Pharmaceutical Care in Sports

Evaluation of a student pharmacist approach to NCAA substance education for student athletes

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requires schools to provide anti-doping education to student athletes. The purpose of this project was to assess the effectiveness of student pharmacist-led education on NCAA student athletes' knowledge of banned supplements and nutritional/dietary supplements.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

Student athletes at one Midwest public university were provided a 20-min educational presentation on banned substances and nutritional and dietary supplements delivered by two student pharmacists. Student athletes were invited to complete a knowledge assessment at baseline and after the presentation. The assessment consisted of two demographic questions and 13 knowledge questions.

FINDINGS

Two hundred thirty-three student athletes provided matched pre- and post-intervention data for analysis. There was an increase in the mean knowledge scores (13 points maximum); 9.8 (75%) before and 11.1 (85%) after the intervention. Student athletes gained more knowledge in the topic areas of stimulant medications and identification of credible drug sources. They gained less knowledge in the topic area of anabolic steroid use.

SUMMARY

Student pharmacist-led education resulted in statistically significant increases in student athlete knowledge of banned substances and nutritional/dietary supplements. The educational presentation is adaptable and easily transferable to other universities. Schools of pharmacy should consider implementing student pharmacist-led education to student athletes to meet NCAA education requirements.

Competence in Sports Pharmacy among Pharmacy Students in Norway

Pharmacists are competent to promote the proper use of medicines. According to the International Pharmaceutical Federation, pharmacists must develop competence in sports pharmacy and the contents of the World Anti-Doping Agency code. This explorative study aimed to identify the status of sports pharmacy in pharmacy education in Norway and competence in sports pharmacy among Norwegian pharmacy students. The study curricula of pharmacy education were examined for the content of sports pharmacy. An online questionnaire was also developed and distributed among pharmacy students. The anonymous survey collected demographic information and data on competence in sports pharmacy. Data from 122 participants were analyzed. Only 22.5% of pharmacy students had acquired a form of training in sports pharmacy and 91.7% wished to gain higher competence. In total, 40.2% of respondents were uncomfortable in advising athletes and trainers on medication use in sports. Study year was found to correlate with competence level with a significant difference between the 3rd year (bachelor) and 5th year (master) students. Age, institution, and number of years engaged in sports were not associated with competence level. The inclusion of sports pharmacy in pharmacy programs holds practical relevance for enhancing competency levels. This implementation can be realized through the integration of sports pharmacy modules and/or the incorporation of research-based activities.

Exploring the medication-related needs of sports medicine organizations

BACKGROUND

Medication-related services are provided by sports medicine organizations at all levels of competition; however, no studies have been conducted to date that have been aimed at evaluating the medication-related needs among members of each organization, the challenges associated with meeting these needs, and the potential utilization of pharmacists to facilitate these services for athletes.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the medication-related needs within sports medicine organizations and identify where services provided by a pharmacist may assist in reaching organizational goals.

METHODS

Qualitative semistructured group interviews were utilized to identify the medication-related needs of sports medicine organizations in the U.S. Organizations, including orthopedic centers, sports medicine clinics, training centers, and athletic departments were recruited via email. A survey and a set of sample questions were sent to each participant to gather demographic information and allow time for the participant to reflect on their specific organization's medication-related needs in preparation for the interviews. A discussion guide was created to explore each organization's overarching medication-related functions and the challenges and successes related to their current policies and procedures regarding their medication-related needs. Each interview was conducted virtually, recorded, and transcribed into text. A thematic analysis was conducted by a primary and secondary coder. Themes and subthemes were identified from the codes and defined.

RESULTS

Nine organizations were recruited for participation. Of these, individuals from 3 Division 1 university-based athletic programs were interviewed. Twenty-one individuals participated across all 3 organizations including 16 athletic trainers, 4 physicians, and 1 dietitian. The thematic analysis revealed the following themes: Medication-Related Responsibilities, Barriers to Optimizing Medication Use, Contributions to Successful Implementation of the Medication-Related Services, and Opportunities to Improve Medication-Related Needs. Themes were reduced to subthemes to further describe the medication-related needs within each organization.

CONCLUSION

Division 1 university-based athletic programs have medication-related needs and challenges that have the potential to be enhanced by services provided by pharmacists.