Objective. To assess the extent to which US colleges and schools of pharmacy are incorporating interprofessional education into their introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs), and to identify barriers to implementation; characterize the format, structure, and assessment; and identify factors associated with incorporating interprofessional education in IPPEs.Methods. An electronic survey of 116 US colleges and schools of pharmacy was conducted from March 2011 through May 2011. Results. Interprofessional education is a stated curricular goal in 78% of colleges and schools and consistently occurred in IPPEs in 55%. Most colleges and schools that included interprofessional education in IPPEs (70%) used subjective measures to assess competencies, while 17.5% used standardized outcomes assessment instruments. Barriers cited by respondents from colleges and schools that had not implemented interprofessional education in IPPEs included a lack of access to sufficient healthcare facilities with interprofessional education opportunities (57%) and a lack of required personnel resources (52%). Conclusions. Many US colleges and schools of pharmacy have incorporated interprofessional education into their IPPEs, but there is a need for further expansion of interprofessional education and better assessment related to achievement of interprofessional education competencies in IPPEs.

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...

This study compared the factor structure and burnout scores obtained on the Maslach Burnout Inventory from 84 pharmacists in Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) with the normative data for USA pharmacists. Results provided empirical support for the reliability and validity of the inventory to measure burnout within the profession of pharmacy. Values of Cronbach coefficient alpha for subscales of Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment were similar to those obtained with the normative sample. Factor analysis was conducted to yield the best three-factor solution. Derived factor loadings matched the three hypothesized subscales. On Personal Accomplishment the mean subscale score for HMO pharmacists was significantly higher than the normative score. Given limitations of the small sample, research is indicated to substantiate use of the inventory among HMO pharmacists.

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The purpose of this observational study was to determine if the Protection Motivation Theory could predict and explain adherence to aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy among breast cancer survivors. Purposive sampling was used to identify 288 survivors who had been prescribed AI therapy. A valid and reliable survey was mailed to survivors. A total of 145 survivors completed the survey.The Morisky scale was used to measure adherence to AI. The survivors reported a mean score of 6.84 (±0.66) on the scale. Nearly 4 in 10 survivors (38%) were non-adherent. Adherence differed by age, marital status, insurance status, income, and presence of co-morbid conditions. Self-efficacy (r=0.485), protection motivation (r=0.310), and Response Efficacy (r=0.206) were positively and significantly correlated with adherence. Response Cost (r=-0.235) was negatively correlated with adherence. The coping appraisal constructs were statistically significant predictors medication adherence (β=0.437) with self-efficacy being the strongest significant predictor of adherence (β = 0.429).