member and the standardized patient evaluated the students using a teamwork global rating scale. Assessment: Student survey results showed a positive response to interprofessional teamwork. The faculty members and standardized patients reported that the students worked as a cohesive unit and demonstrated good team communication. Conclusions: This introductory interprofessional experience had a positive impact on the students’ understanding of collaboration and teamwork. This type of experience will help students foster future collaborations as healthcare providers

Sistema per l'acquisizione e la trasmissione dei dati della stazione mareografica MENFOR

Il presente documento descrive i componenti e le funzionalità del sistema realizzato per l’acquisizione e la trasmissione dei dati della stazione mareografica MENFOR sviluppata nell’ambito del progetto “Sviluppo di una stazione portuale per la previsione dei flussi di marea meteorologica, finalizzata a costituire un servizio per la sicurezza della navigazione e per la protezione dei natanti nel Golfo della Spezia” supportato dal programma PRAI-FESR della Regione Liguria. Il sistema qui descritto è stato realizzato con il contributo di tutti gli Enti coinvolti

Automatic quantitative analysis of microstructure of ductile cast iron using digital image processing

Ductile cast iron is preferred as nodular iron or spheroidal graphite iron. Ductile cast iron contains graphite in form of discrete nodules and matrix of ferrite and perlite. In order to determine the mechanical properties, one needs to determine volume of phases in matrix and nodularity in the microstructure of metal sample. Manual methods available for this, are time consuming and accuracy depends on expertize. The paper proposes a novel method for automatic quantitative analysis of microstructure of Ferritic Pearlitic Ductile Iron which calculates volume of phases and nodularity of that sample. This gives results within a very short time (approximately 5 sec) with 98% accuracy for volume phases of matrices and 90% of accuracy for nodule detection and analysis which are in the range of standard specified for SG 500/7 and validated by metallurgist

La dynamique paradoxale de l'EEE

À l’université, l’évaluation de l’enseignement par les étudiants (EEE) est un champ de recherches et de pratiques particulièrement sensible en raison de sa dimension paradoxale. Malgré des pratiques qui tendent à se développer dans le domaine et les nombreuses recherches auxquelles elle a donné lieu, dans certains contextes, l’expérience des enseignants, des responsables et des étudiants en la matière reste encore souvent limitée. L’EEE reste toujours sujette à de vives controverses, dans son adoption ou dans son rejet, et ce pour des raisons différentes. L’analyse de son cheminement en Amérique du Nord, où il s’agit d’une pratique systématique, et en Europe, où elle est encore dans de nombreux cas en phase d’implantation, montre les fluctuations des orientations politiques et les sérieuses difficultés pour en faire un instrument efficace au service de l’amélioration de l’enseignement universitaire (Younès, 2009a). Il est communément admis que le renforcement de l’EEE en Europe s’inscrit dans le cadre du processus de Bologne et de la mise en place de l’espace européen de l’enseignement supérieur (Rege Colet, 2010). Les politiques évaluatives et les dispositifs d’évaluation de l’enseignement et des formations développés dans ce sillon sont tous imprégnés de principes consistant, d’une part, à recourir à des méthodologies d’évaluation de la qualité communes et, d’autre part, à implémenter des politiques et des procédures qui impliquent la participation de tous les acteurs avec une mention spéciale en faveur d’une contribution soutenue de la part des étudiants. Relayées par les politiques nationales, ces lignes directrices appellent le développement de procédures d’évaluation de l’enseignement par les étudiants, confrontant des procédures génériques à des ajustements aux milieux concernés, ce qui implique d’accorder une grande attention aux acteurs et en particulier aux étudiants quant à leurs représentations, positions et pratiques effectives. Cette dynamique de l’EEE se trouve prise entre différentes tensions : a) les finalités, entre démarche formative et outil de contrôle ; b) la pertinence et la validité de l’EEE ; et c) l’implication des acteurs et leur rapport à la culture qualité. Ce sont ces trois dimensions que nous explorons dans la présente note de synthèse