Nurses felt more comfortable and confident with the use of insulin pens compared with vial and syringes and perceived insulin pens to be a safer alternative for both patients and themselves.

Objective. To design and implement an elective course on pharmaceutical industry practice and assess its impact on student pharmacists' knowledge and perceptions. Methods. This was a two-credit hour, elective course offered to second-and third-year student pharmacists during the 2015 and 2016 spring semesters. The goal of this course was to provide instruction regarding skills and competencies for pharmaceutical industry practice. Curricular content included didactic instruction, assigned readings, weekly quizzes, classroom discussion of industry-based functions and responsibilities, and three application projects. A 65-item survey instrument was developed to assess changes in student pharmacists' perceptions and understanding of pharmaceutical industry practice.Results. Forty-four students enrolled in the elective course over the two offerings. The average rating on the course evaluation was 4.7 out of 5. Average scores on graded quizzes were 90%, and grades on the application projects ranged from 92% to 99%. There was an increase in the number of students who perceived that they understood various functions and roles in the pharmaceutical industry, and who rated themselves confident in completing unique tasks associated with pharmaceutical industry practice. Furthermore, there was an increase in the number of students who reported improved perceptions regarding the trustworthiness of the pharmaceutical industry, costs of prescription medications, and promotional advertising for branded prescription medication. Conclusion. Student pharmacists' perceptions of the course were positive, and overall perceptions and understanding of the pharmaceutical industry improved. Active collaboration between colleges and pharmaceutical companies can lead to positive educational opportunities for students interested in pharmaceutical industry careers.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a student pharmacist–led telephone follow-up intervention to improve hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in diabetic patients. Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, pilot study to implement a telephone follow-up intervention for diabetic patients with HbA1c ≥7%. Patients were recruited and randomized into intervention and control groups. All patients received standard of care. Patients in the intervention group additionally received weekly phone calls from a student pharmacist for 12 weeks to encourage medication adherence. HbA1c at baseline and end of study were measured and the data were analyzed using SAS version 9.4. Analysis included descriptive statistics and a multiple regression model to assess the association between the end of study and baseline HbA1c while controlling for demographics. Results: Seventy-eight patients participated and the average age was 62 (±11) years. Baseline HbA1c was 8.2% (±1.4%) in the intervention group and 7.9% (±1.3%) in the control group. HbA1c decreased by 0.35% in the intervention group ( P = .027) and increased by 0.338% in the control group ( P = .013). The end of study HbA1c were higher in the control group even after controlling for baseline HbA1cs (0.5547, P value .002) in the regression model. Conclusion: Incorporating student pharmacists in physician offices to provide clinical care services could lead to improved patient outcomes and students’ clinical and research skills.

Objective: To measure student pharmacists' spirituality utilizing validated survey instruments and to determine perceptions regarding the anticipated role of spirituality in academic course work and professional practice. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. The survey was offered to all first-year student pharmacists during the first week of the fall semester (2012-2015). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Results: A total of 580 students (98%) participated. The majority of students reported having each of the spiritual experiences on most days of the week or more frequently (58% to 89% based on individual item). Furthermore, 57% of students anticipate that matters of spirituality would be significant components of academic course work and 75% anticipate they would be incorporated into eventual professional practice settings. These perceptions were positively correlated to measures of spirituality and religiosity. Conclusion: These findings suggest that faculty should evaluate current and future incorporation of topics related to spirituality and health in pharmacy curriculum.

The objective of this study was to assess the association between liposomal bupivacaine use in patients undergoing knee or hip arthroplasty and concurrent pain control, length of hospitalization, and physical therapy milestones. This was a retrospective chart review. Patients receiving liposomal bupivacaine during a 1-year period (study group) were compared with patients seen by the same surgeon in the previous year who did not receive liposomal bupivacaine (control group). Clinical outcomes included concurrent opioid use, average pain scores, length of stay, ambulation, and range of motion. A total of 357 patients were included in the study. Knee study group patients received lower amounts of opioid (209 vs 248 mg; = .02) and had a delayed time to first rescue medication (6.3 ± 4.7 vs 5.0 ± 4.4 hours; = .02). Hip study group patients had a delay in time to first rescue medication (7.1 ± 6.3 vs 4.9 ± 4.0 hours; = .046). Both knee and hip study group patients had higher average pain score during the 72-hour postoperative period (6.38 vs 6.06; = .01, and 6.32 vs 5.80; = .02, respectively) but decreased median length of stay (2.0 vs 3.0 days; < .0001, and 2.0 vs 3.0 days; = .04, respectively). Use of liposomal bupivacaine produced a modest decrease in opioid use among knee patients and a decreased length of stay in both knee and hip patients; however, this was accompanied by a non-clinically significant increase in pain scores for knee and hip patients suggesting limited utility for orthopedic procedures.