Siritree Suttajit

General public's views on pharmacy public health services: current situation and opportunities in the future

OBJECTIVES To explore the experience of and willingness to use seven pharmacy public health services related to cardiovascular risk among the general public in England. STUDY DESIGN Mixed-methods study. METHODS A mixed-methods study, involving a cross-sectional survey using multiple distribution methods followed by a focus group discussion (FGD) with a sample of survey respondents. RESULTS From 3596 approachable individuals, 908 questionnaires were completed (response rate 25.3%). Few respondents (2.1-12.7%) had experienced any of the seven pharmacy public health services. About 40% stated they would be willing to use health check services, fewer (9.3-26.3%) were willing to use advisory services. More females, frequent pharmacy users and those in good health were willing to use services in general (P < 0.05). Smokers, overweight individuals and those with alcohol-related problems were most willing to use specific advisory services supporting their problems (P < 0.05). FGD identified barriers to service use; for example, frequent staff changes, seeing pharmacist as medicines suppliers and concerns about competence for these services. CONCLUSION The general public are receptive to pharmacy public health services. Pharmacists must consider barriers if uptake of services is to increase.

Reliability and validity of the Thai version of the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia

Aim The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Thai version of the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) for the evaluation of depression in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Sixty patients with schizophrenia according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fourth Edition; Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria were recruited to the study The Thai version of the CDSS, the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, 17-item version (HDRS-17), and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were administered. A major depressive episode diagnosed by a psychiatrist according to the DSM-IV-TR was used as a gold standard. Results: The internal consistency of the Thai version of the CDSS was very good (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.869). The inter-rater reliability was found to be in substantial agreement with the intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.979. The test-retest reliability over a period of 3 days was high, with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.861. The Thai version of the CDSS showed significant correlations with the MADRS (r = 0.887), the HDRS-17 (r = 0.865), and the depression item of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-G6) (r = 0.833). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the CDSS, MADRS, HDRS-17, and PANSS-G6 against the DSM-IV-TR criteria for major depressive episode were 0.993, 0.954, 0.966, and 0.933, respectively. The optimal cut-off score to discriminate between depressed and non-depressed patients was 6/7, with a sensitivity of 92.31% and specificity of 97.87%. Conclusion: The Thai version of the CDSS is a reliable and valid measure for the evaluation of depression in Thai patients with schizophrenia.

Comparison of self-reported professional competency across pharmacy education programs: a survey of Thai pharmacy graduates enrolled in the public service program

Introduction Thai pharmacy education consists of two undergraduate programs, a 5-year Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BScPsci and BScPcare) degree and a 6-year Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D). Pharmacy students who wish to serve in the public sector need to enroll in the public service program. This study aims to compare the perception of professional competency among new pharmacy graduates from the three different pharmacy programs available in 2013 who enrolled in the public service program. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among new pharmacy graduates in 2013 using a self-administered, structured, close-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of respondents’ characteristics and perception of professional competencies. The competency questions consisted of 13 items with a 5-point scale. Data collection was conducted during Thailand’s annual health professional meeting on April 2, 2013 for workplace selection of pharmacy graduates. Results A total of 266 new pharmacy graduates responded to the questionnaire (response rate 49.6%). There were no significant differences in sex and admission modes across the three pharmacy programs. Pharm D graduates reported highest competency in acute care services, medication reconciliation services, and primary care services among the other two programs. BScPsci graduates reported more competence in consumer health protection and herbal and alternative medicines than BScPcare graduates. There were significant differences in three competency domains: patient care, consumer protection and community health services, and drug review and information, but no significant differences in the health administration and communication domain among three pharmacy programs. Conclusion Despite a complete change into a 6-year Pharm D program in 2014, pharmacy education in Thailand should continue evolving to be responsive to the needs of the health system. An annual survey of new pharmacy graduates should be continued, to monitor changes of professional competency across different program tracks and other factors which may influence their contribution to the health service system. Likewise, a longitudinal monitoring of their competencies in the graduate cohort should be conducted.

Methodological and economic evaluations of seven survey modes applied to health service research

To evaluate methodological outcomes and cost‐effectiveness of seven survey modes, using a study of general public views towards pharmacy public health services.