Integrating digital interventions in healthcare has gained increasing popularity among clinical pharmacists (CPs) due to advances in technology. The purpose of this study was to systematically review CP-led digital interventions to improve patients’ health-related clinical outcomes. PubMed and the Cochrane Database were searched to select studies that had conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate clinical outcomes in adults following a CP-led digital intervention for the period from January 2005 to August 2021. A total of 19 studies were included in our analysis. In these 19 studies, the most commonly used digital intervention by CPs was telephone use (n = 15), followed by a web-based tool (n = 2) and a mobile app (n = 2). These interventions were provided to serve a wide range of purposes in patients’ outcomes: change in lab values (e.g., blood pressure, HbA1c) (n = 23), reduction in health service use (n = 8), enhancing adherence (n = 6), improvement in drug-related outcomes (n = 6), increase in survival (n = 3), and reduction in health-related risk (e.g., CVD risk) (n = 2). Although the impacts of telephone-based interventions on patients’ outcomes were decidedly mixed, web-based interventions and mobile apps exerted generally positive influences. To date, little research has investigated the cost-effectiveness of digital interventions. Future studies are warranted.

Objective: To present an overview of comic books as an educational tool and discuss the use of comic books in pharmacy education. Literature Identification: This research is comprised of a narrative literature review and critical analysis of the information retrieved. Key words included: comic(s), graphic novels, and pharmacy education. News articles, dissertations, theses, books, and scholarly articles from peer reviewed journals were selected and reviewed for inclusion in this article. Results: Comics have been used as a pedagogical tool to motivate students to read, help them remember the content, and make the whole learning process fun. They have been used as supplemental readings in biochemistry, physics, and business ethics. Comic books have been used in educating patients about the challenges of dialysis, promoting health, and informing consumers about diseases such as AIDS and cancer. Conclusion: In today’s media rich environment, comic books could be a visually interactive and innovative educational tool. Pharmacy faculty could use comic books or graphic novels as stand-alone texts or as part of a larger curriculum. Comic books could help students learn pharmacy-relevant content while enjoying the reading. Conflict of Interest The author declares no conflicts of interest or financial interests that the authors or members of their immediate families have in any product or service discussed in the manuscript, including grants (pending or received), employment, gifts, stock holdings or options, honoraria, consultancies, expert testimony, patents and royalties Type: Review

The study purpose was to use the theory of planned behavior to understand factors influencing South Asian consumers’ intention to seek pharmacist-provided medication therapy management services (MTMS). Specific objectives were to assess effects of attitude, subjective norm (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), and socio-demographics on South Asian consumers’ intention to seek MTMS. Participants who were ≥18 years of age, of South Asian origin, with a previous visit to a pharmacy in the US for a health-related reason, and with ability to read and comprehend English were recruited from independent pharmacies in New York City. Responses were obtained through a self-administered survey. Descriptive statistics were performed, and multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to assess the study objective. SPSS was used for data analyses. Out of 140 responses, 133 were usable. Mean scores (standard deviation) were 4.04 (0.97) for attitude, 3.77 (0.91) for SN, 3.75 (0.93) for PBC, and 3.96 (0.94) for intention. The model explains 80.8% of variance and is a significant predictor of intention, F (14,118) = 35.488, p < 0.05. While attitude (β = 0.723, p < 0.05) and PBC (β = 0.148, p < 0.05) were significant predictors of intention, SN (β = 0.064, p = 0.395) was not. None of the socio-demographics were significant predictors of intention. Strategies to make South Asians seek MTMS should focus on creating positive attitudes and removing barriers in seeking MTMS.

Objective: To evaluate the use of comic books as a supplemental reading to assist student learning of the dimensions of patient-centered care. The Innovation: A comic book titled Mom’s Cancer was used as a supplemental reading in a course that introduced 2nd year pharmacy students (in a 0-6 year program) to the social aspects of pharmacy practice. Students read the book and provide their reflections about the book and topic covered in it. Critical Analysis: A total of 100 students registered in two sections of the course provided their responses. Student responses to the comic book activity were overwhelmingly positive. More than half of the student reflections included their personal experience with the healthcare system. The comic book format helped illustrate patient experiences with chronic illness to students. The range of comic books is not enough to give a comprehensive coverage of all the topics in the pharmacy curriculum. Getting the appropriate comic book for the respective topic could be challenging. Also, the effectiveness of comics as an education tool may be limited, if readers are less likely to take information provided via this medium seriously. Next Steps: The positive responses from students highlight the point that pharmacy faculty could use comic books in their pharmacy courses. Further research is needed to determine topics that would be effectively addressed by comic books and best practices for comic book use in pharmacy curriculum. Conflict of Interest The author declares no conflicts of interest or financial interests that the authors or members of their immediate families have in any product or service discussed in the manuscript, including grants (pending or received), employment, gifts, stock holdings or options, honoraria, consultancies, expert testimony, patents and royalties Type: Note

Purpose: To assess the pedagogical effectiveness of a comic book in pharmacy student learning of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Methods: Comparative-group, matched pre-posttest survey design was used to measure pharmacy students’ comprehension of ACA. PharmD students (P-1year) from two sections of a Pharmacy and US Healthcare course participated in this study. Treatment group students received a comic book on ACA. The comparison group received the textual information, without pictures, from the book in a typed document. A posttest survey was administered later in the semester, before the instructor discussed ACA in class. Fourteen questions, developed from the information in the book and document, assessed pharmacy students’ comprehension of ACA. Response options included a visual analogue scale. Independent sample t-test was used to assess the differences in the mean pre-posttest scores between the two groups. Results: A total of 103 (n = 49 comparison vs. n = 54 treatment group) students completed the survey. No statistically significant differences were found in the pre-test mean scores between the groups. Differences in the pre-post test mean scores of treatment group were significantly higher than the differences in the mean scores of the comparison group. Students agreed that the comic book format gave them a better understanding of ACA and increased their interest in learning more about the Act. Conclusion: Comic books were found to be effective in student learning of the ACA. The positive response from students highlight the point that pharmacy faculty could use comic books as supplemental reading in pharmacy courses. Conflict of Interest This research was made possible through the faculty start-up funds awarded by the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John’s University. Treatment of Human Subjects: IRB review/approval required and obtained Type: Original Research