American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

This national survey aimed to describe the work settings, characteristics, employment activities, scope, functions, and challenges of the pharmacist workforce responsible for infectious diseases (ID) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS)-related tasks in the U.S. An internet-based Qualtrics XM survey was distributed to 22,749 unique individuals with potential ID or AMS job responsibilities via email listservs for three national pharmacy organizations, and was open from 9/25/2024 to 10/24/2024. A respondent was considered engaged in ID/AMS activities if they reported involvement in at least one of 14 activities directly related to ID/AMS. A total of 796 pharmacists with ID or AMS job responsibilities responded (3.5% response rate), with 607 working clinically or administratively in ID or AMS further categorized in four mutually exclusive groups based on formal and informal ID/AMS responsibilities. Respondents were predominantly female (66%), less than 40 years of age (59%) and white (82%). ID-specific training was completed by 41.8%, and 74% reported having student loan debt at graduation. Work-related activities were diverse and most frequently included: staffing or taking calls on weekends related to ID/AMS, AMS, educating learners or healthcare providers about ID-related topics, precepting learners, and conducting ID-related research and/or quality improvement projects. Respondents frequently indicated they lacked adequate job resources. The results highlight the extensive responsibilities placed on ID/AMS pharmacists to fulfill multiple roles. Pharmacists frequently lack ID-specific training or dedicated time for AMS responsibilities. The workforce is young, suggesting a need for both increased capacity for training programs and strategies for workforce retention.

The outpatient dialysis clinic is a unique setting for nurses because they are required to prepare medications for administration. Since there is no nationally approved curriculum for instruction, nurses often learn drug preparation and administration from a preceptor or co-worker, leading to a wide variability in medication preparation and administration procedures. This article explores the multiple opportunities to improve medication preparation for safe administration in outpatient dialysis units.

Journal Article Clear signals from the 2024 Pharmacy Forecast report Get access Daniel J Cobaugh, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT Daniel J Cobaugh, PharmD, DABAT, FAACT American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Bethesda, MD, USA dcobaugh@ashp.org Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, Volume 81, Issue 2, 15 January 2024, Pages 1–2, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxad295 Published: 04 December 2023 Article history Corrected and typeset: 04 December 2023 Published: 04 December 2023

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Results of the 2022 ASHP National Survey of Pharmacy Practice in Hospital Settings are presented. Pharmacy directors at 1,498 general and children's medical/surgical hospitals in the United States were surveyed using a mixed-mode method of contact by email and mail. Survey completion was online. IQVIA supplied data on hospital characteristics; the survey sample was drawn from IQVIA's hospital database. The response rate was 23.7%. Inpatient pharmacists independently prescribe in 27.1% of hospitals. Advanced analytics are used in 8.7% of hospitals. Pharmacists work in ambulatory or primary care clinics in 51.6% of hospitals operating outpatient clinics. Some level of pharmacy service integration is reported in 53.6% of hospitals. More advanced pharmacy technician roles are emerging. For health systems offering hospital at home services, 65.9% of pharmacy departments are involved. Shortages of pharmacists and technicians were reported but are more acute for pharmacy technicians. Aspects of burnout are being measured in 34.0% of hospitals, and 83.7% are attempting to prevent and mitigate burnout. The average number of full-time equivalents per 100 occupied beds is 16.9 for pharmacists and 16.1 for pharmacy technicians. Health-system pharmacies are experiencing workforce shortages; however, these shortages have had limited impact on budgeted positions. Workforce challenges are influencing the work of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Adoption of practice advancement initiatives has continued the positive trend from past years despite workforce issues.

Disclaimer In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Inactivated vaccines are generally considered safe in immunocompromised patients but the ability of immunocompromised patients to generate an effective immune response to vaccines is uncertain. Although recent reviews have focused on the effects of vaccines in patients who are immunocompromised due to various disease states (primary immunodeficiency), the effects of immunosuppressive drug therapy (secondary immunodeficiency) has received relatively less attention. This review evaluates evidence regarding the efficacy of inactivated vaccines against influenza, COVID‐19, and other diseases in patients treated with immunosuppressive oncologic agents, immunosuppressants used for transplant recipients, and immunosuppressants used for autoimmune disorders. Although evidence is mixed for many immunosuppressive agents and vaccines, most studies have found an attenuated immune response to inactivated vaccines, with the majority of data indicate anti‐B‐cell antibodies have a more severe and prolonged negative effect on vaccine efficacy.

This study evaluates the knowledge and uptake of e-learning among students of Ado-Odo Ota local government area, Nigeria during COVID-19 lockdown. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey of primary and secondary school students conducted from January to February, 2021. Data were analyzed with IBM-SPSS version 25.0. Knowledge of e-learning was (28.4%); 14.7% have ever participated in e-learning, and 8.4% participated during the lockdown. Only 26.6% had access to the internet, computers (1.1%), and phones/tablets (5.5%). The primary reason for not participating in e-learning was lack of awareness (78.2%); no money to buy data (8.9%), and no computers/android/tablets (12.9%). Overall, 57.1% attended tutorials outside their homes but almost 43.4% said three people shared a bench during the tutorials. Education does not have to be shut down due to a pandemics and students should not be limited to only classroom teaching methods but be introduced to e-learning. Teachers also need to be trained on conducting e-training..

Disclaimer In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.