Pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences embrace a series of different disciplines. Pharmacy practice has been defined as \"the scientific discipline that studies the different aspects of the practice of pharmacy and its impact on health care systems, medicine use, and patient care\". Thus, pharmacy practice studies embrace both clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy elements. Like any other scientific discipline, clinical and social pharmacy practice disseminates research findings using scientific journals. Clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy journal editors have a role in promoting the discipline by enhancing the quality of the articles published. As has occurred in other health care areas (i.e., medicine and nursing), a group of clinical and social pharmacy practice journal editors gathered in Granada, Spain to discuss how journals could contribute to strengthening pharmacy practice as a discipline. The result of that meeting was compiled in these Granada Statements, which comprise 18 recommendations gathered into six topics: the appropriate use of terminology, impactful abstracts, the required peer reviews, journal scattering, more effective and wiser use of journal and article performance metrics, and authors\' selection of the most appropriate pharmacy practice journal to submit their work.

CONCLUSIONS: In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.
OBJECTIVE: The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) developed the Practice Advancement Initiative 2030 (PAI 2030) to support the continuous improvement of hospital pharmacy services in the United States. Puerto Rico (PR) hospitals\' level of compliance with PAI 2030 recommendations is not currently known. The primary objective of this study was to describe the hospital pharmacy scenario in PR in the 5 areas addressed in PAI 2030 recommendations.
CONCLUSIONS: Through a collaboration between the state affiliate, a school of pharmacy, and ASHP, completion of the PAI 2030 Self-Assessment Tool was promoted among hospital pharmacy directors between August 2022 and March 2023. A total of 18 out of 66 hospitals completed the survey. The results were compared with national data provided by ASHP from 163 US hospitals. Areas where PR hospitals rated high were in PAI 2030 domain A (Pharmacy Technician Role, Education, and Training) and domain E (Pharmacist Leadership in Medication Use and Safety). PR hospitals rate their performance lower in domain A (Patient-Centered Care) and domain B (Pharmacist Role, Education, and Training). Specific focus areas for improvement by PR hospitals include pharmacist participation in medication reconciliation, 24/7 access to advanced clinical pharmacy services, expansion of the pharmacist\'s scope of practice, and training through the Board of Pharmacy Specialties and residency programs.
CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrates how the PAI 2030 Self-Assessment Tool can be used to benchmark pharmacy services at the state level. We suggest that changes are needed to close the gap between hospital pharmacies working towards optimizing the role of pharmacists in healthcare systems and those still struggling with dedicating staff to well-recognized pharmacist roles and responsibilities.

BACKGROUND: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is gaining increased attention within all industries healthcare being no exception. The terminology Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and its abbreviation EDI gained popularity in the early 2000\'s when varied socio-political factors prompted many organisations to examine EDI concepts and how to operationalise them. The growing diversity of our society requires cross-cultural inclusive approaches to increase equity and access to services.
METHODS: This unique research is community-led research supported by the British Oncology Pharmacy Association, in which the members of the BOPA community are equal partners to inform action on policies that address EDI. This research was a cross-sectional study involving an online survey of financial BOPA members.
RESULTS: Demographic data was extracted, and the quotes were analysed for common themes. The majority of respondents were women, and the largest age group was between 34 and 44. The first cause of microaggressions identified by the respondents was of racial and ethnic origin, followed by marital status and religious nature. Participants described the lack of diversity in senior positions and the microaggressions experienced by those who hold leadership positions. Some participants described how some situations at work made them feel excluded or alienated. The impact of discrimination and bullying/microaggressions extended to patients was also reported.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite strategic directions encompassing this aspect, this research underscores the pressing need for more evidence on the lack of EDI in healthcare institutions. Our findings, located in the pharmacy oncology specialty, have identified the problem and highlighted the potential benefits of addressing it. More needs to be done in training and professional development to address unconscious bias and change behaviours.

UNASSIGNED: Visual impairment can significantly affect a person\'s ability to take medications safely. Therefore, pharmacists need to ensure safe and effective access to medication information, particularly through the use of assistive products, which are devices that compensate for partial or total vision loss. Although assistive products are used by visually impaired patients for activities of daily living, their use in medication management needs to be more widespread.
UNASSIGNED: The study aimed to investigate community pharmacists\' opinions and excpectations on the use of assistive products in pharmacy practice to optimize and secure medications use for visually impaired patients. The goal is to transfer these assistive products to pharmacy practice.
UNASSIGNED: Focus groups were conducted with 6 French-speaking community pharmacists via videoconference in Belgium, following the principle of participatory action-research. The participants were recruited voluntarily, and moderator\'s guides were developed to lead the discussion. The focus groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed in a double-blind fashion using thematic analysis. The data were organized by NVivo software.
UNASSIGNED: Four themes were identified: easy-to-use assistive products according to pharmacists, usefulness of assistive products in pharmacy practice, barriers to the use of assistive products, and potential solutions. According to community pharmacists, certain assistive products were deemed easy-to-use and transferable to pharmacy practice.
UNASSIGNED: This qualitative study demonstrates the transferability of assistive products to pharmacy practice for visually impaired patients in medications use. The study taken into account the patient\'s profile and the multidisciplinary approach, which community pharmacists consider essential.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a common long-term condition that affects people of all ages. Evidence suggests that a significant proportion of asthma patients in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) do not receive appropriate diagnosis, monitoring and/or treatment. When inadequately treated, asthma can negatively affect quality of life and may lead to hospitalisation and death. Although pharmacists play a role in asthma care globally, there appears to be no defined role for pharmacists in providing care to patients with asthma in the GCC countries.
OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aims to review and summarise studies conducted in the GCC countries involving pharmacists in the management of adults with asthma or evaluating pharmacists\' asthma care knowledge and/or skills.
METHODS: A systematic scoping review was undertaken. Seven databases were searched using relevant search terms for articles published up to May 2023. Studies that evaluated pharmacists roles, knowledge and skills in providing asthma care to adults in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain were considered eligible for inclusion. Extracted data were collated using tables and used to produce narrative descriptive summaries.
RESULTS: Out of the 1588 search results, only seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Of those, only one developed and tested a pharmacist-led inhaler technique educational intervention in the UAE within community pharmacy setting for asthma patients. The remaining six studies assessed community pharmacists knowledge in providing asthma management and patient education in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The quality of the included studies varied with four relying on simulated patients to assess pharmacists knowledge. The study that tested the intervention suggested improvement in inhaler technique and asthma symptoms control after receiving the intervention. The findings suggest a need to improve pharmacists knowledge of inhaler technique demonstration (mainly Metered Dose Inhalers), asthma management advice and assessment of asthma control and medication use.
CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights a lack of research on pharmacist-led asthma interventions and identifies training needs to enable pharmacists to be involved in asthma care in the GCC countries. Future research could develop approaches involving pharmacists to improve asthma care and outcomes in the region.

UNASSIGNED: A deeper understanding of leadership competencies and development of these competencies in pharmacy students are essential to enable future pharmacists to take a more advanced role in patient care and serve as interdisciplinary team members and leaders. Such efforts are also needed to help guide succession planning.
UNASSIGNED: To identify and describe the competencies and experiences involved in leadership development for pharmacy students.
UNASSIGNED: A literature review was conducted using the MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases (from inception to November 2023), as well as syllabi from pharmacy leadership courses.
UNASSIGNED: Articles discussing leadership competencies in a health care setting and during pharmacy education and training were included. Competencies and experiences related to leadership development were extracted and organized into categories, with each category given a single descriptor.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 34 resources were included in the analysis, which revealed the following 7 leadership competencies: leadership knowledge, self-awareness, collaboration, leading change, business skills, systems thinking, and lifelong learning.
UNASSIGNED: Pharmacy students can develop their leadership abilities through a variety of experiences and activities aligned with the core leadership competencies identified here. Pharmacy schools in Canada can design and offer leadership placements to help enhance students\' leadership skills. This study has highlighted activities that may help prepare pharmacy students for leadership roles in the changing landscape of pharmacy practice.
UNASSIGNED: Une compréhension plus approfondie des compétences en leadership et le développement de celles-ci chez les étudiants en pharmacie sont essentiels pour permettre aux futurs pharmaciens de jouer un rôle plus avancé dans les soins aux patients et de servir de membres et de chefs d’équipes interdisciplinaires. De tels efforts sont également nécessaires pour aider à orienter la planification de la relève.
UNASSIGNED: Identifier et décrire les compétences et les expériences à l’œuvre dans le développement du leadership pour les étudiants en pharmacie.
UNASSIGNED: Un examen de la littérature a été réalisé à l’aide des bases de données MEDLINE, PubMed et Google Scholar (depuis leur création jusqu’en novembre 2023), ainsi que des programmes de cours de leadership en pharmacie.
UNASSIGNED: Des articles traitant des compétences en leadership dans un contexte de soins de santé et pendant la formation en pharmacie ont été inclus. Les compétences et les expériences liées au développement du leadership ont été extraites et organisées en catégories, chaque catégorie étant dotée d’un seul descripteur.
UNASSIGNED: Au total, 34 ressources ont été incluses dans l’analyse, qui a révélé les 7 compétences de leadership suivantes: connaissances en leadership, conscience de soi, collaboration, conduite du changement, compétences commerciales, pensée systémique et apprentissage continu.
UNASSIGNED: Les étudiants en pharmacie peuvent développer leurs capacités en matière de leadership grâce à différentes expériences et activités alignées sur les compétences de base en leadership recensées ici. Les écoles de pharmacie au Canada peuvent concevoir et offrir des stages de leadership pour aider à améliorer les compétences des étudiants en la matière. Cette étude a mis en évidence des activités qui peuvent aider à préparer les étudiants en pharmacie à des rôles de leadership dans le paysage changeant de la pratique pharmaceutique.

This commentary explores how a change in the professional identity of pharmacists from medicines supplier to clinical decision-maker might take place. Three leverage points are identified that support this change. The first leverage point involves workplace culture. Pharmacists require workplaces that support them to assume direct responsibility for drug therapy decisions that may not have traditionally been part of pharmacy practice. The second leverage point involves terminology. Pharmacists need to be able to name and describe the process they use when making decisions about drug therapy. The third leverage point encompasses pharmacy education. Future pharmacists require a foundation that enables them to mobilize their knowledge and skills about drug therapy to act as clinical decision-makers with patients that require complex care. By acting on multiple leverage points, advocates for change in the pharmacy profession can assist pharmacists to establish themselves as decision-makers about drug therapy, shift their professional identity, and reformulate their view of the profession.

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

BACKGROUND: High-priced drugs pose a challenge for health budgets, policies, and patient safety. One of the key roles of community pharmacies is to ensure availability to prescription drugs regardless of their price. This has been identified as challenging in certain situations concerning high-priced drugs.
OBJECTIVE: The aim is to investigate the views of proprietary pharmacists regarding the effects of high-priced drugs on the day-to-day operations of pharmacies.
METHODS: The data collection of the study was performed as a national cross-sectional online survey. The inclusion criteria were being a proprietary pharmacist and a member of the Association of Finnish Pharmacies. The survey contained questions yielding both quantitative and qualitative answers. The study focused on the qualitative data which was analysed by deductive thematic analysis.
RESULTS: In total 604 proprietary pharmacists were sent the survey, and 174 eligible answers were included in the study, giving a response rate of 29%. The result describes the relationships between the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development based on a framework by Wanamaker, with respect to high-priced drugs and community pharmacy operations as viewed by proprietary pharmacists. The main findings of the study show that proprietary pharmacists find the implementation of real-time reimbursement payments, a further reform of the pharmacy tax, and the abolishment of return bans to the wholesaler as risk mitigations and means to attain sustainability with respect to high-priced drugs and pharmacy practice. They experience that these changes would diminish high-priced drugs unnecessarily ending up as medical waste and improve the working conditions of the pharmacy staff by alleviating stress.
CONCLUSIONS: According to the respondents, high-priced drugs pose challenges for community pharmacies and the legislation and reimbursement system need to adapt to these challenges. If not, community pharmacies in Finland continue to face severe financial declines based on the study results.

BACKGROUND: The Pharmacists\' Patient Care Process (PPCP) is a five-step approach for patient-centered evidence-based pharmaceutical care. The PPCP was developed by the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners in 2014, however, little is known about PPCP terminology and process uptake across the profession.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore practicing pharmacists\' awareness of and confidence in performing PPCP-related activities in various practice settings.
METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study of practicing pharmacists utilizing a multi-phase quantitative survey research design. A previously validated instrument, the PPCP Self-Efficacy Scale, was revised and distributed. The 28-item instrument addressed activities mapped to each of the five PPCP components (Collect, Assess, Plan, Implement, and Follow-up). The survey was distributed via Qualtrics to an IQVIA pharmacist e-mail listserv in 2021 and to pharmacist state license rosters containing e-mail addresses in 2022.
RESULTS: A total 853 practicing pharmacists completed the survey. The majority of participants identified as female (62.5%) and White/Caucasian (74.6%). Almost 60% of participants reported practicing for 16 or more years. Forty-four percent practiced in a community pharmacy setting, while 23.6% and 15.4% practiced in a health-system setting and ambulatory care setting, respectively. Sixty two percent indicated they had no prior knowledge of the PPCP, and 12.5% were unsure. Overall participants had relatively high self-efficacy mean scores for each of the PPCP components. Participants working in an ambulatory care setting had the highest mean self-efficacy scores across all PPCP components (p<0.05). Participants who were affiliated with a college or school of pharmacy (e.g., faculty, preceptor) had higher mean self-efficacy scores compared to participants who are not affiliated (p<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: The majority of practicing pharmacists are unaware of PPCP terminology. Their confidence in performing tasks associated with PPCP components is relatively high and varies based on PPCP component and practice setting.