Exploring the Contribution of Pharmacists in Addressing the Opioid Crisis through Naloxone Prescriptions and Pharmacist-Led Interventions

The opioid epidemic in the United States continues to take the lives of many individuals, with overdoses continuing to rise every year. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that is efficacious in temporarily reversing opioid overdoses. Pharmacists play an important role in the accessibility and education of naloxone in both the community and health system settings. Recent efforts, such as co-dispensing naloxone with opioid prescriptions, naloxone training programs, and approval of naloxone to be over-the-counter, have been implemented in hopes to better control the opioid epidemic. Despite the efforts to make naloxone more accessible, there are still some barriers to overcome such as lack of training, cost, stigma, and patient refusal. This review aims to explore the contributions pharmacists have made thus far and define the barriers that still have to be resolved.

Rôles et vécus des pharmaciens d’officine dans les soins palliatifsàdomicile en France Role and Experience ofCommunity Pharmacists in Home Palliative Care in France

The need for home palliative care is increasing in allWestern countries.Community pharmacists are local professionals whose role in end-of-life care at home remains poorly understood.The aim of this study is to understand how community pharmacists see their role in end-of-life home care in France,and to analyze their experiences of this care.An online questionnaire was distributed to community pharmacists working in France between December 2022 and March 2023.Of the 136 respondents to the questionnaire,87%had accompanied at least one patient at the end of life in the 3 months preceding the survey.Therapeutic education(88%of respondents),psychological support for caregivers(85%of respondents),securing treatment(82%of respondents)and monitoring therapeutic compliance(80%of respondents)are the behaviors validated by the greatest number of participants.The majority of professionals surveyed had a positive overall experience of managing patients at the end of life.These results pave the way for pharmacists to better support end-of-life patients at home.

Roles of Community Pharmacists in Screening and Disseminating of Information about Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Risks: Implications for Drug Safety Assessment

Background: The increasing use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) both on prescription and over the counter raises a major global health concern because of the risks associated with their use if no proper guidance is given by the health care provider. This study assessed the roles of community pharmacists in screening and disseminating information about the risks associated with NSAID use in Zambia. Methodology: This was a national cross-sectional study in which a structured self-administered questionnaire was administered to 245 registered community pharmacists in Zambia. Stata/BE, version 15.1 (Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas, USA) and multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine factors associated with information dissemination about ADRs of NS-NSAIDs. Results: 231 of the 245 distributed questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 94.3%. All (100%) participating community pharmacists claimed to have practiced dispensing NSAIDs. However, only 26 (11.0%) and 71 (30.8%) regularly screened for risk factor of selective COX-2 NSAIDS (SC2-NSAIDS) and non-selective NSAIDS (NS-NSAIDs) respectively. Information dissemination on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of SC2-NSAIDS was regularly provided by only 22 (9.5%) of pharmacists while that of NS-NSAIDs was regularly provided by 49 (21.2%). In the multivariate logistic regression model, being the owner of a pharmacy (AOR: 5.4, CI: 1.84 - 16.4) was significantly associated with information dissemination about ADRs of NS-NSAIDs while an hour increase in the working hours per day (AOR: 0.9, CI: 0.64 - 0.95) was associated with less likelihood of information dissemination. Conclusion: Pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Zambia did not regularly screen and disseminate information about the risks associated with NSAID use. Therefore, pharmacists should be able to screen and monitor patients at risk and be aware of the majority of risk factors while dispensing NSAIDs to minimize the associated complications.

A Study of Pharmacist-Patient Communication: Examining Optimal Distance and Angle Using an Eye-Tracking System

This study focuses on seating arrangement and interpersonal distance as important aspects of nonverbal communication and aims to elucidate the optimal distance and angle between pharmacist and patient through an analysis based on the subjective evaluation of the patient and the objective evaluation of eye movements. Seven female simulated patients and one male and one female pharmacist cooperated as patients and pharmacists, respectively. The medication teaching scenes were set up with three pharmacist placements (face-to-face at 50 cm and 70 cm, 90-degree at 70 cm) and three hospital rooms (0-degree, 45-degree, 90-degree). Pupil diameter, blink rate, saccades, and fixation rate of the patient at each of these locations were measured using a Tobii Pro Glass 2. The patient’s subjective evaluation at each placement was also investigated using the conversation scale, which assesses the optimal distance for conversation. The results for the pharmacy setting revealed that pupils were significantly more mydriatic at the 50 cm point than at the other points. The results for the hospital room setting showed the greatest mydriasis at the 0-degree point. The result of the 50 cm point for the pharmacy setting and the 0-degree point for the hospital room setting was similar to that of the subjective evaluation. When the likelihood of saccades occurrence in the hospital room setting was compared, saccades were found to be most likely to occur when medication instructions were given to patients at the 0-degree point. We believe that using pupil diameter for interpersonal distance, and saccades for angle will enable more accurate determinations of the optimal distance and angle between pharmacist and patient. The results of the present study suggest that the 70 cm face-to-face point in the pharmacy and the 45-degree point in the ward may be suitable for medication instruction.

Investigation of Patients’ Mood on Their Distance from the Pharmacist during Medication Instruction

Background: Pharmacists must adjust their distance from patients to facilitate communication during interviews and gain their trust. The distance between the patients and the pharmacists varies depending on many factors, such as gender, posture and the patients’ mood. Only a few of these papers have actually measured and validated distance with patients. In this study, we validated our method of assessing mood and measuring distance before beginning a survey with patients. Methods: We measured comfortable interpersonal distance among men and women using an ecological scenario, in which a pharmacist approaches the subject, and the subject is asked to stop the pharmacist at the distance he/she feel comfortable with. Five pharmacists and 33 subjects participated in the study. The Japanese version of the Brief Mood Questionnaire Checklists (BMC-J) was used to quantify the subject’s mood for the day, and then the distance from the pharmacist that the subjects considered comfortable was measured at the bedside. The relationship between the mood and distance obtained was examined. Results: The comfortable distance of subjects was influenced by gender, posture, and mood. The shortest distance was 94.7 ± 11.1 cm (mean ± SD), for the male subjects versus the female pharmacists in the sitting position. The distance of male subjects shorted when they had positive emotions and lengthened when they were worried. Female subjects maintained a long distance from both male and female pharmacists when they had positive emotions and a short distance when they were worried. Conclusion: Findings show that the distance changes depending on the subjects’ mood at the time of measurement. It was found that the present measurement method can be used to determine the psychological state of the patient and measure the comfort distance at that time, and can be used as a simple method to examine these relationships. Therefore, it is also considered a practical method for the next step, which is a clinical study on patients.

Comparison of Anticancer Drug Preparation Techniques between Chemotherapy Specialist Pharmacists and Non-Chemotherapy Pharmacists Using Eye-Tracking Techniques

Anticancer drug preparation by pharmacists is a critical task directly related to medical incidents. This study examined the factors influencing medical errors in chemotherapy, that is, errors by specialist pharmacists (CPh) and pharmacists in other departments (NCPh), by measuring their gaze during the preparation of anticancer drugs. The eye-tracking results showed that the gazing time of NCPh was significantly longer than that of CPh for items such as “preparation of a closed-system device” and “preparation of the syringe” and all preparation times (P < 0.05). The NCPh were not assigned to prepare drugs on a regular basis, indicating their lack of familiarity with the process. There was no significant difference in gaze ratio between CPh and NCPh. This outcome was suggested to be a result of the use of an anticancer drug preparation support system. The results for the pupil diameter variation rate showed that NCPh were significantly more mydriatic in the “mixing injections” category than CPh. However, CPh tended to be more mydriatic in the “checking” category. CPh exhibited a smooth workflow and focused on the important items to be checked. This study showed that the differences in procedure flow and concentration points may lead to errors. Furthermore, the results are of interest from the perspective of medical incident prevention. They will be useful in identifying potential human factors, such as where the pharmacist focuses their attention by measuring eye movements.

A Survey on Pharmacists’ Job Burnout and Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Era

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak negatively impacted pharmacists who provided basic medical services by inducing anxiety and depression, thus, leading to medical errors. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the job burnout and satisfaction levels among hospital pharmacists during the period when China downgraded COVID-19 from a Category A disease to a Category B disease. Method: We selected pharmacists from several medical institutions in Yunnan Province as the subjects by using the general information questionnaire survey, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), and the Work Environment Scale-10 (WES-10). Results: After analyzing 461 questionnaires, the results showed that the age and marital status of the pharmacists displayed significant effects on their emotional exhaustion and sense of achievement, with younger pharmacists getting higher and lower scores for their tests on emotional exhaustion and sense of achievement, respectively (p Conclusion: Hence, it was concluded that the job burnout of pharmacists was at a low level during the period when China downgraded COVID-19 as a Category B disease from Category A.

Clinical pharmacists’ involvement in carbapenem antibiotics management at Wenzhou Integrated Hospital

BACKGROUND Carbapenem antibiotics are a pivotal solution for severe infections,particularly in hospital settings.The emergence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria owing to the irrational and extensive use of carbapenems underscores the need for meticulous management and rational use.Clinical pharmacists,with their specialized training and extensive knowledge,play a substantial role in ensuring the judicious use of carbapenem.This study aimed to elucidate the patterns of carbapenem use and shed light on the integral role played by clinical pharmacists in managing and promoting the rational use of carbapenem antibiotics at Wenzhou Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital.AIM To analyze carbapenem use patterns in our hospital and role of clinical pharmacists in managing and promoting their rational use.METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of carbapenem use at our hospital between January 2019 and December 2021.Several key indicators,including the drug utilization index,defined daily doses(DDDs),proportion of antimicrobial drug costs to total hospitalization expenses,antibiotic utilization density,and utilization rates in different clinical departments were comprehensively analyzed.RESULTS Between 2019 and 2021,there was a consistent decline in the consumption and sales of imipenem-cilastatin sodium,meropenem(0.3 g),and meropenem(0.5 g).Conversely,the DDDs of imipenem-cilastatin sodium for injection increased in 2020 and 2021 vs 2019,with a B/A value of 0.67,indicating a relatively higher drug cost.The DDDs of meropenem for injection(0.3 g)exhibited an overall upward trend,indicating an increasing clinical preference.However,the B/A values for 2020 and 2021 were both>1,suggesting a relatively lower drug cost.The DDDs of meropenem for injection(0.5 g)demonstrated a progressive increase annually and consistently ranked first,indicating a high clinical preference with a B/A value of 1,signifying good alignment between economic and social benefits.CONCLUSION Carbapenem use in our hospital was generally reasonable with a downward trend in consumption and sales over time.Clinical pharmacists play a pivotal role in promoting appropriate use of carbapenems.

基于内容分析法的临床药师岗位胜任力指标构建

目的 对国内外临床药师胜任力评价指标进行内容分析,为临床药师岗位胜任力构建提供参考。方法 检索国内外临床药师岗位胜任力相关文献,采用内容分析法对符合标准的文献进行分析。结果 最终纳入22篇文献及14篇胜任力评估框架及模型,提取个人素质、知识、个人能力、药学服务、教研5个一级类目、15个二级类目及61个三级类目。结论 初步构建了临床药师岗位胜任力指标体系,为临床药师开展实践工作提供参考。

中美老年专科临床药师培训项目比较分析

目的 比较中美两国老年专科临床药师培训项目的基本情况,为我国老年专科临床药师培训项目的进一步优化提供参考。方法 查询美国卫生系统药师协会(ASHP)和中国医院协会官方网站,检索并收集中美两国老年专科临床药师培训项目的培训大纲、机构类型/规模、招生人数、培训内容、申请条件、考核标准等资料和数据,采用Excel软件进行统计分析。结果与结论 截至2024年1月12日,美国ASHP共开展毕业后第2年老年专科临床药师培训项目24个,可招收25人,并提供相应薪酬;培训基地涉及医院、药学院,规模不一;申请人需获得药学博士学位、完成毕业后第1年培训。ASHP就基础患者照护、高级患者照护、领导力和管理能力、知识的教育教学传播能力四大必备技能设计了详细的培训目标,各培训基地可结合自身特点,适当增设学术技能、长期照护技能等可选技能,制订学员轮转计划,并在培训过程的多个时间节点进行考核、评估。我国共开展老年专科临床药师培训项目5个,可招收15人,不提供薪酬;培训基地均为三级甲等医院,规模较大;申请人需要获得本科及以上学位,并根据所学专业和学位的不同,对其有不同的工作年限要求。中国医院协会药事专业委员会设置了详细的培训大纲,就理论知识、实践技能、科研思维等提出了具体的培训目标,在入组时、规定内容培训完成时和结业时由培训基地组织考核、评估。参考美国的项目开展经验,建议带教老师针对不同层次的学员开展差异化的知识和技能培训,灵活安排轮转科室,要求学员尽可能独立开展工作并深入参与临床教学、科研工作,安排多次、多种形式的考核、考察,及时调整学习方案,全面提升学员能力。

视频和节点提醒用于结肠镜检查肠道准备患者药学服务效果分析

目的探讨临床药师利用视频和节点提醒的药学服务对结肠镜检查肠道准备质量、不良反应发生情况、健康教育指导满意度的影响。方法选取医院消化内科2021年1月至12月接受结肠镜检查的住院患者216例,按肠道准备指导方式分为干预组和对照组,各108例。对照组患者给予肠道准备方案及复方聚乙二醇电解质散,以及传统纸质肠道准备指导单进行健康教育指导;干预组患者在对照组基础上由临床药师利用视频和节点提醒进行肠道准备健康教育。比较两组患者肠道准备质量的合格率和不良反应发生率,并同时调查患者对临床药师健康教育指导的满意度。结果干预组肠道准备质量合格率为87.96%,显著高于对照组的67.59%(P<0.05);干预组患者波士顿肠道准备评分量表(BBPS)评分显著高于对照组(P<0.05);干预组患者呕吐、腹胀不良反应发生率分别为5.56%和7.41%,均显著低于对照组的12.96%和13.89%(P<0.05)。干预组患者对临床药师健康教育指导的满意率为90.82%。结论临床药师利用视频和节点提醒的药学服务可显著提高结肠镜检查患者的肠道准备质量,减少呕吐、腹胀等不良反应,且患者满意度高。

57家医疗机构儿科临床药师发展情况调研

目的:了解我国儿科临床药师发展现状,为儿科临床药师的管理、培养和发展提供参考。方法:采用问卷调查法,以福棠儿童医学发展研究中心临床药师组的儿科临床药师为调研对象,了解儿科临床药师的学历分布、专业背景、就业环境、工作内容和学术期望。结果:来自我国27个地区的57家医疗机构的225位儿科临床药师参与了调研。所调研儿科临床药师多来自三级医疗机构(99.55%),年龄分布以30~39岁为主(73.33%),职称主要为主管药师(64.44%),专业背景以药学(34.67%)、临床药学(30.22%)和药理学(16.00%)为主。药学查房、处方点评与处方分析、不良反应收集等工作均有开展。药学查房以与医生共同查房为主,每周总时长10h以内的占48.44%。56.00%的临床药师每月监护1~10例患儿,53.78%的临床药师每月可开展1~5次普通药学会诊,35.56%的临床药师每月参与1~5次多学科会诊,52.44%的临床药师每月回答1~10例药学咨询。结论:儿科临床药师团队构成合理,工作内容已覆盖临床药师要求的各个方面,但与临床融合程度还需继续加强。

临床药学专业抗感染PBL案例库的建设与探索

抗菌药物合理使用已成为临床药学实践教学的重要内容之一。传统的教学方式存在局限性,往往不能有效提升学生在实际临床工作中抗菌药物合理使用的能力。为解决这一问题,笔者研究了以以问题为基础的教学法(problem-based learning,PBL)为基础的案例库建设在抗菌药物合理使用教学中的应用;探讨了PBL案例库在抗菌药物合理使用教学中的重要意义和实用性。它不仅能激发学生的主动学习兴趣,还有助于培养其跨学科团队合作和临床决策能力。文章还明确了PBL案例库编写的基本原则、方法以及案例的结构和内容,以确保建设案例库的可行性。本研究在临床药学专业硕士研究生教育中的实践证明,该方法适用于现代教学模式,有望显著提高抗菌药物合理使用教学的质量和效果,具有重要的教学和临床实践意义。

CBL教学法在通科专业住培胃肠外科中的应用效果

文章探索了案例教学法(case-based learning,CBL)在通科专业临床药师规范化培训学员中的应用效果。CBL教学法是以临床实际案例为基础的教学方法,通过直接引用在院治疗的患者为案例,让学员将药学理论与临床实践充分结合。文章以1例急性化脓性阑尾炎患者为例,总结近年来所在医院通科专业临床药师规范化培训的经验,并统计结业考核成绩,进行教学效果评定和学员满意度调查。CBL教学法可以运用于通科专业临床药师在胃肠外科临床实践,通科专业学员均顺利结业,考核合格并获得培训证书,且结业考核成绩均达标,教学效果优良,总体培训满意度较高。带教老师通过典型案例引导学员,参与从患者入院到出院整个治疗过程,让学员快速掌握外科临床药师的工作要点及模式,为通科专业临床药师学员在今后的外科临床药学实践中提供参考。

1例多发性骨髓瘤患者发生晕厥的病例分析与干预

本文报道1例多发性骨髓瘤患者在药物治疗后发生晕厥的病例。临床药师通过查阅相关文献,对晕厥原因进行详细分析,并对晕厥与所用药物的关联性进行了评价。结果表明,患者的晕厥可能与使用来那度胺和硼替佐米有关。调整治疗方案为伊沙佐米联合地塞米松后,患者未再出现晕厥。临床药师参与该病例的诊治,体现了临床药师在肿瘤多学科诊疗团队中药物方案制定、不良反应防控方面具有积极作用。

多因素线性回归模型分析门诊药房自动发药机对药师工作效率的影响

目的分析使用自动发药机对药师工作效率的影响。方法选择北京积水潭医院新街口院区和回龙观院区门诊药房(两种工作场景:配备自动发药机、完全传统手工调配模式)。以患者取药等候时间为因变量,分别以日门诊药房窗口药师数、当日该院区门诊药房处方量、患者当日就诊科室数、实际取药数量4项指标作为自变量,建立多因素线性回归模型,比较不同模型下患者取药等候时间的影响因素。以患者取药等候时间为因变量,以日门诊药房窗口药师数、是否配备自动发药机、当日该院区门诊药房处方量、患者当日就诊科室数、实际取药数量5项指标作为自变量,建立多因素线性回归模型,分析门诊药房工作药师数、是否采用自动发药机等对患者取药等候时间的影响。结果使用自动发药机院区每增加1名药师,患者取药等候时间缩短9.63 s,未使用自动发药机院区每增加1名药师,患者取药等候时间缩短5.41 s。将自动发药机作为影响因素纳入模型后,5项自变量均对患者取药等候时间有影响(P<0.05)。其中采用自动发药机的院区相比另一院区的取药等候时间节省20.08 s;院区日处方量每增1张,患者取药等候时间增加0.07 s;每增加1名门诊上班药师,患者取药等候时间减少5.69 s;患者当日每多就诊1个科室,取药等候时间增加72.72 s;患者取药数方面,取2~10盒/支相比取1盒/支、取超过10盒/支相比取1盒/支,患者取药等候时间分别减少15.72、9.25 s。结论自动发药机有助于提升门诊药房的工作效率,改善就医体验。

临床药师帮扶联动基层医疗机构家庭药师服务模式与实践

目的探索提升基层医疗机构家庭药师服务能力的新模式,建立标准化、同质化的居家药学服务。方法建立“固定签约药师+流动临床药师”居家药学服务团队,以“常规服务+特色服务”的模式开展药物治疗管理、家庭药箱整理、合理用药科普等居家药学服务工作。二级、三级医院临床药师通过实践带教、病例讨论、科普分享等方式对基层医疗机构家庭药师进行帮扶联动。结果2021年6月至2022年12月,共解决药物治疗管理相关问题135个,整理了40余户家庭药箱,合理用药科普宣传覆盖8000余人次。结论临床药师和家庭药师帮扶联动,能更好地发挥二级、三级医院的资源和人才优势,全面促进居家药学服务提质增效,提升家庭药师的服务能力。

我院中医师与中药临床药师联合会诊工作模式建立及实践

目的为医疗机构选择和建立适用于自身临床特色的中药临床药学服务模式提供参考。方法结合临床案例,介绍我院中医师与中药临床药师联合会诊模式的工作流程、服务内容,并进行成效分析。结果我院联合会诊药学服务模式的工作流程分为评估患者用药情况,会诊查房、制定给药方案,床旁教育,药学监护,药学查房和药学延伸服务6个环节。该模式的服务内容主要包括会诊前充分收集临床信息,评估患者药物治疗方案;会诊中针对患者个体化情况,中药临床药师与中医师一起制定给药方案;会诊后开展床旁用药教育,保障患者正确用药;会诊后制定并执行药学监护计划;会诊后监测患者病情变化,及时反馈至会诊中医师以调整给药方案;会诊后提供药学延伸服务,开展药物咨询、药学门诊、联合门诊。该模式建立后,每年服务住院患者近1000人次,服用中药饮片患者的医嘱审核率为100%;个体化用药教育占比达到78.80%,患者满意度为100%;病区中药饮片处方合格率由联合会诊工作开展前的89.33%提高至开展后的97.08%;每年为1000余例患者提供中药相关咨询,为医护人员整理、提供药学资料近百份。结论通过建立中医师与中药临床药师联合会诊工作模式,开展中药临床药学服务,提高了中药饮片的合理使用水平,体现了中药临床药师价值。

执业药师培训课程群知识图谱的构建及应用

随着科学技术的飞速发展,教育领域也迎来了更多的发展机遇,各类信息化教学工具不断服务于教学过程,成为高校教师创新教学方法、提升教学水平的重要抓手。为更好提升学生的学习效率,将不同课程中的相关专业知识融会贯通,课程组探索了知识图谱在执业药师培训课程群中的建设及应用,将知识点与视频资源、练习题、热点知识融合,分层次培养学生多项能力。通过该方法,教学资源得以重构,学生自主学习能力得以提升,更好地掌握了知识点的整体脉络并将其应用于实际工作;教师也能够通过后台数据了解学生学习情况,并对知识点掌握薄弱的环节进行强化教学。通过知识图谱的构建和应用,有效提升了学生的学习效果,构建了个性、精准的智慧教学体系。

药学门诊对儿童疱疹性咽峡炎用药干预分析

目的总结药学门诊参与儿童疱疹性咽峡炎用药管理的经验。方法选取2020年1月—2022年12月共832例就诊于我院药学门诊及儿科门诊的疱疹性咽峡炎病例,就诊于药学门诊的病例为干预组,就诊于儿科门诊的病例为对照组,干预组按照循证医学原则进行用药建议与指导,对照组不进行干预,所有患儿随访病情直至痊愈。结果832例患儿全部康复,无重症住院病例。干预组与对照组在发热、疼痛、疱疹愈合等时长及血液检查结果均差异无统计学意义(均P>0.05),干预组与对照组在药物使用方面差异有统计学意义(P<0.001),干预组不良反应数量(5例)及治疗费用[(44.30±5.23)元]均显著低于对照组[23例,(178.20±71.40)元](P<0.001)。结论疱疹性咽峡炎属于自限性病毒感染,应按照循证的原则予以对症支持,过度用药并未给儿童带来显著获益,反而增加不良反应风险,增加治疗费用。