Posts Tagged ‘prescribing’
Pharmacology as a foreign language: A preliminary evaluation of podcasting as a supplementary learning tool for non-medical prescribing students
Background:Nurses and other health professionals in the U.K. can gain similar prescribing rights to doctors by undertaking a non-medical prescribing course. Non-medical prescribing students must have a thorough understanding of the pharmacology of prescribing to ensure safe practice. Pharmacology education at this level is complicated by the variation in students’ prior subject knowledge of, and anxiety about, the subject. The recent advances in technology, particularly the potential for mobile learning, provide increased opportunities for students to familiarise themselves with lecture materials and hence promote understanding. The objective of this study was therefore to evaluate both the subjective (student perception) and objective (student use and exam results) usefulness of podcasts of pharmacology lectures which were provided as an extra learning tool to two cohorts (n=69) of non-medical prescribing students.Methods:The podcasts were made available to students through the virtual learning environment WebCT. Use of podcasts by two successive cohorts of nurse prescribing students (n=69) was tracked through WebCT. Survey data, which was collected from 44 of these students, investigated patterns of/reasons for podcast use and perceived usefulness of podcasts as a learning tool. Of these 69 students, 64 completed the pharmacology exam. In order to examine any impact of podcasts on student knowledge, their exam results were compared with those of two historical cohorts who did not have access to podcasts (n=70).Results:WebCT tracking showed that 91% of students accessed at least one podcast. 93% of students used the podcasts to revisit a lecture, 85% used podcasts for revision, and 61% used the podcasts when they had a specific question. Only 22% used the podcasts because they had missed a pharmacology session. Most students (81%) generally listened to the entire podcast rather than specific sections and most (73%) used them while referring to their lecture handouts. The majority of students found the podcasts helpful as a learning tool, as a revision aid and in promoting their understanding of the subject. Evaluation of the range of marks obtained, mode mark and mean mark suggested improved knowledge in students with access to podcasts compared to historical cohorts of students who did not have access to pharmacology podcasts.Conclusions:The results of this study suggest that non-medical prescribing students utilised podcasts of pharmacology lectures, and have found the availability of these podcasts helpful for their learning. Exam results indicate that the availability of podcasts was also associated with improved exam performance.
AMCP Submits Comments To CMS On E-Prescribing Incentives, Requirements For Recognized Compendia
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy has submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on a proposed rule addressing changes to Medicare Part B payment policy. Specifically, AMCP commented on incentives for e-prescribing and on the revision of requirements for approved compendia for the determination of medically-accepted indications for off-label uses of drugs and biologics in an anti-cancer chemotherapeutic regimen. In the letter, submitted Aug.
Antiviral Guidelines And Rapid Tests For Diagnosing Influenza Available On National Prescribing Service Website, Australia
Health professionals are urged to follow guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Ageing when prescribing antivirals for the treatment of swine influenza (H1N1). The National Prescribing Service Ltd (NPS) made these guidelines available on its website last week, along with links to information from the US Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organisation and other industry organisations.
Utah Department Of Health Finalizes Guidelines For Prescribing Pain Meds
The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) today released its final draft of clinical guidelines to assist health care providers in safely prescribing pain medications. UDOH developed the guidelines in partnership with two multi-disciplinary panels of physicians as part of an ongoing campaign to reduce the amount of prescription drug overdose deaths.
For Off-Label Prescribing, Doctors’ Resources May Be Incomplete, Unclear
The resources doctors use to get important information about indications and reimbursement for use of cancer drugs off-label may be out-of-date and incomplete, according to a study led by researchers in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.
New Guidelines For Prescribing Opioid Pain Drugs Published
A panel of pain-management experts has published the first comprehensive clinical practice guideline to assist clinicians in prescribing potent opioid pain medications for patients with chronic non-cancer pain. The long-awaited guideline appears in the current issue of The Journal of Pain and recommends that opioid pain medications are safe and effective for carefully selected, well-monitored patients with chronic non-cancer pain.
New Guideline For Prescribing Opioid Pain Drugs
A national panel of national pain management experts has published the first comprehensive, evidence-based clinical practice guideline to assist clinicians in prescribing potent opioid pain medications for patients with chronic non-cancer pain.
Use Of Electronic Prescribing Increases Among Physicians As Medicare, Private Health Plans Offer Incentives
The number of physicians who use electronic prescribing has more than doubled over the past year to about 70,000, or about 12% of all physicians based in offices, as incentives encourage more physicians to adopt the practice, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Learning to prescribe ? pharmacists’ experiences of supplementary prescribing training in England
Background:The introduction of non-medical prescribing for professions such as pharmacy and nursing in recent years offers additional responsibilities and opportunities but attendant training issues. In the UK and in contrast to some international models, becoming a non-medical prescriber involves the completion of an accredited training course offered by many higher education institutions, where the skills and knowledge necessary for prescribing are learnt. Aims: to explore pharmacists’ perceptions and experiences of learning to prescribe on supplementary prescribing (SP) courses, particularly in relation to inter-professional learning, course content and subsequent use of prescribing in practice.Methods:A postal questionnaire survey was sent to all 808 SP registered pharmacists in England in April 2007, exploring demographic, training, prescribing, safety culture and general perceptions of SP.Results:After one follow-up, 411 (51%) of pharmacists responded. 82% agreed SP training was useful, 58% agreed courses provided appropriate knowledge and 62% agreed that the necessary prescribing skills were gained. Clinical examination, consultation skills training and practical experience with doctors were valued highly; pharmacology training and some aspects of course delivery were criticised. Mixed views on inter-professional learning were reported ? insights into other professions being valued but knowledge and skills differences considered problematic. 67% believed SP and recent independent prescribing (IP) should be taught together, with more diagnostic training wanted; few pharmacists trained in IP, but many were training or intending to train. There was no association between pharmacists’ attitudes towards prescribing training and when they undertook training between 2004 and 2007 but earlier cohorts were more likely to be using supplementary prescribing in practice.Conclusion:Pharmacists appeared to value their SP training and suggested improvements that could inform future courses. The benefits of inter-professional learning, however, may conflict with providing profession-specific training. SP training may be perceived to be an instrumental ’stepping stone’ in pharmacists’ professional project of gaining full IP status.
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