Medication Reconciliation of Medically-Complex Emergency Department Patients by Second-Year Professional Pharmacy Students

ABSTRACT: Background: There is a high potential for medication discrepancies to occur during patient care transitions. However, health professionals must find ways to reduce these and improve patient care, such as with medication reconciliation. This intervention is used to identify a patient’s most accurate medication list by comparing the medical record to another list obtained from the patient, hospital, or other provider. Pharmacists have a major role in this process because of their medicinal expertise, but paying them is expensive, so using students may be more cost-effective. Research has examined fourth-year professional pharmacy students (P4s) performing medication reconciliation during their advanced pharmacy practice experiences; however, no research currently exists that explores the use of P2 students to determine their efficacy. Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to determine the effect of P2 students on medication reconciliation for high-risk patients undergoing care transitions within the emergency department compared to the efforts of P4s as described in the literature. The secondary objective is to determine the impact on 30-day readmission rates. Methodology: This is a historical-controlled, prospective, observational study. Data collection will occur August 2015 through April 2016 at Grandview Medical Center and Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. A sample size of at least 34 subjects is required to obtain statistical significance. Subjects will be selected by purposive sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. P2 students will perform medication reconciliation and complete a reporting form providing information on medication discrepancies, interventions, and re-admission dates. Analysis: Researchers will use descriptive statistics, such as mean, mode, and standard deviation, to report each set of data based on normality. One-sample t-tests will also be used to compare P2 data with pre-existing P4 data found in the literature

The Impact of Free Health Screenings at Community Pharmacies on Diabetes

Diabetes is a prevalent issue in the United States, with an estimated 8.1 million people un-diagnosed as of 2012. Health screenings have been proven to identify diseases earlier, thereby resulting in earlier and more satisfactory treatment. Community pharmacies can offer many of the same screenings as those in doctor offices. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of free health screenings in community pharmacies on patient follow-up, perceptions, and knowledge of diabetes through blood glucose screenings and patient education. The study design was a pre-post observational study using surveys, blood sugar screenings, and patient education on diabetes. Participants were voluntary patients from four REM Corporation pharmacies in Ohio who were 18 or older, not recently tested for diabetes, non-diabetic, not pregnant, and without disorders that could hinder survey responses and education. Pre- and post-surveys assessed both patient perceptions on free health screenings in community pharmacies and on diabetes knowledge. Results among the 26 participants showed there was no statistically significant difference between patient perception pre- and post-surveys (all p-values ≥ 0.05), however there was a statistically significant difference between pre and post diabetes knowledge surveys (p \u3c 0.001). Limitations of this study were the small sample size due to the relatively small pharmacies utilized and short length of study time. Future directions should focus on using more demographically diverse pharmacies and a longer study time. Due to patients already having highly positive perceptions of health screenings in community pharmacies, future research should assess patient knowledge of diseases and the impact of patient education on overall health outcomes. Results of the study showed patients had positive opinions on free health screenings in community pharmacies and these screenings can help patients understand disease states and be more aware of their health

Student Influences in Choosing Pharmacy

To determine the race, cultural background, gender, and regional factors on students’ perceptions and influences in choosing pharmacy as a profession on a national scale

Medication Reconciliation of Medically-Complex Emergency Department Patients by Second-Year Professional Pharmacy Students

Background: There is a high potential for medication discrepancies to occur during patient care transitions. However, health professionals must find ways to reduce these and improve patient care, such as with medication reconciliation. This intervention is used to identify a patient’s most accurate medication list by comparing the medical record to another list obtained from the patient, hospital, or other provider. Pharmacists have a major role in this process because of their medicinal expertise, but paying them is expensive, so using students may be more cost-effective. Research has examined fourth-year professional pharmacy students (P4s) performing medication reconciliation during their advanced pharmacy practice experiences; however, no research currently exists that explores the use of P2 students to determine their efficacy. Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to determine the effect of P2 students on medication reconciliation for high-risk patients undergoing care transitions within the emergency department compared to the efforts of P4s as described in the literature. The secondary objective is to determine the impact on 30-day readmission rates. Methodology: This is a historical-controlled, prospective, observational study. Data collection will occur August 2015 through April 2016 at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. A sample size of at least 34 subjects is required to obtain statistical significance. Subjects will be selected by purposive sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. P2 students will perform medication reconciliation and complete a reporting form providing information on medication discrepancies, interventions, and re-admission dates. Analysis: Researchers will use descriptive statistics, such as mean, mode, and standard deviation, to report each set of data based on normality. One-sample t-tests will also be used to compare P2 data with pre-existing P4 data found in the literature

The Impact of Free Health Screenings at Community Pharmacies on Diabetes

Diabetes is a prevalent issue in the United States, with an estimated 8.1 million people un-diagnosed as of 2012. Health screenings have been proven to identify diseases earlier, thereby resulting in earlier and more satisfactory treatment. Community pharmacies can offer many of the same screenings as those in doctor offices. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of free health screenings in community pharmacies on patient follow-up, perceptions, and knowledge of diabetes through blood glucose screenings and patient education. The study design was a pre-post observational study using surveys, blood sugar screenings, and patient education on diabetes. Participants were voluntary patients from four REM Corporation pharmacies in Ohio who were 18 or older, not recently tested for diabetes, non-diabetic, not pregnant, and without disorders that could hinder survey responses and education. Pre- and post-surveys assessed both patient perceptions on free health screenings in community pharmacies and on diabetes knowledge. Results among the 26 participants showed there was no statistically significant difference between patient perception pre- and post-surveys (all p-values ≥ 0.05), however there was a statistically significant difference between pre and post diabetes knowledge surveys (p \u3c 0.001). Limitations of this study were the small sample size due to the relatively small pharmacies utilized and short length of study time. Future directions should focus on using more demographically diverse pharmacies and a longer study time. Due to patients already having highly positive perceptions of health screenings in community pharmacies, future research should assess patient knowledge of diseases and the impact of patient education on overall health outcomes. Results of the study showed patients had positive opinions on free health screenings in community pharmacies and these screenings can help patients understand disease states and be more aware of their health

The Impact of Free Health Screenings at Community Pharmacies on Diabetes

Title: The Impact of Free Health Screenings at Community Pharmacies on Diabetes Authors: Jacques Allou, Jessica Amtower, Nicholas Daniels, Jeniffer George, Anna Smith, Jeb Ballentine, Pharm.D., and Emily Laswell, Pharm.D. Background: Health screenings can be beneficial when looking to detect diseases early on, thus making treatment easier. Free health screenings are typically performed in the community pharmacy setting. This makes it convenient because it is easily accessible and there is no appointment required. Diabetes is currently one of the most significant health issues faced today, with an estimated 7 million Americans going undiagnosed. Health screenings in community pharmacies are valuable to detect high blood glucose levels for patients to be referred for diagnosis and treatment. Previous studies related to health screenings have focused on hypertension and cholesterol, and few have been conducted on diabetes alone. Extensive research has not been performed regarding patient knowledge of diabetes or on the impact of health screenings. Due to this lack of research and the prevalence of diabetes, it is essential to explore the impact of free health screenings in regards to this growing health care issue. Objective: To assess the impact of free health screenings in community pharmacies on patient follow-up, perceptions, and knowledge of diabetes through blood glucose screenings and patient education. Methods: Data will be collected from local Kroger pharmacies. Patients will be purposefully selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Selected patients will be given a pre-survey at baseline prior to blood glucose testing and diabetes education. Individuals with abnormally high blood glucose levels will be referred to see a physician. Referred participants will be called a month after referral regarding the follow-up with their physician and potential diabetes diagnosis. All of the subjects will be called after a month to remind them to complete the post-survey. The post-survey will be sent to individuals by mail or email a month after the pre-survey. These surveys will contain the exact same questions as the pre-survey

The Impact of Free Health Screenings at Community Pharmacies on Diabetes

Background: Health screenings can be beneficial when looking to detect diseases early on, thus making treatment easier. Free health screenings are typically performed in the community pharmacy setting. This makes it convenient because it is easily accessible and there is no appointment required. Diabetes is currently one of the most significant health issues faced today, with an estimated 7 million Americans going undiagnosed. Health screenings in community pharmacies are valuable to detect high blood glucose levels for patients to be referred for diagnosis and treatment. Previous studies related to health screenings have focused on hypertension and cholesterol, and few have been conducted on diabetes alone. Extensive research has not been performed regarding patient knowledge of diabetes or on the impact of health screenings. Due to this lack of research and the prevalence of diabetes, it is essential to explore the impact of free health screenings in regards to this growing health care issue. Objective: To assess the impact of free health screenings in community pharmacies on patient follow-up, perceptions, and knowledge of diabetes through blood glucose screenings and patient education. Methods: Data will be collected from local Kroger pharmacies. Patients will be purposefully selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Selected patients will be given a pre-survey at baseline prior to blood glucose testing and diabetes education. Individuals with abnormally high blood glucose levels will be referred to see a physician. Referred participants will be called a month after referral regarding the follow-up with their physician and potential diabetes diagnosis. All of the subjects will be called after a month to remind them to complete the post-survey. The post-survey will be sent to individuals by mail or email a month after the pre-survey. These surveys will contain the exact same questions as the pre-survey