A1C point-of-care (POC) instruments benefit patients with diabetes by facilitating clinician decision making that results in significant glycemic improvements. Three National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP)–certified POC products are available in the United States: the handheld A1CNow (formerly manufactured by Bayer Diabetes Care but now made by Chek Diagnostics) and two bench-top models called the Axis-Shield Afinion Analyzer and the Siemens DCA Vantage. This article compares the three available NGSP-certified POC products in terms of accuracy, precision, ease of use, cost, and additional features. Its goal is to aid health care facilities in conveniently identifying the A1C POC product that best meets their needs. It additionally reviews evidence that supports the continued use of A1C POC instruments in the clinical arena.

Team-based learning (TBL) helps instructors develop an active teaching approach for the classroom through group work. The TBL infrastructure engages students in the learning process through the Readiness Assessment Process, problem-solving through team discussions, and peer feedback to ensure accountability. This manuscript describes the benefits and barriers of TBL, and the tools necessary for developing, implementing, and critically evaluating the technique within coursework in a user-friendly method. Specifically, the manuscript describes the processes underpinning effective TBL development, preparation, implementation, assessment, and evaluation, as well as practical techniques and advice from authors' classroom experiences. The paper also highlights published articles in the area of TBL in education, with a focus on pharmacy education.

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Objectives. To develop and establish validity for a grading rubric to evaluate diabetes SOAP note writing on primary care (PC) advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), as well as to assess reliability and student perceptions of the rubric.Methods. Ten PC APPE faculty members collaborated to develop a rubric to provide formative and summative feedback on three written SOAP notes per APPE student over a 10-month period. Correlation analyses were conducted between rubric scores and three criterion variables to assess criterion-related validity: APPE grades, Pharmaceutical Care Ability Profile Scores, and Global Impression Scores. Interrater and intra-rater reliability testing were completed using Cohen's kappa and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC). Student perceptions were assessed through an anonymous student survey.Results. A total of 51 students and 167 SOAP notes were evaluated using the final rurbric. The mean score significantly increased from the first to second SOAP note (p<.001) and from the first to third SOAP note (p<.001). Statistically significant positive correlations were found between final rubric scores and criterion variables. The ICC for inter-rater reliability was fair (.59) for final rubric scores and excellent for intra-rater reliability (.98-1.00). A majority of students responded that the rubric improved their ability and confidence to write SOAP notes. Conclusions.The findings provide evidence that the rubric developed may be used to make valid decisions about students' SOAP note writing ability and may increase their confidence in this area. The use of the rubric allows for greater reliability among multiple graders, supporting grading consistency.