scholarly journals Expanded Roles for Pharmacy Technicians in the Medication Reconciliation Process: A Qualitative Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriane N. Irwin ◽  
Youngyoon Ham ◽  
Theresa M. Gerrity
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Medication Reconciliation ◽  
Interdisciplinary Teams ◽  
Medication History ◽  
Pharmacy Technician ◽  
Improved Outcomes ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Reconciliation Process

Background Collection of a complete and accurate medication history is an essential component of the medication reconciliation process. The role of pharmacy technicians in supporting medication reconciliation has been the subject of recent interest. Purpose The purpose of this article is to review the existing literature on pharmacy technician involvement in the medication reconciliation process and to summarize outcomes on the quality and accuracy of pharmacy technician–collected medication histories. Method A literature review was conducted using MEDLINE and Academic Search Premier (1948 – April 2015). Results Sixteen papers were identified, with 12 containing a formal evaluation of outcomes. Three were purely descriptive, and 9 compared the pharmacy technician's performance to pharmacists, nurses, physicians, and/or interdisciplinary teams. Studies used a variety of endpoints, but they demonstrated similar or improved outcomes by engaging pharmacy technicians. Evidence demonstrates that trained pharmacy technicians are able to gather medication histories with similar completeness and accuracy to other health care professionals. Conclusion The use of pharmacy technicians may be a viable strategy for developing and expanding medication reconciliation processes with appropriate supervision. Future efforts should focus on evaluating the impact of expanded roles for pharmacy technicians in the health care system; assessing the need for standardization of pharmacy technician education, training, and certification; and obtaining clarification from state pharmacy boards regarding these expanded roles.

Pharmacy Students and Pharmacy Technicians in Medication Reconciliation: A Review of the Current Literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather M. Champion ◽  
Julia A. Loosen ◽  
Korey A. Kennelty
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Medication Reconciliation ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Reconciliation Process

Objective: A literature review was conducted to examine how pharmacy students and technicians have been utilized in medication reconciliation processes in an effort to evaluate expanded roles for pharmacy students and technicians. Data were summarized on accuracy of obtaining medication histories, time requirements, discrepancy identification, and cost savings. Limitations and areas for future research also were identified. Data Sources: A search of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and PsycINFO and a manual searching of bibliographies were performed. Study Selection: Articles were included in this literature review if they focused on medication reconciliation with pharmacy student or technician outcomes independent of pharmacist involvement, they are available in English from any country, and the outcomes were empirical. Data Synthesis: Of 2112 identified studies, 32 met the inclusion criteria. The literature review revealed pharmacy technicians or students were involved in several medication reconciliation activities. Trained pharmacy students and technicians were able to obtain thorough medication histories as well as identify medication history discrepancies and take appropriate action to correct these discrepancies. Through the use of pharmacy students and technicians in the medication reconciliation process, hospitals experienced cost savings and other health-care professionals had more time for other patient care activities as well as an increased trust in the accuracy of medication histories. Conclusion: These findings suggest that pharmacy students and technicians are accurate, time efficient, decrease costs, and provide support to other health-care professionals when they are included in the medication reconciliation process.

scholarly journals Value of pharmacy services upon admission to an orthopedic surgery unit

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad El Ouweini ◽  
Lamis R. Karaoui ◽  
Nibal Chamoun ◽  
Chahine Assi ◽  
Kaissar Yammine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Orthopedic Surgery ◽  
Medication Reconciliation ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Medication History ◽  
Surgical Department ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Antihyperlipidemic Agents ◽  
Surgery Department ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Reconciliation Process

Abstract Background In Lebanon, the role of the pharmacist remains underestimated in the medication reconciliation process, especially in surgical departments. This study aims to assess the impact of pharmacist-conducted medication reconciliation performed within 48 h of hospital admission to the orthopedic surgical department. Methods This was a prospective single-arm study conducted in a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Lebanon between October 2019 and April 2020. Participants were adult inpatients hospitalized for orthopedic surgeries with ≥ 1 outpatient medications. Properly trained pharmacy resident obtained the Best Possible Medication History (BPMH) and led the reconciliation process. The primary endpoint was the number of reconciliation errors (REs) identified. Descriptive statistics were used to report participants’ responses and relevant findings. Linear regression was performed with the number of REs as a continuous dependent variable using backward method. Results were assumed to be significant when p was < 0.05. Results The study included 100 patients with a mean age of 73.8 years, admitted for elective (54%) or emergency (46%) surgeries. Half of the study population had ≥ 5 home medications. The mean time for taking BPMH was around 8 min. A total of 110 REs were identified in 74 patient cases. The most common discrepancies consisted of medication omission (89.1%) and the most common medications involved were antihyperlipidemic agents. Twenty-four REs were judged as clinically significant, and four as serious. The most common interventions included the addition of a medication (71.9%). Most of the relayed interventions (84.5%) were accepted. The number of home medications was the only variable significantly associated with the number of REs (β 0.492; p < 0.001). Conclusion Pharmacy-led medication reconciliation upon admission to orthopedic surgery department can reduce reconciliation errors and improve medication safety. Trial registration Retrospectively registered in the Lebanon Clinical Trials Registry (LBCTR2020124680).

scholarly journals Building capacity for implementation—the KT Challenge

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes T. Black ◽  
Marla Steinberg ◽  
Amanda E. Chisholm ◽  
Kristi Coldwell ◽  
Alison M. Hoens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Practice Change ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Health Care Settings ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The KT Challenge program supports health care professionals to effectively implement evidence-based practices. Unlike other knowledge translation (KT) programs, this program is grounded in capacity building, focuses on health care professionals (HCPs), and uses a multi-component intervention. This study presents the evaluation of the KT Challenge program to assess the impact on uptake, KT capacity, and practice change. Methods The evaluation used a mixed-methods retrospective pre-post design involving surveys and review of documents such as teams’ final reports. Online surveys collecting both quantitative and qualitative data were deployed at four time points (after both workshops, 6 months into implementation, and at the end of the 2-year funded projects) to measure KT capacity (knowledge, skills, and confidence) and impact on practice change. Qualitative data was analyzed using a general inductive approach and quantitative data was analyzed using non-parametric statistics. Results Participants reported statistically significant increases in knowledge and confidence across both workshops, at the 6-month mark of their projects, and at the end of their projects. In addition, at the 6-month check-in, practitioners reported statistically significant improvements in their ability to implement practice changes. In the first cohort of the program, of the teams who were able to complete their projects, half were able to show demonstrable practice changes. Conclusions The KT Challenge was successful in improving the capacity of HCPs to implement evidence-based practice changes and has begun to show demonstrable improvements in a number of practice areas. The program is relevant to a variety of HCPs working in diverse practice settings and is relatively inexpensive to implement. Like all practice improvement programs in health care settings, a number of challenges emerged stemming from the high turnover of staff and the limited capacity of some practitioners to take on anything beyond direct patient care. Efforts to address these challenges have been added to subsequent cohorts of the program and ongoing evaluation will examine if they are successful. The KT Challenge program has continued to garner great interest among practitioners, even in the midst of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and shows promise for organizations looking for better ways to mobilize knowledge to improve patient care and empower staff. This study contributes to the implementation science literature by providing a description and evaluation of a new model for embedding KT practice skills in health care settings.

The Use of and Attitude Towards Telehealth in Rural Communities

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Mauldon
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Routine Practice ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Urban Hospital ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Rural Patients

This paper reports on the attitudes of a sample of health care providers towards the use of telehealth to support rural patients and integrate rural primary health and urban hospital care. Telehealth and other information technologies hold the promise of improving the quality of care for people in rural and remote areas and for supporting rural primary health care providers. While seemingly beneficial for rural patients, study participants believed that telehealth remains underused and poorly integrated into their practice. In general, participants thought that telehealth is potentially beneficial but places constraints on their activities, and few actually used it. Published literature usually reports either on the success of telehealth pilot projects or initiatives that are well resourced and do not reflect the constraints of routine practice, or has an international focus limiting its relevance to the Australian context. Because of the paucity of systematic and generalisable research into the effects of the routine use of telehealth to support rural patients, it is unclear why health care professionals choose to provide such services or the costs and benefits they incur in doing so. Research and policy initiatives continue to be needed to identify the impact of telehealth within the context of Australian primary health care and to develop strategies to support its use.

The Impact of the SAGE & THYME Foundation Level Workshop on Factors Influencing Communication Skills in Health Care Professionals

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Connolly ◽  
Joanne M. Thomas ◽  
Julie A. Orford ◽  
Nicola Schofield ◽  
Sigrid Whiteside ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Efficacy of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention on the psychological well-being of health care professionals and trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed method design

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iram Osman ◽  
Shaista Hamid ◽  
Veena S. Singaram
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Personal Accomplishment ◽  
Intervention Analysis ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Impact

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health professionals were pushed to the front line of a global health crisis unprepared and resource constrained, which affected their mental well-being.Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on stress and burnout for health professionals training and working in South Africa during the COVID-19 crisis.Setting: The context of the study is the overburdened, under-resourced health care system in South Africa during a global pandemic.Methods: A mixed method framework was adopted for this study. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive analysis and the participants’ qualitative experiences were interpreted using interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results: Forty-seven participants took part in this study. The study found a statistically significant (p 0.05) reduction in stress levels and emotional exhaustion as well as an increase in mindful awareness and feelings of personal accomplishment after the intervention. The participants’ shared experiences were analysed in two parts. The pre-intervention analysis presented with central themes of loss of control and a sense of powerlessness because of COVID-19. The post-intervention analysis comprised themes of a sense of acquired control and empowerment through increased mindfulness.Conclusions: The study found that a brief online MBI can be associated with reduced levels of stress and burnout as well as an increased sense of control and empowerment, felt both personally and professionally, during a global crisis.Contribution: The impact of an online MBI for health care professionals amidst a pandemic has not been previously documented.

scholarly journals COVID-19 pandemic impact on dentists in Latin America’s epicenter: São-Paulo, Brazil

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256092
Author(s):  
Tatiane Fernandes Novaes ◽  
Maisa Camillo Jordão ◽  
Carlos Felipe Bonacina ◽  
André Oswaldo Veronezi ◽  
Carlos Ariel Rodrigues de Araujo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
The State ◽  
Financial Impact ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Ordinal Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
The Impact

The state of São Paulo, Brazil, where more than 94.000 dentists are currently registered, has become the epicenter of COVID-19 in Latin America. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on dentists in this state. A semi-structured questionnaire was sent via e-mail to 93.280 dentists with active registration in the Dental Council of São Paulo (CROSP). The impact of COVID-19 pandemic was assessed through questions related to demographic, socioeconomic, dental practice characteristics and personal protective equipment (PPE) use. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between all the variables (p<0.05). Over 8 days, 2113 responses were received. Only 26.52% of the sample reported a low-income reduction (from 0–10%), while the majority of dentists reported a more negative financial impact, 35.6% with a reduction of more than 50% of their monthly income. Dentists who worked in the private sector and at the capital had a greater financial impact when compared to those of the public sector and countryside of the state (p<0.05). Furthermore, about 83% reported not having received any specific training to control the transmission of coronavirus in the health area. This study provides evidence of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the routine of dentists in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Hopefully, this study will help dental and other health care professionals to better understand the consequences of disease in dental settings and strengthen preparedness throughout the dental health care system.

scholarly journals Impact of Diabetes Continuing Education on Knowledge and Practice of Diabetes Care among Health Care Professionals in Yemen

2021 ◽  
pp. 221-230
Author(s):  
Salmeen D. Babelgaith ◽  
Mansour Almetwazi ◽  
Syed Wajid ◽  
Saeed Alfadly ◽  
Ahmed M Shaman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
Diabetes Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Diabetes Management ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
General Knowledge ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
The Impact

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the Impact of diabetes continuing education on knowledge and practice of diabetes care among health care professionals in Yemen. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was carried out among health care professionals. The original questionnaire consisted of 22 multiple choice questions. A total of 73 HCPs received continuing education (CE) intervention.  Knowledge attitude and practice (KAP) was assessed using a validated questionnaire.  Results: The result showed that majority of the HCPs has a good general knowledge on diabetes and its managements prior to the CE program. Evaluation of the general knowledge score of the HCPs found some improvement in the knowledge score, however the improvement was not significant (p=0.31). The result of this study found that HCPs has good knowledge on monitoring the sign, symptoms and laboratory parameters. Conclusion: Evaluation of the knowledge score on Goal of Diabetes Management of HCPs found significant (p=0.024) improvement in the knowledge score. The results indicated that the lab values were rated as the most important in the goal for the treatment of diabetes patients.  The study also found no significant difference in practice score after CE program among HCPs.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers at a cancer care centre

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atika Dogra ◽  
Anuj Parkash ◽  
Anurag Mehta ◽  
Meenu Bhatia
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Front Line Workers ◽  
Severity Of The Disease ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Spread Of Infection ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe services of front-line health care workers (HCWs) have been paramount in the management of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Health care professionals have been at high occupational risk of getting disease and even dying of the disease, however; they have been the subject of very limited studies in terms of COVID-19. The objectives of this study are to examine the incidence and the impact of COVID-19 infection among HCWs in terms of recovery, productivity, quality of life (QOL) and post-COVID complications.Materials and MethodsThis was a retrospective, questionnaire based study including demographic details, workplace characteristics, symptoms, source/ spread of infection, details of recovery and the consequences of COVID-19 comprising impaired productivity/ QOL, post-COVID-19 complications and others. The data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS software (Version 23, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).Results and ConclusionsOut of a total of 1482 employees, 18.3% (271) were laboratory confirmed to have contracted novel contagion during the study period of 5 months. The median age at diagnosis was 29 (range, 21-62) years. Front-line workers and female workers were the most infected personnel with COVID-19. Flu-like symptoms were the most frequently experienced symptoms. The median time for recovery was 20 (range, 2-150) days. The relationship between pre-existing comorbidities and age was highly significant. The QOL and productivity were associated with pre-existing comorbidities, severity of the disease, time for recovery and post-COVID syndrome. More than a half (51.8%) of all HCWs had suffered from post-COVID complications. There was no fatality reported due to COVID-19. The post-COVID complications were related to pre-existing comorbidities, severity of disease, time for recovery and status of recovery. Further research to explore the consequences of COVID-19 is warranted. The general public needs to be aware of symptoms and management of the post-COVID syndrome.

Medical Errors

2017 ◽  
pp. 33-60
Author(s):  
Jayita Poduval
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Errors ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Health Care Quality ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
System Failures ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Improving Health Care

The impact of medical errors on the delivery of health care is massive, and it significantly reduces health care quality. They could be largely attributed to system failures and not human weakness. Therefore improving health care quality and ensuring quality control in health care would mean making systems function in a better manner. In order to achieve this all sections of society as well as industry must be involved. Reporting of medical error needs to be encouraged and this may be ensured if health care professionals as well as administrators and health consumers come forward without fear of being blamed. To get to the root of the problem- literally and metaphorically- a root cause analysis and audit must be carried out whenever feasible. Persons outside the medical care establishment also need to work with medical service providers to set standards of performance, competence and excellence.

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