term paper topics for pharmacy

• Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology

Explore the latest in clinical pharmacy and pharmacology, including topics in drug safety, development, pharmacogenetics, and pharmacoeconomics.

Publication

Article type.

This network meta-analysis evaluates different dual antiplatelet therapy treatment regimens for patients with minor, nondisabling, acute ischemic stroke.

This comparative effectiveness analysis examines the outcomes of pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by race and cytarabine pharmacogenomics.

This cohort study examines the association of coprescription of hydromorphone tablet or sustained-release oral morphine and opioid agonist treatment (OAT) vs OAT alone with the probability of subsequent OAT treatment among people with opioid use disorder in British Columbia, Canada.

• Short-Acting, Full Agonist Opioids During Initiation of Opioid Agonist Treatment in the Fentanyl Era JAMA Network Open Opinion May 15, 2024 Substance Use and Addiction Medicine Opioids Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacology Full Text | pdf link PDF open access

This cohort study examines patients with drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms who also have pustules.

This qualitative study examines nonprescribed use of anabolic androgenic steroids among gay, bisexual, and queer cisgender men in New York, New York.

This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial investigates differences in incidence of cardiovascular outcomes and noncancer deaths in older patients receiving chlorthalidone vs hydrochlorothiazide who do and do not have a history of myocardial infarction or stroke.

This cross-sectional study examines the composition of the patents protecting the 10 top-selling prescription drugs in the US.

• Endocrine Adverse Effects of Long-Term Opioid Use JAMA Internal Medicine Opinion May 13, 2024 Substance Use and Addiction Medicine Opioids Adverse Drug Events Full Text | pdf link PDF

This Viewpoint discusses challenges pharmacies may face under the Inflation Reduction Act and steps that can be taken to prevent unintended consequences.

This cohort study examines the role of comprehensive bridging radiotherapy in the setting of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

This phase 1 dose-escalation trial examines whether inotuzumab ozogamicin plus dose-adjusted etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin (EPOCH) is safe and effective for adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoma (ALL).

• PhALLCON Soars to New Heights—Faster, Stronger, but Better? JAMA Opinion May 9, 2024 Targeted and Immune Therapy Oncology Full Text | pdf link PDF

This cohort study investigates demographic and clinical patient characteristics associated with risk of hydroxychloroquine retinopathy.

This case series describes a constellation of novel adverse reactions in 3 of 9 patients with uveal melanoma receiving treatment targeting activity of the Brahma-associated factor chromatin remodeling complex.

This economic evaluation examines the cost-effectiveness of HLA-B*15:02 genotyping in Asian Australian patients with epilepsy.

This stepped-wedge cluster trial evaluates the effectiveness of a rapid 5- to 7-day initiation of extended-release naltrexone compared with the standard 12- to 14-day procedure among individuals with opioid use disorder.

• Advancing Pharmacoequity in Atrial Fibrillation—The Case for Direct Oral Anticoagulants JAMA Network Open Opinion May 6, 2024 Health Disparities Anticoagulation Health Policy Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacology Health Inequities Full Text | pdf link PDF open access

This cohort study investigates potential disparities by race, ethnicity, and social vulnerability in the initiation of direct oral anticoagulants among Medicare beneficiaries in the US.

• Therapeutic Psilocybin's Adverse Effects Mostly Resolved Within 2 Days JAMA News May 3, 2024 Adverse Drug Events Full Text | pdf link PDF free

Select Your Interests

Customize your JAMA Network experience by selecting one or more topics from the list below.

• Academic Medicine
• Acid Base, Electrolytes, Fluids
• Allergy and Clinical Immunology
• American Indian or Alaska Natives
• Anesthesiology
• Anticoagulation
• Art and Images in Psychiatry
• Artificial Intelligence
• Assisted Reproduction
• Bleeding and Transfusion
• Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
• Challenges in Clinical Electrocardiography
• Climate and Health
• Climate Change
• Clinical Challenge
• Clinical Decision Support
• Clinical Implications of Basic Neuroscience
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Consensus Statements
• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Critical Care Medicine
• Cultural Competency
• Dental Medicine
• Dermatology
• Diabetes and Endocrinology
• Diagnostic Test Interpretation
• Drug Development
• Electronic Health Records
• Emergency Medicine
• End of Life, Hospice, Palliative Care
• Environmental Health
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Facial Plastic Surgery
• Gastroenterology and Hepatology
• Genetics and Genomics
• Genomics and Precision Health
• Global Health
• Guide to Statistics and Methods
• Hair Disorders
• Health Care Delivery Models
• Health Care Economics, Insurance, Payment
• Health Care Quality
• Health Care Reform
• Health Care Safety
• Health Care Workforce
• Health Disparities
• Health Inequities
• Health Policy
• Health Systems Science
• History of Medicine
• Hypertension
• Images in Neurology
• Implementation Science
• Infectious Diseases
• Innovations in Health Care Delivery
• JAMA Infographic
• Law and Medicine
• Leading Change
• Less is More
• LGBTQIA Medicine
• Lifestyle Behaviors
• Medical Coding
• Medical Devices and Equipment
• Medical Education
• Medical Education and Training
• Medical Journals and Publishing
• Mobile Health and Telemedicine
• Narrative Medicine
• Neuroscience and Psychiatry
• Notable Notes
• Nutrition, Obesity, Exercise
• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Occupational Health
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopedics
• Otolaryngology
• Pain Medicine
• Palliative Care
• Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
• Patient Care
• Patient Information
• Performance Improvement
• Performance Measures
• Perioperative Care and Consultation
• Pharmacoeconomics
• Pharmacoepidemiology
• Pharmacogenetics
• Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacology
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Physical Therapy
• Physician Leadership
• Population Health
• Primary Care
• Professional Well-being
• Professionalism
• Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
• Public Health
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Regulatory Agencies
• Reproductive Health
• Research, Methods, Statistics
• Resuscitation
• Rheumatology
• Risk Management
• Scientific Discovery and the Future of Medicine
• Shared Decision Making and Communication
• Sleep Medicine
• Sports Medicine
• Stem Cell Transplantation
• Substance Use and Addiction Medicine
• Surgical Innovation
• Surgical Pearls
• Teachable Moment
• Technology and Finance
• The Art of JAMA
• The Arts and Medicine
• The Rational Clinical Examination
• Tobacco and e-Cigarettes
• Translational Medicine
• Trauma and Injury
• Treatment Adherence
• Ultrasonography
• Users' Guide to the Medical Literature
• Vaccination
• Venous Thromboembolism
• Veterans Health
• Women's Health
• Workflow and Process
• Wound Care, Infection, Healing
• Register for email alerts with links to free full-text articles
• Access PDFs of free articles
• Manage your interests
• Save searches and receive search alerts

111 Pharmacy Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on pharmacy, 🌶️ hot pharmacy essay topics, 👍 good pharmacy research topics & essay examples, 💡 simple pharmacy essay ideas, 🎓 most interesting pharmacy research titles.

• The Competitiveness of Saudi Pharmaceutical Industry
• Pharmacy as a Professional Field and Its History
• Asthma: Pharmacology and Medicines Management
• Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company and Its Market Relations
• Pharmacy: A Career Pathway
• Pharmaceutical Companies and Utilitarian Ethics
• PharmaCARE: Product Safety & Intellectual Property
• Reverse Logistics in Pharmaceutical Industry: Handling Products Back to the Manufacturer Reverse logistics plays an enormous part in the pharmaceutical industry as poor-quality goods must be delivered safely back to the final disposition point.
• Researching Retail Pharmacy Retail pharmacies are on the leading edge of rendering health care services to patients after the pharmacist has filled the consumer’s drug.
• Good Manufacturing Practices for Pharmaceuticals Creating conditions for the safe production of pharmaceuticals is a practice that has evolved significantly due to the introduction of modern approaches to the manufacturing process.
• Evidence-Based Pharmacology: Major Depression In this paper, a certain attention to different treatment approaches that can be offered to patients with depression will be paid, including the evaluation of age implications.
• Animal Use in Pharmacology: Negative Effects on Humans and Animals The use of the animal to develop drugs for humans may result in the manufacture of harmful medicines. The substances used to manufacture the drugs have adverse impacts on animals.
• Virginia State Board of Pharmacy vs. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council Representing drug customers, the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council opposed a policy enacted by Virginia state that made it unlawful for pharmacists to promote their drug costs.
• Pharmaceutical Advertising is Propaganda This paper has shown through a discussion that pharmaceutical advertising can be propaganda or informative and helpful to the life of a patient.
• CVS Pharmacy Inc. SWOT Analysis The paper is a SWOT analysis of CVS Company to understand the various factors, both internal and external, that affect its operations and how they could be used.
• Pharmaceutical Industry: Drug Development Drug development is a lengthy process but rightly so since the result should be playing a curative role and not disease inducer.
• Distribution Chain in the Pharmaceutical Industry International pharma trade is subject to government regulations, limiting the distribution of exported raw materials to ensure safety and prevent contamination.
• Outsourcing in the Pharmaceutical Industry Technology is the powerful force that now drives the world toward a single converging commonality. No place and nobody is insulated from the alluring attractions of modernity.
• Database Design Proposal for Pharmaceutical Products Project is crucial for healthcare professionals to realize all the DDIs and avoid prescription errors. The database is useful for hospital managers to control substance use.
• Ranitidine Medication’s Pharmaceutical Analysis Ranitidine has been shown to be an effective treatment for DUs and GUs, GERD, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, and pyrosis when used at appropriate dosage levels and frequency.
• CVS Pharmacy’s Strategic Plan of Expansion The strategic plan of CVS Pharmacy includes opening its stores worldwide, meaning going out of the USA borders.
• Drug Testing in Pharmacology The aim of this paper is to analyze and review drug tests within the population of third-world countries and define whether these trials are ethical.
• Pharmacology and Influence of Antibiotics Throughout the essay, both the fundamental conceptual concepts of science and the science-based properties of drugs are described.
• Retail and Supply Chain in the Pharmaceutical Industry Retail is the result of work to optimize B2B strategy and logistics. The pharmaceutical industry has become a classic business that increases sales and revenue from customers.
• Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Management: Operational Plan Due to the specificity of its activity, a healthcare organization tends to require a pharmaceutical supplier which provides medicines to be vended in the facility.
• Pharmaceutical Industries: Changes and Challenges Pharmaceutical industries are responsible for the manufacture of drugs. Like any other industry that we know, they aim at making profits.
• Employee Engagement in Pharmacy Services Employee engagement illustrates willingness and desire of employees to give their best and outperform themselves daily, motivated to contribute to organizational success.
• Pharmacology Transcribe: Explore More The take away for this teachable explore more is that I want you to remember medications that are on medication list, and what are they for.
• Importance of Compliance Procedures in Pharmacy Compliance procedures have been instituted in the pharmaceutical industry as a measure to foster professionalism in the practice of pharmacy and also to ensure public safety.
• Pharmacology: Drug Licensing Opportunity Obtaining a license for a new drug is a very costly and time consuming affair. Any pharmaceutical company would have to weigh all its options before embarking on such a process.
• The Environmental Condition of the Global Pharmaceutical Industry Pharmaceutical industry presently undergoes a sluggish growth with the intensification of pricing policies, sluggish growth of prescription drugs.
• Toxicological Evidence in Forensic Pharmacology Forensic toxicology entails the analysis of stains and drugs found in fluids and solid materials collected from a crime scene. Numerous methods are used in a toxicological analysis.
• Using Testing as a Learning Tool: Pharmaceutical Education The presentation about medication errors was introduced to new nurses and nursing students at the progressive care unit of the local hospital in Dallas.
• How Pharmaceutical Patents Create a Monopoly A breakdown of reasons why pharmaceutical corporations deserve patent rights, alongside potential negative effects associated with them, form the basis of this paper.
• Flagyl ER: Pharmacological Characteristics Flagyl ER is one of the medications that use metronidazole as an active component for the treatment of bacterial, parasitic, and protozoal infections.
• Metformin in Pharmaceuticals and Medicine Metformin stimulates glycogen formation and improves the transmission capacities of all varieties of membrane glucose carriers by interacting with glycogen synthase.
• Pharmacology Research: Cyclophosphamide The paper discusses Cyclophosphamide. It is a widely used chemotherapeutic prodrug that treats different types of cancer in a wide range of patient populations.
• Cloud Technology Innovation in Pharmaceutical Company Digital technology facilitates the storage of records and access to databases, but with each passing year, using physical hard drives becomes less efficient.
• Fibromyalgia Pharmacological Management Antidepressants and anti-seizure medications can be more effective for fibromyalgia treatment. It is vital to know about the side effects of medications to ensure patients’ safety.
• Why Pharmaceutical Industry Is High-Tech and Knowledge-Intensive Pharmaceuticals is one of the most high-tech and knowledge-intensive industries in the global economy, which is determined by three groups of interrelated factors.
• The Profound Knowledge of Pharmacology The successful absorption of the drug depends on various aspects. The profound knowledge of pharmacology allows for gaining more rapid treatment results.
• Acupuncture vs. Standard Pharmacological Therapy for Migraine Prevention The current paper aims to compare the efficiency of managing migraines by employing acupuncture and pharmacotherapy clinical processes.
• Merck’s Pharmaceutical Company Ethical Dillema The dilemma raised by Merck’s management is defined by two outcomes: the pharmaceutical company invest money in unsound project or have abandoned because of disproportionality.
• Unpatented Pharmaceuticals for American Public The pharmaceutical industry is greatly influenced by the registration of intellectual property rights for a product that has been manufactured.
• Acupuncture vs. Standard Pharmacological Therapy for Migraine Prevention “Systematic Review: Acupuncture vs. Standard Pharmacological Therapy for Migraine Prevention” is a study conducted by Zhang.
• Microeconomics Case Analyses in Pharmacology This paper examines the pharmaceutical industry using the theory and models of industry structure and Pfizer’s make-or-buy decision for developing and producing its COVID vaccine.
• Aspirin: Vascular Pharmacology Aspirin is one of the most used medications worldwide, with its history going back to 1897. It is a plant-based drug made out of salicylic acid.
• Interaction of the Pharmaceuticals with Alcohol Intake It is important to establish the key value of healthy living based on the interaction with the pharmaceuticals and alcohol intake to avoid developing a dependency on the elements
• Advanced Pharmacology: Arthritis Treatment Arthritis is more regular among aging adults, though it can be diagnosed in any other person irrespective of age, including children.
• Marriage and Family Therapy and Pharmacological Treatment The notion of marriage and family counseling presupposes a sophisticated process during which professionals are to adopt an integrative approach to the therapy.
• Major Depressive Disorder: Pharmacological Treatment SSRIs are effective first-line treatment for MDD. This class of medications includes many antidepressants with comparable effectiveness in treating this disorder.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Pharmacological Treatment Approved medications can help treat PTSD symptoms and improve patient outcomes. SSRIs, such as sertraline, have been shown to reduce anxiety and increase concentration.
• Economics for Pharmaceutical Companies The paper discusses pharmaceuticals. They are an industry that is doing well financially due to the patents and exclusive rights they enjoy due to their developments.
• Pharmaceutical Science: Vicodin The aim of report on the drug known as Vicodin to highlight the truth in relation to its position and verify the truth behind claims made in reports such as Herper’s.
• Drug Release: Ethical Dilemma in Pharmaceutics A moral issue has emerged as to whether a pharmaceutical company has to release a new drug or not. This drug is thought to be an effective treatment of depression.
• Pharmacology: Uses of Albuterol and β2-Adrenergic Agonist This paper is aimed at reviewing research articles aimed at studying the use of albuterol and β2 adrenergic receptor agonist and defining the optimal frequency of its usage.
• National Pharmacy Technician Association One of the biggest global certified associations for pharmacy technicians is the National Pharmacy Technicians Association. This association was established in Houston, Texas.
• Accessing the Pharmacy Services: Safe Medication When receiving medication from a pharmacist, it is important to be aware of the extent of the pharmacist’s competency and their knowledge of the subject matter.
• Pharmaceuticals in the U.S.A. Analysis The purpose of the paper is to discuss the accessibility of medications to the population in the USA, their prices.
• Medical Pharmacology: Noradrenaline Effect on Vascular Rings Noradrenaline is a hormone produced as a catecholamine by the sympathetic neurons from the heart; it is mainly used as a neurotransmitter.
• Pharmacogenetics in Clinical Practice The improvements in the understanding of the effect of genetic differences on interpersonal variability in drug response contributed to the development of pharmacogenetics.
• Purdue Pharmaceutical Company’s OxyContin Opioid The adverse effects of OxyContin presuppose the development of addiction, deterioration of the overall state, and even death.
• Comparison of the Pharmacy Laws This paper aims to compare two laws related to the operation of pharmacies – the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) and the Texas Pharmacy Act.
• Certification, Licensure, and Registration of Pharmacy Technicians The rules for certification, licensure, and registration of pharmacy technicians will be discussed in terms of the differences among these procedures with a focus on Texas laws.
• Genetics or New Pharmaceutical Article Within the Last Year Copy number variations (CNVs) have more impacts on DNA sequence within the human genome than single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
• Heath Care – Impact on Pharmaceutical Companies The signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will demand that the Pharmaceutical industry align their practices within the guidelines of this legislation.
• Pharmaceutical Industry: Effective Market Strategy Effective market strategy greatly determines the successful performance of a business. A marketing strategy in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Ethics in Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry Ethics in the medical and pharmaceutical industry is a vital component of providing quality services and developing products that will benefit the patients.
• Disease Pathology, Management, and Pharmacological Impact for Tularemia and Hantavirus The purpose of this paper is to describe disease pathology, management, and pharmacological impact for Tularemia and Hantavirus.
• Veteran Pharmaceutical: Cause and Effect Due to the economic crunch being experienced all over America and the whole world at large, there has been a decline in profits for Veteran in the last few months.
• Cialis Production: Pharmaceutical Review The case relates to a firm that is in the process of innovating and launching a new drug with the brand name Cialis in the market. The drug is aimed at treating impotence in men.
• System Approach to Organizational Change: Pharmacy Automation As per the discussion and analysis in the paper, it will be clear that the automation and networking in a pharmacy enables to expand its customer base thus increasing the business.
• The Concept of Pharmacogenetics: Brief Analysis The present paper includes a brief analysis of the concept of pharmacogenetics, that is the study of people’s genetically determined responses to some drugs.
• Medical Pharmacology: The Langendorff Experiment The Langendorff experiment aimed at using an ex vivo isolated rat heart preparation to demonstrate the pharmacological effects of two unknown drugs.
• New Pharmaceuticals and Their Path to the Market When a new pharmaceutical is invented, several steps need to be taken to bring it to the market. Effective marketing is preceded by primarily drug development and manufacturing.
• Pharmacogenetics Characteristics and Development Pharmacogenetics is a relatively young branch of medical science, but it is supposed to have significant potential when it comes to the effectiveness of treatment methods.
• Vapi Pharmaceutical Firms: Strategies for Toxic Waste Disposal Vapi (India) pharmaceutical companies’ strategies on toxic waste products don’t satisfy and comply with laws and legislation on toxic waste management.
• Computerized Provider Order Entry in Pharmacology Computerized provider order entry is an information system that provides a possibility to digitally enter the patient data and chart.
• PharmaCARE: Ethical and Legal Issues The case of PharmaCARE entails a scenario of manipulating the intellectual property rights responsible for safeguarding the production rights of PharmaCARE.
• National Pharmacy: Mobilising Creativity and Innovation This paper is focused on utilising innovation and creativity theoretical models to improve the work environment at the National Pharmacy L.L.C.
• Pharmacy and Policy: Inappropriate Prescription of Drugs It is essential to develop a policy that would enable to reduce the practice of multiple drug prescriptions and eliminate excess financial and health costs associated with it.
• The UK Pharmaceutical Industry: International Business This article will discuss the international business opportunities and risks faced by the pharmaceutical industry in the UK.
• Lack of Leadership in Pharmaceutical and Medical Companies This document concentrates on pharmaceutical and medical companies. It describes and expounds the unethical instances that these companies encountered in the course of their activities.
• CVS Company’s Pharmacy Fulfillment Process The current fulfillment process at CVS seems to be overly complicated of the entrepreneurship to function efficiently and make sure that the customers’ needs are met adequately.
• Caffeine Use in Medicine and Pharmacy Caffeine is used is increasingly becoming popular. The authors of the published research article are distinguished researchers in the field of medicine and pharmacy.
• Turing Pharmaceuticals’ Unethical Price Hikes Turing Pharmaceuticals received so much media attention due to an overnight increase in the price of the drug Daraprim from $13.50 per pill to $750.
• Pharmacy Technician Career: Programs That Can Help People to Become a Good Pharmacy Technician It is possible to outline some existing programs which can help a person to become a good Pharmacy Technician in Oklahoma.
• PharmaCare Company Ethical Issues This paper presents a case study of PharmaCare, which is one of those companies that have been victims of ethical issues. It will consider the emerging marketing strategy.
• PharmaCARE Company Analysis: Stakeholders and Practices PharmaCARE is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, which has made a significant contribution to the development of drugs and treatment of diseases.
• Pharmacare Company Ethic and Corporate Responsibility This paper evaluates the ethical and corporate responsibility issues that arise in the scenario presented involving Pharmacare: ethical treatment of employees and whistle blowing.
• Deregulating the Pharmacy Market: The Case of Iceland and Norway
• Margins and Market Shares: Pharmacy Incentives for Generic Substitution
• Mission and Target Market of Rite Aid Pharmacy
• Pharmacy: Where Serving Others Is the Key to Success
• Weighing, Measuring and Compounding in Pharmacy
• Bringing the Gap That Exists in Pharmacy Communications
• Why Is the Pharmacy Profession Not Just a Four-Year Commitment?
• Pharmacy: Medicine and Motivating Factors
• Hospital Pharmacy Decisions, Cost Containment, and the Use of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
• Young Mothers and the Marketing of Pharmacy Services
• Overview of Intranet Pharmacy Information Systems
• Sales and Inventory System of a Pharmacy
• Pharmacy Data Integrity for Optimal Analytics
• Healing, Serving and Educating in Pharmacy
• Independent Pharmacy Gives Main Street American Service
• Generic Pharmacy Inventory and Point of Sale System
• Strategic Marketing Management for Boots the Pharmacy
• Tools for Hospital Pharmacy Process Improvement
• Chemical Principles for Pharmacy Technicians
• Why Did Walgreens Eventually Become America’s Leading Pharmacy?
• Strategic Risk Management for Llyods Pharmacy

Cite this post

• Chicago (N-B)
• Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2022, January 16). 111 Pharmacy Essay Topics. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/pharmacy-essay-topics/

"111 Pharmacy Essay Topics." StudyCorgi , 16 Jan. 2022, studycorgi.com/ideas/pharmacy-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . (2022) '111 Pharmacy Essay Topics'. 16 January.

1. StudyCorgi . "111 Pharmacy Essay Topics." January 16, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/pharmacy-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "111 Pharmacy Essay Topics." January 16, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/pharmacy-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2022. "111 Pharmacy Essay Topics." January 16, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/pharmacy-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Pharmacy were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on January 8, 2024 .

Top five research articles of 2020

Despite the significant challenges this year has posed, The Pharmaceutical Journal  has continued to publish high-quality peer-reviewed research.

Our researchers have made a range of investigations — from evaluating pharmacist interventions using the Simpler tool in Malaysia , to a pharmacist-led virtual thiopurine clinic to support people with inflammatory bowel disease and auto-immune hepatitis, here in the UK.

We have some exciting research coming up in 2021, but in case you missed them the first time around, here are the top five most popular research articles of 2020:

5. Misuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs to obtain illicit highs: how pharmacists can prevent abuse

Use of prescription and over-the-counter drugs for recreational purposes is increasing, and this perspective article collates the existing literature to provide an in-depth overview of the misuse and diversion of a range of drugs with psychoactive potential, including gabapentinoids, antihistamine drugs and loperamide.

4. Effective detection and management of hypertension through community pharmacy in England

Community pharmacists can play a big role in managing hypertension — from the identification of medication-related problems, to providing lifestyle advice. Despite this, they are not routinely involved in structured hypertension management or screening programmes. So, this review summarises the evidence to recommend the roll-out of a community pharmacy-led hypertension management service.

3. Recent advances in the oral delivery of biologics

Oral administration of medicines is often preferred by patients for its convenience, but, for biologics, the gastrointestinal tract poses challenges for administering in this way. This review discusses the advantages and limitations of several novel drug delivery strategies, and highlights the work to be done to put this technology into clinical practice.

2. Immuno-oncology agents for cancer therapy

Immuno-oncology is a novel treatment that works by conditioning the body’s immune cells to recognise and kill cancer cells — combining this treatment with conventional therapies has led to promising improvements in patient outcomes. This review looks at the range of immuno-oncology agents, and how problems such as their toxicity and high cost can be overcome.

1. Investigational treatments for COVID-19

The emergence of COVID-19 resulted in a global research effort to find effective treatment options to relieve healthcare burdens and, ultimately, save lives. In June 2020, this rapid review summarised the clinical trials and treatment evidence at the time.

Check out The Pharmaceutical Journal’ s   ‘Everything you should know about the coronavirus outbreak’ for the latest on this continually evolving situation.

Find the full catalogue of articles in our research section .

Call for submissions

In 2021, The Pharmaceutical Journal will keep adding to the evidence base with review, perspective and research articles. If you have undertaken research into innovations and initiatives that can improve pharmacy services and administration, the pharmacological management of disease, or advances in drug development, please submit your article for consideration by email to: [email protected]

You may also be interested in

Empowering pharmacy parents: returning stronger, supported, and valued, pharmacy horizons: diverse careers, infinite opportunities, pharmacy in primary care.

[100+] Pharmacy Research Topics For College Students With Free [Thesis Pdf] 2023

Are You Searching Research Topics For Pharmacy ,   Topics For Pharmacy Research Paper, Pharmacy Research Topics For Students, Research Topics Ideas For Pharmacy, Pharmacy Research Topics For Phd, Pharmacy Phd Topics. So You are at right place. At this website you can get lots of Pharmacy Research Topics for College Students,  Phd, Mphil, Dissertations, Thesis, Project, Presentation, Seminar or Workshop.

In this article we provide you latest research topics for Pharmacy with full Phd thesis. By these research topics for Pharmacy you can get idea for your research work.  Check the suggestions below that can help you choose the right research topics for Pharmacy : You can also Free Download Cyber Crime Research Phd Thesis in Pdf by given link.

Now Check 50+ Pharmacy Research Topics List

Table of Contents

Research Topic For Pharmacy 2023

Pharmacy research topics for dissertation, research topics ideas for pharmacy, pharmacy research topics ideas for college students, topics for pharmacy research paper, pharmacy research topics for thesis, pharmacy research topics for students, pharmacy research topics for undergraduate students, pharmacy research topics for university students, pharmacy research topics for phd, research topics for phd in pharmacy, research topics for mphil pharmacy, pharmacy phd topics, research paper topics for pharmacy, pharmacy research paper topics, phd thesis topic for pharmacy, research topics for pharmacy subject, pharmacy research topics for fisheries, research topics for pharmacy, pharmacy research topics examples.

Note: All Research Work Idea on this website is inspired by Shodhganga: a reservoir of Indian Theses. We provide you mostly research work under Creative Commons Licence. Credit goes to https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/

If you find any copyright content on this website and you have any objection than plz immediately connect us on [email protected]. We Will remove that content as soon as.

This Post is also helpful for: Pharmacy Thesis Pdf, Pharmacy Thesis Topics, Pharmacy Dissertation Topics, Pharmacy Thesis, Catchy Title For Pharmacy, Phd Thesis Topic for Pharmacy, Pharmacy Research Paper Topics, Pharmacy Phd Topics, Pharmacy Research Topics, Pharmacy Research Topics For College Students

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Pharmacology Research Paper Topics

In this page on pharmacology research paper topics , we explore the diverse and dynamic field of pharmacology and provide valuable resources for students who are tasked with writing research papers in this discipline. Pharmacology, as a branch of science, encompasses the study of how drugs interact with biological systems, aiming to understand their mechanisms of action, therapeutic uses, and potential side effects. With the growing importance of pharmacology in healthcare and drug development, it is crucial for students to delve into relevant pharmacology research paper topics that contribute to advancing knowledge and addressing current challenges in the field. Additionally, we highlight iResearchNet’s writing services, offering students the opportunity to order custom pharmacology research papers tailored to their specific needs. Our team of expert writers, equipped with in-depth knowledge of pharmacology and related fields, ensures high-quality, well-researched papers that adhere to the highest academic standards.

In the field of pharmacology, research plays a critical role in advancing our understanding of drugs, their mechanisms of action, and their impact on human health. As students of pharmacology, you may be tasked with writing research papers that explore various aspects of this dynamic discipline. To assist you in your research journey, we have curated a comprehensive list of pharmacology research paper topics that cover a wide range of subfields and emerging areas of interest. Whether you are interested in drug discovery, clinical pharmacology, pharmacogenomics, or drug safety, this list provides a wealth of ideas to inspire and guide your research endeavors.

Academic Writing, Editing, Proofreading, And Problem Solving Services

Get 10% off with 24start discount code.

Drug Discovery and Development

• Role of Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery
• Personalized Medicine: Tailoring Drug Therapy to Individual Patients
• Drug Repurposing: Exploring New Indications for Existing Drugs
• Pharmacogenomics and Drug Response Prediction
• Nanomedicine: Applications in Drug Delivery and Targeting
• Innovative Approaches for Drug Formulation and Delivery
• Drug Combinations: Synergistic Effects and Therapeutic Opportunities
• Natural Products as Sources of Novel Therapeutic Agents
• Virtual Screening and Molecular Docking in Drug Design
• Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of New Drug Entities

Clinical Pharmacology

• Precision Dosing: Optimizing Drug Therapy for Individual Patients
• Pharmacokinetic Variability in Special Populations (Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Pregnant Women)
• Drug-Drug Interactions: Mechanisms and Clinical Implications
• Adverse Drug Reactions: Identification, Prevention, and Management
• Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety Monitoring
• Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Rationale and Practical Considerations
• Clinical Trials in Pharmacology: Design, Implementation, and Analysis
• Drug Development and Regulatory Approval Processes
• Pharmacoeconomics: Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of Drug Therapy
• Ethical Considerations in Clinical Pharmacology Research

Neuropharmacology and Psychopharmacology

• Mechanisms of Action and Therapeutic Applications of Antidepressant Drugs
• Neurotransmitter Systems and Their Role in Mental Health Disorders
• Psychotropic Drugs and Their Impact on Cognitive Functioning
• Novel Approaches for Targeting Neurodegenerative Disorders
• Pharmacological Management of Substance Use Disorders
• Pharmacogenetics in Psychiatry: Implications for Individualized Treatment
• Role of Neuroinflammation in Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders
• Neuropharmacology of Sleep and Wakefulness
• Pharmacotherapy for Schizophrenia: Current Trends and Future Directions
• Novel Treatments for Anxiety and Mood Disorders

Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism

• Drug Transporters and Their Role in Drug Disposition
• Pharmacogenetics and Personalized Drug Therapy
• Pharmacokinetic Variability and Its Impact on Drug Response
• Drug Metabolism Pathways and Enzyme Polymorphisms
• Drug-Drug Interactions: Mechanisms and Clinical Significance
• Predictive Modeling in Pharmacokinetics and Dose Optimization
• Pharmacokinetics in Special Populations: Pediatrics and Geriatrics
• Impact of Genetic Variation on Drug Clearance and Toxicity
• Role of Pharmacokinetics in Individualizing Drug Dosage
• Strategies for Improving Oral Bioavailability of Drugs

Pharmacology of Infectious Diseases

• Antimicrobial Resistance: Mechanisms, Epidemiology, and Strategies
• Development of Novel Antiviral Agents: Challenges and Opportunities
• Pharmacotherapy for Bacterial Infections: Current Approaches and Future Directions
• Antifungal Drugs: Mechanisms of Action and Resistance
• Host-Pathogen Interactions and Their Implications for Drug Development
• Pharmacokinetic Considerations in the Treatment of Viral Infections
• Targeting Virulence Factors in Bacterial Pathogens
• Drug Combination Therapy for Multidrug-Resistant Infections
• Pharmacogenomics of Antimicrobial Agents
• New Approaches for Antiparasitic Drug Development

Cardiovascular Pharmacology

• Novel Antiplatelet Agents: Mechanisms and Clinical Applications
• Antihypertensive Therapy: Current Strategies and Future Perspectives
• Pharmacotherapy for Heart Failure: Advancements and Challenges
• Role of Pharmacogenomics in Cardiovascular Drug Therapy
• Therapeutic Potential of Antiarrhythmic Agents
• Pharmacological Management of Dyslipidemia and Atherosclerosis
• Emerging Therapies for Pulmonary Hypertension
• Pharmacological Approaches to Preventing Thromboembolic Disorders
• Cardiotoxicity of Chemotherapeutic Agents: Mechanisms and Cardioprotective Strategies
• Targeting Inflammatory Pathways in Cardiovascular Disease

Pharmacology and Aging

• Geriatric Pharmacotherapy: Challenges and Approaches
• Age-Related Changes in Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
• Polypharmacy and Its Impact on Older Adults
• Adverse Drug Reactions in the Elderly: Recognition and Prevention
• Pharmacological Management of Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disorders
• Geriatric Pharmacogenomics: Implications for Personalized Medicine
• Drug-Related Falls and Fractures in the Elderly: Prevention and Intervention
• Medication Adherence in Older Adults: Barriers and Strategies
• Geriatric Pain Management: Balancing Efficacy and Safety
• Optimizing Drug Therapy in Older Adults with Multiple Comorbidities

Pharmacology of Cancer

• Targeted Therapies for Solid Tumors: Recent Advances and Future Directions
• Immunotherapy in Cancer Treatment: Current Approaches and Challenges
• Pharmacogenomics of Chemotherapy: Implications for Personalized Treatment
• Drug Resistance in Cancer: Mechanisms and Strategies for Overcoming Resistance
• Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Anticancer Agents
• Combination Therapies in Oncology: Rationale and Clinical Outcomes
• Oncolytic Viruses: Exploiting Viral Infections for Cancer Treatment
• Cancer Stem Cells: Targeting Tumor Initiation and Progression
• Development of Novel Imaging Agents for Cancer Diagnosis and Monitoring
• Pharmacological Interventions for Cancer-Associated Pain Management

Pharmacology and Immunology

• Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Cancer Immunotherapy
• Autoimmune Diseases: Novel Pharmacological Approaches and Therapies
• Immunomodulatory Effects of Drugs: Implications for Therapeutic Interventions
• Role of Pharmacogenomics in Immunomodulatory Drug Therapy
• Immunopharmacology of Allergic Reactions: Mechanisms and Treatment Strategies
• Immunosuppressive Drugs in Transplantation: Balancing Efficacy and Safety
• Targeting Inflammatory Pathways in Autoimmune Disorders
• Immunopharmacological Interventions for Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacological Modulation of Cytokines in Inflammatory Disorders
• Vaccines: Advancements in Development and Delivery

Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety

• Post-Marketing Surveillance: Detecting and Evaluating Adverse Drug Reactions
• Signal Detection in Pharmacovigilance: Methods and Applications
• Risk Management Strategies in Drug Development and Marketing
• Pharmacogenomic Biomarkers for Predicting Drug Safety
• Pharmacovigilance in Special Populations: Pregnant Women and Pediatrics
• Drug Safety Communication: Enhancing Patient Awareness and Education
• Role of Pharmacovigilance in Drug Regulatory Affairs
• Pharmacovigilance Data Mining: Leveraging Big Data for Drug Safety
• Pharmacovigilance Systems and Reporting Structures
• Pharmacogenetic Testing in Drug Safety Assessment

This comprehensive list of pharmacology research paper topics provides a broad range of ideas and areas to explore within the field of pharmacology. From drug discovery and development to clinical pharmacology, neuropharmacology, and pharmacokinetics, each category offers multiple topics for students to delve into and contribute to the advancement of pharmacological knowledge. Whether you are interested in the impact of pharmacogenomics on drug therapy, exploring novel treatment strategies, or investigating drug safety and pharmacovigilance, there is a wealth of research possibilities awaiting exploration. By selecting a topic of interest and following the expert advice on topic selection and research paper writing, students can embark on an enriching journey of discovery and make meaningful contributions to the field of pharmacology.

Pharmacology: Exploring the Range of Research Paper Topics

Pharmacology is a captivating and dynamic scientific discipline that focuses on the study of drugs and their effects on living organisms. It plays a crucial role in improving human health by advancing our understanding of how medications interact with biological systems. Within the field of pharmacology, there is a vast array of pharmacology research paper topics that offer students an opportunity to delve into various aspects of drug discovery, development, clinical application, and safety. In this article, we will explore the breadth and depth of pharmacology as a scientific field, highlighting the range of research paper topics it encompasses.

Drug Discovery and Development:  One exciting area of pharmacology research is drug discovery and development. This field involves the identification and development of new therapeutic agents to treat a wide range of diseases. Students interested in this area can explore topics such as the exploration of novel drug targets and therapeutic approaches, investigating natural products for drug development, advancements in targeted drug delivery systems, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of new drug entities, and understanding and overcoming drug resistance mechanisms.

Clinical Pharmacology:  Clinical pharmacology focuses on the application of pharmacological principles in the clinical setting. It plays a vital role in optimizing drug therapy and ensuring patient safety. Pharmacology research paper topics in this area may include pharmacogenomics, which explores the relationship between an individual’s genetic makeup and their response to medication. Other topics of interest include the identification, prevention, and management of adverse drug reactions, the design and ethical considerations in clinical trials, pharmacovigilance, and optimizing drug regimens for special populations such as pediatrics, geriatrics, and pregnant women.

Neuropharmacology and Psychopharmacology:  The field of neuropharmacology examines how drugs interact with the central nervous system and influence brain function. Pharmacology research paper topics in this area may involve investigating the mechanisms of action and therapeutic applications of psychotropic drugs, exploring neurotransmitter systems and their role in neurological disorders, pharmacological interventions for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, the psychopharmacology of substance use disorders, and the pharmacological management of mental health disorders.

Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism:  Pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism focus on understanding how drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and eliminated by the body. Pharmacology research paper topics in this area may include studying drug interactions, such as the mechanisms, predictions, and clinical implications of drug-drug interactions. Other topics of interest include pharmacogenetics and individual variations in drug response, the role of drug transporters in drug disposition, drug metabolism and its impact on drug-drug interactions, and the use of predictive modeling in pharmacokinetics and dosing optimization.

Pharmacology of Infectious Diseases:  The pharmacology of infectious diseases involves studying how drugs can effectively treat and prevent infections. Research topics in this area may include exploring antimicrobial resistance, including its mechanisms, epidemiology, and strategies to combat it. Additionally, students may investigate the development of new antiviral agents, the pharmacological management of bacterial infections, host-pathogen interactions, and the pharmacokinetic considerations in the treatment of infectious diseases.

Cardiovascular Pharmacology:  Cardiovascular pharmacology focuses on understanding the effects of drugs on the cardiovascular system. Research topics in this area may include exploring drug therapy for hypertension and current guidelines for treatment, novel anticoagulants in the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic disorders, pharmacological approaches to managing heart failure, drug-induced cardiotoxicity and strategies for prevention, and emerging pharmacotherapies for atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease.

Pharmacology and Aging:  Pharmacology and aging is a specialized field that investigates how drug therapy can be optimized in older adults. Research topics in this area may include exploring geriatric pharmacotherapy, age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, the impact of polypharmacy on older adults, the recognition and prevention of adverse drug reactions, pharmacological management of age-related neurodegenerative disorders, and strategies for improving medication adherence in the elderly.

The field of pharmacology offers a wide range of exciting research paper topics that span from drug discovery and development to clinical pharmacology, neuropharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and beyond. By exploring these topics, students can contribute to the advancement of pharmacological knowledge and make meaningful contributions to the field. Remember to choose a research topic that aligns with your interests and career aspirations, and be sure to consult with your instructors or mentors for guidance throughout your research journey. With dedication, curiosity, and a passion for improving patient care, you have the opportunity to shape the future of pharmacology research.

How to Choose a Pharmacology Research Topic

Choosing the right research paper topic is crucial for a successful academic journey in pharmacology. It allows you to explore your interests, contribute to the field, and showcase your knowledge and skills. However, with the vast scope of pharmacology, selecting a research topic can be a daunting task. In this section, we will provide you with expert advice on how to choose pharmacology research paper topics that are engaging, relevant, and have the potential for significant contribution.

• Identify Your Interests : Start by identifying your areas of interest within pharmacology. Reflect on the topics that have captivated your attention during your coursework or sparked your curiosity. Consider whether you are more inclined towards drug discovery, clinical applications, pharmacokinetics, neuropharmacology, or any other subfield of pharmacology. This self-reflection will help you narrow down your options and select a topic that resonates with your passion.
• Stay Updated with Current Research : To choose a compelling research topic, it is essential to stay updated with the latest advancements and trends in pharmacology. Follow reputable scientific journals, attend conferences, and engage with the pharmacological community to gain insights into the ongoing research and emerging areas of interest. This will help you identify gaps in the current knowledge and select a topic that offers the potential for novel discoveries or addressing existing challenges.
• Consult with Faculty and Experts : Seek guidance from your faculty members, mentors, or experts in the field of pharmacology. They can provide valuable insights and suggest potential research areas based on their expertise and experience. Discuss your interests, goals, and research aspirations with them, and they can help you refine your research topic, provide relevant literature references, and offer valuable advice on the feasibility and scope of your chosen topic.
• Consider Practicality and Resources : When selecting a research topic, consider the practicality and availability of resources. Assess whether the necessary laboratory facilities, equipment, or access to clinical data are readily accessible to conduct your research. Additionally, consider the time and resources required to complete the research within the given timeframe. Choosing a topic that aligns with the available resources will enhance the feasibility and success of your research endeavor.
• Address Current Challenges or Gaps : Pharmacology is a field that constantly evolves, presenting new challenges and unanswered questions. Consider selecting a research topic that addresses current challenges or explores gaps in the existing knowledge. This could involve investigating the mechanisms of drug resistance, exploring novel drug targets, or optimizing drug regimens for specific patient populations. By tackling these challenges, you can contribute to the advancement of pharmacological science and make a meaningful impact.
• Collaborate with Peers : Consider collaborating with fellow students or researchers who share similar research interests. Collaborative research projects can provide a broader perspective, foster knowledge sharing, and enhance the overall quality of your research. Collaborating with peers also allows you to divide the workload, share resources, and receive feedback and support throughout the research process.
• Seek Ethical Considerations : When selecting a pharmacology research topic, it is essential to consider ethical considerations and adhere to the principles of research ethics. Ensure that your chosen topic respects patient confidentiality, follows the guidelines for the ethical use of animal subjects (if applicable), and aligns with the ethical principles outlined by regulatory bodies. Consulting with your institution’s ethics committee or research advisor can help ensure that your research project meets the required ethical standards.
• Evaluate Feasibility and Novelty : Evaluate the feasibility and novelty of your chosen research topic. Consider whether the research question is answerable within the available resources and time constraints. Additionally, assess whether your topic brings something new to the field, whether it fills a knowledge gap, or offers a fresh perspective on an existing topic. A balance between feasibility and novelty is essential for a successful research paper.
• Consult Literature Reviews : Conduct thorough literature reviews on your chosen topic to gain a comprehensive understanding of the existing research. Literature reviews help you identify gaps in the current knowledge and provide a foundation for your research question. They also enable you to build on previous findings, develop a robust research methodology, and position your research within the context of the broader field of pharmacology.
• Remain Flexible : Lastly, remain flexible throughout the process of choosing a research topic. As you delve deeper into the literature and research process, you may discover new avenues of interest or encounter unexpected challenges. It is essential to remain open to refining or adjusting your research topic based on new insights, emerging data, or feedback from your research advisors. Flexibility allows you to adapt and ensure that your research remains relevant and impactful.

Choosing a pharmacology research paper topic is an exciting and important step in your academic journey. By following expert advice, identifying your interests, staying updated with current research, seeking guidance, considering practicality and resources, addressing current challenges or gaps, collaborating with peers, adhering to ethical considerations, evaluating feasibility and novelty, consulting literature reviews, and remaining flexible, you can select a research topic that is engaging, relevant, and has the potential to contribute to the field of pharmacology. Remember, this is your opportunity to explore, innovate, and make a lasting impact in the dynamic field of pharmacology research.

How to Write a Pharmacology Research Paper

Writing a pharmacology research paper requires careful planning, organization, and attention to detail. It is an opportunity for you to showcase your understanding of the subject matter, critical thinking skills, and ability to communicate scientific information effectively. In this section, we will provide you with expert guidance on how to write a pharmacology research paper that is well-structured, informative, and compelling.

• Choose a Well-Defined Research Question : Start by formulating a clear and well-defined research question. Your research question should be focused, specific, and address a gap in the existing knowledge. Consider the significance of your research question in the context of pharmacology and how it contributes to the overall understanding of the field. A well-defined research question sets the foundation for your entire research paper.
• Conduct a Thorough Literature Review : Before diving into your research, conduct a thorough literature review on the chosen topic. Familiarize yourself with the existing research, theories, and findings related to your research question. This will provide you with a solid understanding of the current state of knowledge and help you identify gaps or areas for further investigation. Additionally, the literature review will inform your research methodology and discussion of results.
• Develop a Clear Structure : A well-structured research paper is essential for effectively conveying your ideas and findings. Begin with an engaging introduction that provides background information, context, and clearly states your research question. Follow with a comprehensive literature review that supports your research question and highlights the gaps in knowledge. Next, present your research methodology, including details on sample selection, data collection, and analysis methods. In the results section, present your findings in a clear and organized manner using tables, graphs, or figures as necessary. Finally, discuss your results, interpret their significance, and relate them back to your research question in the discussion section. Conclude with a concise summary of your findings and their implications.
• Use Reliable and Credible Sources : Ensure that the sources you use for your research paper are reliable, credible, and peer-reviewed. Consult reputable scientific journals, textbooks, and conference proceedings. Avoid relying solely on internet sources or non-scholarly publications. Citations are critical to acknowledge the work of other researchers and to support your claims and arguments. Use a consistent citation style, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago, and follow the guidelines carefully.
• Analyze and Interpret Your Data : If your research involves collecting and analyzing data, ensure that your data analysis is thorough and accurate. Use appropriate statistical methods to analyze your data and present the results in a clear and meaningful way. Interpret the findings in the context of your research question and discuss any limitations or potential sources of bias. Remember to relate your findings back to the existing literature and explain how they contribute to the broader understanding of pharmacology.
• Write Clearly and Concisely : Effective scientific writing is clear, concise, and free of unnecessary jargon. Use language that is precise and straightforward, avoiding ambiguous or vague statements. Clearly articulate your ideas and ensure that your arguments are logical and well-supported by evidence. Use appropriate scientific terminology, but also consider your target audience and strive to communicate your findings in a way that is accessible to readers who may not have expertise in pharmacology.
• Pay Attention to Formatting and Style : Follow the formatting and style guidelines specified by your instructor or the target journal. Pay attention to details such as font size, line spacing, margins, and headings. Use subheadings to organize your content and make it easier for readers to navigate. Adhere to the specific citation style required for your paper and ensure that your references are complete and accurate.
• Revise and Edit : Revision and editing are essential steps in the writing process. Take the time to review your research paper for clarity, coherence, and accuracy. Check for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and punctuation errors. Ensure that your ideas flow logically and that your paper is well-structured. Consider seeking feedback from peers, instructors, or mentors to gain different perspectives and improve the overall quality of your paper.
• Proofread : Before submitting your research paper, thoroughly proofread it to ensure that it is error-free. Check for any typos, inconsistencies, or formatting issues. Read your paper aloud to catch any awkward phrasing or unclear sentences. It can also be helpful to have someone else read your paper to identify any errors or areas that need improvement.
• Ethical Considerations : Ensure that your research paper adheres to ethical considerations. If your research involved human subjects, ensure that you have obtained the necessary approvals and informed consent. Respect patient confidentiality and anonymity when presenting your research findings. Adhere to the ethical guidelines set by your institution or the relevant regulatory bodies.

Writing a pharmacology research paper requires careful planning, thorough research, effective communication, and attention to detail. By following the expert advice provided in this section, you can develop a well-structured and informative research paper that contributes to the field of pharmacology. Remember to choose a well-defined research question, conduct a thorough literature review, use reliable sources, analyze and interpret your data, write clearly and concisely, pay attention to formatting and style, revise and edit your paper, proofread for errors, and ensure ethical considerations are met. With diligence and commitment, your pharmacology research paper has the potential to make a meaningful impact in the field of pharmacology.

iResearchNet’s Writing Services

At iResearchNet, we understand the challenges that students face when it comes to writing high-quality pharmacology research papers. We recognize the importance of delivering well-researched, well-written, and timely papers that meet the rigorous standards of academic institutions. That’s why we offer a comprehensive range of writing services tailored specifically for students studying pharmacology. With our expertise and commitment to excellence, we are here to provide you with customized solutions to all your research paper needs.

• Expert Degree-Holding Writers : At iResearchNet, we have a team of expert writers who hold advanced degrees in pharmacology and related fields. They have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter and are well-versed in the latest research trends and methodologies. Our writers are experienced in crafting research papers that adhere to the highest academic standards and follow the guidelines provided by your institution.
• Custom Written Works : We understand that each research paper is unique, and that’s why we offer custom-written works tailored to your specific requirements. Our writers will collaborate with you to understand your research question, objectives, and any specific instructions provided by your instructor. This ensures that the final paper is original, well-researched, and meets your expectations.
• In-Depth Research : Our writers are skilled in conducting thorough and comprehensive research on pharmacology topics. They have access to reputable scientific databases, journals, and other reliable sources of information. By utilizing the latest research findings, our writers ensure that your research paper is based on current and relevant literature, enhancing the credibility and academic rigor of your work.
• Custom Formatting : We understand the importance of adhering to specific formatting styles in academic writing. Whether it’s APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, or Harvard, our writers are well-versed in these formatting styles and will ensure that your research paper is formatted correctly. This includes citing sources, creating reference lists, and formatting headings, margins, and page numbers according to the required style.
• Top Quality : At iResearchNet, we are committed to delivering top-quality research papers. Our writers pay meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that the content is accurate, coherent, and well-structured. They employ critical thinking skills to analyze and interpret data, present logical arguments, and provide insightful discussions. Our rigorous quality assurance process includes multiple levels of review and editing to ensure that the final paper meets the highest standards of academic excellence.
• Customized Solutions : We understand that every student’s research paper requirements are unique. That’s why we offer customized solutions to meet your specific needs. Whether you require assistance with topic selection, literature review, methodology, data analysis, or any other aspect of your research paper, our writers are here to provide personalized support and guidance.
• Flexible Pricing : We believe that quality academic assistance should be accessible to all students. That’s why we offer flexible pricing options to accommodate different budgetary constraints. Our pricing is competitive and transparent, without compromising on the quality of our services. We offer affordable rates tailored to the specific requirements of your research paper.
• Short Deadlines : We understand that students often face tight deadlines for submitting their research papers. At iResearchNet, we offer short deadlines as quick as 3 hours, ensuring that you receive your paper on time. Our writers are experienced in working under pressure without compromising the quality of the work. We prioritize timely delivery to help you meet your academic deadlines.
• Timely Delivery : We value your time and understand the importance of meeting deadlines. Our writers are committed to delivering your research paper on time, allowing you ample time for review and any necessary revisions. We have a proven track record of timely delivery, ensuring that you can submit your research paper without any concerns.
• 24/7 Support : We provide 24/7 customer support to address any questions or concerns you may have throughout the process. Our friendly and knowledgeable support team is available round the clock to assist you with any queries, provide updates on your paper, or address any issues that may arise. We are dedicated to ensuring a smooth and positive experience for our clients.
• Absolute Privacy : We understand the importance of confidentiality when it comes to academic assistance. At iResearchNet, we prioritize your privacy and guarantee absolute confidentiality. We have strict security measures in place to protect your personal information and ensure that your identity remains anonymous. Your research paper and personal details will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and professionalism.
• Easy Order Tracking : We have developed a user-friendly platform that allows you to easily track the progress of your research paper. You can communicate directly with your assigned writer, provide additional instructions or clarifications, and monitor the status of your paper throughout the writing process. Our streamlined order tracking system ensures transparency and enables effective collaboration.
• Money Back Guarantee : We are confident in the quality of our services and the expertise of our writers. In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the final research paper, we offer a money-back guarantee. We are committed to ensuring your complete satisfaction and will work with you to resolve any issues or concerns. Your academic success is our top priority.

At iResearchNet, we are dedicated to providing top-quality writing services tailored to meet the unique needs of students studying pharmacology. Our team of expert writers, in-depth research capabilities, custom formatting, top-quality papers, flexible pricing, timely delivery, 24/7 support, absolute privacy, easy order tracking, and money-back guarantee ensure that your research paper is in capable hands. We are here to support you throughout your academic journey and help you excel in your pharmacology studies. Place your order with iResearchNet and experience the difference of working with a trusted and reliable academic writing service.

Unlock Your Potential with iResearchNet

Are you struggling to write a compelling and well-researched pharmacology research paper? Do you find yourself overwhelmed with the demands of your academic workload? Don’t worry, iResearchNet is here to help you excel in your pharmacology studies and achieve the academic success you deserve.

At iResearchNet, we understand the challenges that students face when it comes to writing high-quality research papers in pharmacology. Our team of expert writers, in-depth research capabilities, and commitment to excellence make us the perfect partner to assist you in your academic journey. Whether you need assistance with topic selection, literature review, methodology, data analysis, or the entire writing process, we are here to provide you with a custom pharmacology research paper that meets your unique requirements.

Don’t let the challenges of writing a pharmacology research paper hinder your academic progress. Unlock your potential and achieve your goals with the support of iResearchNet’s pharmacology writing services. Place your order today and experience unparalleled excellence in academic writing. Our team of expert writers is ready to assist you in crafting a high-quality research paper that will impress your instructors and elevate your academic performance. Trust iResearchNet to be your reliable partner in pharmacology writing.

ORDER HIGH QUALITY CUSTOM PAPER

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Can Pharm J (Ott)
• v.149(4); 2016 Jul

Pharmacy Practice Research Abstracts

Table of contents.

This year, the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) and the Alberta Pharmacists’ Association (RxA) partnered to deliver four days of exciting educational sessions, exceptional keynote speakers, social events and networking opportunities at the annual Canadian Pharmacists Conference.

The Canadian Pharmacists Conference is an excellent opportunity for pharmacists from across Canada to network with colleagues and to share new and exciting ideas, research and innovation. Our oral and poster pharmacy practice research presentations provide an opportunity for members of the pharmacy community to engage in sessions that promote evidence-based practice and decision-making.

To help promote and disseminate pharmacy practice research, CPhA publishes the abstracts of the research presented at the conference in this special supplement of the Canadian Pharmacists Journal .

PHARMACY PRACTICE AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

S1 ECG screening in community pharmacy: An innovative pilot program to improve detection of cardiac arrhythmias in high-risk patients

S2 Impact of the Community Pharmacists Assisting Total Cardiovascular Health (CPATCH) strategy for improving medication adherence from community pharmacies – A cluster-randomized trial

S3 The Alberta Vascular Risk Reduction Community Pharmacy Project: RxEACH

SUCCESSFUL PHARMACISTS: POINT OF CARE AND MORE

S4 Implementation of a standardized HbA1c clinic worksheet to improve detection of drug therapy problems: Results from a multi-pharmacy pilot program

S5 Community pharmacist bone density point-of-care screening with osteoporosis and fracture risk estimation

S6 Defining characteristics of successful pharmacists

THE ELDERLY IN PHARMACY

S7 Development and implementation of a pharmacist intervention for frail elderly patients in an interdisciplinary primary care team: A qualitative analysis

S8 Identifying drug-related problems in retirement home residents following community pharmacist administered flu vaccinations

S9 Deprescribing guidelines for the elderly: Overview of findings from a 3-year program of research

MEDICATION ASSESSMENT AND MODELS OF CARE

S10 Community pharmacist standardized home medication consultation program by referral: Structured approach to identifying drug-related problems in the home-bound population

S11 The Medication Assessment Centre: A novel student training and patient care program

S12 Collaborative care model involving eHealth to improve treatment adherence and health outcomes of patients with gout

HOT TOPICS IN PHARMACY PRACTICE RESEARCH

S13 Effectiveness of community-based pharmacist interventions in chronic non-cancer pain: A systematic review

S14 The consideration of sex/gender and vulnerable populations in pharmacy practice research

POSTER ABSTRACTS

S15 Introducing a unit-based clinical pharmacist: A pilot study

S16 Patient-centered renovations

S17 Medication reconciliation practices on discharge into primary care homes in Prince George, British Columbia

S18 Stakeholder perspectives on economic analyses of billable pharmacy services in Ontario

S19 Opportunity and cost: Self-monitoring of blood glucose in Manitoba, 2000-2013

S20 Ibuprofen provides superior antipyretic efficacy vs. acetaminophen in childhood fever: Pooled analysis of 2 randomized trials

S21 Development of a hormonal contraception decision support tool for pharmacists

S22 The pharmacy services framework: Communicating the shift to clinical pharmacy services in Alberta

S23 Provider and patient perspectives regarding a community pharmacist-based case finding and intervention program — Alberta Vascular Risk Reduction Community Pharmacy project: RxEACH

S24 An audit of 8 centres’ use of anticoagulant therapies when discharging patients from hospital with acute venous thromboembolism

S25 An audit of 8 centres’ use of anticoagulant therapies when discharging patients from the emergency department

S26 Enhancing depression outcomes with better use of antidepressants: Evaluation of a pharmacy benefit manager–sponsored depression disease state management program

S27 Pharmacist intervention for a frail elderly population in primary care

S28 Impact of pharmacist assessment on classes of high-risk medications in a geriatric outpatient clinic

S29 Description of medication management problems and supports used in community-dwelling seniors

S30 Effectiveness of the peer-to-peer mentoring model for transitioning from classroom to professional practice

S31 Community pharmacy reports of potential QTc-prolonging drug interactions involving fluoroquinolones or macrolides: A multi-incident analysis

S32 Medication incidents involving insulin: A multi-incident analysis

S33 Potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults: A multi-incident analysis

S34 Patient counseling: An overarching method to mitigate medication errors and ensure continuity of care

S35 Older people’s attitudes towards deprescribing: A community study in Quebec

S36 The effect of health media reporting on self-medication use

S37 Documentation of functional medication management in older adults within an acute care hospital

S38 Global citizenship framework — Application to pharmacy student experience

S39 How does pharmacist prescribing fit with family physicians’ practice in Alberta? Developing a knowledge translation strategy

S40 Medication incidents involving smoking cessation therapies

S41 Medication incidents involving immunosuppressive agents

S42 Medication incidents that could have been prevented at the prescribing stage

S43 Direct oral anticoagulant medication incidents

S44 Drug allergy incidents in community pharmacies

S45 Medication incidents associated with hospital discharge

S46 Successful pharmacists: A qualitative study to understand pharmacists’ definitions of successful pharmacy practices

ECG screening in community pharmacy: An innovative pilot program to improve detection of cardiac arrhythmias in high-risk patients

John Papastergiou, BScPhm; Larissa Boychuk, BSc, PharmD candidate

Objectives:

Undiagnosed arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation and torsades de pointes can have serious health consequences. Atrial fibrillation causes 1/3 of strokes and 1.4% of these patients are undiagnosed. Over 150 medications are known to prolong QT intervals. The purpose of this study is to assess point-of-care ECG screening in identifying undiagnosed abnormalities in high-risk patients in a community pharmacy setting.

High-risk patients were invited to participate in ECG screening at two community pharmacies in Toronto, Ontario. Patients met eligibility requirements if they were at risk of QT prolongation or atrial fibrillation secondary to medication therapy or a CHADS2 score of >2, respectively. Using the HeartCheckPenTM handheld device, a 30 second lead II screening test was performed. Data was uploaded to an ECG reading service where results were interpreted by a qualified professional. Results were forwarded to the pharmacy for follow-up. Pharmacists referred all patients with abnormal readings to their primary care physician for further investigation.

Thirty-five patients participated in the program. Eleven were identified at risk for atrial fibrillation and 18 for QT prolongation — 5 patients met both criteria. Screening identified 10 (28.6%) patients with one or more abnormal rhythms. These included premature atrial contraction (n=3), wide QRS (n=4), sinus arrhythmia (n=1), sinus tachycardia (n=3) and QT prolongation (n=1). Pharmacists referred all patients and, in the case of QT prolongation, intervened to alter therapy.

Conclusions:

Our experience demonstrates that point-of-care ECG testing can be successfully integrated into pharmacy workflow. The results illustrate the prevalence of abnormal rhythms in high-risk patients. They highlight a significant opportunity for pharmacists to use point-of-care screening as a tool to detect abnormal rhythms, intervene when warranted, and improve medication safety.

Impact of the Community Pharmacists Assisting Total Cardiovascular Health (CPATCH) strategy for improving medication adherence from community pharmacies – A cluster-randomized trial

David Blackburn, PharmD; Charity Evans, PhD; Jeff Taylor, PhD; Kerry Mansell, PharmD; Derek Jorgenson, PharmD; Yvonne Shevchuk, PharmD; Alfred Rémillard, PharmD; Dean Eurich, PhD; Bill Semchuk, PharmD; Anne Champagne, BSP

The highest risk for non-adherence occurs during the first year after starting a new chronic medication. Community pharmacists are well positioned to identify problems and provide support during this critical time.

Thirty community pharmacies in Saskatchewan, Canada, were randomized to deliver a brief adherence intervention or usual care to new users of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins). The intervention consisted of screening for new statin users, assessment for adherence barriers, and individualized follow-up when appropriate. The primary endpoint was mean statin adherence measured by the proportion of days covered (PDC). During follow-up, intervention pharmacies performed monthly assessments to estimate compliance with the study protocol.

A total of 1,906 new statin users were followed for six to twelve months following their first statin dispensation. No significant differences between intervention and control pharmacies were observed for mean adherence (72% (SD 33) vs 71% (SD 33); p=0.64), median adherence (89% versus 88%; p=0.84), or the percentage of subjects achieving optimal adherence (i.e., PDC ≥80%: 57.3% (520/907) versus 55.8% (558/999); p=0.51). However, several intervention stores reported poor compliance to the study protocol. In post-hoc analyses, mean adherence among pharmacies reporting good compliance with the study protocol was substantially higher than stores with poor compliance (76% versus 66%; p<0.01), and the percentage of patients achieving optimal adherence was 63% vs 52% (p<0.01) respectively.

The CPATCH strategy was not effective for improving statin adherence compared to usual care in community pharmacies. However, post-hoc analyses suggested that successful implementation might be the key to achieving important benefits.

The Alberta Vascular Risk Reduction Community Pharmacy Project: RxEACH

Yazid Al-Hamarneh, BS(Pharm), PhD; Ross T. Tsuyuki, BSc(Pharm), PharmD, MSc; Charlotte A. Jones, MD, PhD; Brenda R. Hemmelgarn MD, PhD

Despite the risk associated with hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and smoking, these cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors remain poorly identified and controlled. To evaluate the effect of a community pharmacy-based case finding and intervention program on estimated cardiovascular risk.

Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: 56 community pharmacies across Alberta. Population: Adults at high risk for CVD events, including those with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, vascular disease and/or Framingham score > 20% who have at least one uncontrolled risk factor (hypertension, LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c), HbA1c, or current smoking). Randomization: Participants were randomized (1:1 basis) into advanced or usual care groups. Advanced care: Pharmacists provided participants with: Physical and laboratory assessments; Individualized CVD risk assessment and education; Pharmacists prescribed where appropriate to achieve treatment targets; Regular monthly follow-ups for 3 months. Usual care: Usual pharmacist care with no specific intervention for 3 months. Primary outcome: The difference in change in estimated CVD risk between advanced and usual care groups, calculated using a relevant risk calculator based on participants’ co- morbidities (Framingham, International, or UKPDS).

We enrolled 723 patients. Median age was 62 years (interquartile range 54-69), 57% were male and 27% were smokers. After adjusting for baseline values, the difference in change in CVD risk was 21% (p<0.001): a change of 0.2 mmol/L in LDL-c (p<0.001), 9.4 mmHg in systolic blood pressure (p<0.001), 0.92% in HbA1c (p<0.001), and 20.2% in smoking cessation (p=0.002) between advanced and usual care groupsaccess (96% and 91%).

This is the first large randomized trial of CVD risk reduction in community pharmacy settings. Patients in the advanced care group were 21% less likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease when compared to those in the usual care group. RxEACH provides evidence for the benefit of pharmacist care on both global CVD risk and individual risk factors

Implementation of a standardized HbA1c clinic worksheet to improve detection of drug therapy problems: Results from a multi-pharmacy pilot program

John Papastergiou, BScPhm; Bryan Gray, BScPharm, RPh, CDE

Point-of-care HbA1c screening devices are a valuable tool that community pharmacists can use to monitor patients with diabetes and improve their overall management. Here, we report data from a multi-pharmacy pilot program where a standardized worksheet was used by pharmacists offering HbA1c clinics in order to standardize the structure of the patient interviews and improve detection of drug therapy problems.

Thirteen community pharmacies from across Ontario interested in offering HbA1c screening as part of their professional programmes participated in the pilot program. Pharmacists received training on the use of the standardized worksheet and were provided with all the tools required to hold a clinic. HbA1c analysis was performed using the Roxon A1c Now®. Data collection took place over a period of 4 months beginning August 2015.

Eighty-eight patient attended the clinics. The mean HbA1c of the population was 7.76. Overall, 36% of patients had optimal glycaemic control (A1c <7.0%), 45% were hyperglycaemic (A1c >7 and <9%) and 19% of patients had marked hyperglycaemia (A1c >9.0). A total of 204 interventions were performed by pharmacists. An average of 2.32 interventions were performed per patient, and we observed a trend towards increased numbers of interventions in patients with poorer glycemic control. Interestingly, 23% and 15% of patients met the CDA guideline requirements for therapy with a statin and an ACE/ARB, respectively, but were identified by pharmacists as not receiving the appropriate therapy.

These results illustrate the prevalence of suboptimal glycaemic control among patients with diabetes in the community. They highlight a significant opportunity for pharmacists to use point-of-care screening in combination with a standardized worksheet to more readily detect drug therapy problems and intervene to improve disease management when warranted.

Community pharmacist bone density point-of-care screening with osteoporosis and fracture risk estimation

Bryan Gray, BScPharm, RPh, CDE

Point-of-care bone density screening is a valuable tool that community pharmacists can use to identify and educate patients at risk for osteoporosis and fractures. Here, we report data from screening 66 patients (12 male) at structured bone density clinics held at a community pharmacy in Thunder Bay, ON.

Bone density analysis was performed using the Omnisense 8000. Fracture risk factors and the point of care T-scores were interpreted with both the Canadian CAROC estimator and the WHO FRAX risk estimator to provide a 10-year fracture risk assessment. Recruitment involved in-pharmacy promotion to all patients. Data collection took place over a period of 3 months.

Testing successfully identified patients potentially at risk for osteoporosis and fracture. The CAROC found 5, 7, and 54 patients at high, moderate, low risk, respectively, for developing fracture over a 10-year period. The WHO FRAX calculator found a similar distribution with ten patients receiving a major fracture risk estimate 10% or greater, and five patients with a hip fracture risk estimate 5% or greater. The average patient age was 61, and the average BMI was overweight at 29. A total of 273 recommendations were provided by the pharmacist — average 4.13 per patient.

These results illustrate the prevalence of potentially undiagnosed osteoporosis for patients in the community. Our intervention data suggests that a structured bone density consultation by a community pharmacist can identify patients at risk for fractures. Patients at low risk were given evidence based and practical recommendations to maintain their bone health and reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis. Continued expansion in scope of pharmacy practice may contribute to increased osteoporosis identification and reduction in fracture risk.

Defining characteristics of successful pharmacists

Jay Mutch, BScPharm (student); Lydia Cheung, BScPharm (student); Theresa Charrois, BScPharm, ACPR, MSc; Jill Hall, BScPharm, ACPR, PharmD; Meagen Rosenthal, PhD; Ken Cor, PhD

Our primary objective was to identify the self-described characteristics of pharmacists that contribute to their success. Our working definition of success in pharmacy is based on the premise that successful pharmacists practice to the full extent of their knowledge and skills. The definition was derived from a literature review as well as the Blueprint for Pharmacy.

Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with selected pharmacists. The interview tool was developed using previous research on success in health care professions and was modified based on trial interviews with faculty and practitioners. Potential candidates were nominated by prominent pharmacists in the field, using our definition of success. Lists from the nominators were compared and 10 pharmacists who appeared on more than one list were invited to participate.

A total of 8 out of 10 interviews have been analyzed to date. All 8 pharmacists had additional prescribing authorization (APA), with 4 of those pharmacists being early adopters (receiving APA prior to remuneration model implementation). In terms of factors contributing to success, participants noted strong communication skills and developing relationships as important. When asked what success meant to them, participants believed that self-development played a large role. Participants also felt a focus on emotional intelligence would help ensure the success of pharmacist practice in the future.

A clearly delineated definition of success was developed and used to frame interviews with practitioners viewed as successful by their peers. Communication skills were the most prominent factor that contributed to success. This data will help individual pharmacists become aware of what characteristics they may want to foster in themselves in order to have success in practice.

Development and implementation of a pharmacist intervention for frail elderly patients in an interdisciplinary primary care team: A qualitative analysis

Tejal Patel, PharmD; Lindsay Donaldson, BA; Linda Lee, MD; Jillian Bauer, BScPharm; Cathy Schill, BScPharm

There is a paucity of published literature describing activities involved in the implementation of an intervention in an interdisciplinary primary care environment. The objective of this research is to describe the development and implementation of the pharmacist intervention (PI) for frail elderly patients in an interdisciplinary primary care team.

This study is a deductive qualitative analysis of emails and meeting minutes pertaining to the PI for frail patients. Classical content analysis was conducted to quantify previously established codes and themes pertaining to: 1. Goal of the PI (e.g. codes: literature review, objectives of PI, etc); 2. Delivery of the PI (e.g. codes: care provision, follow-up, tracking outcomes, etc); 3. Work Environment (e.g. codes: roles and responsibilities, availability of staff, workflow processes, etc) and 4. Sustainability of PI (e.g. codes: scheduling, etc).

Of the 2,830 email items and minutes of 4 meetings between pharmacists, physicians, nurses, receptionists and administrators that were reviewed, 172 emails and 4 meeting minutes were eligible for classical content analysis. Of the resulting 718 coded items, 40% were related to Work Environment, 36% to the Delivery of the PI, 12%, each, to the Goal and Sustainability of the PI. The number of items coded for Goal of PI decreased from a high of 50 items in the period of 6 months pre-initiation to 2 items at the end of 24 months post initiation of PI. The number of items pertaining to the codes, “tracking” and “follow-up” of patients increased from 4 and 0 at 6 months pre-initiation to 19 and 39 at 24 months post-initiation of PI, respectively.

The impact and importance of the different aspects, such as the goal, delivery of the program, working environment and relationships changed with time. This analysis may be used to improve planning of other interventions in primary care in the future.

Identifying drug-related problems in retirement home residents following community pharmacist administered flu vaccinations

Community pharmacist administered flu vaccinations serve as an opportunity to screen patient’s medication profiles for drug-related problems. Here, we report data from medication consultations of 58 patients (16 male) from three retirement homes in Thunder Bay, ON.

Consenting retirement home residents were scheduled for a flu vaccination and a subsequent medication consultation. Following intramuscular vaccine administration, resident’s medication regimens and health status were screened for potential drug-related problems. Following consultation, the community pharmacist communicated potential drug-related problems to the resident’s primary care provider. Data collection took place over a period of 1 month.

Following vaccination, standardized medication consultations identified a total of 579 potential drug-related problems — an average of 9.98 interventions per patient. Very few of the patients were aware of their overall vaccination status (291 recommendations). Many patients were receiving inappropriate cardiovascular disease medications (over treating hypertension or lipids (76 recommendations). Consolidation of the medication regimen was very well received by residents (46 recommendations). The average patient age was 87 years old, with 9.5 medications per patient (average), with an average number of dosing intervals of 3.6 per day. Recommendations to improve adherence could reduce dosing intervals to 1.9 per day. Patients were appreciative to have their medication regimen and health status reviewed by the pharmacist instead of waiting independently for the 15 minutes post vaccination time period to pass.

In addition to the benefits provided by vaccination, subsequent medication consultations successfully identified potential drug-related problems.This data suggests that retirement home residents may be at risk for drug-related problems which may be mitigated by pharmacist intervention.

Deprescribing guidelines for the elderly: Overview of findings from a 3-year program of research

Barbara Farrell, BScPhm, PharmD, FCSHP; Lalitha Raman-Wilms, BScPhm, PharmD, FCSHP; James Conklin, PhD; Lisa McCarthy, BScPhm, PharmD, MSc; Kevin Pottie; MD MCISc; Carlos Rojas-Fernandez, BSc(Pharm), PharmD; Lise Bjerre, MD, PhD, MCFP; Hannah Irving, MA

Class-specific deprescribing guidelines are a potential solution to address the problem of polypharmacy. Optimal approaches to developing and implementing such guidelines with practitioners have yet to be identified. The purpose of the study was to understand factors associated with successful deprescribing guideline development, implementation and uptake and whether self-efficacy for deprescribing was affected.

Deprescribing guidelines were developed using AGREE-II (Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation), and GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) to rate certainty of evidence and strength of recommendations. Developmental evaluation was performed using ethnographic methods: observations and interviews with guideline development and site implementation teams, and facilitated feedback sessions to discuss and agree on process improvements. Self-efficacy surveys were completed. Setting and participants included guideline development team members; members of three Family Health Teams and three Long-Term Care sites in Ottawa, Canada; and study team members.

Three evidence-based deprescribing guidelines were developed (proton pump inhibitors, benzodiazepine receptor agonists and antipsychotics). Process components and resulting decision-aid algorithms will be presented. Factors that facilitate successful development include team members’ expertise in content/ methods, access to additional expertise/resources through professional networks, and staff support. Development processes were modified for the 2nd and 3rd guidelines to ensure clarity in scope and responsibilities. Site implementation experience suggests practitioners are more interested in how to implement deprescribing approaches versus existing evidence to support stopping medications, that practice site priorities and processes shape ability to incorporate recommendations and that aligning guidelines with existing processes is critical to implementation success. Self-efficacy increased among 9 consistent respondents across all guidelines. Examples of how site experiences influence development of deprescribing guidelines will be provided.

Optimizing a deprescribing guideline development and implementation process aims to facilitate clinicians’ ability to address polypharmacy. Developmental evaluation contributes to the improvement of processes used to develop and implement such guidelines.

Community pharmacist standardized home medication consultation program by referral: Structured approach to identifying drug-related problems in the home-bound population

Bryan Gray, BScPharm, RPh, CDE; Laura Bron, BScPharm, RPh, CDE

Perform home medication consultation to identify drug-related problems and communicate concerns to the primary prescriber. Secondary objectives: Identify trends across the different intervention categories, identify drug-related problem trends by disease states and project the anticipated cost savings from avoided hospital admissions.

A referring agency in Thunder Bay, ON, sent requests for Home Medication Consultations for 33 patients (11 male) over a 3 month period. Pharmacists screened the patient’s medication regimen and health status for potential drug-related problems. Following consultation, the community pharmacist communicated potential drug-related problems to the resident’s primary care provider.

A total of 223 interventions (average of 6.76 per patient) were provided to 23 different prescribers. Average age was 76 years. Twelve were immediately accepted, 8 were immediately declined, and the remaining 203 would be discussed at the patient’s next visit Secondary outcome: Pharmaceutical Opinion Classification Trends — The majority of recommendations were related to: requiring additional drug therapy, adherence, and sub-optimal response to current therapy. Secondary outcome: Disease State DRP Trends — Based upon disease state and medical conditions, immunization/vaccination status was the most common DRP, followed by adherence (opportunity to reduce dosing frequency, merge drugs to combination therapy, and adherence packaging), and mental health (8 DRPs related to sleep/insomnia, 14 DRPs related to depression/mood/anxiety, and 2 DRPs related to smoking). Secondary outcome: Projected Case Cost Forecasted Savings — This totals $12,062.19 cost savings for avoided hospital admissions with 2 avoided hospital admissions.

A standardized and structured approach to performing home medication consultations successfully identified potential drug-related problems.

The Medication Assessment Centre: A novel student training and patient care program

Derek Jorgenson, BSP, PharmD, FCSHP; Eric Landry, BSP, ACPR; Katherine Lysak, BSP, MSc candidate

The Medication Assessment Centre (MAC) was launched in 2011 by the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition (University of Saskatchewan), with the dual purposes of: (1) providing access to pharmacist-led comprehensive medication assessments for highly complex patients who cannot access the service elsewhere; and, (2) creating a novel faculty supervised experiential training program for pharmacy students, located on campus. The objective of this project was perform an evaluation of this program from the perspective of patients and physicians.

A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients who attended at least one MAC appointment between March 2014 and July 2015 to measure: number/ description of patients; referral sources; and numbers/severity of drug therapy problems (DTPs). An experience/satisfaction survey was mailed to patients and their physicians who utilized MAC between April and October 2015.

A total of 173 patients were included in the chart review. Patients were referred from both health professionals (65.9%) and self-referrals (34.1%). Patient mean age was 64.8, with a mean of 6.5 diagnoses and 13.8 different chronic medications each. Pharmacists identified 6.2 DTPs per patient (31.1% moderate severity using Schneider criteria). Surveys were mailed to 121 patients and 81 physicians (response rates 66.9% and 43.2%, respectively). Almost 95% of both groups described their experience as very satisfied/satisfied and reported that they would refer MAC to their friends/family/colleagues; 59.2% of patients and 88.6% of physicians felt MAC improved patient outcomes; 98.8% of patients felt they were treated with dignity/ respect and that the pharmacist listened to their concerns; and 97.5% of patients felt they were involved in decisions about their health.

MAC is meeting its objective of providing access to medication assessments for highly complex patients. Physician and patient experience has been very positive and highly supportive of the program.

Collaborative care model involving eHealth to improve treatment adherence and health outcomes of patients with gout

Nicole Tsao, BSc, BScPharm, MScPharm; Kam Shojania, MD; Alison Kydd, MD, PhD; Jessica Galo, BSc; Alyssa Howren, BSc; Carlo Marra, BScPharm, PharmD, PhD; Mary De Vera, PhD

The prevalence of gout is increasing and despite availability of efficacious therapies, sub-optimal clinical outcomes persist due largely to medication non adherence. Pharmacists may have a role in supporting patients to improve their gout management. The objective of this study is to pilot the feasibility of an interdisciplinary care model involving rheumatology, pharmacy, and dietetics using shared electronic medical records (EMRs) to provide gout care.

This is a proof-of-concept study that employs a pharmacist-driven protocol whereby they are responsible for providing medication management, adherence counselling, interpretation of lab tests, and corresponding titration of urate-lowering therapies. Eligible patients are adults age ≥19 who have been diagnosed with gout by a rheumatologist for ≥1 year, ≥1 flare in the past year, and serum uric acid (SUA) >360 µmol/L within past 2 months. Remotely located health team members use shared EMRs to exchange patient information and communicate on care plans. Study outcomes include the impact of the care model on patients’: SUA levels (target <360 µmol/L); medication adherence (Compliance Questionnaire for Rheumatology 5-items); functional status (HAQ); and quality of life (EQ-5D); assessed at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months. Target enrollment is 50 patients.

Preliminary results on 21 patients enrolled from 3 rheumatology clinics since Feb. 2015 include 85% males, mean age 56 years (SD 15). All patients were prescribed allopurinol. At 6 months, adherence rate was 50%, and average SUA was 350 µmol/L versus 445 µmol/L at baseline. To date, pharmacy has provided 71 consultations and dietetics 12 consults. Anecdotal pharmacist interventions also included drug dose increases, discontinuation of unnecessary medications, and prescription continuations.

A virtual interdisciplinary clinic for gout management with expanded pharmacists’ role appears feasible with preliminary data showing improvement in SUA.

Effectiveness of community-based pharmacist interventions in chronic non-cancer pain: A systematic review

Feng Chang, BScPhm, PharmD; Mo Chen, BSc, MSc candidate; Tejal Patel, BScPhm, PharmD

Chronic pain is a common condition that has significant impact on patients’ physical and psychological well-being. Pharmacists have a key role in providing patient-centred care to optimize drug therapy used in the management of chronic pain. To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions by pharmacists providing care in community settings for ambulatory patients with chronic non-cancer pain.

Six electronic databases (PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, COCHRANE, PsychInfo, EMBASE and International Pharmaceutical Abstract) were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCT) and non-randomized studies (NRS) published in the English language involving pharmacists providing direct care in the management of chronic non-cancer pain. Team based approaches were included if a pharmacist was involved. Manual bibliography searches with retrieved articles were conducted. Risk of bias was assessed for all included studies.

The search strategy identified 17 full-text articles from 14 studies. Six of the studies were based on pharmacist-only interventions and the other 8 involved pharmacists working as part of an interprofessional team. The most frequently used pharmacist intervention was consultation involving medication review, recommendations, follow-up, and patient education. There was variation across pain measures and other self-reported measures in the included studies, but most studies showed positive results. Pharmacist interventions significantly decreased pain scores, improved quality of life and patient satisfaction, and reduced medication-related side effects and cost. Pain intensity reduction achieved ranged 8%-21%.

Pharmacist interventions were positive in several domains studied. However, the clinical significance remains debatable due to heterogeneity in relation to intervention, outcome measures, clinical setting, sample size, and study duration.

The consideration of sex/gender and vulnerable populations in pharmacy practice research

Nancy Waite, PharmD; Martin Cooke, PhD; Katie Cook, MA; Emily Milne, PhD; Feng Chang, PhD; Lisa McCarthy, PharmD; Beth Sproule, PharmD

Funders often now require that sex and gender are main considerations in research programs, but provide little guidance about how this can be accomplished. The Ontario Pharmacy Research Collaboration (OPEN), a multi-institutional and multidisciplinary research program, adopted a sex/gender and vulnerable population (GVP) model within the collaboration to promote incorporation of sex, gender and other dimensions of vulnerability across OPEN’s research projects. This presentation (1) addresses why the consideration of GVPs matter to pharmacy practice and (2) describes the GVP model’s mandate, activities and experiences.

This mixed method study incorporates: (1) literature search of published work on this topic; (2) critical reflection of co-leads of the GVP team with regards to the creation and implementation of the model; and (3) surveys (n=37) and interviews (n=23) conducted with OPEN members about their knowledge of GVP issues and engagement with GVP services.

The consideration of sex/gender and vulnerable populations within pharmacy practice research is necessary, but lacking. Within OPEN, a GVP team was established to support research projects in their incorporation of sex/gender and various dimensions of vulnerability into research design, analysis and interpretation. According to OPEN members, knowledge pertaining to GVP issues in research increased through OPEN involvement. The GVP model “surfaced” domains traditionally neglected in the field but important to ensuring quality pharmacist practice. OPEN members have been receptive and engaged with the GVP model and mandate. However, more work needs to be done in order to fully translate this awareness into research practices.

There is a need for increased awareness and consideration of sex/gender and vulnerable populations in pharmacy practice research. The experience of OPEN suggests that a cross-project structure can help integrate these considerations into a large and complex research project. We encourage practitioners to consider GVP focused initiatives, tools, and models within their work.

Introducing a unit-based clinical pharmacist: A pilot study

Vinita Arora, RPh, BScPhm, ACPR, MEd, PharmD; Heather Parker, RPh, BScPhm; Alexandra Hernandez, PhD; Karyn Li, BSc candidate; Mehrdad Alizadeh, RPh, PharmD

A pharmacist was stationed on a forensic mental health unit to more fully participate in the interprofessional team. Since clinical pharmacy services were previously centralized, we evaluated the impact of this change on staff and patients of a forensic wing.

We administered anonymous surveys at three time periods, post 1, post 2, and post 3, at 1, 5, and 12 months, respectively (72 beds; nstaff 25, 27, 28; npatients 21, 21, 18) to examine themes of accessibility, education, and medication therapy management (MTM). Non-parametric chi-square analyses were used to examine differences in overall satisfaction (Strongly Agree and Agree responses combined) scores over the time periods. We also compared percentages of satisfaction in these themes and qualitative changes over time.

The average change in staff satisfaction from post 1 to post 3 was 8% for the Accessibility theme, 9.5% for the Education theme (2 to 17%) and 11% for the MTM theme (1 to 30%), with the increase in MTM satisfaction approaching significance (x2=5.911, p=0.052). The average change in patient satisfaction from post 1 to post 3 for questions in the Education theme was -12.5% (-5 to -24%) and -28% for questions in the Accessibility theme, however the decreases were not statistically significant. Qualitatively, there were positive changes stated by staff in all themes, most notably, accessibility; while patients expressed desire for increased services in all themes.

Being situated on a forensic mental health unit enhances involvement of the clinical pharmacist in the interprofessional team. Accessibility may be a precursor to provision of increased MTM and education. Limitations surrounding patient satisfaction need further consideration.

Patient-centered renovations

Joan Cochrane, BSP

My object was to renovate my pharmacy to make it easy for my pharmacists to provide better patient care.

We have designed our pharmacy so that the pharmacist is the first point of contact for the patient. The pharmacist is situated in a semi-private area at the front of the store. Our design has 2 of these “pharmacist interaction stations” to decrease wait time. The patient comes to the pharmacy, gives their prescription, refill or new, to the pharmacist and sits down across from the pharmacist. The pharmacist station has a computer with Internet access, a phone, a scanner and a computerized blood pressure monitoring system. This allows the pharmacist to handle the prescription in a single efficient interaction with the patient. If there are no problems to solve, the pharmacist can fill the prescription, the label prints at the island in the main dispensary area, if in the robot, it is automatically counted, if not, the technician assembles the medication and then brings it over to the pharmacist, who can hand it out. The pharmacist has been talking to the patient about the prescription and giving the appropriate information. Then the prescription is handed to the patient who is directed to the cash station. If there are problems, drug interactions, 3rd party coverage issues, etc., they can be taken care of right away.

Our staff and patients are very happy with the layout. We are doing more prescriptions every month and yet have found that we have more time than we used to. Our patients feel that when it is their turn with the pharmacist they have their undivided attention. They like that both they and the pharmacist are sitting down.

It is much easier to provide meaningful patient care if you have a pharmacy that is designed primarily with this function in mind. This new design with pharmacist stations and a work island for the techs replacing the long counter has proven to be very effective.

Medication reconciliation practices on discharge into primary care homes in Prince George, British Columbia

Robert Pammett, BSc, BSP, MSc

Medication reconciliation is an integral part of safe medication practices, and should occur at all stages of hospital transition, including discharge to the primary care home (PCH). Ensuring that the PCH has an up to date list of patient medications after discharge can help avoid medication misadventures. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the proportion of patients who had a discharge medication list communicated to the primary care home which contained discrepancies from the hospital medication list, and (2) to categorize discrepancies as prescription medication, non-prescription medication, or medication dose.

Two PCHs were recruited to participate in the retrospective chart review. Records of 50 patients who received a hospital discharge from June 1 2014 to May 31 2015 were identified at each PCH. The list of hospital medications at discharge was compared to the medication list that was communicated to the PCH at discharge. Discrepancies between these lists were identified and categorized, as was the medium in which the medication list was communicated to the PCH.

Seventy-eight cases were included in the final data analysis. Mean age of patients was 46.7 years, 59% being female. The mean number of medications taken was 6.3 per case. Four cases had no medication use. All discharge medication information was communicated via a dictated discharge summary. The total number of discrepancies identified was 280, a mean of 3.6 per case. The majority of discrepancies were prescription medication omissions or errors (69%). The remaining discrepancies were non-prescription medication omissions or errors (18%) and medication dose discrepancies (13%).

A large number of discrepancies were present between the hospital chart and the discharge summary that was sent to the PCH. Improving communication of the medication list at discharge should be encouraged to reduce potential medication errors.

Stakeholder perspectives on economic analyses of billable pharmacy services in Ontario

Sherilyn Houle, BSP, PhD; Jilan Yang, MD, MSc, PhD

A number of pharmacy services in Ontario are government-funded; however, little is known about the costs and benefits of these services. This study solicited stakeholder perspectives on the most valuable economic analysis designs, the priority services, and concerns related to the conduct of the research or dissemination of results.

Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 16 stakeholders from government, academia, pharmacy industry/associations/regulators, and insurers in March and April 2015. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and coded both manually and using NVivo. Data analysis employed the constant comparison approach to identify emerging themes and patterns.

There was consensus among stakeholders that high-quality economic evaluations of pharmacy services are needed. While evaluation of MedsCheck reviews was considered highest priority, influenza vaccination was widely identified as a suitable starting point given data availability and clear patient outcome measurement. A broad perspective including those of government/payers, the pharmacy profession, and patients is encouraged, with patient outcomes identified as more valuable than financial outcomes. However, accurate and complete patient outcome data collection was identified as a key challenge. Stakeholders reported a desire to be actively involved in economic evaluations and knowledge dissemination.

Researchers considering economic evaluations of pharmacy services are encouraged by stakeholders to incorporate broad perspectives beyond solely the interests of the profession. While patient health outcomes are valued above financial outcomes, care should be taken to ensure this outcome data is accurate and complete to minimize the impact of assumptions on the validity of the results. Stakeholder engagement at all stages of the research can help ensure the relevance and uptake of economic analyses conducted.

Opportunity and cost: Self-monitoring of blood glucose in Manitoba, 2000-2013

Olena Serwylo, BSc(Pharm), PharmD candidate; Kevin Friesen, BSc(Pharm), MSc candidate; Jamie Falk, BSc(Pharm), PharmD; Shawn Bugden, BSc(Pharm), MSc, PharmD

Given the limited evidence of benefit of frequent self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) by non-insulin using patients with diabetes, new guidelines and test strip limit policies have been suggested and implemented in various Canadian jurisdictions. The objective of this study was to assess the overall utilization and cost associated with blood glucose test strips (BGTS) and lancets for SMBG in Manitoba from 2000 to 2013 and to assess potential implications of such a policy.

A cohort of all patients with diabetes in Manitoba from 2000-2013 was established. Test strip and lancet utilization and cost were assessed for the overall cohort and for subgroups based on the type of diabetes treatment. The potential opportunity for a more selective practice of SMBG was assessed.

In the year 2000, 8 million BGTS were dispensed in Manitoba, and this increased by 270% to 21.7 million by 2013. Insulin users accounted for the majority of test strip use. However, it was estimated that test strip use could be reduced by 16 million test strips over 5 years by taking a guideline based approach to monitoring, with 95% of the potential reduction occurring in groups not using insulin. Over the next 5 years, a guideline based approach is projected to save $12.35 million, including $7.3 million in government spending.

Some provinces have placed therapy-linked limits on BGTS use. Whether or not a test strip limit policy is in place there is an important opportunity for pharmacists to help guide patients with diabetes to determine optimal frequency of SMBG. Expenditures above guideline recommendations represent an opportunity cost, money which could be redirected to programs and more useful interventions for the growing population of patients with diabetes in Manitoba.

Ibuprofen provides superior antipyretic efficacy vs. acetaminophen in childhood fever: Pooled analysis of 2 randomized trials

David Kellstein, PhD; Shyamalie Jayawardena, PhD

Compare antipyretic efficacy and safety of ibuprofen (IBU) vs acetaminophen (APAP) in children with fever from a pooled analysis of 2 studies.

Two IRB-approved, randomized, double-blind studies enrolled children 0.5 - 11 y, 13 - 95 lb with fever (101.5 - 104.9°F, rectally, ages 0.5 - 3 y; 101.0 - 103.9°F, orally, ages 4 - 11 y) for ≥2-h duration to single-dose IBU suspension (Children’s Advil® Suspension 7.5 mg/kg) or APAP suspension (Children’s Tylenol® Suspension 10 – 15 mg/kg) based on labelled dose/age. Temperatures (temperature; average of 2 readings) were assessed at baseline (predose) and after single dose of study medication at 15, 30 and 45 min and hourly from 1 - 8 h thereafter. Primary efficacy: time-weighted sum of temp difference from baseline over 8 h evaluated via analysis of variance. Secondary efficacy endpoints included time to onset and duration of temp control (temp: <100°F orally or <101°F rectally) via Cox proportional hazards; percentage with temperature control (Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel); safety was monitored throughout.

In total, 319 children (144 male, 175 female; 94% white; mean age 4.6 y; mean weight 42 lb) were evaluable for efficacy; 333 comprised the safety set. On primary efficacy, IBU 7.5 mg/kg was significantly better in terms of time-weighted sum of temperature differences vs APAP 10 – 15 mg/kg: mean (SD) -11.1 (8.5) vs -7.6 (8.0); p<0.001. Onset of temperature control occurred significantly earlier (median: 94.5 vs 111.6 min; p<0.001), lasted significantly longer (median: 191.3 vs 122.7 min; p=0.042) and occurred in a significantly higher percentage of children (89.6 vs 66.7%; p<0.001) with IBU suspension vs APAP suspension. Fifteen AEs occurred in each group; none severe. Most common AE was vomiting (4.6%: IBU; 6.3%: APAP; p>0.05).

IBU paediatric suspension (7.5mg/kg) is superior to APAP suspension (10 - 15mg/ kg) in treating paediatric fever, with better temperature reduction that was faster and of longer duration compared with APAP. Both products were well tolerated.

Development of a hormonal contraception decision support tool for pharmacists

Nese Yuksel, BScPharm, PharmD, FCSHP, NCMP; Humirah Sultani; Tasneem Siyam, BScPharm, MSc

Hormonal contraception continues to be a popular and effective method of contraception among women. With the expanded scope of practice in Alberta, pharmacists are perfectly positioned to manage the hormonal contraceptive needs of women, including initiating and adjusting hormonal contraceptives. The objective of this project is to develop a decision support tool to help pharmacists manage hormonal contraceptives in the community.

Development of the decision support tool involved a panel of local pharmacists with expertise in women’s health. Content of the tool was informed by current contraception guidelines, published literature and research team experience. The developed prototype was then reviewed by experts in the field including a pharmacist and nurse specialized in contraception, an obstetrician-gynecologist and a family physician with interest in women’s health. The modified prototype was alpha tested in a small cohort of community pharmacists (n=10) for acceptability and usability.

The tool includes 4 sections: (1) Patient Assessment — includes screening for indications, contraindications and risk factors, (2) Initiating Hormonal Contraceptives — includes guidance in choosing among different products, (3) Patient Education — provides an educational overview for shared decision making, and (4) Managing Ongoing Therapy — includes monitoring recommendations, approaches to dealing with side effects and adjusting therapy. An appendix with available Canadian Hormonal Contraceptives is also provided.

An evidence based clinical decision support tool may be a useful tool for pharmacists managing hormonal contraception in the community. Future plans are to evaluate the feasibility and applicability of the tool in the community setting.

The pharmacy services framework: Communicating the shift to clinical pharmacy services in Alberta

Theresa J. Schindel, BSP, MCE; Christine A. Hughes, BScPharm, PharmD; René Breault, BScPharm, PharmD; Deborah Hicks, MA, MLIS

To gain insight into communication of the Compensation Plan for Pharmacy Services, known as the Pharmacy Services Framework (PSF), by interpreting information described in news media articles, policies, government reports, and communications about the PSF.

Publicly available documents published 2012 - 2015 were obtained from websites such as the Government of Alberta, Alberta Blue Cross, the Alberta College of Pharmacists, the Alberta Pharmacists’ Association, and the Blueprint for Pharmacy. Searches using the Canadian Newsstand database and Google identified additional documents. Search terms included “Pharmacy Services Framework,” “Compensation Plan for Pharmacy Services,” pharm*, compensat*, reimburse*, and Alberta. One research team member completed initial analysis of documents using a grounded theory approach and the entire team reviewed emerging thematic categories. During the analysis, attention was paid to how the PSF was presented to pharmacists and other audiences.

Preliminary analysis of documents written for practicing pharmacists consisting of government policies, newsletters, and other communications identified four main themes: reimbursing patient care services, legitimizing pharmacists’ professionalism, shifting focus to patient care role, and collaborating with health care team members. The PSF was framed as payment for professional services and as offering external validation and legitimization for pharmacists’ changing professional service roles. Further analysis of news media and communications directed to other audiences is underway.

Preliminary findings provide insight into how the PSF was communicated to pharmacists and other audiences. Researchers need to consider political and societal contexts that influence provision and reimbursement of clinical services. The results of this study will provide a foundation for future research on how clinical services reimbursed by the PSF are implemented.

Provider and patient perspectives regarding a community pharmacist-based case finding and intervention program — Alberta Vascular Risk Reduction Community Pharmacy project: RxEACH

Maoliosa Donald, BSc, MSc; Kathryn King-Shier, PhD; Ross T. Tsuyuki, BSc(Pharm), PharmD, MSc; Yazid Al Hamarneh, PhD; Charlotte Jones, MD; Braden Manns, MSc, MD; Marcello Tonelli, SM, MD; Brenda Hemmelgarn, PhD, MD

To gain firsthand knowledge of pharmacists’ and patients’ experiences with pharmacist-based management of adults at risk for cardiovascular events.

Design: Qualitative descriptive — one on one telephone interviews. Setting: Community — Alberta. Population: Community pharmacists and patients. Data analysis: Multi-step process using conventional qualitative content analysis.

We completed 35 telephone interviews — 21 pharmacists and 14 patients, where we had 14 dyads (pharmacist and patient relationship). The majority of pharmacists were female (57%) between the ages of 36-45, and worked in an urban setting (57%) with 10 or less years of practice. Pharmacists reported a variety of factors that affected their ability to manage patients’ cardiovascular risk. These included features of their workplace (i.e., work autonomy, resources and physical space); their personal outlook and perspective (i.e., expanded professional role and professional development); collaborative physician/pharmacist relationship; and patient uptake. Common themes identified by patients included their trust of the pharmacist, ease of access to pharmacist services and presumed health care cost.

Understanding the provider and patient perspectives are key to maximizing the impact and sustainability of a pharmacy-based program to manage patients at high cardiovascular risk. Generally, patients were pleased with the clinical services provided by the pharmacist and pharmacists embraced the expanded clinical role.

An audit of 8 centres’ use of anticoagulant therapies when discharging patients from hospital with acute venous thromboembolism

Tammy Bungard, BSP, PharmD; Bruce Ritchie, MD; Cindy Jones, BScPharm; Jennifer Bolt, BScPharm, ACPR, PharmD; William Semchuk, MSc, PharmD, FCSHP

To report anticoagulant (AC) therapies patients receive for acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) upon hospital discharge.

This retrospective chart review from April 2014 to March 2015 included 4 urban Edmonton hospitals, 2 urban Regina hospitals and 3 rural Alberta hospitals. Patients > 18 years of age who were discharged with a diagnosis of VTE (DVT or PE) that lacked another indication for anticoagulant therapy and had an anticipated lifespan > 3 months were included. We primarily sought to assess the anticoagulant regimen prescribed for patients at hospital discharge and with whom follow-up care was to occur. Moreover, we sought to compare differences among the urban and rural centres.

After screening 1,047 patients, 692 (66.1%) were included. The majority of patients discharged from hospital had a PE (Edmonton 84.4%, Regina 81.2%, rural Alberta 63.3%). Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACS) were the most common discharge therapy in rural Alberta (50.0%), followed by warfarin (+/- a parenteral AC) (30.0%). In rural Alberta follow-up most commonly occurred with the GP (66.7%). In Regina, the most common therapy at discharge was warfarin (+/- a parenteral AC (59.0%) followed by a NOAC (23.9%), and a parenteral AC alone (16.2%). In Regina, the majority of follow-up was with the GP (52.1%) or specialist (52.1%). In Edmonton, 40.5% were discharged on warfarin (+/- a parenteral AC), 29.2% a parenteral agent alone, and 28.4% on a NOAC. Follow-up most commonly was with the general practitioner [GP] (29.9%) or VTE clinic (29.1%) in Edmonton.

The majority discharged after VTE-related hospitalizations have PEs, and NOACs are used more commonly in rural Alberta (50%) compared to urban centres (~25%). Depending on the centre, follow-up is either done via the family doctor or through specialists / VTE clinic.

An audit of 8 centres’ use of anticoagulant therapies when discharging patients from the emergency department

To report anticoagulant (AC) therapies patients receive for acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) upon discharge from the emergency department (ED).

This retrospective chart review included patients discharged from the ED with a diagnosis of VTE (DVT or PE) between April 2014 and March 2015. Two urban Edmonton hospitals having VTE clinics (Edm-VTE), 2 without VTE clinics (Edm), 2 urban Regina hospitals and 3 rural Alberta hospitals were included. We primarily sought to assess the AC regimen at ED discharge to the community and with whom follow-up care was to occur. Moreover, we compared differences among the urban and rural centres.

After screening 1,734 patients, 418 (24.1%) were included. The majority were discharged with DVT as compared to PE/PE plus DVT (Edm-VTE 54.5%, Edm 59.0%, Regina 91.7%, rural Alberta 80.0%). For Edm-VTE, discharge therapy with a parenteral AC alone (60.1%) or novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) (20.0%) with follow up in the VTE clinic (80.6%) was most common. The majority for Edm were prescribed a parenteral AC (41.0%) or NOAC (40.3%) with either general practitioner [GP] (28.1%) or VTE clinic (33.8%) follow-up. In Regina, the majority (75.0%) were discharged on a parenteral AC with warfarin, with 11.9% each on a parenteral AC or NOAC, with GP follow-up (56.0%). Rural Alberta sites most commonly used NOACs (43.3%) or a parenteral AC with warfarin (26.7%), with GP follow up (53.3%).

Urban Alberta sites discharge more patients with PE (43.4%) from ED compared with Regina or rural Alberta sites. Traditional therapy with a parenteral AC (+/- warfarin) is still most commonly used at discharge, with anywhere from 12-43%receiving a NOAC across the sites assessed. NOAC use was most common (~40%) in rural Alberta and at the Edmonton site not having a VTE clinic. Variation in practice is evident.

Enhancing depression outcomes with better use of antidepressants: Evaluation of a pharmacy benefit manager– sponsored depression disease state management program

Katherine Giannoulis, BScPharm, CGP; Leanne McFarlane, BScPharm; Heather Creighton, BScPharm; Moira Reiley, BScPharm, CGP

Non-adherence to antidepressants is associated with poor health outcomes and is common in people with depression. Studies using medication possession ratio (MPR) or proportion of days covered (PDC) to calculate adherence found 34-56% of patients were adherent to therapy. Persistence to antidepressants at 1, 3 and 6 months is estimated to be 70-75%, 56-60% and 40-43% respectively. To improve adherence and patient depression outcomes MHCSI developed and funded a two-year pharmacist Depression Disease State Management (DSM) pilot program for plan members.

Pharmacists within MHCSI’s Preferred Provider Network were encouraged to have multiple consultations with each patient in-program over a one-two year period. Pharmacists received equal compensation for each consultation. Adherence was calculated at program completion based on drug claims data using the PDC method. Patients were considered adherent if the PDC was >80%. Persistence was calculated for patients new to antidepressant therapy. Pharmacists completed a Patient Outcome Survey for each patient.

There were 59 patients in the Depression DSM program. Patients had an average of three consults. The percentage of patients considered adherent to antidepressant therapy was 70%. The average proportion of days covered for participants was 81%. Persistence to 1, 3 and 6 months was 100%, 89% and 61%. Patient Outcome Surveys were completed for 57 of the 59 patients with 81% of respondents reporting that the patient had a better understanding of condition/treatment, 65% of the patients reported “feeling better” and 54% reported productivity gains.

This suggests a pharmacist longitudinal follow-up model may improve adherence to antidepressant medication with the goal of improving patient health outcomes.

Pharmacist intervention for a frail elderly population in primary care

Tejal Patel, PharmD; Jillian Bauer, BScPharm; Linda Lee, MD; Cathy Schill, BScPharm

In 2013, the Centre for Family Medicine Family Health Team initiated a new program called the “Case-Finding for Complex Chronic Conditions in seniors 75+ (C5-75)” to systematically screen for frailty among all persons aged 75 years and older to address medical conditions appropriately and to avert crises. As a component of this program, a pharmacist intervention was developed to address medication-related problems (MRPs). The objectives of this study are to describe the medication use in the population referred and activities performed by pharmacists in this program.

This was a retrospective medical records review of frail elderly patients seen by pharmacists in the C5-75 program from April 2013 to August 2015. Data pertaining to patient demographics, medical conditions, and medication history as well as activities performed and recommendations made by pharmacists were abstracted.

Of 142 patients (54 males and 88 females, mean age 85 years [range: 75-98]) identified as frail, 54 patients accepted the offer of a medication review with a pharmacist in the C5-75 program. At initial visit with the pharmacist, the means for number of total medications was 11.60 (range: 5-23), for prescribed medications, 7.67 (range: 3-20), and for over-the-counter medications, 3.93 (0-15). Polypharmacy and high-risk medication use was highly prevalent (83% and 93%, respectively). A total of 218 MRPs were identified among the 41 patients with at least one follow-up visit with the pharmacist. Pharmacists made a total of 222 recommendations. Of the 138 that were measurable, physicians had accepted 70% and 50% were implemented at most recent follow-up.

Polypharmacy, high-risk medication use and MRPs are highly prevalent in the frail elderly in primary care. Pharmacists were able to address these problems with recommendations, many of which were accepted and implemented.

Impact of pharmacist assessment on classes of high-risk medications in a geriatric outpatient clinic

Sharon Ong, BPharm, PharmD; Alexandra Marin, MD, CCFP, Dip. COR; Imran Hassan, MSc; Ross T. Tsuyuki, BSc(Pharm), PharmD, MSc, FCSHP, FACC; Cheryl Sadowski, BSc(Pharm), PharmD, FCSHP

Seniors often take multiple medications because of a high burden of chronic diseases. This complex population is vulnerable to medication-related problems. Pharmacists can improve suboptimal prescribing in older adults, however, the evidence base for this is weak. Our objective was to determine if pharmacist assessment is effective in reducing classes of high-risk medications in seniors at a geriatric clinic.

We reviewed the medical charts of 245 patients aged 65 and over who were referred to our outpatient geriatric clinic and assessed using comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). The CGA team consisted of a geriatrician, medical trainee (student, resident or fellow), pharmacist (available part-time), and nurse. Since the pharmacist was only in the clinic on certain days, we conducted a non-randomized comparison of medication use in those seen by a pharmacist versus those who were not. Number of medications was compared using t-test and exact McNemar’s test was performed to assess medication changes.

The mean number of medications of patients assessed by pharmacist (n=99) vs not assessed by pharmacist (n=89) was 10.5 (SD 5.5) vs 9.4 (SD 4.7) with a mean difference of 1.07 (95% CI, -0.41 to 2.55), p=0.157. The proportions of patients taking acetylcholinesterase inhibitor in both pharmacist and non-pharmacist groups increased, respectively, from 20% to 37%, p<0.001 and 14% to 28%, p=0.001. Other classes of medication with statistical significant changes were exclusively in the pharmacist group, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor from 20% to 27%, p=0.007; over-the-counter analgesic e.g. acetaminophen from 30% to 41%, p=0.002; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug from 22% to 16%, p=0.013; and antihistamine or other anticholinergic (not for overactive bladder) from 7% to 2%, p=0.016.

Pharmacist assessment as part of an interprofessional geriatric clinic team led to an improvement in medication use.

Description of medication management problems and supports used in community-dwelling seniors

Objective(s).

Seniors commonly have problems managing their medications due to extensive medication use, medication regimen complexity, and functional or cognitive limitations. With an aging population, it is important to identify these problems so that resources can be directed to meet their health care needs. The purpose of our study was to describe the medication management problems of seniors living in the community.

A retrospective chart review of patients aged 65 years and over who were referred to our geriatric clinic and assessed using comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). The CGA team consisted of a geriatrician, medical trainee (student, resident or fellow), pharmacist and nurse. Data were analyzed descriptively and McNemar’s test was used for changes in calendar packaging.

The mean age was 80.6 (SD 7.2) years, 41% lived alone and 46% lived with spouse/ partner. On admission, the mean number of medications (n=236) per patient was 9.8 (SD 4.8), and 46% had medications administered via a non-oral route. Medication-related problems were non-adherence (43%), difficulty managing medication (40%) and dependence with medication use (49%). The dependent patients obtained assistance from spouse or partner (37%), family member/living separately (25%), family member/living with (18%), formal home care cueing/ administration (11%) or monitoring (8%), and caregiver (9%). Calendar packaging from 55% to 70%, p<0.001, and community care services from 27% to 42%, following assessment.

Conclusion(s)

About half the seniors seen at the geriatric outpatient clinic had complex medication regimens, were non-adherent, had difficulty managing medications and were dependent with medication use. There appeared to be a high dependency on their spouse and family members in medication management. As such, assessing seniors for medication management and inquiring about supports for medication assistance are important roles for pharmacists in a geriatric practice.

Effectiveness of the peer-to-peer mentoring model for transitioning from classroom to professional practice

Thomas Huang, PharmD (student); Annie Lee, MSc(T), ACPR; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd; Edric Paw Cho Sing, PharmD; Michael Vinh, PharmD

To better prepare pharmacy students for practice by implementing a peer-to-peer mentoring model of student-led pharmacotherapy sessions (SLPS) in the PharmD program. The learning impact and the utility of the model for student preparedness for Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences and the licensing exam were examined.

Fourth-year students delivered SLPS on Cardiology, Infectious Diseases, and Patient Self-Care online and live to both third- and fourth-year students. Retrospective self-assessment surveys were administered after each SLPS. Five knowledge domains (etiology, clinical presentation, pharmacotherapy, monitoring/follow-up, and overall knowledge) were assessed. A paired t-test was utilized to evaluate the survey data. Thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative comments on the survey.

Eighty-one students (59% third-years; 41% fourth-years) responded to the survey. Prior to the SLPS, 46.8% of students rated their knowledge “Average” (3 of 5), while 33.1% rated their knowledge “Above Average” (4 of 5) in all knowledge domains. After the SLPS, 53.6% of students rated their knowledge to be “Above Average” (4 of 5), while 27.5% rated their knowledge “Excellent” (5 of 5) in all knowledge domains. Statistically significant increase (p<0.001) was shown in all five knowledge domains post-SLPS for both third- and fourth-year students. Students stated that cases, drug charts and therapeutic overview were the most useful. Suggestions for improvement included increased interactions, counselling points, and providing practice examples.

The peer-to-peer mentoring model was an effective model for student learning. Students perceived a therapeutic knowledge increase after attending the SLPS. Student presenters developed public speaking skills and built confidence while consolidating knowledge. This model has proven to be effective in developing skills and knowledge for students transitioning into professional practice.

Community pharmacy reports of potential QTc-prolonging drug interactions involving fluoroquinolones or macrolides: A multi-incident analysis

Roshan Tahavori, RPh, BScPhm, PharmD; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd

Significantly prolonged QTc may lead to torsades de pointes (TdP) in at-risk patients. Fluoroquinolones (FQs) and macrolides have the potential to prolong the QTc, and given their widespread use, are implicated in relatively high number of significant QTc-prolongation events. The purpose of this project was to analyze incidents of potential QTc-prolonging drug interactions involving FQs and macrolides, in order to fill in patient-safety gaps.

We searched the Community Pharmacy Incident Reporting program for QTc-related incidents involving FQs and macrolides between April 2010 and January 2015. Using a qualitative, multi-incident analysis approach, we analyzed 56 incidents, identified themes, potential contributing factors, and provided recommendations.

Most incidents were pharmacy-intercepted drug interactions (i.e., near misses) involving moxifloxacin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin. Commonly reported classes of interacting drugs were antidepressants, antiarrhythmics, and antipsychotics. The following themes and possible contributing factors were captured: 1) Prescriber-triggered potential for QTc-prolongation due to absence of drug-interaction assessment, 2) Potentially inappropriate pharmacist-intervention due to absence of patient risk-assessment, and 3) Patient-potentiated risk for harm due to polydoctoring and polypharmacy practices while failing to disclose complete medication lists to the providers.

Prescribers should seek patients’ complete medication list and medical history, and make TdP risk-assessment when prescribing drugs with QTc-liability. Pharmacists should assess patients’ risk factors for QTc-prolongation before intervening on drug-interactions. We developed a QTc-Prolongation Risk Factors Checklist to facilitate these assessments. Patients should regularly be provided with a comprehensive medication list and educated on safe medication use by pharmacists.

Medication incidents involving insulin: A multi-incident analysis

Carolyn Kasprzak, RPh, PharmD; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd

Insulin is a life-saving pharmacological therapy for many diabetic patients. However, insulin has been identified as a high alert medication as it has the potential to cause detrimental patient harm when used in error; particularly, an excessive dose can lead to life-threatening hypoglycemia. The objective of this multi-incident analysis was to examine insulin-related medication incidents and determine potential system-based improvements that may be customized in pharmacy practice to enhance medication safety.

Reports of medication incidents involving insulin were extracted from a national incident reporting database between January and December 2014. After a review of 226 incidents, 81 were included in this qualitative, multi-incident analysis. The incidents were then analyzed and categorized into main themes and subthemes.

The four main themes identified were: (1) product selection (related to unique insulin properties), with prescribing, order entry and dispensing as subthemes; (2) therapeutic regimen change; (3) dosage calculations; and (4) storage requirements. Potential solutions for prevention of insulin-related incidents included the use of standardized pre-printed order forms, integrating warning flags into pharmacy software, incorporation of independent double checks throughout the entire pharmacy workflow, and conducting comprehensive diabetes-focused medication reviews with patients.

Medication incidents involving insulin in pharmacy practice are common and have the potential to cause serious patient harm. Findings from this analysis are intended to educate health care professionals on the vulnerabilities in the medication-use process that may contribute to insulin-specific medication incidents and offer recommendations to prevent such events from recurring.

Potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults: A multi-incident analysis

Kelly Ng, BSc, PharmD candidate; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd; Roger Cheng, RPh, BScPhm, PharmD

Potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults can lead to preventable adverse events, which may account for a significant portion of emergency room visits and hospitalization. This multi-incident analysis identifies points of intervention in the community setting in order to prevent medication incidents that may compromise patient safety.

A qualitative, multi-incident analysis was conducted on medication incidents reported to the Community Pharmacy Incident Reporting (CPhIR) program. Reports of medication incidents involving drug therapy problems, contraindications, and duplications in patients over 65 years of age were extracted between 2010 and 2015. In total, 184 incidents met the inclusion criteria of this multi-incident analysis.

Two main themes were identified: (1) patient-specific factors and (2) drug interactions. Patient specific factors include incidents where the medication was not best suited for the patient due to their intolerances or allergies, medical conditions, and inappropriate dosing/prescribing for older adults over 65 years old. Medication incidents involving drug interactions include antibiotic and chronic medication interactions, interactions between different therapeutic classes, and drug duplications of the same therapeutic class. Comprehensive medication reviews (such as MedsChecks in Ontario) help to ensure patients are safely and appropriately using medication therapies and reduce potential adverse drug events when transitioning between points of care.

Although the use of multiple medications may be appropriate in older adults, the complexity of these medication regimens increases the risk of errors and adverse effects. Implementing system-based strategies in the pharmacy workflow can help pharmacists improve patient safety and mitigate the risks of potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults.

Patient counseling: An overarching method to mitigate medication errors and ensure continuity of care

Tracy He, PharmD candidate; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd

To explore the methods and behavioural tools in which community pharmacists utilize patient counselling to prevent medication incidents. The findings of this qualitative, multi-incident analysis will substantiate the strongholds in which pharmacists mitigate errors and the role of patient education in encouraging health literacy and continuity of care.

A multi-incident analysis was performed on medication incidents reported to the Community Pharmacy Incident Reporting Program (CPhIR) developed by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada. The keywords in the incident description included patient-counselling terminology, such as “identified,” “counsel,” “explain,” and “teach.” The incidents included in this analysis spanned from September 2014 to August 2015. They were then stratified thematically based on their modes of identification.

Of the 115 incidents that met the inclusion criteria, two emergent themes were identified: pharmacist-led and patient-led identification of medication incidents. The themes gave rise to further subthemes respectively, focussing on prescription reconciliation, therapy evaluation and clarification, storage education, patient identifier verification, and product demonstration. Reinforcement of safe medication use at the stage of patient counselling can also gear pharmacists towards patient-focused care and effective medication therapy management.

Community pharmacy practitioners can effectively identify near misses and medication incidents at the stage of patient counselling. Having a dialogue with patients at the point of care will not solely be helpful for the mitigation of errors, but also serve as a quality assurance of continuity of care.

Older people’s attitudes towards deprescribing: A community study in Quebec

Caroline Sirois, BPharm, PhD; Nicole Ouellet, PhD; Marie-Eve Gagnon, BInf; Joanie Renaud; Lyndia Huard

Polypharmacy is very common among older individuals and has been associated with adverse outcomes. Reducing the number of medications (deprescribing) might be a valuable option to reduce the risks. However, little is known about older individuals’ attitudes towards deprescribing.

We ran a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of using a self-administered questionnaire among community-dwelling older individuals to address their perceptions towards deprescribing. We used a French version of the Australian Patient’s Attitudes Towards Deprescribing Questionnaire. The questionnaires were distributed in ten community pharmacies and two community centers in the province of Quebec. The participants (n=129) completed the questionnaire containing 10 Likert type questions about polypharmacy/deprescribing and 5 multiple-choice questions. We used descriptive statistics to summarize the participants’ characteristics. We performed chi-square tests to compare the proportions of agreement, and evaluated correlations with Spearman’s Rho (alpha=0.05).

The participants were mostly women (63%) with a median age of 76 years (IQR:7180). The median number of daily medication was 6 (IQR: 3-8). Half of the participants considered they were taking a lot of medications, but 80% judged these medications were necessary and felt comfortable with the number they were taking. More than 80% would agree to take more medications for their health condition if required. Nonetheless, 50% of the participants mentioned they would like to reduce the number of medications they were taking. If their doctor said it would be possible, 71% would be willing to reduce the number of medications used. Those who thought they were taking a lot of medications were more willing to have their number reduced (p<0.001).

The results show that older individuals in the community are eager to undertake deprescribing, conditional on their doctor’s approval.

The effect of health media reporting on self-medication use

I fan Kuo, BSc (Pharm), ACPR, MSc, PharmD; Amanda Church, BSc (Pharm) candidate; Christopher Louizos, BSc (Pharm), PharmD; Brenna Shearer, PhD

The news media serves the crucial role of conveying complex scientific findings and health issues to the general public. The main objectives of this study are (1) to describe the public’s perception of health-related content in the news media and their dependence on the media in decision-making surrounding self-medication use, and (2) to examine potential factors, both individual and media-related, that influence self-medication behaviour.

Twenty-Nine adult volunteers participated in five focus group interviews that were conducted at the College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Each 90 minute interview was moderated by a study coordinator, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Two study team members independently analyzed the transcripts.

The general public expressed varying degrees of uncertainty towards the reliability of health reporting in news media. Most felt overwhelmed and frustrated by the excess sources of information, and the often mixed and transient messages in health news reports. A trusting relationship with a pharmacist or physician was identified as the most important factor in self-medication decision, but not all individuals had access to health care providers, due to a variety of reasons. Other influences on over-the-counter product use include education background, previous experience, upbringing, credentials of the sources, and the individual’s social circle.

Decision-making surrounding the use of over-the-counter products is a complex process, often implicitly influenced by health news reporting in the media. Trusting interaction with health care providers, especially pharmacists is an important component in choosing non-prescription product use, but one that is not always readily accessible. Pharmacists are yet to maximize the opportunity in filling this health care gap.

Documentation of functional medication management in older adults within an acute care hospital

Monika Bolina, BScPharm, ACPR; Allyson Jones, PhD; Sheri Koshman, BScPharm, PharmD, ACPR; Erin Heintz, BScPharm, ACPR; Ronald Lehmann, BScPharm, ACPR; Cheryl Sadowski, BSc(Pharm), PharmD, FCSHP

To describe the documentation of functional medication management (FMM) in adults, age 65 years and older, on medicine wards, during their hospital stay. The secondary objective was to describe the characteristics of the health care providers (HCP) documenting on FMM.

This study was a retrospective chart review of a random selection of 140 patients admitted at the University of Alberta Hospital from January 2013 to October 2014. FMM was defined as the process of taking medications (including ordering, picking up, organizing, preparing, monitoring, and administering medications). This ability requires assessing factors such as physical function (including vision, dexterity, and swallowing ability) related to medications and cognitive function.

A total of 140 patient charts were reviewed. The average age was 78.9 (SD 8.4) years, 68 (48%) male, and mean 8 (SD 3.1) scheduled oral medications taken. Commonly documented components of FMM included administration of medications (52%), organizing of medication (33%), assessments of physical function including vision (25%), swallowing ability of medications (18%), and cognitive function (21%). Documention of these activities was most frequently done by physicians (39%), occupational therapists (34%), and pharmacists (17%).

Clinicians occasionally document FMM. Given the complexity of medication regimens and the functional demands of handling these, there is a need to incorporate these assessments when evaluating patients.

Global citizenship framework — Application to pharmacy student experience

Cheryl Sadowski, BSc(Pharm), PharmD, FCSHP; Lynette Shultz, PhD, Marlene Gukert, BScPharm, ACPR; Cheryl Cox, BSP, MBA

The role of pharmacists as citizens is important in terms of community engagement, public health, and advocacy. Student exposure to global citizenship is important in order to develop a view of citizenship in their future role as pharmacists. The purpose of our research was to apply a framework for global citizenship to student experiences in an international course taught in Italy.

This was an exploratory qualitative study. Students at the University of Alberta enrolled in Pharm 453 (Intercultural Exploration of Pharmacy & Health) between 2011 and 2013 were invited to participate after completing the course. Students who consented individually participated in a semi-structured interview regarding their experience. We applied a published framework and the data was transcribed and analyzed by content analysis methods.

The framework included 4 main components, with examples of application in practice. The components were politics/ideology, social/collective, self/ subjectivity, and praxis/engagement. Examples of each component include: (1) politics — awareness of food insecurity, injustices; (2) social — appreciation of interconnectedness, inclusion of those with different values; (3) self — being aware of one’s own perspectives, concern for social justice; (4) praxis — ethical action and active participation in society.

Applying a framework in describing student experiences with global citizenship through an international course was valuable, and demonstrated that students can be engaged with important citizenship issues.

How does pharmacist prescribing fit with family physicians’ practice in Alberta? Developing a knowledge translation strategy

Chowdhury Faruquee, BPharm, MPharm, MBA; Amandeep Khera, MD, CCFP, MPH; Lisa Guirguis, BSc Pharm, PhD

Alberta family physicians are seeing patients with an increasing number of chronic diseases and complex medication regimens. Pharmacists are medication experts with prescribing authority who can help both physicians and patients to manage medications. However, literature and anecdotes suggest physicians have low level of understanding and speculative beliefs about pharmacist prescribing. Our objective is to develop a knowledge translation strategy to address family physicians’ gap in understanding of pharmacist prescribing.

Qualitative interviews were used to explore Alberta family physicians’ understanding and experience with pharmacist prescribing. We used purposeful sampling method with semi structured face to face or telephone interviews. We planned to interview 12 to 15 Alberta family physicians having experience of pharmacist prescribing in their practice as well as pharmacists who are working with these physicians. Gaps in physicians’ understanding were identified and will be used to develop infographics to communicate pharmacists’ roles in prescribing medications

To date we have interviewed 11 physicians and one pharmacist. Often, family physicians first learned of pharmacist prescribing after receiving notification that a patient received this service or from the pharmacists they work with on teams. Preliminary themes include interprofessional hierarchy, assorted acceptability, building trust, and shared goals. Gaps include knowledge about pharmacist expertise and pharmacist prescribing authority, and communication strategies to foster collaboration. We will create infographics as educational tools, addressing the gaps. We will develop a usability testing survey to test its usability and will refine the educational tools using feedback. We will disseminate our infographics to both physicians and pharmacists through Alberta PCN leads, professional associations, and encourage pharmacists to use it with individual physicians.

We confirmed that some Alberta family physicians have limited understanding of pharmacist prescribing, resulting in lack of trust. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of this knowledge translation strategy in the Alberta context.

Medication incidents involving smoking cessation therapies

Phillip Yang, PharmD; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd

Ontario pharmacists have been granted the authority to prescribe medications for smoking cessation in their expanded scope of practice. To help pharmacists minimize errors when prescribing for smoking cessation, medication incidents involving varenicline and bupropion must be examined. The objective of this project was to identify areas of vulnerability when prescribing and dispensing smoking cessation therapies.

A qualitative, multi-incident analysis was conducted using anonymous incident reports submitted to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada Community Pharmacy Incident Reporting Program. Medication incidents involving varenicline and bupropion were included in the analysis.

A total of 360 incidents were analyzed. Our findings were divided into two main themes according to the medication therapies: (1) varenicline and (2) bupropion. The main themes were then further divided into subthemes, comprising prescription instructions, quantity of tablets, and drug formulation. Safety interventions include separation of instructions for starter pack and continuation packs, implementation of preprinted order forms and independent double checks in the pharmacy workflow, and verification of the medication with patients during patient counselling.

As more patients access smoking cessation therapies, there are more opportunities for pharmacist-patient interactions. With pharmacists’ expanded scope of practice, there is also a new potential for near misses and incidents involving prescribing errors in the pharmacy. Through shared learning of existing smoking cessation medication incidents from this project, pharmacists will be more prepared and aware of safe medication use when executing their expanded scopes.

Medication incidents involving immunosuppressive agents

Melody Truong, RPh, BScPhm, PharmD; Amanda Chen, RPh, BSc, BScPhm, ACPR, PharmD; Jim Kong, BSc, PharmD; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd

Immunosuppressants are potent, immune-modulating medications that can cause significant harm to patients if used incorrectly. The objective of this multi-incident analysis is to assess the challenges of managing immunosuppressive therapy in the community setting and identifying system-based vulnerabilities.

Oral immunosuppressive agents of interest, such as azathioprine and cyclosporine, were retrieved from the American Hospital Formulary Service classification system. Intravenous agents were excluded due to a lack of presence in the community setting. Relevant medication incidents were gathered from ISMP Canada’s Community Pharmacy Incident Reporting (CPhIR) Program between January 2010 and May 2015. From an initial collection of 61 cases, a total of 47 medication incidents met inclusion criteria and were analyzed and reviewed by two analysts independently.

Quantitative analysis found that of the initial 61 medication incidents, 59% (36) were near-misses, 18% (11) resulted in no harm, and 3% (2) resulted in mild harm to the patient. The remaining 20% (12) were excluded due to insufficient narrative information provided by the reporter. Qualitative analysis uncovered three major themes that ran prevalent throughout all 47 incidents: (1) indication, (2) effectiveness, and (3) safety. Indication referred to incidents where an incorrect drug was being prescribed or dispensed due to look-alike/sound-alike names and/ or formulation oversight. Effectiveness primarily focused on medication errors arising from sub-therapeutic dosing that resulted in therapy failure, while safety referred to incidents that resulted in toxicity due to either supra-therapeutic dosing or drug interactions. System-based vulnerabilities included factors such as confirmation bias, practitioner’s knowledge gap, and lack of independent double checks in pharmacy workflow.

Immunosuppressive agents are commonly used by all patient populations within the community. Analysis of medication incidents provides an opportunity for health care practitioners to learn from errors and advance safe medication practices for quality patient care.

Medication incidents that could have been prevented at the prescribing stage

Kacy Park, BSc, PharmD candidate; Jim Kong, BSc, PharmD; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd

As the initial step in the medication-use process, prescribing errors can lead to a cascade effect that ultimately places the patient at risk for harm. The goal of this multi-incident analysis was to identify and prevent the occurrence of these systematic errors to mitigate patient harm.

Data were gathered from the Community Pharmacy Incident Reporting (CPhIR) Program between January 2010 and April 2015. Search criteria excluded incidents that did not occur during the “Prescribing” stage and/or resulted in “No Error.” A total of 111 incidents met the initial search criteria with 50 incidents being excluded due to insufficient narrative descriptions. The remaining 61 incidents were then analyzed.

Of the 61 medication incidents analyzed, quantitative analysis showed that 84% (51) resulted in mild harm and 16% (10) resulted in moderate harm. No incidents resulted in patient death. Qualitatively, two main themes were extrapolated from these incidents: (1) Therapeutic Plan Error and (2) Therapeutic Plan Execution Error. Therapeutic Plan Error consisted of incidents that occurred due to incorrect dose, medication discrepancy, drug allergies or drug-drug interactions. Underlying contributing factors included a lack of reliable Computerized Decision Support Systems to help capture potential drug therapy problems, and limited communication networks between health care professionals within the patient’s circle of care. Therapeutic Plan Execution Error included incidents that occurred due to incomplete prescriptions, illegible writing, or wrong patients. Potential contributing factors included a lack of system-based or forcing functions to support prescribers when prescribing and documenting medication therapies.

The prescribing stage represents a key step in the patient’s encounter with the medication-use process. Both physicians and pharmacists can improve patient safety by developing system-based strategies to prevent medication incidents at this crucial stage of patient care.

Direct oral anticoagulant medication incidents

Nusrat Amin, PharmD; Jim Kong, BSc, PharmD; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd

Direct oral anticoagulation utilizing apixaban, dabigatran and rivaroxaban has become highly prevalent due to their ease of use and convenient monitoring parameters. Though their unique pharmacologic properties make them a popular choice among health care professionals, increasing use has also led to an increase in medication incidents involving these medications. This multi-incident analysis serves to explore themes that contribute to incidents involving direct oral anticoagulation medications in the community setting.

Incidents were extracted from the Community Pharmacy Incident Reporting (CPhIR) Program between January 2010 and April 2015. A total of 145 incidents met the initial search criteria with 36 being excluded due to insufficient narrative descriptions. The remaining 109 incidents were then analyzed.

Qualitative, multi-incident analysis found a total of five major themes underlying all medication incidents involving direct oral anticoagulants. These included look-alike/ sound-alike medications, drug-drug interactions, transition of care, intricacies of anticoagulant dosing/frequency, and pharmacy operation. Although the primary focus of the analysis was on medication incidents in the community, transition of care presented a unique challenge as it referred to medication incidents that occurred when patients were transitioning from a different health care setting into the community setting. Numerous contributing factors such as confirmation bias, a lack of reliable Computerized Decision Support Systems, and knowledge deficit of health care practitioners all played a role in facilitating these medication incidents.

The expanding role of direct oral anticoagulants in conventional chronic drug therapy requires increased vigilance from health care professionals. In the community setting, long-term use of direct oral anticoagulants can place the patient at risk of harm if not managed and monitored appropriately. By developing safe medication practices, pharmacists can help educate patients and prevent anticoagulant medication incidents.

Drug allergy incidents in community pharmacies

Leo Kim, RPh, PharmD; Jim Kong, BSc, PharmD; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd

Drug-induced allergic reactions are frequent, unpredictable events of medication usage in the community setting. The lack of homogeneity in their presentation and severity can range from mild, localized discomfort to systemic, life-threatening anaphylaxis, which presents a challenge for community pharmacists to manage. The objective of this multi-incident analysis was to identify common themes underlying drug allergy medication incidents, involving patients with documented allergies, and offer recommendations to help prevent future incidents in the community setting.

Incidents were extracted from the Community Pharmacy Incident Reporting (CPhIR) Program utilizing the inclusion criteria of “Drug Therapy Problem Documented allergy” for the type of medication incident, and generalized signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis as key words in the narrative description. A total of 273 medication incidents were captured and reviewed in this multi-incident analysis.

The three major themes identified were: (1) missing documentation, (2) computer detection incapacity, and (3) alert bypass. Missing documentation involved medication incidents that stemmed from both prescriber and pharmacy-related databases, while computer detection incapacity and alert bypass incidents only involved pharmacy-related dispensing systems. Recommendations primarily focused on the proper usage/maintenance of computer databases and communication strategies with patients. System-based strategies such as various enhancements to existing pharmacy databases, along with other continuous quality improvement programs, provide further solutions to prevent patient harm.

Drug-induced allergies can be easily screened and documented given the right tools and appropriate resources. Although unpredictable in nature, the presence of an existing drug allergy should prompt health care professionals to be mindful and cautious when prescribing and/or dispensing medications.

Medication incidents associated with hospital discharge

John Cao, PharmD; Kelly Ng, BSc, PharmD candidate; Jim Kong, BSc, PharmD; Certina Ho, RPh, BScPhm, MISt, MEd

Hospital discharge is a form of transitional patient care that involves multistep processes with multiple health care professionals at different levels of care. Due to its innate complexity, this process places patients at high risk for medication errors and potential subsequent hospital readmissions. This project examines common themes that are prevalent in medication incidents associated with hospital discharge, and provides insight into system-based recommendations for advancing safe medication practices.

Incidents were extracted from ISMP Canada’s Community Pharmacy Incident Reporting (CPhIR) Program between April 2010 and December 2014. A total of 83 incidents met the inclusion criteria. These incidents were analyzed and reviewed by two analysts independently.

A qualitative, multi-incident analysis revealed three main themes underlying these medication incidents: (1) error on the discharge prescription, (2) communication issues, and (3) community integration. Error on the discharge prescription involved preparation errors in the hospital such as inappropriate medications being ordered, inadvertent omission of medications, dosing errors, and wrong patient name on discharge prescriptions. Communication issues referred to miscommunication incidents between the hospital and community that involved illegible writing/ print on faxed and written discharge prescriptions, as well as complex medication orders. Finally, community integration explored the lack of continuity between hospital and community care that facilitated medication errors. This included issues such as duplication in medication therapy, different preparations used in the hospital compared to community, and interruptions/additions to multi-medication compliance aids. Medication reconciliation is an effective strategy that can empower community pharmacists to mitigate patient harm and enhance transitional care during hospital discharge.

Patients discharged from hospitals will continue to experience harm from medication incidents if system-based vulnerabilities are not addressed properly. The results of this multi-incident analysis, along with further investigations, will help develop or improve seamless and comprehensive transitional care practices.

Successful pharmacists: A qualitative study to understand pharmacists’ definitions of successful pharmacy practices

Meagen Rosenthal, PhD; Joseph A Dikun, PharmD; Ashley S Crumby, PharmD AAHIVP; Jill Hall, BScPharm, ACPR, PharmD; Theresa L. Charrois; BScPharm, ACPR, MSc

Efforts to improve uptake of advanced pharmacy practice services by various pharmacy professional organizations have included the development of definitions of pharmacists’ role in patient care, meant to transmit what is a successful pharmacy practice. However, there is little evidence of how these messages are reaching practicing pharmacists. The objective of this study is to understand success in pharmacy practice from the perspective of pharmacy practitioners in various settings.

In-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken. Pharmacist participants were identified through reviews of national professional organization awardee lists and contact with state professional organizations in Mississippi, USA. The interview guide was developed from a scoping review by the authors. Interviews continued until saturation had been achieved. Qualitative content analysis was completed on all transcribed interviews.

A total of 14 interviews were conducted. There was an even split between participants practicing in community and hospital/ambulatory care settings. Two major themes emerged in the analysis. First, success was the development of meaningful relationships with patients, which led to the perceived improved uptake by patients of pharmacists’ recommendations. Second, success was achieving job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was often described as knowing they were making a difference in lives of patients. Participants also identified factors contributing to success, which included communication skills, self-confidence, and a supportive work environment.

The number, or kind, of advanced pharmacy services being provided to patients was not part of the definition of practice success offered. This implies a gap between the objectives of pharmacy professional organizations and practicing pharmacists. This study provides insight into the definition of success by practitioners, and direction for how professional organizations can improve communications with practitioners.

Research Topics & Ideas: Healthcare

100+ Healthcare Research Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a healthcare-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of healthcare-related research ideas and topic thought-starters across a range of healthcare fields, including allopathic and alternative medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, optometry, pharmacology and public health.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the healthcare domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic.

Overview: Healthcare Research Topics

• Allopathic medicine
• Alternative /complementary medicine
• Veterinary medicine
• Physical therapy/ rehab
• Optometry and ophthalmology
• Pharmacy and pharmacology
• Public health
• Examples of healthcare-related dissertations

Allopathic (Conventional) Medicine

• The effectiveness of telemedicine in remote elderly patient care
• The impact of stress on the immune system of cancer patients
• The effects of a plant-based diet on chronic diseases such as diabetes
• The use of AI in early cancer diagnosis and treatment
• The role of the gut microbiome in mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety
• The efficacy of mindfulness meditation in reducing chronic pain: A systematic review
• The benefits and drawbacks of electronic health records in a developing country
• The effects of environmental pollution on breast milk quality
• The use of personalized medicine in treating genetic disorders
• The impact of social determinants of health on chronic diseases in Asia
• The role of high-intensity interval training in improving cardiovascular health
• The efficacy of using probiotics for gut health in pregnant women
• The impact of poor sleep on the treatment of chronic illnesses
• The role of inflammation in the development of chronic diseases such as lupus
• The effectiveness of physiotherapy in pain control post-surgery

Topics & Ideas: Alternative Medicine

• The benefits of herbal medicine in treating young asthma patients
• The use of acupuncture in treating infertility in women over 40 years of age
• The effectiveness of homoeopathy in treating mental health disorders: A systematic review
• The role of aromatherapy in reducing stress and anxiety post-surgery
• The impact of mindfulness meditation on reducing high blood pressure
• The use of chiropractic therapy in treating back pain of pregnant women
• The efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine such as Shun-Qi-Tong-Xie (SQTX) in treating digestive disorders in China
• The impact of yoga on physical and mental health in adolescents
• The benefits of hydrotherapy in treating musculoskeletal disorders such as tendinitis
• The role of Reiki in promoting healing and relaxation post birth
• The effectiveness of naturopathy in treating skin conditions such as eczema
• The use of deep tissue massage therapy in reducing chronic pain in amputees
• The impact of tai chi on the treatment of anxiety and depression
• The benefits of reflexology in treating stress, anxiety and chronic fatigue
• The role of acupuncture in the prophylactic management of headaches and migraines

Topics & Ideas: Dentistry

• The impact of sugar consumption on the oral health of infants
• The use of digital dentistry in improving patient care: A systematic review
• The efficacy of orthodontic treatments in correcting bite problems in adults
• The role of dental hygiene in preventing gum disease in patients with dental bridges
• The impact of smoking on oral health and tobacco cessation support from UK dentists
• The benefits of dental implants in restoring missing teeth in adolescents
• The use of lasers in dental procedures such as root canals
• The efficacy of root canal treatment using high-frequency electric pulses in saving infected teeth
• The role of fluoride in promoting remineralization and slowing down demineralization
• The impact of stress-induced reflux on oral health
• The benefits of dental crowns in restoring damaged teeth in elderly patients
• The use of sedation dentistry in managing dental anxiety in children
• The efficacy of teeth whitening treatments in improving dental aesthetics in patients with braces
• The role of orthodontic appliances in improving well-being
• The impact of periodontal disease on overall health and chronic illnesses

Tops & Ideas: Veterinary Medicine

• The impact of nutrition on broiler chicken production
• The role of vaccines in disease prevention in horses
• The importance of parasite control in animal health in piggeries
• The impact of animal behaviour on welfare in the dairy industry
• The effects of environmental pollution on the health of cattle
• The role of veterinary technology such as MRI in animal care
• The importance of pain management in post-surgery health outcomes
• The impact of genetics on animal health and disease in layer chickens
• The effectiveness of alternative therapies in veterinary medicine: A systematic review
• The role of veterinary medicine in public health: A case study of the COVID-19 pandemic
• The impact of climate change on animal health and infectious diseases in animals
• The importance of animal welfare in veterinary medicine and sustainable agriculture
• The effects of the human-animal bond on canine health
• The role of veterinary medicine in conservation efforts: A case study of Rhinoceros poaching in Africa
• The impact of veterinary research of new vaccines on animal health

Topics & Ideas: Physical Therapy/Rehab

• The efficacy of aquatic therapy in improving joint mobility and strength in polio patients
• The impact of telerehabilitation on patient outcomes in Germany
• The effect of kinesiotaping on reducing knee pain and improving function in individuals with chronic pain
• A comparison of manual therapy and yoga exercise therapy in the management of low back pain
• The use of wearable technology in physical rehabilitation and the impact on patient adherence to a rehabilitation plan
• The impact of mindfulness-based interventions in physical therapy in adolescents
• The effects of resistance training on individuals with Parkinson’s disease
• The role of hydrotherapy in the management of fibromyalgia
• The impact of cognitive-behavioural therapy in physical rehabilitation for individuals with chronic pain
• The use of virtual reality in physical rehabilitation of sports injuries
• The effects of electrical stimulation on muscle function and strength in athletes
• The role of physical therapy in the management of stroke recovery: A systematic review
• The impact of pilates on mental health in individuals with depression
• The use of thermal modalities in physical therapy and its effectiveness in reducing pain and inflammation
• The effect of strength training on balance and gait in elderly patients

Topics & Ideas: Optometry & Opthalmology

• The impact of screen time on the vision and ocular health of children under the age of 5
• The effects of blue light exposure from digital devices on ocular health
• The role of dietary interventions, such as the intake of whole grains, in the management of age-related macular degeneration
• The use of telemedicine in optometry and ophthalmology in the UK
• The impact of myopia control interventions on African American children’s vision
• The use of contact lenses in the management of dry eye syndrome: different treatment options
• The effects of visual rehabilitation in individuals with traumatic brain injury
• The role of low vision rehabilitation in individuals with age-related vision loss: challenges and solutions
• The impact of environmental air pollution on ocular health
• The effectiveness of orthokeratology in myopia control compared to contact lenses
• The role of dietary supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, in ocular health
• The effects of ultraviolet radiation exposure from tanning beds on ocular health
• The impact of computer vision syndrome on long-term visual function
• The use of novel diagnostic tools in optometry and ophthalmology in developing countries
• The effects of virtual reality on visual perception and ocular health: an examination of dry eye syndrome and neurologic symptoms

Topics & Ideas: Pharmacy & Pharmacology

• The impact of medication adherence on patient outcomes in cystic fibrosis
• The use of personalized medicine in the management of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease
• The effects of pharmacogenomics on drug response and toxicity in cancer patients
• The role of pharmacists in the management of chronic pain in primary care
• The impact of drug-drug interactions on patient mental health outcomes
• The use of telepharmacy in healthcare: Present status and future potential
• The effects of herbal and dietary supplements on drug efficacy and toxicity
• The role of pharmacists in the management of type 1 diabetes
• The impact of medication errors on patient outcomes and satisfaction
• The use of technology in medication management in the USA
• The effects of smoking on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics: A case study of clozapine
• Leveraging the role of pharmacists in preventing and managing opioid use disorder
• The impact of the opioid epidemic on public health in a developing country
• The use of biosimilars in the management of the skin condition psoriasis
• The effects of the Affordable Care Act on medication utilization and patient outcomes in African Americans

Topics & Ideas: Public Health

• The impact of the built environment and urbanisation on physical activity and obesity
• The effects of food insecurity on health outcomes in Zimbabwe
• The role of community-based participatory research in addressing health disparities
• The impact of social determinants of health, such as racism, on population health
• The effects of heat waves on public health
• The role of telehealth in addressing healthcare access and equity in South America
• The impact of gun violence on public health in South Africa
• The effects of chlorofluorocarbons air pollution on respiratory health
• The role of public health interventions in reducing health disparities in the USA
• The impact of the United States Affordable Care Act on access to healthcare and health outcomes
• The effects of water insecurity on health outcomes in the Middle East
• The role of community health workers in addressing healthcare access and equity in low-income countries
• The impact of mass incarceration on public health and behavioural health of a community
• The effects of floods on public health and healthcare systems
• The role of social media in public health communication and behaviour change in adolescents

Examples: Healthcare Dissertation & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a healthcare-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various healthcare-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• Improving Follow-Up Care for Homeless Populations in North County San Diego (Sanchez, 2021)
• On the Incentives of Medicare’s Hospital Reimbursement and an Examination of Exchangeability (Elzinga, 2016)
• Managing the healthcare crisis: the career narratives of nurses (Krueger, 2021)
• Methods for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infection in pediatric haematology-oncology patients: A systematic literature review (Balkan, 2020)
• Farms in Healthcare: Enhancing Knowledge, Sharing, and Collaboration (Garramone, 2019)
• When machine learning meets healthcare: towards knowledge incorporation in multimodal healthcare analytics (Yuan, 2020)
• Integrated behavioural healthcare: The future of rural mental health (Fox, 2019)
• Healthcare service use patterns among autistic adults: A systematic review with narrative synthesis (Gilmore, 2021)
• Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Combatting Burnout and Compassionate Fatigue among Mental Health Caregivers (Lundquist, 2022)
• Transgender and gender-diverse people’s perceptions of gender-inclusive healthcare access and associated hope for the future (Wille, 2021)
• Efficient Neural Network Synthesis and Its Application in Smart Healthcare (Hassantabar, 2022)
• The Experience of Female Veterans and Health-Seeking Behaviors (Switzer, 2022)
• Machine learning applications towards risk prediction and cost forecasting in healthcare (Singh, 2022)
• Does Variation in the Nursing Home Inspection Process Explain Disparity in Regulatory Outcomes? (Fox, 2020)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Need more help?

If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your healthcare dissertation or thesis, check out Topic Kickstarter service below.

You Might Also Like:

15 Comments

I need topics that will match the Msc program am running in healthcare research please

Hello Mabel,

I can help you with a good topic, kindly provide your email let’s have a good discussion on this.

Can you provide some research topics and ideas on Immunology?

Thank you to create new knowledge on research problem verse research topic

Help on problem statement on teen pregnancy

This post might be useful: https://gradcoach.com/research-problem-statement/

can you provide me with a research topic on healthcare related topics to a qqi level 5 student

Please can someone help me with research topics in public health ?

Hello I have requirement of Health related latest research issue/topics for my social media speeches. If possible pls share health issues , diagnosis, treatment.

I would like a topic thought around first-line support for Gender-Based Violence for survivors or one related to prevention of Gender-Based Violence

Please can I be helped with a master’s research topic in either chemical pathology or hematology or immunology? thanks

Can u please provide me with a research topic on occupational health and safety at the health sector

Good day kindly help provide me with Ph.D. Public health topics on Reproductive and Maternal Health, interventional studies on Health Education

may you assist me with a good easy healthcare administration study topic

May you assist me in finding a research topic on nutrition,physical activity and obesity. On the impact on children

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Print Friendly

We have a new app!

Take the Access library with you wherever you go—easy access to books, videos, images, podcasts, personalized features, and more.

Download the Access App here: iOS and Android . Learn more here!

• Remote Access
• Save figures into PowerPoint
• Download tables as PDFs

32. Debates of Controversial Therapeutic Topics

• Download Chapter PDF

Disclaimer: These citations have been automatically generated based on the information we have and it may not be 100% accurate. Please consult the latest official manual style if you have any questions regarding the format accuracy.

Download citation file:

• Search Book

Jump to a Section

Debates of controversial therapeutic topics.

• Student Activity: Debates of Controversial Therapeutic Topics
• Supplements
• Full Chapter
• Supplementary Content

Level of activity: Advanced

Setting: Classroom or APPE (Patient Care or Academic)

  ACPE Standards 2016 : 1.1, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.6

  EPAs : Patient Care Provider (Collect, Analyze, Care Planning), Information Master (Educate others, Evidence-based care)

  PPCP : Assess, Plan, Communicate

Instructors can request access to the Instructor's Guide on AccessPharmacy. Email Customer Success ( [email protected] ) for more information.

Contributors

Timothy Gladwell, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (ADAA) and an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). Dr. Gladwell received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. He completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and a PGY2 Pharmacy Residency in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. He became a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist in 2000 and a Board-Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist in 2011. Prior to his current appointment at UMES, he served as a full-time faculty member at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and at Husson University in Bangor, Maine. As a registered pharmacist for over 20 years, Dr. Gladwell has practiced in a variety of capacities including positions as the clinical pharmacy specialist in Cardiology Critical Care at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, the pharmacy manager at Walgreens and CVS, and the ambulatory care clinical pharmacist at Penobscot Community Health Care in Maine and Peninsula Regional Medical Group in Maryland. In his current role as ADAA, Dr. Gladwell oversees the curriculum and assessment for the UMES School of Pharmacy, and he coordinates the Principles of Pharmacotherapy and the Cardiology modules during the SP-2 year.

Brief Overview and Setting

Despite the vast amount of primary literature and evidence-based guidelines available to assist pharmacists in therapeutic decision-making, controversies occasionally arise over the best approach for management of a drug therapy problem due to incomplete or conflicting information. In these situations, pharmacists must be able to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to assess the available data and make an informed decision based on a thorough evaluation of the literature. The purpose of this activity is to provide students with the opportunity to develop these higher-level cognitive skills by debating a controversial therapeutic topic after a comprehensive evaluation of the data supporting or refuting the issue. This activity was originally developed for use in the classroom for an elective course on evidence-based pharmacotherapy with a class size of up to 20 students, but it has recently been modified for use during an APPE rotation in Ambulatory Care with just 2 students. Similar modifications could allow this activity to be adapted for use in larger pharmacotherapy or skills lab courses.

Sign in or create a free Access profile below to access even more exclusive content.

With an Access profile, you can save and manage favorites from your personal dashboard, complete case quizzes, review Q&A, and take these feature on the go with our Access app.

Pop-up div Successfully Displayed

This div only appears when the trigger link is hovered over. Otherwise it is hidden from view.

Please Wait

We use cookies to enhance our website for you. Proceed if you agree to this policy or learn more about it.

• Essay Database >
• Essays Samples >
• Essay Types >
• Term Paper Example

Pharmacy Term Papers Samples For Students

78 samples of this type

If you're looking for a possible way to simplify writing a Term Paper about Pharmacy, WowEssays.com paper writing service just might be able to help you out.

For starters, you should browse our vast database of free samples that cover most diverse Pharmacy Term Paper topics and showcase the best academic writing practices. Once you feel that you've studied the major principles of content structuring and taken away actionable ideas from these expertly written Term Paper samples, putting together your own academic work should go much easier.

However, you might still find yourself in a situation when even using top-notch Pharmacy Term Papers doesn't let you get the job done on time. In that case, you can get in touch with our experts and ask them to craft a unique Pharmacy paper according to your custom specifications. Buy college research paper or essay now!

Free Term Paper On Information Systems Security

Health informatics and nursing term papers examples, community health assessment -polypharmacy in the elderly in louisville, kentucky term paper samples.

Don't waste your time searching for a sample.

Get your term paper done by professional writers!

Just from $10/page

Free DSW 220 Basic Pharmacology 1 Term Paper Example

Guidance counseling for addiction term paper sample, good term paper on adhd and its effect on the family, introduction, term paper on information systems security.

Through seamless exchange of information over the internet, security concerns have been raised. The three major information security areas authentication, authorization and confidentiality has been compromised via the internet through hacking, malware and spyware programs. For example, mishandled passwords or codes may lead to stealing of information from the computer systems which in essence has severe consequences in terms of individuals and the companies affected. The pharmacy can suffer from various security threats attributed to behavioral, infrastructural and physical attributes. In this paper, the focus lies on separating security vulnerabilities and discussing their solutions.

PHYSICAL VULNERABILITIES

Term paper on medication errors, example of term paper on leadership paper, term paper on paranoid schizophrenia, healthcare organization term paper, eli lilly pharmaceutical company.

This pharmaceutical company was initiated by Eli Lilly in the year1876. The company is at the present the 10th biggest pharmaceutical corporation all over the globe (Reepmeyer, 2006). The company has persistently remained self-regulating and autonomous, but not remote. Across the world, Eli Lilly has developed prolific coalitions and partnerships that progress the company’s capacity to come up with ground-breaking medicines at lower prices. The company has constantly been categorized as one of the best corporations to work for in the globe, and generations of Lilly workers have maintained a culture that values fineness, honesty, and reverence for people.

Clinical Psychology Term Papers Examples

Asperger’s syndrome and applied behavior analysis term paper example.

Applied Behavior Analysis has proven to be an excellent method of changing and shaping maladaptive behaviors and developing more appropriate behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Asperger’s Syndrome is considered part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder as described in the DSM V. However, children with Asperger’s Syndrome exhibit higher cognitive levels of functioning and awareness of social situations than many other children with more severe Autism. Is Applied Behavior Analysis and appropriate intervention in introducing social and other behavior skills appropriate for children with Asperger’s Syndrome?

Good Legal And Ethical Considerations In Marketing, Product Safety, And Intellectual Term Paper Example

Ethics violations of pharmacare, free term paper on the role of the interdisciplinary team in the transition of parents from acute care, good example of term paper, customer inserts name of instructor:.

(14th March 2016)

Mission Statement

Bipolar disorder term paper example, prozac [fluoxetine hydrochloride] term paper sample, the affordable care act: example term paper by an expert writer to follow, good healthcare economics (the beveridge model) term paper example, free an analysis of schizophrenia in adults term paper: top-quality sample to follow, an analysis of 2, operation of different divisions term paper samples.

.University.. .professor..

Overview of Novartis

Novartis, founded in 1996, is one of the leading multinational pharmaceutical companies of the world. It is a healthcare company with leading positions in pharmaceuticals, eye care, generic medicines, vaccines and diagnostics, and consumer health. It is focused on innovating to meet the new patient needs, increasing its presence in new and emerging markets, and raising productivity to generate future and increase shareholder return. According to IMS, the company ranked no. 1 in top 20 global corporations of 2012 by sales with USD 50.76bn in sales.

Marijuana And Schizophrenia Term Paper Examples

Good term paper about copd, inspiring term paper about schizophrenia, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder term paper example, nursing care of the client from a cultural perspective term paper sample, cultural overview, good example of nursing process papers, application of the nursing process, good term paper on da vinci surgical system, audience analysis, example of term paper on the spirit catches you and you fall down, extrinsic asthma and its effect on the respiratory system term paper, health assessment term paper samples, developing a business in vietnam term paper to use for practical writing help, the history of vietnam, different belief systems term paper, free term paper about network technology, good example of opiate abuse in america term paper.

(Insert College/and or class)

December of 2014

Good hipaa term paper example, good example of the nazi medical experiments term paper, assignment number:, analyzing impact of a news on a publicly traded company course term paper examples, executive summary, facts about teenage drug and alcohol abuse: statistics and causes term paper, yoga term paper examples, background and definition of yoga, free term paper on the lamentable thalidomide, thalidomide scientific component:.

Molecular Mass: 258.23 Da Color: white crystalline Odor: Odorless Taste: taste-less Melting point: 271°C. Insoluble in ether and benzene Has a low solubility in water, methanol, ethanol and glacial acetic acid" All bulleted sources from (Erkoc, 2004)

Structural Properties:

Example Of Medicare Fraud Term Paper

Bsn versus a diploma or adn term papers example, inspiring term paper about huntington’s disease, free mandatory vaccinations for children term paper example, vaccination for children, complementary and traditional interventions: example term paper by an expert writer to follow, complementary and traditional interventions, sjogren syndrome: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment term paper examples, example of statins term paper, good example of term paper on benefits of health maintenance organizations, free critical care nursing term paper sample, trauma intensive care unit, term paper on use of mobile technology apps for elderly, good acetaminophen -- pain killer term paper example, side effects and structure of acetaminophen, free johnson and johnson term paper example, about the company.

Headquartered in New Jersey, Johnson and Johnson is an American multinational that is engaged in the production and marketing of pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare products. The company operates under three segments, namely, Consumer, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Devices & Diagnostics that contributed 20.6%, 39.4% and 40.0% respectively to the company’s revenue during 2013.

Analyst Estimates

Free pain management for the obstetric patient term paper example, free plum a+ infusion pump term paper example, drug crimes and arrests term papers examples, good example of pain management for the obstetric patient term paper, pain management for the obstetric patient, hall v. florida case term paper examples, example of term paper on the respiratory system.

Password recovery email has been sent to [email protected]

Use your new password to log in

You are not register!

By clicking Register, you agree to our Terms of Service and that you have read our Privacy Policy .

Now you can download documents directly to your device!

Check your email! An email with your password has already been sent to you! Now you can download documents directly to your device.

or Use the QR code to Save this Paper to Your Phone

The sample is NOT original!

Short on a deadline?

Don't waste time. Get help with 11% off using code - GETWOWED

No, thanks! I'm fine with missing my deadline

Essays and Research Papers on Pharmacy

Select a sample research paper or essay from the list below to view details..

The paper details for each term paper, essay, book report, dissertations and thesis on Pharmacy that are listed below include a description of the paper. the number of pages, and a sample of text.

Use the ESSAY SEARCH TOOL at the top of the page to narrow your search. Can't find what you are looking for, check out our Custom Essay Writing and Research Paper service. Buy your sample paper from the professionals at the Paper Store.

Evaluation of "Analyzing Hospital Readmissions Using Statewide Discharge Databases"

• 9 page paper

A 9 page paper providing the text of PowerPoint® presentation slides and speaker notes examining the report of a study done for the purpose of developing an algorithm enabling more accurate assessment of hospital readmission rates across varied state systems. Benchmark data established using the approach developed here can be useful in tracking high-level ...

Optometry School Admissions Essay

• 3 page paper

This 3 page paper provides an overview of the basic elements of optometry for use in an optometry school admissions essay.

Statement of Intent to Enter a Community Health and Epidemiology Program

• 5 page paper

A 5 page paper discussing the state of public health and its future needs in relation to biostatistics and epidemiology, for the purpose of gaining admission into a graduate program. The paper includes statements published both currently and 10 years prior, illustrating that the need has not diminished in the decade between dates of publication. It also ...

The Biology and Ethics of Human Cloning

This 9 page paper provides an overview of cloning in general and then goes into political, moral and social implications of human cloning. Both sides are explored, but the paper supports the concept of human cloning. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

The ‘Biology’ of Cloning: Its Importance and Potential Impacts

• 6 page paper

In six pages this paper examines the importance of cloning to the science of plant and animal biology and also considers its potential impacts on medicine, agriculture, economics, criminal justice, and society as a whole. Four sources are listed in the bibliography.

The Biology of Tapeworms

A 6 page discussion of tapeworm life cycle and impact to man. This paper provides an overview of tapeworm biology as well as specific information on Taenia saginata, the beef tapeworm which affects both humans and other higher vertebrates such as cattle and pigs and Taenia solium, a tapeworm in which the primary hosts ...

A 5 page discussion of the bacteria found under the genus Salmonella. Includes information on their biology, their method of attack, symptoms and ways to prevent infection. Bibliography lists three sources.

Escherischia coli

A 5 page paper discussing the biology and effects of E. coli. Bibliography lists three sources.

Potential Treatments for Memory Loss Resulting from Traumatic Brain Injury

In a paper of three pages, the author writes about Biology and memory, especially as it relates to memory loss after brain injuries. The author examines three theories for improving memory after serious injuries. There are four sources cited in this paper.

Circadian Rhythms

This 6 page paper examines Circadian Rhythms what they are, how they work and their biology along with some of the medical and non medical myths that surround this little known subject. The bibliography cites 5 sources.

Susan E. Lederer's "Subjected to Science" / Reviewed

A 5 page paper examining the ethical questions posed by the controversial medical experimentation from 1890 to 1940 as chronicled in Subjected to Science: Human Experimentation in America Before the Second World War (1995) by Susan Lederer. Specifically considered is the evolving assertion it is more ethically acceptable to use animals as laboratory subjects ...

1930's Irish Medical Care & Cerebral Palsy / Book Review

A 3 page review of Christy Brown's touching personal story entitled "My Left Foot" -- the auto-biography of an individual who suffered from Cerebral Palsy and was paralyzed so that he had control over only one foot. The writer focuses upon Christy's struggles and the idea that his story evidences the importance of treating everyone ...

OVERVIEW: WEST NILE VIRUS

This 5 page paper discusses the West Nile Virus, the effecits of the virus on the body, its spread, status of vaccines, and the biology of the virus. Information cited from experts in the field. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

The Role Of Electron Microscopy In The Diagnosis Of Disease

5 pages in length. The role of electron microscopy in the diagnosis if disease has been defined as potentially lifesaving and a significant advancement in the technological advancement of molecular biology. Standard methods of diagnosing viral disease has typically employed the use of conventional diagnostic techniques such as serology and virus isolation, which ...

Business Planning to Change Current Trends

This 5 page paper looks at a case study (provided by the student), of a medical practice which was thriving until increased competition forced down prices and increased the hours worked by the practitioner. The paper looks for a way in which the business can be turned around through business planning, utilising core competencies and ...

"A Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Symptom Management in Patients with Advanced Cancer"

• 7 page paper

A 7 page review of the research conducted by Sherwood, Given, Given, et. al. published in a 2005 edition of "Oncology Nursing Forum". Bibliography lists 4 sources.

Utilization Management in a Canadian Hospital

A 5 page paper answering four utilization questions arising from plans to add a chronic care unit to a local hospital. The Director of a General Medicine program needs to implement a 30-bed chronic care unit in an existing hospital in Canada. The unit will take some patients immediately as another hospital closes; ...

Management Theory in Health Care

A 6 page paper discussing several management theories that can be found to be operational in health care, followed by a synthesis of how those theories can be used to bring about transformation in the health care industry. The paper discusses contingency theory, situational leadership, leader-member exchange and change theory as being useful in ...

The Business Impacts of Avian Flu

A 3 page overview of the varied impacts to business that an Avian Flu epidemic would result in both domestically and for the world as a whole. The author emphasizes both the direct and indirect impacts of such an epidemic. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

Material Management in Health Care

• 4 page paper

A 4 page paper discussing concerns of health care materials management. Materials management can have a profound effect on total cost of health care. Specialized clinics and offices addressing only a limited number of types of conditions can plan better for material needs than can a hospital that cannot know from day to ...

PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY AND BUSINESS CYCLES

This 7-page paper focuses on the pharmaceutical industry and how its growth has compared with business cycles from 1980-2000. The essay examines the general economic cycles during this period, and, when possible, notes revenues and growth of the pharmaceutical industry. Also discussed are recommendations on how pharmaceutical companies can work with business cycles. Bibliography lists ...

Business Plan: Full-Spectrum Long-Term Care

• 14 page paper

A 14 page business plan for Hamilton View, a long-term care facility offering all options. Hamilton View proposes to provide a full range of options for seniors, beginning with independent living, moving into assisted living and then to full nursing home services. The benefit for residents is that they can enter at any ...

Business Plan: Home Health Service Provider

• 15 page paper

A 15 page paper providing business and marketing plans for a new home health service in an Ohio town. The paper discusses the changing nature of the health care industry and Medicare’s influence on it and demographic changes as the population ages to conclude that an adequate market for the new service exists in ...

EECP Business Plan

• 10 page paper

A 10 page paper providing a business case for adding Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP) technology to the services offered by the hospital to treat coronary artery disease, specifically angina pectoris and congestive heart failure. The income that the hospital can expect from offering this service is much less than that associated with invasive ...

UCLA Healthcare Business Results 2001-2002

A 6 page paper using the annual report of UCLA Healthcare to judge whether this is a good place to work. Judging only from what can be surmised from the annual report, UCLA Healthcare appears to be a very good place to work. Certainly it is financially stable, and it also enjoys a ...

Showing 1 - 25 of 2599 results

Looking for the perfect essay? Order Your Custom Paper Now »

Search and Find Your Term Paper On-Line

Can't locate a sample research paper try searching again:.

• USC Libraries
• Research Guides
• Health Sciences
• Pharmacy Students: Year 3
• Make a Poster

Pharmacy Students: Year 3: Make a Poster

• Home and Help
• 567: Pharmacy Law
• 608: Therapeutics: Oncology and Immune Disorders
• 610: Therapeutics: Special Populations
• 611: Therapeutics: Infectious Diseases
• 619: Therapeutics: Cardiovascular System
• 620/621: Practice and Professionalism
• 622/623: Case Conference
• 633: Pharmacy Management and Economics
• 650: APPE Gateway
• Develop a Question
• Literature Review
• Data Management
• IRB and CITI
• Cannabis User Safety (pharmacy elective)
• Community Pharmacy and Business Management (pharmacy elective)
• Geriatric Pharmacy (pharmacy elective)
• Global Pharmacy (pharmacy elective)
• Interprofessional Education (pharmacy electives)
• Marketing and Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry (pharmacy elective)
• Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics (pharmacy elective)
• Pharmaceutical Development (pharmacy elective)
• Pharmacy Education (pharmacy electives)
• Spanish for Pharmacists (pharmacy elective)
• Sports and Dietary Supplements (pharmacy elective)
• Toxicology and the Media (pharmacy elective)
• Research Resources
• Spanish for Health Care Professionals
• Career Resources
• Drug Information

Poster Samples & Sharing

Search these sites to get ideas on how posters are presented within your discipline.

Also, if you upload your poster to one of these sites you can provide handouts or bookmarks with links to the electronic version of your poster at the conference, and keep your work accessible long after the conference.

• Faculty of 1000 Research Posters Open access repository for posters and slide presentations across biology and medicine.
• eposters Open-access journal that provides free access to over 1,800 scientific and medical posters presented at conferences from around the world.
• FigShare This link opens in a new window figshare allows users to upload any file format so that scholarly information can be disseminated electronically.

Designing a Research Poster

The following resources provide guidance on the poster creation process .

• ACP American College of Physicians - Preparing a Poster Presentation This article addresses poster planning, production, and presentation.

• Makesigns Scientific Poster Tutorial Step-by-step guide to poster design and creation.

These resources can be used to obtain copyright compliant images .  Image resolution will vary.

• USC Academic Unit Logotypes University approved logos.
• Open-i - Open Access Biomedical Image Search Engine This link opens in a new window Open-i searches for images in all Open Access articles indexed in PubMed Central. Search over 600,000 copyright compliant images by keyword, topic, or image to find relevant or visually similar images.
• Pixabay This link opens in a new window Repository of free, high quality, copyright compliant images. Begin typing "medical" into the search box. Click dropdown menu to filter by image type. Sign up for free account to download images.
• Wikimedia Commons This link opens in a new window A database of freely usable, high resolution image files.
• Google Images This link opens in a new window For copyright compliant images: type in keywords, click "Search tools", click on "Usage rights" dropdown menu, select from the "Labeled for reuse" options.
• Multimedia Resources (in the Health Sciences) Guide Find videos, audio clips, images, and cases to use in education.

Working with images

• Tips for working with images in Publisher Vendor tips for working with images in Publisher. Includes content about image size, resolution, file formats, and refining.
• Photoshop isn’t the only solution: 5 best programs for resizing images This article provides step-by-step instructions on how to upsample images using Photoshop, GIMP, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Preview, and Pixlr.

Image Manipulation Guidelines

Low resolution images may be manipulated to improve print quality, however you want to proceed with caution when it comes to images that represent research data.

• Rossner, M., & Yamada, K. (2004). What's in a picture? The temptation of image manipulation. The Journal of Cell Biology, 11-15. PMID: 15240566 This article provides specific guidelines on the do's and dont's of image manipulation in scientific publishing in order to ensure the integrity of your data.

Poster Sample / Tips

Diagram image citation:  Blausen.com staff. " Blausen gallery 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.15347/ wjm /2014.010. ISSN 20018762. (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

• Scientific Conference Posters - Webinar This video provides an overview of some tools, resources and key elements to creating a conference poster. Content covers software, general content, design tips, provides image resources, and tips for improved print quality. ~35 min.
• Conference Poster Click here to download a pdf copy of the poster above.
• Scientific Posters PPT slides Click here to download video PPT slides.

Click on chart to access online.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/new-pastpresentfuture/3800240305 /

• Psychology of Color This site provides information on the meaning of color and how it is perceived.
• The Art of Color Coordination How to combine colors in order to have a positive effect on your audience.

Upsampling images in Photoshop

Through a process called upsampling , you can add pixels to low resolution images , and thereby improve the print quality . The short video below demonstrates how to upsample images in Photoshop .

Final Checklist

https://www.acponline.org/system/files/documents/education_recertification/education/program_directors/abstracts/prepare/poster_checklist.pdf

Universal Design

Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size or disability. 

• Equal Access: Universal Design of Conference Exhibits and Presentations A checklist for making conference exhibits and presentations welcoming and accessible to everyone.

Microsoft Publisher Tutorials

The following resources provide guidance on how to use Microsoft Publisher . Resources at the top provide step-by-step guidance about poster creation. Links at the bottom provide general guidance on using Publisher.

• Microsoft Publisher: Conference Poster Sessions University of Liverpool's Microsoft Publisher software video tutorial. Step-by-step demonstration of the key features used to create a poster. Applicable to Publisher 2010, 2013, and 2016. Run time ~12 min.
• Publisher 2016 Essential Training Training videos via Lynda.com that offer in-depth instruction to Publisher 2016.
• Text wrapping in Publisher Guide on how to wrap text around images in Publisher.

PowerPoint Templates & Tutorials

Links to freely available PowerPoint conference poster templates , and guidance for specific software features relevant to poster creation . 

• PhD Posters - Power Point Template Files PPT templates in a variety of sizes. Packed with helpful tips and easy to customize.
• Mega Print Inc - Free Powerpoint Scientific Research Poster Templates PowerPoint® 2007-2013 templates in a variety of sizes.
• Colin Purrington's PPT Poster Templates Free PPT templates and poster making tips.
• Using grids in PowerPoint Guide on how to set up grids in PPT for better content alignment.
• Creating a Poster in PowerPoint 2010 Eastern Michigan University's detailed guide to creating a poster in PowerPoint.

Other Software

Graphics , such as charts and tables can easily be created in Excel .

• Creating Excel charts with the Recommended Charts feature Lynda.com video tutorial that demonstrates how to create charts in Excel 2013. Requires login.

Print Vendors

The following list is provided as a convenience , and is not meant to endorse or promote any particular vendor.

• PhD Posters Fabric or paper options. Also offers free PPT templates and many poster creation tips.
• PosterSmith Fabric posters.

Help from Norris Medical Library

During business hours (M-F)

• Chat with USC Libraries
• Email: [email protected]
• Request a consultation
• Ask a Norris Librarian form
• View Health Sciences Libraries tutorials or all USC Libraries tutorials
• << Previous: IRB and CITI
• Next: Electives >>
• Last Updated: Apr 12, 2024 2:21 PM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/healthsciences/pharmyr3

• Privacy Policy

Home » Term Paper – Format, Examples and Writing Guide

Term Paper – Format, Examples and Writing Guide

Table of Contents

Definition:

Term paper is a type of academic writing assignment that is typically assigned to students at the end of a semester or term. It is usually a research-based paper that is meant to demonstrate the student’s understanding of a particular topic, as well as their ability to analyze and synthesize information from various sources.

Term papers are usually longer than other types of academic writing assignments and can range anywhere from 5 to 20 pages or more, depending on the level of study and the specific requirements of the assignment. They often require extensive research and the use of a variety of sources, including books, articles, and other academic publications.

Term Paper Format

The format of a term paper may vary depending on the specific requirements of your professor or institution. However, a typical term paper usually consists of the following sections:

• Title page: This should include the title of your paper, your name, the course name and number, your instructor’s name, and the date.
• Abstract : This is a brief summary of your paper, usually no more than 250 words. It should provide an overview of your topic, the research question or hypothesis, your methodology, and your main findings or conclusions.
• Introduction : This section should introduce your topic and provide background information on the subject. You should also state your research question or hypothesis and explain the importance of your research.
• Literature review : This section should review the existing literature on your topic. You should summarize the key findings and arguments made by other scholars and identify any gaps in the literature that your research aims to address.
• Methodology: This section should describe the methods you used to collect and analyze your data. You should explain your research design, sampling strategy, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
• Results : This section should present your findings. You can use tables, graphs, and charts to illustrate your data.
• Discussion : This section should interpret your findings and explain what they mean in relation to your research question or hypothesis. You should also discuss any limitations of your study and suggest areas for future research.
• Conclusion : This section should summarize your main findings and conclusions. You should also restate the importance of your research and its implications for the field.
• References : This section should list all the sources you cited in your paper using a specific citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
• Appendices : This section should include any additional materials that are relevant to your study but not essential to your main argument (e.g., survey questions, interview transcripts).

Structure of Term Paper

Here’s an example structure for a term paper:

I. Introduction

A. Background information on the topic

B. Thesis statement

II. Literature Review

A. Overview of current literature on the topic

B. Discussion of key themes and findings from literature

C. Identification of gaps in current literature

III. Methodology

A. Description of research design

B. Discussion of data collection methods

C. Explanation of data analysis techniques

IV. Results

A. Presentation of findings

B. Analysis and interpretation of results

C. Comparison of results with previous studies

V. Discussion

A. Summary of key findings

B. Explanation of how results address the research questions

C. Implications of results for the field

VI. Conclusion

A. Recap of key points

B. Significance of findings

C. Future directions for research

VII. References

A. List of sources cited in the paper

How to Write Term Paper

Here are some steps to help you write a term paper:

• Choose a topic: Choose a topic that interests you and is relevant to your course. If your professor has assigned a topic, make sure you understand it and clarify any doubts before you start.
• Research : Conduct research on your topic by gathering information from various sources such as books, academic journals, and online resources. Take notes and organize your information systematically.
• Create an outline : Create an outline of your term paper by arranging your ideas and information in a logical sequence. Your outline should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• Write a thesis statement: Write a clear and concise thesis statement that states the main idea of your paper. Your thesis statement should be included in your introduction.
• Write the introduction: The introduction should grab the reader’s attention, provide background information on your topic, and introduce your thesis statement.
• Write the body : The body of your paper should provide supporting evidence for your thesis statement. Use your research to provide details and examples to support your argument. Make sure to organize your ideas logically and use transition words to connect paragraphs.
• Write the conclusion : The conclusion should summarize your main points and restate your thesis statement. Avoid introducing new information in the conclusion.
• Edit and proofread: Edit and proofread your term paper carefully to ensure that it is free of errors and flows smoothly. Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
• Format and cite your sources: Follow the formatting guidelines provided by your professor and cite your sources properly using the appropriate citation style.
• Submit your paper : Submit your paper on time and according to the instructions provided by your professor.

Term Paper Example

Here’s an example of a term paper:

Title : The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Cybersecurity

As the world becomes more digitally interconnected, cybersecurity threats are increasing in frequency and sophistication. Traditional security measures are no longer enough to protect against these threats. This paper explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity, including how AI can be used to detect and respond to threats in real-time, the challenges of implementing AI in cybersecurity, and the potential ethical implications of AI-powered security systems. The paper concludes with recommendations for organizations looking to integrate AI into their cybersecurity strategies.

Introduction :

The increasing number of cybersecurity threats in recent years has led to a growing interest in the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve cybersecurity. AI has the ability to analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns and anomalies that may indicate a security breach. Additionally, AI can automate responses to threats, allowing for faster and more effective mitigation of security incidents. However, there are also challenges associated with implementing AI in cybersecurity, such as the need for large amounts of high-quality data, the potential for AI systems to make mistakes, and the ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI in security.

Literature Review:

This section of the paper reviews existing research on the use of AI in cybersecurity. It begins by discussing the types of AI techniques used in cybersecurity, including machine learning, natural language processing, and neural networks. The literature review then explores the advantages of using AI in cybersecurity, such as its ability to detect previously unknown threats and its potential to reduce the workload of security analysts. However, the review also highlights some of the challenges associated with implementing AI in cybersecurity, such as the need for high-quality training data and the potential for AI systems to be fooled by sophisticated attacks.

Methodology :

To better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with using AI in cybersecurity, this paper conducted a survey of cybersecurity professionals working in a variety of industries. The survey included questions about the types of AI techniques used in their organizations, the challenges they faced when implementing AI in cybersecurity, and their perceptions of the ethical implications of using AI in security.

The results of the survey showed that while many organizations are interested in using AI in cybersecurity, they face several challenges when implementing these systems. These challenges include the need for high-quality training data, the potential for AI systems to be fooled by sophisticated attacks, and the difficulty of integrating AI with existing security systems. Additionally, many respondents expressed concerns about the ethical implications of using AI in security, such as the potential for AI to be biased or to make decisions that are harmful to individuals or society as a whole.

Discussion :

Based on the results of the survey and the existing literature, this paper discusses the potential benefits and risks of using AI in cybersecurity. It also provides recommendations for organizations looking to integrate AI into their security strategies, such as the need to prioritize data quality and to ensure that AI systems are transparent and accountable.

Conclusion :

While there are challenges associated with implementing AI in cybersecurity, the potential benefits of using these systems are significant. AI can help organizations detect and respond to threats more quickly and effectively, reducing the risk of security breaches. However, it is important for organizations to be aware of the potential ethical implications of using AI in security and to take steps to ensure that these systems are transparent and accountable.

References:

• Alkhaldi, S., Al-Daraiseh, A., & Lutfiyya, H. (2019). A Survey on Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Cyber Security. Journal of Information Security, 10(03), 191-207.
• Gartner. (2019). Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-top-10-strategic-technology-trends-for-2020/
• Kshetri, N. (2018). Blockchain’s roles in meeting key supply chain management objectives. International Journal of Information Management, 39, 80-89.
• Lipton, Z. C. (2018). The mythos of model interpretability. arXiv preprint arXiv:1606.03490.
• Schneier, B. (2019). Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-Connected World. WW Norton & Company.
• Wahab, M. A., Rahman, M. S., & Islam, M. R. (2020). A Survey on AI Techniques in Cybersecurity. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 11(2), 22-27.

When to Write Term Paper

A term paper is usually a lengthy research paper that is assigned to students at the end of a term or semester. There are several situations when writing a term paper may be required, including:

• As a course requirement: In most cases, a term paper is required as part of the coursework for a particular course. It may be assigned by the instructor as a way of assessing the student’s understanding of the course material.
• To explore a specific topic : A term paper can be an excellent opportunity for students to explore a specific topic of interest in-depth. It allows them to conduct extensive research on the topic and develop their understanding of it.
• To develop critical thinking skills : Writing a term paper requires students to engage in critical thinking and analysis. It helps them to develop their ability to evaluate and interpret information, as well as to present their ideas in a clear and coherent manner.
• To prepare for future academic or professional pursuits: Writing a term paper can be an excellent way for students to prepare for future academic or professional pursuits. It can help them to develop the research and writing skills necessary for success in higher education or in a professional career.

Purpose of Term Paper

The main purposes of a term paper are:

• Demonstrate mastery of a subject: A term paper provides an opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge and understanding of a particular subject. It requires students to research and analyze the topic, and then present their findings in a clear and organized manner.
• Develop critical thinking skills: Writing a term paper requires students to think critically about their subject matter, analyzing various sources and viewpoints, and evaluating evidence to support their arguments.
• Improve writing skills : Writing a term paper helps students improve their writing skills, including organization, clarity, and coherence. It also requires them to follow specific formatting and citation guidelines, which can be valuable skills for future academic and professional endeavors.
• Contribute to academic discourse : A well-written term paper can contribute to academic discourse by presenting new insights, ideas, and arguments that add to the existing body of knowledge on a particular topic.
• Prepare for future research : Writing a term paper can help prepare students for future research, by teaching them how to conduct a literature review, evaluate sources, and formulate research questions and hypotheses. It can also help them develop research skills that they can apply in future academic or professional endeavors.

Advantages of Term Paper

There are several advantages of writing a term paper, including:

• In-depth exploration: Writing a term paper allows you to delve deeper into a specific topic, allowing you to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.
• Improved writing skills: Writing a term paper involves extensive research, critical thinking, and the organization of ideas into a cohesive written document. As a result, writing a term paper can improve your writing skills significantly.
• Demonstration of knowledge: A well-written term paper demonstrates your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, which can be beneficial for academic or professional purposes.
• Development of research skills : Writing a term paper requires conducting thorough research, analyzing data, and synthesizing information from various sources. This process can help you develop essential research skills that can be applied in many other areas.
• Enhancement of critical thinking : Writing a term paper encourages you to think critically, evaluate information, and develop well-supported arguments. These skills can be useful in many areas of life, including personal and professional decision-making.
• Preparation for further academic work : Writing a term paper is excellent preparation for more extensive academic projects, such as a thesis or dissertation.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

You may also like

What is Art – Definition, Types, Examples

What is Anthropology – Definition and Overview

What is Literature – Definition, Types, Examples

Economist – Definition, Types, Work Area

Anthropologist – Definition, Types, Work Area

What is History – Definitions, Periods, Methods