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Biomedical subjects

F M Eckel

Publications and source records attributed to F M Eckel.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Pharmaceutical services in hospices.

Hospices were surveyed to identify the types of pharmaceutical services provided. The directors of 75 hospice organizations were sent questionnaires regarding: (1) the type and scope of pharmaceutical services and (2) their conception of the future of the hospice movement. Of the 48 usable responses, 37 reported pharmacist affiliation. Of the 11 organizations that did not have a pharmacist affiliated, 10 reported they anticipated using a pharmacist's services in the future. Most (68%) pharmacists who worked in hospices were consultants. Pharmaceutical services included the development of policies and procedures regarding drug storage and handling, inservice education, drug information, and patient education. Of the organizations without a pharmacist, 91% provided only outpatient care; of hospices with pharmacists, 51% provided outpatient, 14% inpatient, and 36% outpatient and inpatient care. Forty-six percent of the hospice directors considered the pharmacist affiliated with their organization to be a member of the interdisciplinary team; 55% of such pharmacists worked full-time with the hospice. Hospice directors expressed a need for greater pharmacist involvement in inservice education, staff consultation, and research on pain.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed1980

Job satisfaction of hospital pharmacy technicians in North Carolina.

Factors related to job satisfaction among pharmacy technicians in North Carolina hospitals were studied. To gather data on job satisfaction, job function, and work attitudes, a questionnaire was designed and sent to pharmacy directors and technicians at 83 North Carolina hospitals. The 389 responses represented response rates of 70.3% for technicians and 91.6% for directors. Pharmacy technicians had significantly lower job satisfaction scores (p = 0.05) for work pay, promotion, and coworkers than those reported elsewhere for other workers. There was no difference between technicians and other workers in satisfaction with supervisors. Pharmacy technicians were most satisfied with their supervisors and coworkers, least satisfied with their pay and promotion outlook, and neutral about their work. Higher satisfaction scores were found for technicians who (1) worked in smaller hospitals, (2) performed a wider variety of tasks, or (3) were over 35 years old. Directors judged technician attitudes toward their work to be slightly higher than the technicians did. The study indicates that, in addition to monetary reward, careful consideration of nonmonetary rewards and job functions could contribute to greater technician job satisfaction.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1979

Feasibility of symbolic directions on prescription labels.

This project presents the results of a study designed to evaluate the usefulness of graphic labels in assisting functionally illiterate patients to understand how and when to take medication. The project's results indicate that comprehension of symbolic directions did not increase as rapidly as comprehension of typed directions. Symbolic directions did, however, reduce the variation in interpretation of directions among patients with 0-4 grade education. Neither age, nor sex, nor the order of label presentation affected level of comprehension of typed or symbolic prescription labels. The results of this study indicate that use of symbols may not be the sole answer to the problem of assisting patients with inadequate reading abilities. Symbolic prescription directions should be evaluated before their use. Then, when used, they should be accompanied by oral reinforcement.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Community, hospital and clinical pharmacists and drug information centers as physician drug information sources.

The use of drug information centers and clinical, hospital and community pharmacists by university and community practice physicians in North Carolina was examined. Questionnaires were sent to 674 nonfederal physicians with a response rate of 203 (35.5%). Approximately half of the sample were staff members of a university hospital. The questionnaire covered eight types of drug information. Significant results were reported at the p = 0.05 level. Physicians sought specific drug information approximately one to four times a month. University hospital-affiliated physicians rated clinical and hospital pharmacists significantly higher than community pharmacists for six subject areas, and they also ranked clinical pharmacists over hospital pharmacists on four subject areas and considered them more reliable than other pharmacy drug information sources. Physicians associated with community hospitals ranked hospital pharmacists over community pharmacists as sources of information for four areas and rated them more reliable than other pharmacy drug information sources; this group preferred to use community pharmacists for information on product availability. It appears that clinical pharmacists are used by university-associated physicians as drug information sources. Use in community hospitals of the hospital pharmacist as a drug information source is better than the literature might suggest.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1977

Analysis of a hospital-based drug information center.

The operation of a drug information center (DIC) was studied after it was relocated from a school of pharmacy to a teaching hospital. The output during the last eight months in the school of pharmacy (Period 1) was compared to the output during a three-month period after the DIC became established in the hospital (Period 2). Questions were classified by type and profession or requester. In addition, the number of judgmental questions processed was determined. The average number of questions per month in Period 1 was 58.1, while during Period 2 it was 146.3. There was a statistically significant increase in Period 2 in questions from each profession, with the exception of clinical pharmacists. In Period 2, 30.8% of the questions were asked by physicians, 27.6% by pharmacists, 24.1% by clinical pharmacists, 12.3% by nurses and 5.2% by other professionals. The largest number of questions was in the pharmacological category, with toxicities or side effects as the largest class. The majority of questions asked by nurses were pharmaceutical. Of the 439 questions received during Period 2, 28.0% were judgmental. Pharmaceutical questions were found to require the least amount of time to answer, while therapeutic questions required the greatest amount of time. Judgmental questions required more time than nonjudgmental questions. It was concluded that increased visibility and accessibility of the DIC after its relocation resulted in an increased work load.

Drug Information Services↗