In recent years, the health sector has faced increasingly important challenges. Due to the economic crisis and competitions, hospitals are facing many issues affecting the supply chain, such as budget cuts or lack thereof as well as insufficient human resources. Although essential for an excellent service, logistics take up a considerable part of…

Objectives: To determine how often general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists recommend patients obtain information about their medicines via websites and to explore factors that might improve the delivery of written information about medicines to patients. Design: Cross-sectional surveys. Setting: GPs and community pharmacists in New Zealand…

Purpose: For any educational institution, student satisfaction is an important goal. Thus, the purpose of the study is to use a structured improvement process, define--measure--analyse--improve--control (DMAIC) methodology, to improve students' satisfaction regarding their learning experience at the College of Pharmacy/Umm Al-Qura University.…

Background: Delivery of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programs by community pharmacists appears effective and enhances health service access. However, their capacity to implement complex behavioural change processes during patient counselling remains largely unexplored. This study aims to determine intervention fidelity by pharmacists…

Introduction: People who handle and regulate temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products require the knowledge and skills to ensure those products maintain quality, integrity, safety, and efficacy throughout their shelf life. People best acquire such knowledge and skills through "experiential learning" that involves working with other…

Simultaneous evaluations of the existing Department of Veterans' Affairs pharmaceutical distribution system and an alternative "prime vendor" distribution concept in the private sector were conducted. This review of the methodology illustrates the problems and advantages in conducting large multisite evaluations simultaneously. (SLD)

Effectiveness of a new 72-hour delivery system (USXPRESS) for pharmaceuticals purchased by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from VA depots was evaluated by comparing 33 test sites with 11 matched sites using a pretest posttest quasiexperimental design. The USXPRESS system reduced inventory, decreased space needs, and satisfied service…

The impact of a newly instituted prime vendor (wholesaler) pharmaceutical system at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals was studied at 33 VA centers and 32 matched comparison hospitals. Results indicate satisfaction with the new system and illustrate the solutions to some interesting evaluation problems. (SLD)

The trend now driving American health care is that the payors are refusing to pay the true economic costs. Health care technology and the public's demand for it, the growth of managed care (Health Maintenance Organizations), and the need to increase the effectiveness of health care are affecting health care delivery. (MLW)

This study reports the results of a national survey of American Council on Pharmaceutical Education-approved provider continuing education offerings during 1985. The study was designed to identify frequently presented topics, characterize types of programs offered, describe the providers offering programs, and detail continuing education…

Statements from seven workshops given at the conference on Pharmacy in the 21st Century covered societal and public policy trends, emerging trends, economics, and health care systems delivery. (MLW)

Pharmaceutical educators are exhorted to bring both science and culture into the profession and to take an active role in the intellectual activity of the university. Improvement of clinical practice, patient-pharmacist relationship, service delivery, and community involvement are seen as contributing to the influence of the profession. (MSE)

Requirements of research projects intended to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of new or modified health-care-delivery arrangements are discussed. Included in the discussion are the peculiarities of evaluation research, issues that arise in the implementation of health-related programs and their evaluation, and the dissemination process. (JMD)

Personal computer technology has arrived in health care. Specific technological advances are optical disc storage, smart cards, voice recognition, and robotics. This paper discusses computers in medicine, in nursing, in conglomerates, and with patients. Future health care will be delivered in primary care centers, medical supermarkets, specialized…