Background Clinical pharmacy services started in 2009 at the National Center for Cancer Care and Research, Qatar. Clinical pharmacy services was established to provide comprehensive prescription of drug management and support, and consulting services to build clinically efficient and cost-effective pharmacy program. Aim To determine perceptions and expectations of healthcare providers toward the clinical pharmacy services at the National Center for Cancer Care and Research. Methods A cross-sectional survey of healthcare providers was conducted from January to May 2018. A self-administered electronic/paper survey containing four domains assessing healthcare providers’ perceptions and expectations towards clinical pharmacy services, perceived barriers to clinical pharmacist role and suggested area for improvement was sent to 375 healthcare providers including physicians, operational pharmacists, nurses and dietitians. Results The response rate was 112/375. Most of the healthcare providers (74%) perceived the increasing interest in clinical pharmacy services. Also, they expected (1) providing consultations regarding appropriate medication choices (82%); (2) providing information about medication availability and shortages (82%); (3) assisting in the prescribing of cost-effective drugs by providing pharmacogenomics information routinely (75%) and (4) Participating actively in research activities (74%). Overall, healthcare providers have a high level of trust in the clinical pharmacists’ abilities ( P < 0.01). Nurses were less appreciative ( P < 0.002) of the positive role of clinical pharmacists in direct patient care as compared to both physicians and pharmacists (64.2%, 90% and 95.7%, respectively). Conclusion This study revealed a positive attitude towards the role of clinical pharmacists by healthcare providers at National Center for Cancer Care and Research. However, there is an area of improvement by empowering with privilege and staffing, elevating the awareness and expansion in the ambulatory care settings.
BENS using PEG35000 loaded with AMX were successfully fabricated and characterized. Our findings show that PEG BENS has features that make it a promising candidate for wound healing applications.
Purpose: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment is an important strategy for the prevention of CVD. Pharmacists play an important role in CVD risk assessment and management (CVDRAM). Our previous study identified gaps in knowledge among community pharmacists for the provision of CVDRAM services as assessed through patient simulation. Therefore, our objectives were: a) to develop and evaluate an educational program on CVD risk assessment for community pharmacists, b) to assess the knowledge and skills of participating pharmacists in assessing and managing CVD risk before and after enrolling in the educational program and c) to explore pharmacists' satisfaction and perceived effectiveness of the educational program. Methods: Using a blended learning instructional approach, the educational program for a subset of 25 community pharmacists recruited from our previous study consisted of two face-to-face workshops, and an online 5-module course on CVD risk factors such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and smoking cessation based on principles of adult learning. A repeated measures study design was utilized by measuring participants' knowledge on pre-and post-questionnaires and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) at the conclusion of the educational program was also used to assess its impact on the knowledge and skills of community pharmacists in the provision of CVD risk assessment and management (CVDRAM) services. The knowledge questionnaire was completed by 23 pharmacists while the OSCE was completed by 8 pharmacists. In addition, a survey assessed the pharmacists' level of satisfaction with the educational program. Results: At the conclusion of the educational program, the participating pharmacists achieved knowledge and skills for the provision of CVDRAM services. Knowledge scores in relation to CVDRAM significantly improved after the educational program [out of a maximum of 20 points, the median (interquartile range) = 9 (7-9) at pre-vs 12 (12-13) at post-educational program], p<0.001. On the OSCE, the median (interquartile range) scores for Stations 1 and 2 were 66 (63-71) and 71 (67-76), respectively. Out of the 21 pharmacists that completed the satisfaction survey, 71% were very satisfied and 29% were satisfied with the educational program. Conclusion: The educational program improved pharmacists' knowledge and skills for the provision of CVDRAM services.
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