Search

Objective. To identify key business, management, and human resources skills needed by pharmacy graduates. Methods. Pharmacy preceptors were recruited for inclusion in one of four focus groups. At each focus group, participants were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire and to identify key skills that new graduates need but do not have. Each focus group was audio-recorded, transcribed, de-identified, and categorized using a data dictionary. Results. Twenty-seven preceptors participated in the focus groups. Fourteen participants had a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Participants were involved in management positions for a median of 10.5 years (range 5-21 years) and 50% (median) of their time was devoted to management responsibilities (range 20%-80%). Seven themes were identified as being most critical: communication, business skills, decision-making and time management, conflict resolution, leadership and professionalism, personnel management, and computer software techniques. Conclusion. Communication was the most prominent skill identified, followed by decision-making and business knowledge. These skills should be addressed in pharmacy curricula. Future research should focus on how to best teach these skills.

Background: Arizona Medicaid developed a Health Information Exchange (HIE) system called the Arizona Medical Information Exchange (AMIE)., Objective: To evaluate physicians' perceptions regarding AMIE's impact on health outcomes and healthcare costs., Measurements: A focus-group guide was developed and included five domains: perceived impact of AMIE on (1) quality of care; (2) workflow and efficiency; (3) healthcare costs; (4) system usability; and (5) AMIE data content. Qualitative data were analyzed using analytical coding., Results: A total of 29 clinicians participated in the study. The attendance rate was 66% (N=19) for the first and last month of focus-group meetings and 52% (N=15) for the focus group meetings conducted during the second month. The benefits most frequently mentioned during the focus groups included: (1) identification of "doctor shopping"; (2) averting duplicative testing; and (3) increased efficiency of clinical information gathering. The most frequent disadvantage mentioned was the limited availability of data in the AMIE system., Conclusion: Respondents reported that AMIE had the potential to improve care, but they felt that AMIE impact was limited due to the data available.

Objective: To determine the relationship between pharmacists' attitudes toward diabetes and their involvement in diabetes patient education in the community setting., Methods: Registered pharmacists in Arizona were mailed surveys regarding their attitudes toward diabetes and their involvement in diabetes patient education. Attitudes were measured using the Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS); the types of educational skills evaluated were based on those recommended by the American Diabetes Association's Standards of Medical Care., Results: Pharmacists' attitudes were significantly positive toward the need for special training for diabetes care, the importance of tight glycemic control, the team approach to care, and the preference for diabetes education in an outpatient setting (p < 0.001). The majority of the time, pharmacists provided basic patient education (52%) rather than intermediate or advanced patient education (26% and 27%, respectively). There was a negative correlation between the attitude that diabetes is a difficult disease to treat and pharmacists' involvement in diabetes patient education (p < 0.05). This indicates that, although pharmacists believe that diabetes is a treatable disease, they infrequently provide diabetes patient education., Conclusions: Overall, pharmacists had positive attitudes toward diabetes. These attitudes did not correlate with the degree of their involvement in diabetes patent education. More diabetes patient education through community pharmacists is needed.