Biomedical subjects

P G Grussing

Publications and source records attributed to P G Grussing.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Staff attitudes about the use of robots in pharmacy before implementation of a robotic dispensing system.

Hospital pharmacy staff members at a Mid-western university medical center were surveyed to determine their attitudes about the use of robots in pharmacy dispensing before a robotic system was implemented. A questionnaire seeking attitudes about the use of robots in pharmacy was distributed to 147 pharmacy staff (pharmacy managers, pharmacist practitioners, pharmacotherapists, pharmacy residents and fellows, pharmacy technicians, and salaried pharmacy students). Attitudinal items were scored on a 5-point scale ranging from very favorable to very unfavorable. The response rate was 75%. Overall, staff expressed favorable attitudes in terms of job security, professional impact, and general robotics orientation. Pharmacy managers and pharmacotherapists were the most likely to report feeling secure about their jobs; pharmacy technicians and salaried pharmacy students were slightly less positive. Favorable attitudes about the professional impact of the robotic system were demonstrated by all groups except pharmacist practitioners and pharmacy technicians. Attitudes about management issues were unfavorable; pharmacist practitioners demonstrated the least favorable attitudes. In general, responses to semantic-differential statements reflected favorable attitudes; where there were differences, pharmacy technicians showed the least positive and pharmacy managers the most positive attitudes. Respondents reported that pharmacist practitioners would be most positively affected and pharmacy technicians most negatively affected by robotic dispensing. Almost half of the respondents who provided general comments indicated that they needed more information about the use of robots. Pharmacy staff had generally favorable attitudes about the use of robots in pharmacy.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1992

Pharmacist work activity before and after pharmacy department computerization.

The effects of a dedicated computer system on pharmacists' daily activities at a 363-bed hospital were studied. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. Twenty-four pharmacists recorded activity frequency and time for seven consecutive days several months before and after a pharmacy computer system was implemented. The computer system could be used for printing unit dose fill lists and i.v. labels, entering data, and printing patient profiles. An admissions, discharge, and transfer interface between the hospital system and the pharmacy system was also operational. The data were organized into 28 activities for analysis. For seven activities that were considered directly affected by computerization, a net 0.1-minute increase in the average time was found. Four of those seven showed an increase in average time (a total of 1.86 minutes): (1) calculating the composition of total parenteral nutrient or i.v. solution, (2) compounding large-volume i.v. solution, (3) profiling orders, and (4) checking the work of pharmacy technicians. The other three showed a decrease in average time (a total of 1.76 minutes): (1) preparing syringe or small-volume i.v. solution, (2) monitoring drug profiles, and (3) dispensing unit dose medications. However, with all 28 activities considered, a 1.03-minute decrease occurred in the average time per activity. Installation of a dedicated pharmacy computer decreased the amount of time pharmacists spent performing 28 activities by an average of 1.03 minutes per activity but increased the amount of time spent on activities directly affected by the computer by an average of 0.1 minute per activity.

Computers↗

PubMed1988

Relationship between leadership styles of hospital pharmacists and perceptions of work-unit effectiveness.

Relationships between hospital pharmacists' perceptions of their own and their immediate supervisors' leadership styles and their perceptions of the effectiveness of their work units were examined. Pharmacists practicing in 12 large Chicago-area hospitals were asked to complete a four-part questionnaire that consisted of demographic questions, the LEADSelf instrument, the LEADOther instrument, and a measure of perceived work unit effectiveness. Respondents' primary, secondary, and combination leadership styles and their degree of style adaptability were determined and compared with the primary, secondary, and combination leadership styles and style adaptability of their immediate supervisors and with their perceptions of the effectiveness of their work units. Pharmacists involved in providing clinical or drug information services and pharmacists responsible for purchasing activities perceived their work units to be most and least effective, respectively. Most respondents perceived their primary leadership style to be high task-high relationship, but only 32% perceived their immediate supervisors to exhibit this style. Pharmacists who perceived their immediate supervisors to have high relationship leadership styles (based on primary and combination style classifications) had significantly more favorable perceptions of the effectiveness of their work units than did pharmacists who perceived their supervisors to exhibit low relationship styles. Respondents' perceptions of their supervisors' style adaptability were positively and significantly correlated with their perceptions of work-unit effectiveness. Respondents who thought their supervisors' leadership styles were more adaptable than their own had the most favorable perceptions of work-unit effectiveness.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed1986

Factors influencing the rate of job turnover among hospital pharmacists.

Factors influencing the rate of job turnover among hospital pharmacists were studied. In June 1982, pharmacists and pharmacy directors in acute-care hospitals in the Chicago area with more than 100 beds were asked both open-ended and multiple-choice questions pertaining to reasons for accepting and staying at current jobs, reasons for leaving previous and possibly current jobs, career goals, and demographic data. From the sample of 529 pharmacists, 217 (41%) usable responses were received. Pharmacy directors' responses indicated that the turnover rate for pharmacists was 14.4% and that relocation and layoffs or job termination were the most common reasons for job turnover. Overall, pharmacists' pay and benefits and opportunity for promotion or advancement were the reasons pharmacists cited most frequently both for leaving a job and for staying at a job. Men ranked pay and benefits as the most important reason for taking and staying at a position and for leaving, whereas women cited hospital location as the most important reason for taking, staying at, or leaving a job. Other factors cited as important were working hours, professional challenge, job duties, and continuation of education. Pharmacists who had been in the current job for more than two years were less likely to leave. Pregnancy of the employee or spouse was not a strong reason for leaving, and relocation was a more important reason for women than for men. Approximately half the respondents indicated they had a career goal; promotion to management and continuation of education were the goals most frequently mentioned. Regional or national studies should be conducted to gain further understanding of why pharmacists accept, remain in, and change jobs.

Chicago↗

PubMed1984

Education and practice: is competency-based education closing the gap?

This paper reviews Competency Based Education, CBE, defining competence as a complex network of knowledge, performance and attitudes. It reviews methods for competency identification and validation, emphasizes assessment at all learning levels, highlights proponents' and opponents' views, points out possible legal implications and makes recommendations for the administration of CBE programs.

Competency-Based Education↗

PubMed1982

Drug product selection in Illinois: the first year's experience.

This paper reports an evaluation of Illinois' drug product selection (DPS) law. The results show that while consumers saved an average of $1.47 whenever DPS occurred in the study period, the prescription format mandated in the Illinois law appears to be a hindrance to unambiguous communication from prescribers. In addition, because of the positive formulary approach adopted by Illinois, the potential for DPS behavior was limited to only 20.8 per cent of the prescriptions audited in the study and ultimately, DPS occurred in 12.6 per cent of this sample. It also is reported that DPS was more likely to occur in urban community pharmacies and that consumers saved more money when DPS occurred in this environment, but prices for prescriptions dispensed as written were also higher in this environment. Finally, it was found that prescription prices were affected by the type of pharmacy patronized, but were not affected by the urban or rural location of pharmacy.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1979

Structured educational program for staff development.

The development of a mandatory continuing education program for the pharmacy staff of a 675-bed hospital with 10 decentralized pharmacy satellites is described. The therapeutic topics selected for presentation were antibiotics, immunology and adverse drug reactions, diabetes mellitus and acid-base disorders. The format for each subject included a pretest of basic knowledge, a comprehensive lecture, a tape recording, supplemental handout material and readings, and a posttest. Posttests were scheduled three to four weeks following lectures to allow preparation time. Questionnaires were used to evaluate acceptance of the program. Posttest scores for each of the four topics were significantly better than pretest scores (p less than or equal to 0.0001). Questionnaire responses indicated that 97% of the participants believed the program to be worthwhile, and 94% voted to continue the series. The success and acceptance of this approach to continuing education support its application to a comprehensive program of staff development.

Chicago↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Opinions and feelings on eating with complete dentures: a qualitative inquiry.

Our knowledge of variables affecting the coping strategies that lead to acceptance of foods in populations wearing complete dentures is limited. Focus groups were conducted with the specific aim of determining factors responsible for successful adaptation to chewing with complete dentures. Each of the five focus groups consisted of eight to 15 participants (mean = 11; mean age = 64 yrs), of mixed gender, with at least five years of denture-wearing experience (mean = 7 years), and with groups varying in their socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. Participants' statements (n = 324) were sorted for their content, by consensus between the two investigators, into 12 conceptually independent domains (listed in decreasing order of frequency of mention): foods and food textures causing difficulties when eating, foods being avoided, stability and retention of dentures, social constraints, bolus size, general satisfaction with the current dentures, general experience with dentures, sensation of temperature, experience of pain during chewing, experiences with taste, experiences with rinsing the dentures after eating, and time involved with chewing. In addition, further analysis of statements showed that food texture was the most commonly mentioned with foods that were either difficult to chew or avoided. These perceptions significantly affected the choice of food. The results of this qualitative study indicate that food texture is one of the major factors influencing the choice of a coping strategy by denture wearers when trying to overcome difficulties in chewing specific foods. As such, food texture may have a significant effect on patients' success in the process of their functional adaptation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Development and validation of an instrument to measure physicians' attitudes toward the clinical pharmacist's role.

A scale to measure physicians' attitudes toward clinical pharmacy was developed and validated. Based on physician-clinical pharmacist interactions, statements were written and edited into tentative subscales. A preliminary test resulted in a reduction in the number of items and subscales. The final field test, based on responses from 166 physicians, after factor analysis, yielded 23 items in 5 subscales, with a scale reliability of 0.94. As additional measures of validity, physicians' responses showed significant differences in attitudes between subscales and differences by specialty. Differences also were demonstrated by physician status and age. No differences were shown by amount of exposure to clinical pharmacists. Reliability and validity of the scale have been supported and additional research into the concurrent validity of the scale is suggested.

Age Factors↗