The ability to follow instructions is an important aspect of everyday life. Depending on the setting and context, following instructions results in outcomes that have various degrees of impact. In a clinical setting, following instructions may affect life or death. Within the context of the academic setting, following instructions or failure to do so can impede general learning and development of desired proficiencies. Intuitively, one might think that following instructions requires simply reading instructional text or paying close attention to verbal directions and performing the intended action afterward. This commentary provides a brief overview of the cognitive architecture required for following instructions and will explore social behaviors and mode of instruction as factors further impacting this ability.
Objective. To evaluate student perceptions of a transformed pharmacy student government structure and meeting format. Methods. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Eshelman School of Pharmacy Student Senate (ie, student government) structure and general assembly meeting format underwent a transformation to a Council structure in an effort to address perceived limitations of unidirectional information exchange, minimal discussion, and unengaged meeting participants. To evaluate student perceptions of the new Senate Council, members who attended at least one Council meeting during the academic year completed a 12-item Qualtrics survey evaluating inter-organization relations, communication, collaboration, and efficiencies. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize agreement frequencies among 10 Likert-scale survey items. Thematic analysis was employed for the two open-ended survey items to identify common themes. Results. The majority of students agreed or strongly agreed the Senate Council facilitated inter-organizational relations (86%), communication (93%), and collaboration (86%). Ninety-three percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed the Senate Council improved efficiencies, while 96% percent preferred the new Senate Council meeting format over the previous Senate meeting format. Common qualitative themes included improved engagement during Council meetings with the "no laptop" policy and facilitation of open conversations given the roundtable format and smaller number of members in attendance. Overall, 93% of students indicated they were highly satisfied or satisfied with the new Senate Council meeting format. Conclusion. Student perceptions suggest the new Senate Council structure and meeting format was effective at improving inter-organization relations, communication, collaboration, and efficiencies within student body government.
Major depressive disorder is a common mood disorder and presents increased morbidity and mortality risks for patients with comorbid cardiovascular disease (CVD). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a cornerstone of treatment for major depressive disorder, given their relative safety and affordability compared with other antidepressant classes, and SSRIs frequently are used in patients with CVD. However, clinicians should carefully weigh safety considerations before prescribing SSRIs in these patients. This article reviews the safety of SSRIs in patients with CVD and discusses SSRI selection.
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