Bushra Ali Sherazi

To enhance the digital competencies of pharmacy students, the Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapy at Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf developed and evaluated a theoretical module on digital health and data analysis. This innovative module integrated a continuous glucose-monitoring (CGM) wearable device into teaching, providing students with in-depth practical experience and a 2.5 h seminar on digital health and CGM systems. Students’ knowledge of CGM and self-assessment of their CGM competencies were assessed in a pre-post manner. Additionally, students’ satisfaction with the module and their perceptions of the future integration of digital health training and the role of wearables in pharmacy practice were also assessed after the module. A total of 39 final-year pharmacy students completed the module conducted in June 2024 as part of the clinical pharmacy seminar. In total, 32 students completed the pre- and post-knowledge tests and self-assessment questionnaires. Both the knowledge and the students’ self-assessment of CGM-related skills after the module increased significantly (p < 0.05). Students expanded their knowledge regarding digital health solutions, in particular the CGM systems, and increased their self-reported competence in CGM-related skills. With this module, an important foundation was laid, as this is the first theoretical module including the essentials of CGM digital health tools for pharmacy students in Germany.

Background: The use of telepharmacy in delivering pharmaceutical care services has grown in the past few years; however, there are perceptions of its inappropriateness for providing medical device training among pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine if the telepharmacy approach for providing inhaler technique training service was non-inferior to the face-to-face approach regarding pharmacy students’ performance in simulated patient encounters. Secondary objectives were to determine students’ self-assessment of their ability to demonstrate and practice inhaler technique between the two modes of communication and their perceptions of telepharmacy. Methods: A randomized crossover non-inferiority trial was conducted among undergraduate pharmacy students. Outcomes were measured by comparing Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores of participants’ performance between two modes of communication while providing inhaler technique training service. Moreover, the participants also completed self-assessment and perception questionnaires. Results: The telepharmacy approach was non-inferior to the face-to-face approach for demonstrating and practicing the correct inhaler technique based on OSCE scores and a predefined non-inferiority margin of − 10%. The results also revealed no significant differences in student self-confidence between the two modes of communication. Moreover, participants had a largely positive perception of telepharmacy and its use in providing inhaler technique training service. Conclusion: Considering our findings, telepharmacy is a viable alternative to traditional face-to-face consultations for providing inhaler technique training service. However, to address perceived difficulties and differences between virtual and face-to-face consultations, the pharmacy curriculum should include more telepharmacy-related didactic content with experiential learning and simulations.

Recently, there has been a remarkable move towards interprofessional collaboration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the care of comorbidities. In Germany, there has been a gradual increase in interprofessional learning in medical and pharmacy education, aiming to enhance patient care. To adapt the pharmacy curriculum for collaborative practice between pharmacy and medical students, we developed an immersive interprofessional collaboration course for pharmacy students using adult and pediatric high-fidelity simulators (HFS) to assess and train medication consultation skills. In a randomized controlled trial, we investigated whether interprofessional training between pharmacy and medical students results in differences in pharmacy students’ performance of medication therapy consultation compared to the case of mono-professional training of pharmacy students only. Before and after inter/mono-professional training, each pharmacy student performed an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and completed a self-assessment questionnaire. Additionally, an attitude survey towards interprofessional learning was completed by pharmacy and medical students at the end of the training. As expected, interprofessional as well as mono-professional training showed a statistically significant increase in medication consultation skills. Of importance, the performance in the interprofessional training group was significantly better than in the mono-professional group, particularly in drug therapy counselling and consultation behaviors. There was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in self-assessment scores, and all study participants had positive attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration and training. Therefore, interprofessional training using HFS has been shown to appropriately train pharmacy students for collaborative practice and consultation skills.

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) management in children and adolescents requires intensive supervision and monitoring to prevent acute and late diabetes complications and to improve quality of life. Digital health interventions, in particular diabetes mobile health apps (mHealth apps) can facilitate specialized T1DM care in this population. This study evaluated the initial usability of and satisfaction with the m-Health intervention Diabetes: M app, and the ease of use of various app features in supporting T1DM care in rural and remote areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina with limited access to specialized diabetes care.Methods: This cross-sectional study, performed in February–March 2023, evaluated T1DM pediatric patients who used the Diabetes: M app in a 3-month mHealth-based T1DM management program, along with their parents and healthcare providers (HCPs). All participants completed self-administered online questionnaires at the end of the 3-month period. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics.Results: The study population included 50 T1DM patients (children/parents and adolescents) and nine HCPs. The mean ± SD age of the T1DM patients was 14 ± 4.54 years, with 26 (52%) being female. The mean ± SD age of the HCPs was 43.4 ± 7.76 years; all (100%) were women, with a mean ± SD professional experience of 17.8 ± 8.81 years. The app was reported usable in the domains of ease-of-use and satisfaction by the T1DM children/parents (5.82/7.0), T1DM adolescents/young adults (5.68/7.0), and HCPs (5.22/7.0). Various app features, as well as the overall app experience, were rated positively by the participants.Conclusion: The results strongly support the usability of mHealth-based interventions in T1DM care, especially in overcoming care shortage and improving diabetes management and communications between HCPs and patients. Further studies are needed to compare the effectiveness of apps used to support T1DM management with routine care.

Digital Medication Review Tools (DMRTs) are increasingly important in pharmacy practice. To ensure that young pharmacists are sufficiently competent to perform medication reviews after graduation, the introduction of DMRTs teaching in academic education is necessary. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the effect of DMRTs use on pharmacy students’ performance when conducting a medication review (MR) in a randomized controlled pre-post design. Forty-one pharmacy students were asked to complete a MR within 60 min, followed by a 10-min consultation with (intervention group) and without a DMRT (control group). The MR performance was subdivided into four categories: communication skills, subjective and objective patient data, assessment, and plan. Performance was assessed using objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) and analytical checklists. With the use of DMRTs, the overall performance was improved by 17.0% compared to the control group (p < 0.01). Improvement through DMRTs was seen in the subcategories “Assessment” and “Plan”. Furthermore, pharmacy students liked using DMRTs and felt more confident overall. Our study results demonstrate that DMRTs improve the performance of MRs, hence DMRTs should become an integral part of pharmacy curriculum. Consequently, digitally enabled pharmacists using DMRTs will be better prepared for their professional careers in pharmacy practice.

Introduction Recently, pharmacists in Germany were allowed to administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccines for people aged 12 years and older in order to increase vaccination coverage rates. To adapt pharmacy curriculum for clinical practice, an innovative, high level vaccination training course comprising clinical skills, techniques required for level of competence was developed with participants interacting either with a high-fidelity simulator or low-fidelity injection pad. Clinical scenarios to manage adverse events were also implemented. Methods A randomized controlled trial using a pre-post-design with pharmacy undergraduates alongside with a theoretical part was performed. The intervention group interacted with a high-fidelity simulator, while the control group was trained with low-fidelity injection pads. Before and after the respective training each participant went through an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and each participant completed a self-assessment questionnaire and knowledge quiz. Results OSCE Score were raised through an analytical checklist examining skills in anamnesis, patient information, vaccination process, and handling emergency case. Both training methods showed a significant (pConclusions High fidelity simulation proves to be an appropriate tool to train pharmacy students for vaccine administration, as a new pharmaceutical service and enable the students to recognize and manage adverse events.

Recently, pharmacists in Germany were allowed to administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccines for people aged 12 years and older in order to increase vaccination coverage rates. In order to adapt the pharmacy curriculum for clinical practice, an innovative, vaccination training course using a high-fidelity simulator (HFS) was developed, implementing clinical scenarios to manage adverse events. In a randomized controlled trial using a pre and post design with pharmacy undergraduates, the intervention group interacted with an HFS, while the control group was trained with low-fidelity injection pads. Before and after the respective training, each participant went through an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and completed a self-assessment questionnaire and knowledge quiz. Both training methods showed a significant increase in skills, but there was also a significant greater increase in the intervention group when compared to the control group, particularly with respect to the vaccination process. Furthermore, every individual in the intervention group improved from the pre- to post-training OSCEs. Therefore, HFS has been proven to be an appropriate tool to train pharmacy students for the purposes of vaccine administration and to prepare for future challenges. Particularly, recognizing and managing adverse reactions can be addressed in a very effective way.

Personal digital health apps for managing diabetes should include functions that enable the provision of pharmaceutical care services and allow within-app communication with pharmacists and other healthcare providers, thereby improving patient outcomes. The primary aim of this study was to assess the functions of diabetes apps that were relevant to providing pharmaceutical care services (i.e., medication management, adherence, non-pharmacological management, interoperability, and communication). Sixteen criteria related to pharmaceutical care were developed and then used to assess ten popular diabetes apps. The highest numbers of pharmaceutical care criteria were met by the apps Diabetes:M and mySugr (11 criteria); Contour™Diabetes, Dario Health, and OneTouch Reveal^® (ten); and DiabetesConnect and ESYSTA (nine); followed by Glucose Buddy (eight), meala (seven), and lumind (three). The most prevalent functions were related to promoting adherence and non-pharmacological management, but most criteria relevant to medication management were lacking. Five apps allowed within-app communication between patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs); however, no app included communication with pharmacists. High-quality diabetes apps are powerful tools to support pharmaceutical care and remotely monitor diabetes patients. Improvements are needed as they often lack many medication management functions, including within-app communication with HCPs (especially pharmacists). To maximize diabetes app use and improve outcomes, app developers should consider including pharmacists alongside other healthcare providers when customizing app designs.