Cristian Rodriquez, Shanna K O'Connor, Emily Albers
{"title":"American Pharmacists Association Foundation Incentive Grants: A 30-year descriptive review.","authors":"Cristian Rodriquez, Shanna K O'Connor, Emily Albers","doi":"10.1016/j.japh.2025.102323","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2025.102323","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The American Pharmacists Association Foundation Incentive Grant program provides funding for pharmacy learners to conduct community pharmacy-based research projects. Over the 30-year period since its inception, the number of grants awarded has grown through support from the Community Pharmacy Foundation.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The objective of this project was to describe the breakdown of project topics and geographic reach of Incentive Grant-funded projects from 1994 to 2024 and summarize the number of patients or survey respondents reached.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>All available reports and supporting documents for the Incentive Grant program were reviewed using the American Pharmacists Association Foundation internal database. Projects were assigned a geographical region using US Census Bureau Divisions and categorized using focus areas from grant calls-for-proposals. Project impact was evaluated by summing the number of interventions reported in final reports.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 784 projects were conducted and 551 had final reports available. Thirteen project focus areas were identified, with a majority of projects related to cardiovascular disease management (21.1%), pharmacy workflow/processes (14%), and immunizations (13.3%). Projects were conducted most frequently in the U.S. regions of South Atlantic (27.4%), East North Central (24.2%), and West North Central (14.9%). Of 398 projects with intervention-level data reported (2004-2024), 100,547 interventions were made (86,616 patients impacted and 13,931 survey respondents reached).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings of this study serve as a summary of community pharmacy-based research over time, indicating the American Pharmacists Association Foundation Incentive Grant program has likely had a positive influence on community pharmacy-based research as evidenced by number of funded projects, geographic scope, participant impact, and breadth of project focus.</p>","PeriodicalId":50015,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Pharmacists Association","volume":" ","pages":"102323"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143043098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David R Axon, Becka Eckert, Terra Leon, Sonia Morales, John Ehiri, Aminata Kilungo, Thelma Okotie, Tenneh Turner-Warren
{"title":"Medication therapy management lifestyle and wellness program for patients in rural Arizona.","authors":"David R Axon, Becka Eckert, Terra Leon, Sonia Morales, John Ehiri, Aminata Kilungo, Thelma Okotie, Tenneh Turner-Warren","doi":"10.1016/j.japh.2025.102324","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2025.102324","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (MTM) services have demonstrated improved clinical outcomes for patients. MTM services could incorporate additional lifestyle and wellness counseling to potentially enhance health care for underserved patients.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To report the outcomes of a new pharmacist-provided MTM lifestyle and wellness counseling program for underserved rural Arizonans with diabetes and/or hypertension.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A community health center referred rural Arizonans with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension to the MTM pharmacist for telephonic MTM lifestyle and wellness counseling between July 2020 and June 2023. Data were collected on clinical characteristics, adherence issues, and pharmacist recommendations. A nurse reviewed the patients' electronic health record to determine which recommendations had been accepted by the primary care provider after 90 days. Summary statistics were computed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For 93 patients in the program, pharmacists identified many drug-drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, utilization/cost concerns, and recommended preventative vaccines. Pharmacists provided counseling for exercise, nutrition, laboratory values, and disease state education. Twenty-nine patients reported missing any doses of their medications in the past 2 weeks. Patients used a variety of methods to remind them to take their medications. A total of 309 recommendations were made by the pharmacist averaging 3.3 ± 1.4 per patient. Of these, 113 (36.6%) were accepted within 90 days. The most common recommendations made were screening needed (n = 77) and vaccination due (n = 70). The most frequently accepted recommendations by the patients' provider were reinforcing lifestyle/disease self-management strategies (61.7%) and decreasing medication dose (60.0%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This novel MTM lifestyle and wellness counseling program demonstrated some success for underserved Arizonans with diabetes and/or hypertension. Over one-third of recommendations made by the pharmacist to the patients' primary care provider were accepted, which is encouraging in showing the value of this program but suggests further work is needed to act upon them or understand why they are not implemented.</p>","PeriodicalId":50015,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Pharmacists Association","volume":" ","pages":"102324"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143025490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effect of out-of-pocket costs on medications for opioid use disorder and overdose: A scoping review","authors":"Ronald Watema-Lord, Feng Xie, Chiranjeev Sanyal","doi":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102299","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102299","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The opioid epidemic is a major public health crisis in Canada and elsewhere. The increase in opioid prescriptions is a major contributor to this crisis. Medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose are effective and lifesaving treatments. Often, patients do not have adequate insurance coverage (or uninsured) for medications for OUD and have to pay out of pocket (OOP). OOP costs (OOPCs) result in financial burdens among patients, limiting their access to medications for OUD, and overdose.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To identify the evidence on (1) the OOPCs of medications for OUD and overdose, and (2) the effect of insurance coverage (or being uninsured) and corresponding OOPCs on medications for OUD initiation, retention, and discontinuation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This scoping review was conducted in accordance with methodological guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute. The literature search aimed to identify peer-reviewed publications in English in MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL, which were searched from inception to March 22, 2024. Two reviewers independently completed title, abstract, and full-text screening against inclusion criteria. Data extracted were used to describe the body of literature using descriptive and qualitative approaches.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Out of the 2003 search results, a total of ten studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Uninsured patients have paid higher OOPCs compared to private or publicly insured patients. Among privately insured patients with OUD, greater OOPC may result in poor retention of buprenorphine. The risk of discontinuation was higher with the buprenorphine/naloxone tablet compared with the sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone film. Generic substitution or providing coverage for these medications being dispensed from community pharmacies can potentially minimize the burden of OOPCs and improve access.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The literature highlights beneficiaries of private/commercial health plans experience a substantial burden of OOPCs, creating barriers to treatment initiation, retention, and adherence to medications for OUD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50015,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Pharmacists Association","volume":"65 1","pages":"Article 102299"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142781720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Raechel T. White, Kevin Cowart, Nicholas W. Carris
{"title":"Ambulatory care pharmacy specialty training","authors":"Raechel T. White, Kevin Cowart, Nicholas W. Carris","doi":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102137","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102137","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50015,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Pharmacists Association","volume":"65 1","pages":"Article 102137"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141288830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluating a generative artificial intelligence accuracy in providing medication instructions from smartphone images","authors":"Yusef Yassin, Thien Nguyen, Krishna Panchal, Katharine Getchell, Timothy Aungst","doi":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102284","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102284","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The Food and Drug Administration mandates patient labeling materials like the Medication Guide (MG) and Instructions for Use (IFU) to support appropriate medication use. However, challenges such as low health literacy and difficulties navigating these materials may lead to incorrect medication usage, resulting in therapy failure or adverse outcomes. The rise of generative AI, presents an opportunity to provide scalable, personalized patient education through image recognition and text generation.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and safety of medication instructions generated by ChatGPT based on user-provided drug images, compared to the manufacturer's standard instructions.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Images of 12 medications requiring multiple steps for administration were uploaded to ChatGPT's image recognition function. ChatGPT's responses were compared to the official IFU and MG using text classifiers, Count Vectorization (CountVec), and Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF). The clinical accuracy was further evaluated by independent pharmacists to determine if ChatGPT responses were valid for patient instruction.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>ChatGPT correctly identified all medications and generated patient instructions. CountVec outperformed TF-IDF in text similarity analysis, with an average similarity score of 76%. However, clinical evaluation revealed significant gaps in the instructions, particularly for complex administration routes, where ChatGPT's guidance lacked essential details, leading to lower clinical accuracy scores.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>While ChatGPT shows promise in generating patient-friendly medication instructions, its effectiveness varies based on the complexity of the medication. The findings underscore the need for further refinement and clinical oversight to ensure the safety and accuracy of AI-generated medical guidance, particularly for medications with complex administration processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50015,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Pharmacists Association","volume":"65 1","pages":"Article 102284"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142607318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zahra Majd, Hua Chen, Michael L. Johnson, Kim K. Birtcher, Omar Serna, Susan Abughosh
{"title":"Real-world treatment patterns in drug naïve type 2 diabetes population: Initial combination therapy vs. sequential step-therapy","authors":"Zahra Majd, Hua Chen, Michael L. Johnson, Kim K. Birtcher, Omar Serna, Susan Abughosh","doi":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102295","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102295","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Despite evidence-based guidelines and available therapies, many patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have suboptimal glycemic control. The current standard of care suggests initial monotherapy followed by add-on therapy to achieve and maintain target HbA1c. However, clinical trials revealed that intensive glycemic control, especially at the early stages of the disease, could result in earlier and better long-term glycemic control in addition to reducing diabetes-related complications and mortality risk.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This population-based study aimed to investigate treatment initiation patterns among newly diagnosed drug-naïve patients with T2D in real-world clinical settings, focusing on two recommended approaches: initial combination therapy and step-therapy.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A retrospective study was conducted using claims data from the Merative MarketScan Research Databases between 2017 and 2019. The study included drug-naïve patients with T2D with continuous enrollment in medical and pharmacy plans. Patients were categorized into the initial combination therapy or step-therapy cohorts based on their initial treatment regimen. Baseline characteristics of the cohorts were recorded, and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with receiving each approach.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The study included a total of 117,419 patients in the Commercial/Medicare population and 18,574 patients in the Medicaid population. About 10% to 12% of patients received initial combination therapy as their initial pharmacotherapy regimen. Several patient demographic and clinical characteristics were significantly associated with the use of initial combination therapy vs. step-therapy. Results also showed a greater usage of loose-dose combination pills over fixed-dose combinations.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Given the lack of real-world studies on combination vs. step-therapy, the study findings provide insights into the current treatment initiation patterns and associated factors among drug-naïve patients with T2D. These findings contribute to understanding the real-world clinical practices in diabetes management and may help guide clinicians in making informed decisions regarding pharmacotherapy approaches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50015,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Pharmacists Association","volume":"65 1","pages":"Article 102295"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142631395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mental health in rural agricultural workers: The role of a community pharmacist","authors":"Grayson Murray, Melissa McKnight, Tyler C. Melton","doi":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102316","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102316","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agriculture is one of the United States’ oldest occupations, dating back to before the founding of the country, when indigenous farmers maintained the land. Agriculture has since grown into an enormous industry, and with that has come financial and emotional strain impacting the mental health of those who strive to feed the world. Climate, financial, and stress-inducing conditions related to agriculture are leading causes of mental health crises in agricultural workers, putting this population at risk for suicidal ideation. With most farms being family-owned and operated in rural areas of the country, there is limited access to health care to address the mental health concerns occurring within the occupation.</div><div>Community pharmacists are ideally positioned to bridge the mental health care gap in small-town America. By obtaining training in Mental Health First Aid and becoming equipped with mental health care knowledge, community pharmacists can aid in crisis situations, refer to proper care and support systems, and aid in early intervention with the at-risk agricultural population. By doing so, community pharmacists can strengthen their role as the most accessible health care professionals and gain recognition from a population that often finds it difficult to ask for help in situations related to their mental health. This commentary provides a review of signs and symptoms of psychiatric disorders, early mental health interventions and screening tools, and mental health resources available for pharmacist use. These considerations are necessary to support and inform community pharmacy practice when serving rural agricultural communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50015,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Pharmacists Association","volume":"65 1","pages":"Article 102316"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142865983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Olufeyisayo O. Odebunmi, Mary Wangen, Austin R. Waters, Renée M. Ferrari, Macary Weck Marciniak, Catherine Rohweder, Stephanie B. Wheeler , Alison T. Brenner , Parth D. Shah
{"title":"Colorectal cancer screening knowledge among community pharmacists: A national survey","authors":"Olufeyisayo O. Odebunmi, Mary Wangen, Austin R. Waters, Renée M. Ferrari, Macary Weck Marciniak, Catherine Rohweder, Stephanie B. Wheeler , Alison T. Brenner , Parth D. Shah","doi":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102130","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102130","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening can reduce CRC morbidity and mortality. Community pharmacies could be a viable option for delivering home-based CRC screening tests such as fecal immunochemical tests (FITs). However, little is known about community pharmacists' knowledge about CRC screening guidelines.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We assessed community pharmacists' knowledge about CRC screening to identify education and training needs for a pharmacy-based CRC screening program.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Between September 2022 and January 2023, we conducted an online national survey of community pharmacists practicing in the United States. Responders were eligible if they were currently-licensed community pharmacists and currently practiced in the United States. The survey assessed knowledge of national CRC screening guidelines, including recommended starting age, frequency of screening, different screening modalities, and follow-up care. Using multiple linear regression, we evaluated correlates of community pharmacists' level of CRC screening knowledge, defined as the total number of knowledge questions answered correctly from \"0\" (no questions correct) to \"5\" (all questions correct).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 578 eligible community pharmacists completed the survey, with a response rate of 59%. Most community pharmacists correctly answered the question about the next steps following a positive FIT (87%) and the question about where a FIT can be done (84%). A minority of community pharmacists responded correctly to questions about the age to start screening with FIT (34%) and how often a FIT should be repeated (28%). Only 5% of pharmacists answered all knowledge questions correctly. Community pharmacists answered more CRC screening knowledge questions correctly as their years in practice increased. Board-certified community pharmacists answered more CRC screening knowledge questions correctly compared to those who were not board-certified.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>To ensure the successful implementation of a pharmacy-based CRC screening program, community pharmacists need to be educated about CRC screening and trained to ensure comprehensive patient counseling and preventive service delivery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50015,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Pharmacists Association","volume":"65 1","pages":"Article 102130"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141142478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kyle A. Gustafson, Casey Rowe, Paul Gavaza, Allison Bernknopf, Anna Nogid, Alexander Hoffman, Ellen Jones, Leanne Showman, Victoria Miller, May H. Abdel Aziz, Damianne Brand-Eubanks, Duc P. Do, Sarah Berman, Angela Chu, Vivek Dave, Radhika Devraj, Trager D. Hintze, Faria Munir, Islam Mohamed, Motolani E. Ogunsanya, Robin Southwood
{"title":"Pharmacists’ perceptions of artificial intelligence: A national survey","authors":"Kyle A. Gustafson, Casey Rowe, Paul Gavaza, Allison Bernknopf, Anna Nogid, Alexander Hoffman, Ellen Jones, Leanne Showman, Victoria Miller, May H. Abdel Aziz, Damianne Brand-Eubanks, Duc P. Do, Sarah Berman, Angela Chu, Vivek Dave, Radhika Devraj, Trager D. Hintze, Faria Munir, Islam Mohamed, Motolani E. Ogunsanya, Robin Southwood","doi":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102306","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102306","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing and evolving field impacting pharmacy research, education, and professional practice. The development and adaptation of AI technologies have the potential to radically shape the future of the pharmacy profession. However, it remains unclear how aware pharmacists are of these technologies or their perceptions regarding current and future utilization.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The purpose of this study is to describe the perceptions and awareness of artificial intelligence technologies in a population of practicing pharmacists across the United States.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A 19-question electronic survey was administered via Qualtrics to assess various AI perceptions among U.S. pharmacists. The survey ran from September 5th to November 22nd, 2023 and targeted practicing pharmacists through professional organizations and publicly available email lists. Responses were analyzed for descriptive trends and demographic analysis focusing on factors predicting AI use and were categorized into sub-focuses for detailed analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 1363 practicing pharmacists completed the survey. 82.5% of respondents expressed some degree of familiarity with AI software, but only 38.7% reported having used AI. Of those using AI software, the most common applications were Large Language Models (33.7%) and Image Generation (10%). 56.1% of pharmacists feel that AI will decrease the number of pharmacy jobs, and 34.9% of pharmacists express some degree of distrust of AI. Despite this, 64.1% of pharmacists feel that AI could enhance their professional effectiveness and productivity. Males appear much more likely than females to use AI (50.1% Vs. 31%, <em>P</em> < .001). Younger responders also reported higher AI utilization with the highest utilization aged 23–29 (47.5%) and lowest in 60+ (25.6%, <em>P</em> < .001)</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Understanding pharmacists' current awareness, concerns, and perspectives on AI is crucial for navigating its potential impact on the profession including potential professional utilization, addressing concerns regarding job security, ethical considerations, and regulatory uncertainty.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50015,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Pharmacists Association","volume":"65 1","pages":"Article 102306"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142773688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Community pharmacists’ experiences regarding the treatment management of people with diabetes during Ramadan: A phenomenological study","authors":"Elif Ulutas Deniz, Ceren Ceylan, Hatice Seda Kaya","doi":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.japh.2024.102303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Community pharmacists are often the first point of contact for patients seeking assistance in managing chronic diseases, including diabetes, owing to their accessibility. They are readily available to patients, especially in outpatient settings, and can play a vital role in ensuring safe medication use in patients with diabetes. However, published research on the role of community pharmacists in managing diabetes in patients fasting during Ramadan in Türkiye and worldwide is limited.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives and experiences of Turkish community pharmacists in providing treatment management for people with diabetes during Ramadan.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>To obtain in-depth information about community pharmacists' experiences and perspectives regarding the treatment management of patients with diabetes during Ramadan, a qualitative methodology was chosen for data collection, which could not be obtained using quantitative methods. To gather the views of community pharmacists, a carefully designed semi-structured interview guide was developed to conduct the qualitative interviews. Following the transcription and translation processes, interpretive phenomenological analysis was conducted as an integral part of the data analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 21 pharmacists participated in this study. Three main themes, along with their corresponding subthemes, emerged from the dataset: Advice from pharmacists to patients, challenges, and recommendations. The study revealed the professional services pharmacists provided and the barriers they encountered, and documented the recommendations they put forward regarding diabetes treatment management.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Pharmacists reported providing diabetes-related services during Ramadan, such as dietary advice, medication adjustments, and dietitian referrals. However, they identified several significant challenges, including increased workload, patients' religious beliefs, and limited public awareness of their expertise. To address these, expanding pharmacists' roles, improving communication with patients and physicians, and incorporating Ramadan-specific diabetes management into pharmacy education are seen as key strategies for enhancing care.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50015,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Pharmacists Association","volume":"65 1","pages":"Article 102303"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142774260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}