Background: Recent literature supports the value of clinical pharmacy services in the outpatient setting, but pharmacists must overcome barriers to the implementation of clinical services to establish an effective and efficient program.Objective: To identify pharmacists' perceptions of barriers to the implementation of medication therapy management (MTM) and perceptions of collaboration with pharmacy technicians.Methods: Surveys were sent to all 415 community pharmacists in a supermarket pharmacy chain marketing area in Ohio. Pharmacists completed the anonymous survey to indicate their opinions regarding a series of potential barriers to the implementation of MTM, including education and training, current and desired roles of pharmacy technicians, and support from store management.Results: Of responding pharmacists, 16.2% reported that they had personally participated in an MTM encounter, with an average number of encounters per pharmacist of 1.4. Pharmacists reported a desire for additional training in disease states commonly addressed in MTM, MTM systems, and MTM service elements, but 50.5% felt comfortable as a provider of MTM without additional training. More than 90% of pharmacists reported that sufficient staffing and overlap affords the opportunity for 0-5 MTM encounters per week. Pharmacists reported that few technicians are trained to assist with MTM, but more than 70% of pharmacists would seek technician assistance with scheduling, billing, and patient correspondence. Conclusions: Although technician assistance may help to reduce pharmacist staffing and training needs, few technicians are trained for clinical support roles. Incorporation of clinical pharmacy technicians into the MTM process may improve the economics and efficiency of MTM and reduce barriers to the implementation of MTM.

Objectives. To determine change in cultural competency knowledge and perceived confidence of second-year pharmacy students to deliver culturally competent care after completing a required cultural competency curriculum. Design. Cultural competence material was covered in the second-year PharmD curriculum through lectures, laboratories, and an experiential/out-of-class assignment. Assessment. Eighty-five second-year (P2) pharmacy students completed a survey which assessed influence of classroom activities related to cultural competence. Mean values for knowledge and perceived confidence were significantly higher for posttest compared to pretest ( p , 0.01), after cultural competency activities. Focus groups were used to solicit students' opinions on instructional effectiveness, relevance of activities, and areas for enhancement. Conclusion. The cultural competency curriculum increased pharmacy students' awareness of and confidence in addressing cultural diversity issues that affect pharmaceutical care delivery.Keywords: culture, cultural competence, diversity, assessment INTRODUCTIONThe United States population is becoming more diverse, with significant increases in numbers and proportions of people representing various ethnic groups.1 The US Census Bureau's national population projections predict that by the year 2050, less than 53% of the US population will be non-Hispanic white; 16% will be black; 23% of Hispanic origin; 10% Asian and Pacific Islander; and about 1% American Indian.1 Clearly, future pharmacists will have to interact with patients from diverse backgrounds who have different languages and cultures, as well as different opinions, beliefs, behaviors, and practices about healthcare and illness. These differences directly impact the patient-provider communication process 2 and may increase healthcare disparities.3 Helping pharmacists become culturally competent is a cited approach to eliminate long-standing health disparities. 4-6 Culture and Cultural CompetenceCulture is the first and most important frame of reference from which one's identity evolves.7 Culture refers to integrated patterns of human behaviors that include the language, thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups.5 Culture can be defined as a mix of beliefs, values, and behavior that are shared within a group of people. 8 Patients from diverse cultural background may bring to the healthcare setting various preformed perspectives, beliefs, and behaviors regarding health and well-being. These preconceived beliefs about health and the healthcare system may affect the patient-provider communication.Cultural competence is an important tool for dealing with culturally diverse patients, and is a key measure of quality of care for patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. 9 There are many accepted definitions of cultural competence in the literature.10,11 The US Department of Health and Human Services defines cultural competence as the level of knowledge-based...

Background: Thousands of people die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases. Pharmacists can be a valuable resource in aiding the success of immunizations.Objective: To determine the barriers to implementing a program utilizing pharmacists as immunizers, as perceived by pharmacists, in a supermarket pharmacy chain.Methods: A 15 question survey regarding the perceived barriers to implementing a pharmacist-run immunization program was distributed to 60 pharmacists in a supermarket chain in northwestern Ohio. The responses were tabulated using a 5 point Likert scale. The data were analyzed utilizing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences.Results: Of the 60 pharmacists who received the survey, 43 completed the questionnaire (response rate 72.0%). A majority of the pharmacists surveyed believed that patient privacy was an issue in administering adult immunizations in a community pharmacy. The majority of pharmacists were concerned about the risk of adverse reactions to the vaccines and the need for a quick response to control these reactions. Twenty-five pharmacists believed that the prescription volume at their pharmacy limited them from having time to immunize. Twenty-one pharmacists cited cost as the main determining factor in a pharmacy immunization program. Conclusions:Many barriers to implementing a pharmacist-run immunization program exist. The future success of such an immunization program rests on overcoming the perceived barriers in a formal and timely manner.

In parallel with the entry-level degree debate, consensus has yet to be reached among pharmacists and pharmacy organizations, but several have shown support for mandatory residency training for all pharmacists involved in direct patient care. Many questions have yet to be answered regarding the timeline, economics, and feasibility of such a mandate.

Pharmacists were not identified as a primary resource for sports supplements, but athletes would be willing to discuss this topic with knowledgeable and physically fit pharmacists. Pharmacists felt that they lacked knowledge and confidence regarding sports supplement products but noted enthusiasm to provide counseling. Sports pharmacy counseling could be a viable expansion of pharmacy services in community pharmacies with proper education and tools.