Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Spring 2024 Edition, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

The Sig

Sig Spring 2024 Edition

GREETINGS FROM THE DEAN'S OFFICE!

I wish everyone a happy Spring and I hope you enjoy the latest edition of the Sig .

“The Role Of Artificial Intelligence In The Pharmaceutical Field: Enhancing Therapeutic Outcomes And Repurposing Through The Acceleration Of Drug Discovery”, Tonivie Valeriano

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

The development of new drugs and their repurposing have considerably benefited the field of pharmacy. It will not only affect the pharmaceutical sector but also its diverse facets of health will be significantly influenced. Yet, the development of innovative medical treatments necessitated a lengthy period of expectancy for human survival. Individual survival rates were decreasing over time before the development of the treatment. Humanity has a limited lifespan. Moreover, investments in new drugs often go unnoticed because of the prolonged and complex process of drug research and development (R&D). In the future of pharmacy, artificial intelligence will continue to have …

January / February / March 2024, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

This is the January, February, and March issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

Covid-19 And Burnout Among Community Pharmacists In The West Bank – Palestine, Amjad H. Bazzari, Firas H. Bazzari

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a strong impact on the physical and mental well-being of healthcare workers. However, the focus has been directed towards nurses and physicians compared to pharmacists. Here, the researchers investigated the prevalence of burnout among community pharmacists in the West Bank – Palestine during the pandemic and the associated COVID-19 factors. The study was conducted using a written questionnaire and the sample included a total of 70 pharmacists. The results showed a burnout prevalence of 45.7% with work-related burnout having the highest impact on both males (50%) and females (54.8%). The level of burnout …

Adolescent Vaccination Rates And Pharmacists' Ability To Prescribe And Administer, Paul Jake Faulkner

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Vaccines are arguably the most significant advancement in healthcare in the prevention of diseases. The CDC has created a series of recommendations to help guide providers and patients toward a healthier future with vaccines. These recommendations were adopted by the Health People Goals 2020 and 2030 to increase each state's rates of completing specific vaccination series by defined age thresholds. This capstone aims to assess if there is a correlation between vaccination rates and pharmacists; specifically to see if states that give less restrictions about vaccinating would have higher rates. It is also important to see if states with more …

Conference Proceedings: Select Abstracts Presented At 2023 Advocate Aurora Scientific Day

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

This abstract supplement includes findings presented at the 49th annual Advocate Aurora Scientific Day on May 24, 2023. The Scientific Day symposium provides a virtual forum for the sharing of preliminary results from research and case studies conducted by faculty, fellows, residents, and other health professionals associated with Illinois-based Advocate Health Care and Wisconsin-based Aurora Health Care.

Fall 2023 Edition, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

The Sig

The Sig Newsletter from the Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy - Fall 2023 Edition

Pharmacy Newsletter : August 2023, Pharmacy Department, Aga Khan University

Pharmacy Newsletter

• Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Digoxin – What You Need to Know?
• Composition of Common Poisons/Household Items
• Dexamethasone Induced Psychosis
• TOX TOK! Cement Ingestion
• Thromboprophylaxis in Critical Care Patients
• AKUH – Adverse Drug Reactions Reporting Trend – Q1 2023
• AKUH - Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Report - Q1 & Q2 2023
• AKUH - Pharmacists’ Intervention Statistics - Q1 2023
• Clinical Pharmacists in Multidisciplinary Rounds - Dashboard - Q1 2023

Sharksrx Newsletter Summer 2023, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Sharks Rx

No abstract provided.

Is My Prescription Ready Yet? A Qualitative Examination Of Patients' Understanding Of The Prescription Filling Process In Community Pharmacies, Maria Sallee

Honors Theses

Long lines at the pharmacy can frustrate patients. Consequently, patients becoming frustrated can add stress to an already overworked pharmacy. Without knowing what patients understand about the often complicated prescription filling process at community pharmacies, it can be difficult for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to communicate the reason behind any delays in patients receiving their medication. To learn what patients understand about the prescription filling process, fifteen interviews were conducted over the phone after mailing recruitment flyers to members of a diabetes research collaborative in North Mississippi. The interviews revealed that while patients have a positive relationship with their pharmacists, …

The Opioid Epidemic: How Genetics Play A Role In Addiction And Treatment, Kirsten Houston

Honors College Theses

The opioid epidemic is an issue within the pharmaceutical industry in the United States of America due to prescription and non-prescription substances being made available to the population. Opioids include chemical substances that affect the body and brain through opioid receptors, including the mu, kappa, and delta receptors. These substances are derived and synthesized from the poppy plant. Multiple causes have been linked to opioid abuse disorder, including but not limited to employment, income, housing, nutrition, mental health disorders, and genetics. By gathering information from previous literature, genetics may be the main cause of narcotic analgesic tolerance and abuse. Specific …

Longitudinal Assessment Of Pharmacy Student Attitudes Towards Mental Illness, Jessica Dillon

Honors Scholar Theses

Background: Mental health stigma in providers is one of the greatest barriers in effective care in psychiatric patients. When patients feel stigma towards them, they have lower levels of self-esteem and lower medication adherence. When training healthcare providers, specifically pharmacists, it is important to assess the effectiveness of training at reducing stigma levels. Previous studies have shown that didactic teaching does not significantly decrease stigma in pharmacy students. However, other studies have shown that students who participated in psychiatric rotations have less stigma surrounding mental health following the rotation. Currently there are no studies that assess the same students’ stigma …

Reducing Unnecessary Acid Suppression Use In Hospitalized Patients: A Description Of Targeted Strategies Implemented Across A Large Health System, Elizabeth H. Wiggins, L. Hayley Burgess, Joan Kramer

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Ensuring the appropriate use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine type 2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) is an important hospital patient safety and quality initiative because therapy may be inappropriately continued during transitions of care. In this article, we aim to describe the impact of targeted quality improvement strategies to reduce unnecessary acid suppression use in hospitalized patients across a large health system.

Methods

Beginning January 1, 2018, focused quality improvement strategies to prevent unnecessary initiation and continuation of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine type 2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) were implemented throughout a large health system. Targeted strategies were initially …

Elevating Exposure Of Pharmacy Services And Medication Management, L. Hayley Burgess, Joan Kramer, Jocasta G. Olp

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Medications are the mainstay of treatment for many disorders and diseases. Our guest editorial board is proud to highlight the complexity of medication management and the talented pharmacists dedicated to safety and effectiveness. This special issue of the HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine is dedicated specifically to pharmacy services across the healthcare spectrum, featuring pharmacist medication management research and education aimed at enhancing the safety of patients and colleagues.

Pharmacists’ Perceptions And Knowledge Of The Legalization Of Medical Marijuana In Mississippi, Faith Houston

Honors Theses

The legalization of medical cannabis in Mississippi was a debated topic among all citizens. This thesis specifically explored pharmacists’ perceptions and knowledge as medical professionals who will be involved with patients certified to use medical cannabis. Information was gathered using a voluntary online survey on the Qualtrics platform to produce a cross-sectional, descriptive study.

From the information gathered, it was apparent that pharmacists in Mississippi have varying opinions regarding medical marijuana. Some are in favor of using these products, and some are not. However, as cannabis has been officially accepted and put into patient's medical plans both current and future …

Sharksrx Newsletter Spring 2023, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Sharks Rx

No abstract provided.

Accuracy Of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring In Vancomycin And The Pharmacist Role: A Retrospective Case-Series, Kateryna Parkhomenko

Senior Theses

Vancomycin is a mainstay of therapy for treating virulent and resistant infections, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, vancomycin requires therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for optimal dosing and treatment. This requires pharmacists to calculate a dosing regimen that correlates to appropriate goal vancomycin concentrations in the blood. Dosing vancomycin can be difficult, as it varies on a patient’s weight, renal function, age, etc. Doses may have to be adjusted in response to out-of-range concentrations, which requires further pharmacy calculations. Inaccurate dosing poses a risk to patient safety and places a resource and time burden on pharmacists. If vancomycin dosing methods …

Sustaining Rural Pharmacy Workforce Understanding Key Attributes For Enhanced Retention And Recruitment, Daniel Terry, Blake Peck, Danny Hills, Jaclyn Bishop, Mark Kirschbaum, Kehinde Obamiro, Hoang Phan, Ed Baker, David Schmitz

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: To pilot the Pharmacist Community Apgar Questionnaire (PharmCAQ) and evaluate its usability and capacity to develop a greater understanding of the unique factors that impact the rural recruitment and retention of pharmacists.

Design: Cross-sectional design involving face-to-face, telephone or video conferencing interviews.

Setting: Twelve rural communities across Tasmania and Western Victoria, Australia.

Participants: Participants (n = 24) included pharmacists, a Director of Clinical Services, pharmacy practice managers and senior pharmacy assistants.

Main Outcome Measures: Interviews enabled the completion of the PharmCAQ, which assigns quantitative values to 50 key factors to ascertain a community's strengths and challenges associated with …

Closed-System Transfer Devices Reduce Exposure To Contaminants, Ken Maxik, Craig Kimble, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Closed-system transfer devices (CSTDs) are used during the preparation of hazardous drugs (HDs) as a mechanism to reduce the transfer of drugs or vapors into the environment. When evaluating these systems, pharmacists should consider which drugs in the pharmacy would benefit the safety of health care workers and patients using the systems. Medication types include neoplastic agents, such as bleomycin, cisplatin, and methotrexate, and other agents, such as cyclosporine, oxytocin, and progesterone.

January / February 2023, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

This is the January & February 2023 issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

Pharmacy Students’ Perceptions And Attitudes Toward Face-To-Face Vs. Virtual Team-Based Learning (Tbl) In The Didactic Curriculum: A Mixed-Methods Study, Osama A. Shoair, Winter J. Smith, May H. Abdelaziz, Michael A. Veronin, Joseph S. Glavy, Shelby J. Pirtle

Pharmacy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction

Virtual TBL is an online adaptation of the team-based learning (TBL) instructional strategy, emphasizing collaborative learning and problem-solving. The emergency shift to virtual TBL during the COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges. This study aims to 1) compare overall pharmacy students’ perceptions and attitudes toward face-to-face (FTF) TBL vs. virtual TBL in the didactic curriculum and stratify their perceptions and attitudes by various students’ characteristics; 2) evaluate students’ perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of virtual TBL.

Methods

This mixed-methods, pre-post, cross-sectional study utilized an anonymous survey to collect the data. Pharmacy students completed a survey to compare their perceptions …

Implementation Of A Required Professional Development Course Series In The Doctor Of Pharmacy Program, Nicole E. Omecene

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Purpose/Background: The assessment of professionalism is a challenging and evolving field. The pharmacy education literature describes approaches to assessing professionalism over time; however, an integrated professionalism course series spanning the duration of the program has not been described.1,2 Co-curricular experiences present an opportunity for students to apply content learned in the classroom to real-world experiences where professionalism is expected. These activities include leadership positions, career seminars and health outreach events. Previously described processes for tracking the co-curricular activities differ in the accuracy of data collected and the connection to a professional development course.3,4 The purpose of this educational project is …

2023 Apothecary, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Apothecary

It is with great honor that we present the 2023 Apothecary issue. This year's Apothecary was made possible by generous financial contributions from many stores, businesses, and Southwestern College of Pharmacy alumni. We greatly appreciate and thank you for your continued support.

The Apothecary staff would like to thank Dr. Les Ramos and Adina Foust. This process would not have been possible without their continuous support, patience, and behind-the-scenes efforts. We also want to thank the SWOSU Design Studio for their hard work in creating this year's fantastic cover and dividers. You always help bring our ideas to life and …

Retail Pharmacies And Drug Diversion During The Opioid Epidemic, Aljoscha Janssen, Xuan Zhang

Research Collection School Of Economics

This study investigates the role of retail pharmacy ownership in the opioid epidemic. Using data of prescription opioid orders, we show that compared with chain pharmacies, independent pharmacies dispense 39.1% more opioids and 60.5% more OxyContin. After an independent pharmacy becomes a chain pharmacy, opioid dispensing decreases. Using the OxyContin reformulation, which reduced non-medical demand but not the legitimate medical demand, we show that at least a third of the difference in the amount of OxyContin dispensed can be attributed to non-medical demand. We show that differences in competitive pressure and whether pharmacists own the pharmacy drive our estimates.

Evaluation Of Anti-Factor Xa Level Usage For Low Molecular Weight Heparin In A Healthcare System, Natalie Quesep, Lourdes R. Menendez, Erika Dittmar, Radhan B. Gopalani, Payal Patel, Srikanth Nagalla

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Background: Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is a commonly used anticoagulant for treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Routine monitoring of therapeutic effects through anti-Xa levels is not recommended but may be beneficial in patients with altered pharmacokinetics.^1,2 Inappropriate monitoring leads to excessive testing and premature dose adjustments, compromising safety and efficacy. The purpose of this project was to assess appropriateness of monitoring LMWH anti-Xa levels and identify opportunities to optimize utilization within a community health system.

Methods: A random-sample, retrospective chart review at a multi-site hospital system was conducted over a 3-year period. Inclusion criteria were adults admitted with …

November / December 2022, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

This is the November & December 2022 issue of Rural Rocks from the SWOSU College of Pharmacy.

Radio Frequency Identification Enhances Patient Safety, Craig Kimble, Alberto Coustasse, Ken Maxik

Pharmacy Practice & Administration

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology that uses tags and readers to identify and collect asset information. In pharmacies, this usually means RFID is used for high cost equipment or pharmaceuticals. RFID applications have been in use for many years but recently gained traction in health systems. RFID is becoming particularly effective in drug inventory and automation applications, such as medication carousels and pick-to-light systems.

Conference Proceedings: Select Abstracts Presented At Advocate Aurora Scientific Day 2022

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The abstracts published in this supplement were presented at the 48th annual Advocate Aurora Scientific Day on May 25, 2022. This scholarly symposium provides a closed forum for sharing preliminary results from research studies conducted by faculty physicians and nurses, fellows, residents, scientists, and other health professionals associated with U.S. Midwest-based health system Advocate Aurora Health, publisher of the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews.

September / October 2022, Randy Curry, Cindy Brooks

RURAL ROCKS

PLS presents the 7^th Annual Substance Use Disorder Seminar with Dr. Jake Nichols.

Sharksrx Newsletter Fall 2022, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Sharks Rx

No abstract provided.