Toward Interprofessional Education of Pharmacogenomics: An Interdisciplinary Assessment

Knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes toward pharmacogenomics among pharmacists and pharmacy students: A systematic review

Background and Aims

Pharmacists have been recognized as one of the most qualified healthcare professionals in the clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics, yet its widespread implementation in clinical pharmacy practice has remained limited. The review aims to systematically investigate knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes toward pharmacogenomics among pharmacists and pharmacy students to inform the future delivery of pharmacogenomics education programs.

Methods

PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and the International Pharmaceutical Abstracts were searched up to May 17, 2022. Studies were selected if they included data on pharmacists' or pharmacy students' knowledge, perception, or attitude about pharmacogenomics and were published in a peer-reviewed, English-language journal with full-text availability. Any published study not deemed original research was excluded. All included studies were critically appraised using the Center for Evidence-Based Management's critical appraisal tools. The data were descriptively analyzed and presented based on pharmacists' and pharmacy students' knowledge/awareness, perception/attitudes toward pharmacogenomic (PGx), confidence in using or interpreting PGx testing results, and their desire to get further PGx education or their most preferred method of further education.

Results

A combined total of 12,430 pharmacists and pharmacy students from 26 countries are represented in the 52 included studies. Despite overwhelmingly positive attitudes and perceptions toward pharmacogenomics among pharmacists and pharmacy students, an overall lack of adequate knowledge and confidence was found. The review also found a strong desire for further pharmacogenomics education among pharmacists and pharmacy students.

Conclusion

Pharmacists and pharmacy students have positive perceptions and attitudes toward pharmacogenomics, which is hindered by a lack of knowledge and confidence. However, inadequate control for confounders, limited representativeness of the studied population or region, and small sample sizes diminish the generalizability of the review results. Knowledge and confidence could be improved through enhanced delivery of pharmacogenomic courses within the pharmacy curriculum and continuing education programs.

Development and implementation of interprofessional education activity among health professions students in Jordan: A pilot investigation

Implementing interprofessional education (IPE) in health professions curricula requires considerations of students' attitudes and readiness. Interventional studies that assess students' perceptions about IPE are needed. As IPE is an emerging concept in Jordan, our study aimed at exploring the attitudes of health profession students about IPE and collaborative practice before and after implementing an IPE activity. Students completed the validated Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (IPAS) before and after completing a 3-hour interprofessional activity. Students' attitudes toward IPE were compared using the subscales and total IPAS scores. A total of 41 health profession students attending the professional health programs of Doctor of Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition, or Pharmacy completed IPAS before and after conducting the interprofessional activity. Students reported positive attitudes toward IPE prior to the activity. Significant increases were observed in IPAS scores from pre- (median [interquartile range: IQR] score = 4.19 [0.61]) to post-activity (median [IQR] = 4.48 [0.65]), and in its subscales (teamwork, roles and responsibilities, diversity and ethics, and community-centeredness). Students' experience with the IPE activity was positive and optimistic. The findings revealed for the first time the perception and readiness of health profession students toward IPE and collaborative practice in Jordan. This readiness can help draw a path for strategic integration of IPE in health profession curricula.

Development and Validation of the Minnesota Assessment of Pharmacogenomic Literacy (MAPL)

Ensuring that patients have an adequate understanding of pharmacogenomic (PGx) test results is a critical component of implementing precision medicine into clinical care. However, no PGx-specific validated literacy assessment has yet been developed. To address this need, we developed and validated the Minnesota Assessment of Pharmacogenomic Literacy (MAPLTM). Foundational work included a scoping review of patient and general public attitudes and experiences with pharmacogenomic testing, three focus groups, readability assessments, and review by experts and members of the general public. This resulted in a 15-item assessment designed to assess knowledge in four domains: underlying concepts, limitations, benefits, and privacy. For validation, 646 participants completed the MAPL as a part of a larger survey about pharmacogenomic research and statewide PGx implementation. Two items were deemed to be “too easy” and dropped. The remaining 13 items were retained in the final MAPL with good internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.75). Confirmatory factor analysis validated the four-domain construct of MAPL and suggested good model performance and high internal validity. The estimated coefficient loadings across 13 questions on the corresponding domains are all positive and statistically significant (p < 0.05). The MAPL covers multiple knowledge domains of specific relevance to PGx and is a useful tool for clinical and research settings where quantitative assessment of PGx literacy is of value.