One year since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid response measures have been implemented internationally to mitigate the spread of the virus. Following rapid and successful pre-clinical and human trials, several vaccines have been authorised for use across Europe through the European Medicines Agency and national regulatory authorities. Clinical trials have shown promising results including important reductions in disease severity, hospitalisation and mortality. In order to maximise the public health benefit of available vaccines, there is a pressing need to vaccinate a large proportion of the population. Internationally, this has prompted coordination of existing services at enormous scale, and development and implementation of novel vaccination strategies to ensure maximum inoculation over the shortest possible timeframe. Pharmacists are being promoted as healthcare professionals that enhance roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination programmes. This paper aims to summarise current policy and practice in relation to pharmacists’ involvement in COVID-19 vaccination in 13 countries across Europe.
Objectives Evaluation of an interprofessional education (IPE) course at a German university was complicated by the lack of validated German versions of IPE assessment instruments. The objectives of this study were to (1) translate version 2 of the Student Perceptions of Physician‐Pharmacist Interprofessional Clinical Education (SPICE‐2) and (2) test its validity and reliability. Methods After translation, the SPICE‐2D instrument was administered electronically to medical and pharmacy students at four universities in Germany using a convenience sampling design. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to assess validity of the translated instrument. Goodness‐of‐fit assessment was conducted by evaluating the standardized root mean square residuals (SRMR), the comparative fit index (CFI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). Overall and factor‐specific reliabilities of SPICE‐2D were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Key findings Four German universities participated. Response rate was 19.8% (n = 312/1576), mean age of respondents was 25.1 years (SD 3.3), and the majority were female (69%, n = 215). The SRMR of the overall model showed a good fit (0.061). The measured CFI of 0.95 and RMSEA of 0.072 (95% CI 0.053–0.091) can be considered acceptable. Cronbach’s alpha indicated overall instrument reliability and composite reliabilities; only the reliability of factor 2 (Roles/responsibilities for Collaborative Practice) was mediocre (α = 0.41). Medical students scored consistently higher across all factors than pharmacy students. Conclusions The SPICE‐2D instrument demonstrated acceptable reliability, with the exception of the roles/responsibilities factor. A robust evaluation of SPICE‐2D’s validity and reliability in the context of a more representative sample of German medical and pharmacy students is warranted.
Zusammenfassung Ziel der Studie Es bestehen kaum Konzepte, wie den Studierenden Wissen über das eigene Gesundheitssystem vermittelt und die Wichtigkeit und Praxisrelevanz des Themas verdeutlicht werden kann. Der fallbasierte Ansatz und die darin beschriebenen Fehler sollen die Relevanz des Themas für die ärztliche Tätigkeit hervorheben. Methodik Es wurde ein Kurskonzept entwickelt, welches die Praxisrelevanz der Inhalte den Studierenden möglichst nah gebracht werden kann. Dieses basiert auf einem Methodenmix aus Game-Based Learning, fallbasierten und kooperativen Lernens. Im Rahmen des Seminars wird der Weg eines krebskranken Patienten durch das Gesundheitswesen beschrieben, der aufgrund mangelnder Absprachen und weiterer Schnittstellenproblematiken unbefriedigend behandelt wird. Der fallbasierte Ansatz und die darin beschriebenen Fehler sollen die Relevanz des Themas für die ärztliche Tätigkeit hervorheben. Ergebnisse Analysen zeigen, dass die Studierenden (n=1162) bei beiden Erhebungszeiträumen ihr Interesse am Seminarthema eher im mittleren Bereich einordneten. Dennoch empfanden die Studierenden die Methode des fallbasierten Lernens als gut und schätzten die Relevanz des Themas als hoch ein. Schlussfolgerungen Die spätere Relevanz des Themenkomplexes GGG für die berufliche Tätigkeit wurde von den Studierenden scheinbar erkannt. Die geringe Motivation der Studierenden, sich mit der Thematik zu beschäftigen, konnte scheinbar reduziert werden, was auch durch die rückgemeldeten Beobachtungen der Dozierenden bestätigt wurde.
Background Despite several international studies demonstrating that ward-based pharmacists improve medication quality, ward pharmacists are not generally established in German hospitals. Aim We assessed the effect of a ward-based clinical pharmacist on the medication quality of geriatric inpatients in a German university hospital. Method The before-after study with a historic control group was conducted on the geriatric ward. During the control phase, patients received standard care without the involvement of a pharmacist. The intervention consisted of a clinical pharmacist providing pharmaceutical care from admission to discharge. Medication quality was measured on admission and discharge using the Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI). A linear regression analysis was conducted to calculate the influence of the intervention on the MAI. Results Patients in the intervention group (n = 152, mean 83 years) were older and took more drugs at admission compared to the control group (n = 159, 81 years). For both groups, the MAI per patient improved significantly from admission to discharge. Although the intervention did not influence the summated MAI score per patient, the intervention significantly reduced the MAI criteria Dosage (p = 0.006), Correct Directions (p = 0.016) and Practical Directions (p = 0.004) as well as the proportion of overall inappropriate MAI ratings (at least 1 of 9 criteria inappropriate) (p = 0.015). Conclusion Although medication quality was already high in the control group, a ward-based clinical pharmacist could contribute meaningfully to the medication quality on an acute geriatric ward.
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