Disaster preparedness amongst pharmacists and pharmacy students: a systematic literature review

Emergency pharmacy workforce views and experience related to the provision of pharmaceutical care during mass gathering events: the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ experience

Purpose

This study aimed to explore emergency pharmacy workforce perspectives and experiences in providing pharmaceutical care during mass gathering events (i.e., FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™).

Methods

A qualitative methodology was employed using focus groups discussions. Emergency pharmacists across Hamad Medical Corporation were invited to participate using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and validated. Inductive thematic analysis was undertaken to generate key themes and subthemes.

Results

Four focus groups were conducted which included 21 participants and generated five major themes. Whilst participants had mixed opinions in relation to their preparedness to practice during the World Cup, they perceived their experience as successful and smooth. The primary perceived facilitators were management support, mobile medical units, and high public health awareness. The main highlighted barriers were related to staff insufficiency, medications availability, and cultural and language challenges. Participants recommended pharmacist's role identification in mass gatherings, development of pharmacy action plan, and offering simulation training and pharmacy-specific training.

Conclusion

Despite the perceived barriers, pharmacists reported positive views in relation to their experience in providing pharmaceutical care during mass gatherings. Future research should focus on the development of theory-driven action framework for pharmacy departments to adopt during mass gatherings.

Managing the COVID-19 health crisis: a survey of Swiss hospital pharmacies

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic strained healthcare systems immensely as of 2020. Switzerland's hospital pharmacies' responses during the first wave were surveyed with a view to improving the quality of pharmaceutical management in future health crises.

METHODS

An online survey was sent to the heads of all of Switzerland's hospital pharmacies. The questionnaire was organised into eleven sections of questions covering many topics regarding the management of COVID-19's first wave. Data collection occurred from May to June 2020.

RESULTS

Analyses were performed using the 43 questionnaires (66%), with at least one answer per questionnaire, out of 65 distributed. Seventeen of 41 pharmacies responding (41%) had existing standard operating procedures or pandemic plans and 95% of these (39/41) set up crisis management steering committees. Twenty-nine of 43 pharmacies responding (67%) created new activities to respond to the pandemic's specific needs. Twenty-six of 39 pharmacies responding (67%) created new drug lists for: COVID-19-specific treatments (85%; 22/26), sedatives (81%; 21/26), anaesthetics (77%; 20/26) and antibiotics (73%; 19/26). Drug availability in designated COVID-19 wards was managed by increasing existing stocks (54%; 22/41 pharmacies) and creating extra storage space (51%; 21/41). Two drugs generated the greatest concern about shortages: propofol (49%; 19/39 pharmacies) and midazolam (44%; 17/39). Remdesivir stocks ran out in 26% of pharmacies (10/39). Twelve of 43 pharmacies (28%) drafted specific new documents to respond to medical needs regarding drug administration, 12 (28%) did so for drug preparation and 10 (23%) did so for treatment choices.

CONCLUSIONS

Switzerland's hospital pharmacies encountered many challenges related to the COVID-19 crisis and had to find solutions quickly, effectively and safely. The survey highlighted the key role that hospital pharmacies played in many aspects of the pandemic by providing logistical and clinical support to medical and nursing care teams. The lessons and experiences outlined could be used to improve the quality of hospital pharmacies' readiness for similar future events.

Academic pharmacist competencies in ordinary and emergency situations: content validation and pilot description in Lebanese academia

BACKGROUND

In the absence of a similar study in the Lebanese context, this study aimed to validate the content of the specialized competencies frameworks of academic pharmacists (educators, researchers, and clinical preceptors) and pilot their use for practice assessment in the context of multiple severe crises.

METHODS

A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between March and September 2022 among academic pharmacists enrolled by snowball sampling using a questionnaire created on Google Forms.

RESULTS

The suggested frameworks had appropriate content to assess the competencies of academic pharmacists. Educators and clinical preceptors were confident in all their competencies except for emergency preparedness. Researchers had varying levels of confidence, ranging from moderate to high confidence for many competencies, but gaps were reported in fundamental research, conducting clinical trials, and pharmacy practice research (mean < 80). Educators and researchers relied primarily on experience and postgraduate studies, while clinical preceptors emphasized undergraduate studies to acquire their respective competencies. Continuing education sessions/programs were the least cited as a competency-acquiring venue across all roles.

CONCLUSION

This study could develop and validate the content of frameworks for specialized competencies of academic pharmacists, including educators, researchers, and clinical preceptors, in a challenging setting. The frameworks were also piloted for practice assessment, which could contribute to supporting effective performance and sustained development of practitioners and help link the skills and competencies pharmacists learn during their studies with those required for a career in academia.

The specialized competency framework for community pharmacists (SCF-CP) in Lebanon: validation and evaluation of the revised version

BACKGROUND

In the absence of similar studies in Lebanon, this study aimed at upgrading and validating the Lebanese specialized competencies framework for community pharmacists (SCF-CP) as a tool to transform community practice and support the professional development and career progression of community pharmacists.

METHODS

Content validity was assessed and improved through a team of experts. After a thorough literature review and utilizing the Delphi technique, six domains were defined in the framework, with their respective competencies and behaviors. A cross-sectional study was then carried out from March to October 2022 using an online questionnaire created on Google Forms. The snowball technique was applied to reach community pharmacists across all the Lebanese governorates.

RESULTS

The final sample included 512 community pharmacists. The construct validity of the framework was confirmed by factor analysis. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measures of sampling adequacy were satisfactory for all models ranging from 0.500 to 0.956 with a significant Bartlett's test of sphericity (P < 0.001). The internal consistency of all competency domains was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha, with values ranging from 0.803 to 0.953. All competencies were significantly correlated with their respective domains (P < 0.001), and all domains were significantly correlated with each other and with the framework (P < 0.001). The participants declared being competent in all domains relating to fundamental skills, safe and rational use of medicines, pharmacy management, professional skills, public health fundamentals, and emergency preparedness and response, with some exceptions, such as compounding, management, and emergency preparedness. A higher declared competency level was associated with having more experience and receiving more than 50 patients per day.

CONCLUSION

Our findings could demonstrate that the Lebanese specialized competency framework is a valid and reliable tool. This framework could help assess the minimum competencies that community pharmacists should possess or acquire and direct initial and continuing education for better practice. Hence, it could be adopted by the authorities and implemented in the Lebanese community pharmacy setting.

Disaster Preparedness Amongst Emergency Pharmacists for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Purpose

The aim of this study is to assess the level of preparedness of pharmacists working in the emergency department at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) for any emergency disasters that may take place during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ by evaluating their awareness (A), attitude (A), and readiness (R).

Methods

A cross-sectional quantitative observational study was conducted through a web-based survey. The survey was distributed among emergency pharmacists working in general hospitals under HMC. The questionnaire was composed of three major domains assessing awareness, attitude, readiness, as well as an additional domain to collect the participants' demographics. Student's t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation, and linear regression were used with an alpha level of 0.05.

Results

Most pharmacists working in the emergency departments at HMC had high levels of awareness (76.9%), attitude (92%), and readiness (53.8%) for any emergency disasters that may occur during the FIFA World Cup 2022. Nonetheless, almost half of the respondents reported moderate level of readiness for emergency events. Pharmacists with >10 years' practice experience had significantly higher AAR score compared to those with <5 years' experience (P = 0.002). Significant direct positive correlations were found among the 3 AAR parameters (P < 0.05). Attitude was found to be a significant predictor of readiness (P < 0.05). A model composed of attitude and awareness could predict 12% of readiness score.

Conclusion

Emergency pharmacists at HMC have high level of preparedness for any emergency disaster event during the World Cup. Future research should focus on the development of theory-based action framework for pharmacy departments during mass gathering events.

How to Best Prepare Pharmacy Students for Disaster Management: A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the opinions of academic and practicing pharmacists about ways to prepare pharmacy students for disaster management to enable them to optimize their role in disaster health management.

METHODS

Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted for data collection from April through June 2021. The research participants were 9 pharmacists who were involved in disaster management. The interview guide was developed following a comprehensive literature review on disaster management. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The main themes identified are knowledge of health and disaster management, specific skills in disaster management, positive attitudes toward involvement in disaster management, and appropriate behavior in the face of a disaster, as well as personal readiness and training to achieve competence and readiness. Participants mentioned that special training in soft skills, especially communication and problem-solving, is essential for students.

CONCLUSION

Disaster-specific competencies and personal readiness through training can prepare pharmacy students for disaster management. Soft skills such as communication and problem-solving must be the highest priority.

Emergency Preparedness for the COVID-19 Pandemic: Social Determinants Predicting the Community Pharmacists’ Preparedness and Perceived Response in Malaysia

Background: Pandemic preparedness of healthcare providers helps to mitigate future threats such as spread and fatality rates, as well as the management of the disease. Pharmacists are key partners with public health agencies, and the role of community pharmacists is becoming increasingly recognised in this COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to explore the emergency preparedness of community pharmacists (CPs) for COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among community pharmacists using cluster sampling followed by convenient sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was formulated using references from the previous literature and the WHO preparedness checklist. Descriptive analysis was undertaken for the participants’ socio-demographic characteristics. All the data collected were entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 24 (SPSS V.24), (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 24.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) for analysis. Results: Most of the CPs had five or fewer years of practice experience, and they had all the mandatory information relating to the needs of their communities regarding the disease. The participants knew where to acquire these resources whenever needed. They were able to recognise the signs and symptoms of the disease. Most participants felt that they were confident to provide patient education and carry out their duties during these challenging times. There was a strong position correlation between preparedness and the perceived response of the participants. Conclusion: The community pharmacists in Malaysia are prepared enough for COVID-19 pandemic management and perceive that they can respond during any unprecedented situations, such as COVID-19. Community pharmacists were aware of the challenges that they need to face in their community regarding COVID-19.

Implementation of a unique mass casualty and emergency preparedness longitudinal learning experience for postgraduate year 2 pharmacy residents

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) critical care pharmacy residency program offers an elective competency area, E3: Mass Casualty. Similar elective competencies are also available for PGY2 emergency medicine and postgraduate year 1/2 pharmacotherapy programs. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacist proficiency in the management of disasters is even more urgent. However, few residency programs require or include a specific learning experience to achieve this competency. This article provides examples of opportunities that residency programs can implement to offer an Emergency Preparedness/Mass Casualty (EP/MC) learning experience.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

A longitudinal EP/MC learning experience was integrated into a PGY2 critical care program.

FINDINGS

A longitudinal EP/MC learning experience within the PGY2 critical care, emergency medicine, and pharmacotherapy residency program curricula is achievable and promotes resident development. Learning experience components included topic discussions, participation on local and state-level emergency preparedness (EP) committees, completion of certification programs, projects, and participation on statewide emergency response teams.

SUMMARY

Implementation of a longitudinal EP/MC learning experience formalizes topics and activities that support achievement of the ASHP elective competency area of Mass Casualty for PGY2 residency programs. EP/MC goals and objectives should be a requirement for critical care, emergency medicine, pharmacotherapy, and health-system pharmacy administration and leadership PGY2 programs. By formalizing training, pharmacists can be better prepared for EP and more integrated into multidisciplinary disaster response teams.

Disaster medical education for pharmacy students using video recordings of practical disaster drills

INTRODUCTION

This study created video-based educational materials for pharmacists' disaster response using video recordings of disaster drills to evaluate the feasibility of online education for teaching evacuation shelter management.

METHODS

Video materials were created from an actual disaster drill held at the Hirakata campus of Setsunan University and were provided to second-year pharmacy students as part of their classes. We conducted a questionnaire survey before and after the video intervention to evaluate participants' attitudes toward providing support during disasters, awareness of pharmacists' role in disaster relief, and willingness to participate in disaster drills.

RESULTS

A comparison of the pre- and post-intervention questionnaire results showed that the intervention enhanced participants' understanding of pharmacists' role in disaster medicine. The factor analysis, cluster analysis, and the amount of change showed that the video materials vividly conveyed the confusion of a disaster to the participants and helped them imagine experiencing and responding to a disaster.

CONCLUSION

The findings showed the feasibility of using video-based educational materials to vividly convey the chaos that challenges medical personnel during disaster-response efforts. This method provides a safe way to prepare students who might be called upon to work in emergency conditions and stimulate interest in disaster medicine. Ideally, this and similar interventions will become part of an extensive toolbox of empirically-based disaster preparedness educational materials.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pharmacy students' personal and professional learning

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted both healthcare delivery and the education of healthcare students, with a shift to remote delivery of coursework and assessment alongside the expansion of the scope of practice of Alberta pharmacists. The objective of this research was to understand how the learning of pharmacy students at the University of Alberta was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was distributed to 397 pharmacy students in years one through three. Students responded to three short-answer reflection questions: (1) how has the COVID-19 pandemic situation affected your learning; (2) from a pharmacy and pharmacy school perspective, what have you learned since the COVID-19 pandemic began; and (3) from a personal perspective, what have you learned about yourself since the COVID-19 pandemic began? A thematic analysis was undertaken of students' responses to these reflection questions.

RESULTS

A total of 53 students responded to the survey (response rate 13%). Two major themes were identified across all three reflection questions, with several subthemes: remote learning (learning environment, knowledge transfer, knowledge retention, assessment) and mental health (appreciation, stress, extroversion, motivation). Adaptability, routine, professional identity, and the role of the pharmacist were also identified as less prevalent themes.

CONCLUSIONS

Pharmacy students' responses led to the identification of several themes related to their learning given the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This increased understanding of student perceptions has the potential to improve the remote delivery of education, support increased university-wide mental health resourcing, and shape pharmacy curriculum development.

Evaluation of Disaster Preparedness and Preparedness Behaviors among Pharmacists: A Cross-Sectional Study in Australia

INTRODUCTION

In a disaster aftermath, pharmacists have the potential to provide essential health services and contribute to the maintenance of the health and well-being of their community. Despite their importance in the health care system, little is known about the factors that affect pharmacists' disaster preparedness and associated behaviors.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to determine the factors that influence disaster preparedness behaviors and disaster preparedness of Australian pharmacists.

METHODS

A 70-question survey was developed from previous research findings. This survey was released online and registered Australian pharmacists were invited to participate. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the factors that influenced preparedness and preparedness behaviors among pharmacists.

RESULTS

The final model of disaster preparedness indicated that 86.0% of variation in preparedness was explained by disaster experience, perceived knowledge and skills, colleague preparedness, perceived self-efficacy, previous preparedness behaviors, perceived potential disaster severity, and trust of external information sources. The final model of preparedness behaviors indicated that 71.1% of variation in previous preparedness behaviors can be explained by disaster experience, perceived institution responsibility, colleague preparedness, perceived likelihood of disaster, perceived professional responsibility, and years of practice as a pharmacist.

CONCLUSION

This research is the first to explore the significant factors affecting preparedness behaviors and preparedness of Australian pharmacists for disasters. It begins to provide insight into potential critical gaps in current disaster preparedness behaviors and preparedness among pharmacists.