XXX Pharmacy is an independently-owned retail pharmacy in Johannesburg. Good Pharmacy Practice standards make it mandatory for pharmacists to provide “pharmaceutical care”, a highly patient-centred approach to providing pharmaceutical services. Since XXX Pharmacy has a high patient load, a shortage of dispensary staff and a strategic focus on operational efficiency, the question arose whether pharmacists comply fully with Good Pharmacy Practice standards for the provision of pharmaceutical care. Non-compliance poses operational risks that could undermine the business’s financial performance. The research statement was thus that the current performance management system undermines compliance with Good Pharmacy Practice standards for the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients. A triangulation approach was used. The quantitative research method, in which 200 patients completed a questionnaire, investigated two research objectives: (i) whether the pharmacy complies with Good Pharmacy Practice standards for pharmaceutical care; and (ii) whether there is a relationship between patients’ race or gender and their responses. The qualitative research method involved conducting individual semi-structured interviews with all four dispensary employees to achieve another two research objectives: (i) to determine whether the provision of pharmaceutical care is viewed as a key performance area by pharmacists; and (ii) to investigate what aspects of the implementation of the performance management system are viewed as enabling or undermining the provision of pharmaceutical care.

Objective. To assess the impact of a graduate student mentoring program on student interest in research and postgraduate education and on graduate student confidence in mentoring. Methods. Undergraduate and pharmacy students (mentees) and graduate students (mentors) were matched and participated in the study, which required them to engage in at least 2 discussions regarding research and careers. Mentees completed a pre- and post-assessment of their perceptions of research, postgraduate training plans, and perceptions about mentors. Mentors completed a pre- and post-assessment of their perceptions about themselves as mentors and their confidence in mentoring. Results. Although there were no significant differences among the mentees’ perceptions of research or the mentors’ confidence in mentoring, qualitative analysis indicated that the mentees’ perceptions of research improved and that the mentors believed their mentoring skills improved. Conclusions. Based on the results of the qualitative analysis, implementing a graduate student mentoring program may help improve students’ perceptions of research and graduate students’ confidence in mentoring, which could increase student interest in postgraduate education and prepare mentors for future leadership roles.

Book Summary: The Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs: An Interactive Approach to Self-Care contains the most authoritative information on nonprescription drug pharmacotherapy, nutritional supplements, medical foods, nondrug and preventive measures, and complementary therapies. The 18th edition shows students and practitioners how to assess and triage a patient's medical complaints. And it provides FDA-approved dosing information for nonprescription medications along with evidence-based research on the efficacy and safety of over-the-counter, herbal, and homeopathic medications.

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To the Editor. Recently, Dr. DiPiro published an article in the Journal1 that discussed several aspects pertinent to the process of faculty recruitment, emphasizing an individual's “fit” within the culture of the hiring institution. In the present article, we discuss another aspect of “fitness” that became evident to our search committee during the 2010-2011 academic year...

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Learning Objectives: Describe the rationale for the belief that opioids have no maximum dose Describe the data supporting the rationale that high doses of opioids increase toxicity Describe the data supporting the rationale that high doses of opioids do not improve outcomes Identify potential safety concerns with patients taking high doses of opioids

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Objectives: To determine misuse of prescription stimulant medications among future health care providers at an Academic Health Sciences Center. Method: Data were collected via a 62-item anonymous online survey distributed to medical, pharmacy, and rehabilitative health (RT) students at a large Academic Health Sciences Center. The survey instrument collected demographic information related to the respondent’s healthcare discipline, year(s) in professional program, and if the participant had been diagnosed with a disorder requiring a prescription stimulant medication. Nonmedical prescription stimulant use, motivation for nonmedical use, deceptive practices, frequency of use, consequences of nonmedical use, and peer group nonmedical use were also collected. Results: In aggregate, 11.3% of responders reported misuse of prescription stimulants. The rate of misuse was similar for pharmacy (9.7%) and medicine (10.9%) students with a trend towards an increased rate of misuse in RT students (26.3%) (p 5 0.08) The response rates were 70.5% (225/319) for pharmacy, 47.6% (128/269) for medical, and 54.3% (19/33) for respiratory therapy students. The most common reasons for misusing prescription stimulants were to improve academic performance (25/44; 56.7%) and increase alertness/energy (29/44; 65.9%). The most commonly reported adverse reactions were lack of appetite (30/44; 68.2%) and difficulty sleeping (24/44; 54.5%). Implications: Given the stigma associated with prescription stimulant misuse, it is difficult to assess the breadth and depth of this problem. Physical and/or psychological dependence, altered clinical judgment, and violation of misconduct policies and laws are possible consequences of prescription stimulant misuse. This is the first survey to assess misuse by multiple disciplines on a single Academic Health Sciences campus.