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What current pharmacists think about evidence-based medicine in pharmacy practice: opportunities to inform your teaching
No full textAt the completion of this activity, participants will be able to: Describe the gap in literature related to EBM in US pharmacy practice. Summarize the methodology and results of the survey-based study of practicing pharmacists and EBM. Evaluate their own EBM skills and curriculum and identify new curriculum opportunities.
This program will provide an overview of the importance of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and report new findings on implementation, confidence, and beliefs among current practicing pharmacists. Participants will reflect on, and discuss, their own views, skills, and practices related to EBM. Speakers will provide curriculum and practice-based suggestions, followed by time for brainstorming and discussion. Participants will obtain new knowledge related to EBM practices and ideas for curriculum approaches in their schools of pharmacy
Preliminary results from a content review of online hypertension discussion forums: A new approach to accessing patient beliefs about medications
No full textObjectives: Chronic conditions require ongoing care, including self-care. Beliefs about medications have shown to be associated with behaviors related to self-care. Prior studies have examined changes in beliefs about medications over time, evaluated beliefs about medicines and medication use, and investigated the associations between medication beliefs and adherence to chronic drug therapy. Although studies have systematically assessed patient beliefs about medications, primarily through surveys, none have studied beliefs in peer-to-peer unmoderated arenas such as online discussion boards. This in-progress study aims to provide a snapshot of discussions in an online forum for hypertension medicines to unveil the beliefs of patients taking these medications. The objective of this study is to identify themes surrounding patient beliefs and behaviors relating to hypertension and medication use.Methods: This qualitative study evaluates content from the MedHelp hypertension forum, as the first of multiple sites being analyzed within a larger study looking at hypertension and diabetes websites. Posts under this hypertension community forum were randomly selected, with various search ranges within the prior three years. Data are being analyzed using line-by-line open coding via the grounded theory method. Open coding will be conducted first to attribute an “out-of-context\u27\u27 descriptive quality to each individual comment or thought in a given post. Initial coding will be completed by two separate investigators, followed by a more focused coding to unveil broad, overarching themes and consistency. Themes will then be reviewed independently by the third investigator to assess consistency and obtain substantive, related, supporting quotes; this will include a further categorization of two key threads within each of the themes: beliefs and behaviors. These threads will serve as a framework for the reporting of data. This study has been submitted and approved by the St. John Fisher University institutional review board.Results: Results are pending data analysis.Conclusions: Findings may indicate how patients from this study perceive their medications and their attitudes toward managing a chronic disease state, in their own words. This could provide clinicians with additional areas of insight into patients’ coping with hypertension and their medication self-management. Furthermore, these results will provide the foundation for a larger qualitative study evaluating beliefs about medications discussed in online forums for those with hypertension
The Intersectionality of Trauma and the Master Status of Urban School Students with Incarcerated Parents: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
No full textThe purpose of this study was to explore the intersectionality framework in place in schools and to examine school-based responses to the trauma students may face when they have incarcerated parents. Intersectionality theory emphasizes the interconnected nature of various social identities, such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and more. Applying intersectionality theory to the context of students with incarcerated parents enhanced our understanding of the challenges they face. This qualitative study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine how five urban school administrators handled the effects of trauma in students with incarcerated parents.
The findings from the interviews highlight the critical role school administrators play in fostering a supportive environment for students who have incarcerated parents. Empathetic and understanding school administrations can significantly impact the well-being and academic success of students with incarcerated parents. This underscores the importance of addressing the needs of these students on multiple levels, considering not only their parental incarceration status but also the various intersecting identities and factors that shape their experiences.
Addressing the needs of students with incarcerated parents using an intersectional approach involved recognizing that the students’ challenges were multifaceted and interconnected. Recommendations include school administrators and district-level policies being sensitive to these intersections, ensuring that support mechanisms consider the unique needs of each individual student, schools putting more systemic support in place, and identifying and addressing students’ needs. Recognizing and addressing the challenges faced by students with incarcerated parents can create a more inclusive and compassionate school environment, improving education for all students
DEVELOPING A MODEL FOR COLLEGE STUDENT VOLUNTEERING IN RESPITE CARE
No full textThe purpose of our study is to evaluate college student volunteer’s learning on aging and caregiving through EXHALE, a grant-funded pilot respite program for family caregivers developed by Lifespan or Greater Rochester and St. John Fisher University. We are sharing the results from the first year of student participation (the program will be funded for 3 years). In addition to promoting student service learning in the field of aging, this evaluation will help in the development of a toolkit that can be used by other higher education institutions. The specific aims of the evaluation research are: 1) To evaluate students’ changes regarding attitudes towards aging, specifically towards frail older adults 2) To evaluate specific areas of learning regarding aging that were more salient in their volunteer experience (e.g. working with older adults with dementia, working with low-income minority elders, etc.) 3) To identify content areas for the development of the “toolkit” that will be used as a model for training future volunteers in higher education institutions. To assess student learning in the program we used the following three methods
1) The Kogan’s attitudes towards older people scale; 2) Student Reflections after each volunteer session at the respite care; 3) Bi-weekly debrief sessions with the professor. Furthermore, one of the student volunteers also served as a research assistant during the summer and received more personalized mentoring. Our findings show that students challenge some of their initial attitudes on aging, and gain knowledge about caregiving and cultural competency through this volunteering program
Black Feminine Performance Meets Feminist Placemaking
No full textFrom the clothing we adorn ourselves with to the playful role of our eyes or the careful words of accusation, we all engage in performances. In an ideal world, these performances would reflect or share our authentic selves. But in spaces burdened by social hierarchies and power dynamics for many BIPOC people, and particularly for black women, these personal performances become a necessary self-protective tool. This raises the question of how we effectively engage in feminist placemaking when we know that some people participating in these places are engaging in a self-protective performance. This essay will explore one answer to this question: to make room for these performances as one step toward building the trust needed to create safe and effective feminist places
Feminist Community-Building in Transient Places
No full textCunningham discusses mentoring students to co-create intersectional and action-oriented feminist communities within and beyond the college campus. Using both a regional and national conference as brief case studies, she examines attempts at silencing student voices in purportedly inclusive places and exemplifies the necessity of modeling speaking out in response to oppression. Through a politics of refusal, she argues that a central part of her role as a Gender and Sexuality Studies professor is to help students develop their ability to respond to marginalization wherever they find it, even and especially when it exists in places that claim to be feminist and inclusive but that instead offer resistance
Examining the Adolescent Student and Middle Level Teacher Preparation Programs: Perspectives of Novice Middle Level Educators and Higher Education Instructors
No full textThe purpose of this qualitative study was to examine teacher preparation programs and the extent to which teachers and higher education instructors perceived teachers’ readiness to teach middle school students. Additionally, the study investigated how much teachers are learning about adolescent development in their preparation programs. The study focused on middle level teachers and higher education instructors in the Western New York region. This examination of teacher preparation for middle level students used the Framework for Effective Middle Level Practices as the theoretical focus. The findings highlighted a lack of specialized middle level teacher preparation programs, leading to underprepared teachers. Additionally, participants expressed feelings of inadequacy in understanding effective structures for middle-level schools and classrooms, noting that they acquire most of their practical knowledge on the job. The study recommends continuous learning opportunities for teachers, allocation of funds by school districts for professional development, and the establishment of specialized middle level programs in teacher preparation courses. This research sets the stage for future studies on middle level certification courses and suggests exploring teacher preparation in other states for a broader understanding
Erasing the Dividing Line Between Race and the Protestant Church: A Phenomenological Comparative Research Study
No full textThis comparative phenomenological study researched how church leaders impact race relations in emerging multicultural Protestant churches, by analyzing the lived experiences of church members in multicultural churches. This study explored the strategies pastors use to manage race relations through the lens of transformational leadership theory. This comparative study compares the experiences of church members in an urban and suburban church setting. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at two multicultural churches in the Rochester, NY area. The first location included a suburban multicultural church setting with at least 50-75 members. The second location was a larger, more established congregation in an urban multicultural church with 75-100 members. During data analysis, transformational leadership theory assisted the researcher with emerging themes. Prevalent themes were coded and analyzed at the culmination of data collection. Results from the study reveal faith leaders profoundly influence race relations. The research gathered from interviews determined that there were minimal differences in the strategies pastors used to manage race relations. The comparative analysis revealed that participants value similar leadership qualities regardless of race, gender or geographical location of their church. After the data were analyzed, a series of recommendations were made to improve race relations for pastors in multicultural Protestant churches. Recommendations for aspiring multicultural church leaders were cited based on participant preferences. Church members recommended making intentional connections with members by asking, learning, and listening to their unique experiences
Crushability Analysis of Immediate-Release Oral Tablets and Capsules from the 2020-22 FDA Novel Drug Approvals
No full textPURPOSE: Healthcare providers often need to explore alternative options for patients who are unable to swallow whole tablets or capsules. Many newly approved immediate-release (IR) solid oral drugs carry a general “do-notcrush” warning or similar statements in their labeling without any explanations. A 2021 publication by Uttaro et al. presented a crushability analysis strategy for risk assessment and demonstrated its utility for some uncertain IR drugs on the ISMP do-not-crush list. This article provides an update on the topic and performs the crushability analysis of newly FDA-approved drugs.
METHODS: The novel drug approvals from 2020-22 were obtained from the FDA website. The IR oral tablets and capsules were extracted from the lists and subjected to crushability analysis. The scope of crushing activity was defined as crushing the tablets or capsule contents using a mortar and pestle, followed by suspending the powder in plain water at room temperature and administering the dose within 2 hours. The crushability analysis employed a checklist of questions regarding special dosage form design, hazardous drug status, stability & pharmacokinetics (PK), unofficial data from manufacturers, and availability of alternative dosage forms. The FDA-approved product labels were used as the main references for the analysis. NIOSH publications, FDA Orange Book, patents, and scientific literature were used for selected drugs.
RESULTS: From 2020 to 2022, 52 novel drug approvals were identified as IR oral tablets and capsules. Among them, 2 products were discontinued, and 10 already included specific manipulation instructions on their labels. The remaining 40 products had either a general “do-not-crush” statement or no information regarding crushability on the labels. The crushability analysis of these 40 products revealed that 23 products exhibited a low risk for crushing. However, the remaining 17 products were not suitable for crushing due to mostly stability/PK concerns. Four manufacturers had unofficial data related to crushing or mixing with liquids/soft foods, and none of the products had alternative oral liquid dosage forms.
CONCLUSION: The crushability analysis strategy was updated and applied to 40 IR oral tablets and capsules approved by FDA during 2020-22. The summary table and highlighted examples serve as a practical resource for pharmacists and other healthcare providers to make informed decisions regarding dosage form manipulation to facilitate dose administration in patients with difficulty swallowing solids
