Identification of teaching and learning components of a telepharmacy training module for undergraduate pharmacy students in Malaysia: A qualitative study

Background:Telepharmacyis a pharmaceutical care service provided by qualified pharmacists via telecommunication, meant to reach particularlyremote patients. Although telepharmacy was introduced several years ago, the curriculum for providing telepharmacy services is scarcely developed in many pharmacy schools in Malaysia. As a result, pharmacy students might lack the knowledge and skills to offertelepharmacy services to the community. Objective: This study aimed to identify the principal teaching and learning components to be included in a telepharmacy training module for undergraduate pharmacy students. Methods: Using a validated interview guide, the study applied a qualitative method that involved one-on-one interviews with students, academicians, and pharmacy practitioners. Ethics approval was obtained before data collection between October 2022 and January 2023. The data were analysed using NVIVO software. Results: Ten final-year pharmacy students, three academicians, and four pharmacy practitioners were interviewed until responses reached saturation. Four key themes were identified from the interview: the conduct of telepharmacy training, the learning components of the module, the skills required for telepharmacy, and the infrastructure for training. Conclusion:The emerging themes can potentially be used in developing the telepharmacy training module to improve the knowledge and skills of telepharmacy among undergraduate pharmacy students

Types and costs of medications returned by outpatients at a Malaysian teachinghHospital: a one-year cross-sectional study

Introduction: Medication wastage is attributable to various factors, including therapeutic failure, over-prescription, and poor compliance. Data regarding the cost and types of returned medications are essential to estimate the financial burden that can be reduced locally through targeted intervention. This study aimed to investigate the types and cost of medications returned by outpatients at a teaching hospital in Kuantan, Pahang. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study collected data from the electronic medical record based on the list of returned medications at the outpatient pharmacy department at Sultan Ahmad Shah medical Centre (SASMEC) @IIUM between January and December 2021. All medications with SASMEC patients' label were included. The medications were classified according to the classification index based on the British National Formulary. The data were analysed using Microsoft Excel version 16.52. The cost associated with returned medications was calculated, referring to the latest cost price of the respective medications. Results: A total of 134 patients returned their medications in 2021 (mean ± SD age: 63 ± 13 years), with 52% females. The total quantities of returned medications were 11,054 units. These included pills, devices (inhalers, insulin pens), bottles, and plastic containers. The overall cost of these medications was Ringgit Malaysia (RM) 13,594.90 (mean per patient: RM 101.45). The highest number of returned medications was from the cardiovascular group (32.5%), followed by the endocrine group (26%) and musculoskeletal group (11.9%). The highest cost for returned medications was the endocrine group (49%), followed by the cardiovascular group (20%) and the musculoskeletal group (10%). Conclusion: Medications used for cardiovascular diseases were the most frequently returned at outpatient pharmacy, whereas those for endocrine diseases contributed to the highest cost. Future research could focus on identifying modifiable factors that can contribute to the sustainability of health resources by reducing the cost of returned medications

Knowledge and practices of medication usage, storage and disposal among outpatients in a Malaysian teaching hospital: a qualitative study

Introduction: Improper storage and disposal of medications can cause pollution in the environment. Developing effective interventions tailored to local practices is important to reduce pharmaceutical wastage. Little is known concerning how Malaysian outpatients use, store, and dispose medicines. This study aimed to explore the experiences, challenges, and reflections perceived by outpatients addressing these issues. Materials and methods: A qualitative methodology was adopted by using a semi-structured interview guide to explore patients’ experiences related to their knowledge and practices of medication usage, storage, and disposal. A total of 15 patients and five caregivers were recruited at a teaching hospital in Kuantan, Pahang, for in-depth interview sessions. Each interview was recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. Data were sorted and coded using NVivo Release 1.5.1 software and subjected to thematic analysis. Results: The following themes were identified from the interviews, which were 1) incomplete labelling and instructions 2) scepticism about returning unused medications 3) lack of knowledge with varying practices 4) role of pharmacists to improve patient’s medication literacy 5) lack of accessibility to return unused medications, 6) needs of educational programmes /campaigns 7) required information on medicine prices. Conclusion: Management of medication usage, storage, and disposal seems to be multifactorial. Therefore, it is important to develop contextual strategies and effective interventions to improve patients’ knowledge and practices regarding medication usage, storage, and disposal. Future research is needed to develop and test the intervention of these components to reduce pharmaceutical wastage in the environment through best practices at all levels

Silver nanoparticle biogenically synthesized by Psychotria malayana Jack and its antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities

Introduction: Attributable to antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of nanoparticles, their use is believed to be able to combat antimicrobial resistance and chemoresistance. In synthesizing nanoparticles, green synthesis method is widely studied because it is environmental-friendly due to use of biological agents as reducing and stabilising agents. Psychotria malayana Jack is rich with phytochemicals possessing many potential bioactivities. Thus, this study aims to extract phytochemicals from leaves of P. malayana Jack and to biogenically synthesise silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-PM) using the extract. Methods: The leaves of P. malayana Jack was extracted in methanol-water solvent via ultrasound assisted extraction and it was incubated in silver nitrate solution for 24 hours. The formation of AgNPs-PM was confirmed via UV-Visible, scanning electron microscopy, zeta particle size and zeta potential analysis. The synthesized AgNPs-PM were tested for their cytotoxicity on human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (CaCO-2) and human epithelial breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7) via 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay. For antimicrobial activity, they were tested on Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus using disc diffusion method. Results: AgNPs-PM were successfully synthesized using P. malayana Jack extract as reducing and stabilising agents. Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis showed that flavonoids, amino acids and heterocyclic compounds are among phytochemicals of P. malayana Jack that are responsible for the reducing and stabilizing of AgNPs-PM. At concentrations ranging from 12.5 µg/ml to 400 µg/ml of AgNPs-PM, the percentage inhibition of cancer cells was insignificant, whereas 2 mg/ml AgNPs-PM tested on the microbial strains showed inhibition on their growth. Conclusion: AgNPs-PM has been successfully synthetised and characterised. However, the AgNPs possesses low bioactivities against bacterial and cytotoxic activities

Identification of teaching and learning components of a telepharmacy trainingmodule for undergraduate pharmacy students in Malaysia: a qualitative study

Background:Telepharmacyis a pharmaceutical care service provided by qualified pharmacists via telecommunication, meant to reach particularlyremote patients. Although telepharmacy was introduced several years ago, the curriculum for providing telepharmacy services is scarcely developed in many pharmacy schools in Malaysia. As a result, pharmacy students might lack the knowledge and skills to offertelepharmacy services to the community. Objective: This study aimed to identify the principal teaching and learning components to be included in a telepharmacy training module for undergraduate pharmacy students. Methods: Using a validated interview guide, the study applied a qualitative method that involved one-on-one interviews with students, academicians, and pharmacy practitioners. Ethics approval was obtained before data collection between October 2022 and January 2023. The data were analysed using NVIVO software. Results: Ten final-year pharmacy students, three academicians, and four pharmacy practitioners were interviewed until responses reached saturation. Four key themes were identified from the interview: the conduct of telepharmacy training, the learning components of the module, the skills required for telepharmacy, and the infrastructure for training. Conclusion:The emerging themes can potentially be used in developing the telepharmacy training module to improve the knowledge and skills of telepharmacy among undergraduate pharmacy students

Early diagnosis and effective treatment regimens are the keys to tackle antimicrobial resistance in tuberculosis (TB): a report from Euroscicon's international TB Summit 2016

To say that tuberculosis (TB) has regained a strong foothold in the global human health and wellbeing scenario would be an understatement. Ranking alongside HIV/AIDS as the top reason for mortality due to a single infectious disease, the impact of TB extends far into socio-economic context worldwide. As global efforts led by experts and political bodies converge to mitigate the predicted outcome of growing antimicrobial resistance, the academic community of students, practitioners and researchers have mobilised to develop integrated, inter-disciplinary programmes to bring the plans of the former to fruition. Enabling this crucial requirement for unimpeded dissemination of scientific discovery was the TB Summit 2016, held in London, United Kingdom. This report critically discusses the recent breakthroughs made in diagnostics and treatment while bringing to light the major hurdles in the control of the disease as discussed in the course of the 3-day international event. Conferences and symposia such as these are the breeding grounds for successful local and global collaborations and therefore must be supported to expand the understanding and outreach of basic science research

Silver nanoparticles biogenically synthesised using Maclurodendron porteri extract and their bioactivities

Silver nanoparticle is widely used in various field including medical, cosmetic, food and industrial purposes due to their unique properties in electrical conductivity, thermal, and biological activities. In the medical field, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been reported to have strong antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. This study aimed to synthesize and characterize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Maclurodendron porteri (MP) extract and to evaluate the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of the synthesised MP-AgNPs. Green method of Ultrasound Assisted Extraction (UAE) was used to extract the leaves of M. porter. Liquid Chromatography -Mass Spectrometry/Quadrupole time-of-flight (LC-MS/QTOF) was used to identify the compounds in the leaf extract of M. porteri. Characterisation of the synthesised nanoparticles involved ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), scanning electromagnetic microscopy (SEM), Zeta potential Analyzer and Particle Size Analyzer. The cytotoxic assay was conducted on MCF-7 and Caco-2 cell lines by MTT assay. Antimicrobial activity was tested on Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria using the disc diffusion method. Based on LC-MS/QTOF analysis, 430 compounds were found. The identified major compounds consist of amino acids, polyphenols, steroids, terpenoids and heterocyclic compounds which possibly act as reducing agents. 1 mM, 5 mM and 10 mM of silver nitrate solution were mixed with the leaf extract to form silver nanoparticles. 1.2 mg/ml of MP-AgNPs were found to have antibacterial activity against B. subtilis, S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa with inhibitory zones of 8.0 ± 0.36 mm, 8.5 ± 0.45 mm, 7.5 ± 0.36 mm, and 9.0 ± 0.40 mm respectively. MP-AgNPs showed no cytotoxic activity against Caco-2 and MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, the presence of major amine compounds such as 10,11-dihydro-10,11-dihydroxyprotriptyline and harderoporphyrin in the extract facilitated the synthesis of AgNPs and the nanoparticle showed weak bioactivities in the assay conducted