Anne H. Metzger

Health literacy in pharmacy

The U.S. National Literacy Act of 1991 defines literacy as “an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one’s goals and to develop one’s knowledge and potential

Essential elements for a pharmacy practice mentoring program.

Formal guidelines for mentoring faculty members in pharmacy practice divisions of colleges and schools of pharmacy do not exist in the literature. This paper addresses the background literature on mentoring programs, explores the current state of mentoring programs used in pharmacy practice departments, and provides guidelines for colleges and schools instituting formal mentoring programs. As the number of pharmacy colleges and schools has grown, the demand for quality pharmacy faculty members has dramatically increased. While some faculty members gain teaching experience during postgraduate residency training, new pharmacy practice faculty members often need professional development to meet the demands of their academic responsibilities. A mentoring program can be 1 means of improving faculty success and retention. Many US colleges and schools of pharmacy have developed formal mentoring programs, whereas several others have informal processes in place. This paper discusses those programs and the literature available, and makes recommendations on the structure of mentoring programs.

Evaluation of online consumer medication information

BACKGROUND Millions of Americans search the Internet for health-related information; however, the readability and comprehensiveness of consumer medication information (CMI) on the Internet has not been widely studied. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the readability and comprehensiveness of online CMI. METHODS The readability and comprehensiveness of consumer drug information found on 3 well-known Web sites (Medline Plus, Yahoo Health, and WebMD) was evaluated; in particular, information related to 10 commonly prescribed medications. Readability was assessed using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and Fry Readability Graph (FRG) tools; comprehensiveness of information was evaluated using the Keystone action plan criteria. RESULTS Using SMOG, the mean reading level of each Web site was 13th grade level or higher. Using the FRG, the mean reading level was 10th grade or higher. Out of the 24 points in the Keystone action plan criteria, information found on each of the Web sites was deemed accurate with mean score of 21, 21, and 19 for Medline Plus, Yahoo Health, and WebMD, respectively. CONCLUSIONS For the medications reviewed, CMI found on Web sites was accurate when assessed using the Keystone action plan criteria. The readability levels were higher than the recommended sixth grade level.

Identifying motivators and barriers to student completion of instructor evaluations: A multi-faceted, collaborative approach from four colleges of pharmacy

OBJECTIVE To identify motivators and barriers to pharmacy student completion of instructor evaluations, and to develop potential strategies to improve the evaluation process. METHODS Completed at four Ohio Colleges of Pharmacy, Phase I consisted of a student/faculty survey and Phase II consisted of joint student/faculty focus groups to discuss Phase I data and to problem solve. RESULTS In Phase I, the top three student-identified and faculty-perceived motivators to completion of evaluations were to (1) make the course better, (2) earn bonus points, and (3) improve the instructors teaching. The top three student-identified barriers to completion of evaluations were having to (1) evaluate multiple instructors, (2) complete several evaluations around the same time, and (3) complete lengthy evaluations. Phase II focus groups identified a number of potential ways to enhance the motivators and reduce barriers, including but not limited to making sure faculty convey to students that the feedback they provide is useful and to provide examples of how student feedback has been used to improve their teaching/the course. CONCLUSIONS Students and faculty identified motivators and barriers to completing instructor evaluations and were willing to work together to improve the process.