SPAN: Student Political Advocacy Network
APhA-ASP 2009 Proposed Resolutions
Click the plus sign to read the background statements for the proposed resolution.
- 2009.1: Appropriate Labeling for Acetaminophen-Containing Products
APhA-ASP recommends use of the term "acetaminophen" rather than the abbreviation "APAP" on all labels and associated packaging for acetaminophen-containing prescription medications in order to reduce the likelihood of acute and chronic overdoses. -
Acetaminophen is one of the most common medications available to patients in both prescription and non-prescription drug products. A 2005 multi-center study published in the journal Hepatology, established that acetaminophen, one of the most prevalent, effective, and seemingly benign medications available to consumers, is also responsible for 48% of accidental overdoses. Acetaminophen-induced liver toxicity may now make up over 40% of cases of acute liver failure in the United States. In 63% of these cases, patients also used prescription medications such as Percocet or Vicodin, which commonly are labeled by their generic names, "oxycodone/APAP" or "hydrocodone/APAP", respectively.
The confusing abbreviation for acetaminophen on prescription labels (APAP), often unfamiliar to patients and health care providers alike, has led many patients to an acetaminophen overdose due to concomitant use of acetaminophen-containing prescription medications and non-prescription adjunct acetaminophen treatment.
The United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that prescription and non-prescription medications provided to patients should be in "plain English", or use terminology appropriate for patient understanding. Specifically, in their 2004 letter to state boards of pharmacy, the FDA highlights use of the abbreviation "APAP" as a source of patient confusion.
The APhA-ASP Resolutions Committee believes that the elimination of the APAP abbreviation on both prescription and non-prescription labeling, as well as the active effort on the behalf of student pharmacists and pharmacists to educate patients on the seriousness of acetaminophen overdose is a simple effort to help to reduce acute liver failure in the United States.
- 2009.2: Supplemental Print and Electronic Health Information
APhA-ASP encourages pharmacists and student pharmacists to provide guidance to patients seeking publicly available sources of supplemental health information, including but not limited to, online resources and printed publications. An increasing number of patients utilize online and other publicly available resources to supplement health information provided by health care professionals. According to a report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 80% of internet users in the United States use the internet to find health care information or answers. The answers patients find may be based on fact, but often times are confusing, misleading, incomplete, or even harmful. Patients use these sources (correct or not) to form their own health-related conclusions before seeking help from health care providers, including pharmacists. Of course, due to their expertise and accessibility, pharmacists should always be a primary health care resource to patients. Regardless of this fact, it is necessary to acknowledge that patients will continue to use the internet and other resources to find answers to their health-related questions.
Rather than basing their health care decisions on incomplete or misleading information found on unreliable websites, patients should access accurate, fact-based information if they choose to use this form of research. The APhA-ASP Resolutions Committee believes that pharmacists and student pharmacists should provide guidance to patients in choosing a reliable print or web-based source to supplement their health and understanding of their health. We suggest recommendation of organizationsponsored websites specific for the patient's condition, peer-reviewed websites, or "patient pages" associated with peer-reviewed journals. Our guidance will enable patients to consistently access reliable health care information and will reduce actions taken due to inaccurate, out-of-date, or misleading sources.
- 2009.3: Meeting Preceptor Demands of Experiential Education
APhA-ASP encourages pharmacy education stakeholders (e.g., professional pharmacy organizations, local and national accrediting bodies, schools and colleges of pharmacy) to develop and implement programming that encourages and prepares student pharmacists to become preceptors upon graduation. As defined by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), "preceptors are full time, parttime, or volunteer faculty or practitioners (usually pharmacists) [who] serve as practitioner-educators and oversee students in pharmacy practice experiences within the curriculum" (2007 Standards and Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Education). ACPE requires that the number of preceptors be appropriate for the number of students enrolled at each individual school and college of pharmacy. However, ongoing faculty shortages and increased student enrollment expectedly limit the availability of preceptors necessary to provide quality experiential education.
The APhA-ASP Resolutions Committee believes that one approach for ensuring the sustainable provision of experiential education is to encourage and train student pharmacists to become preceptors upon graduation. Programming efforts would include the professional knowledge and skills necessary for providing quality education to student pharmacists enrolled in both introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences.
- 2009.4: Public Awareness Campaign for Pediatric Non-Prescription Medications
APhA-ASP encourages regulatory agencies, professional pharmacy organizations, consumer-advocate groups, and other stakeholders to develop and implement a public awareness campaign that encourages parents and guardians to consult their pharmacist regarding the appropriate use of non-prescription pediatric medications. According to the Center for Disease Control, approximately 7,000 children under the age of twelve receive treatment in an emergency room each year after improperly consuming cough and cold medication. Two-thirds of these children consumed the medication unsupervised. The FDA has recommended non-prescription cough and cold medications not be used in children under two years of age due to serious and potentially life-threatening side effects. Additionally, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) recently increased the minimum age for administration to age four. CHPA has attributed the leading cause of adverse events in young children to be the result of dosing errors, not the safety and efficacy of the medication when used as directed.
The APhA-ASP Resolutions Committee believes that many of the dangers associated with pediatric cough and cold medications may be alleviated by properly educating parents and guardians about their appropriate use, storage, and administration. Although the FDA already requires that these products include a message encouraging consumers to consult their pharmacist, statistics clearly demonstrate that additional measures are necessary. Therefore, APhA-ASP proposes the implementation of a public awareness campaign that educates parents and guardians on the importance of consulting their pharmacist prior to the administration of non-prescription pediatric cough and cold medications.
- 2009.5: Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs)
1. APhA-ASP supports the establishment of Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs) as a means to evaluate and provide outcomes data for effective health care practices, including but not limited to, the value of pharmacist-provided patient care services.
2. APhA-ASP encourages governmental and regulatory agencies, research foundations, and other related entities to develop mechanisms that facilitate increased participation of pharmacists in PBRNs.
3. APhA-ASP recommends that schools and colleges of pharmacy integrate outcomes-based research skills and competencies into the pharmacy curriculum in order to facilitate the involvement of student pharmacists in PBRNs upon graduation. PBRNs are multicenter networks of health professionals created to evaluate health care practices through outcomes-based research. According to the Federation of Practice Based Research Networks, PBRNs help promote the growth and development of clinical research by integrating practices where statistically relevant amounts of data can be obtained. Similar to multi-center clinical trials, PBRNs connect practitioners with similar research interests in order to collect more data than one site can generate alone. As an example, several projects coordinated by the APhA Foundation (e.g., Diabetes Ten City Challenge) utilize a practice-based research network approach.
Through the development and implementation of PBRNs, pharmacists can evaluate and demonstrate the value of patient care services. Student pharmacists can also benefit by being exposed to outcomesbased research as part of the pharmacy curriculum. Although some schools and colleges of pharmacy currently include outcomes-based research methodology as part of the curriculum, the practice is not yet widespread.
The APhA-ASP Resolutions Committee believes that pharmacists can contribute valuable information to PBRNs regarding clinical and administrative issues. Pharmacist involvement in such research can add visibility and profitability to individual practices. The intent of this resolution of this resolution is two-fold, the committee wants to encourage pharmacists to integrate themselves in a new area of the health care team and increase awareness of such practice networks while students are still in school.
- 2009.6: Health Care Reform
APhA-ASP supports reform of the U.S. health care system and believes that this reform must provide:
1. Universal coverage for pharmacy service benefits that includes both medications and pharmacistprovided patient care services;
2. Specific provisions for access to and payment for pharmacist-provided services;
3. The right for every American to choose his or her own provider of medications and pharmacistprovided services;
4. Quality improvement mechanisms to substantiate and advance the effectiveness of medications and pharmacist-provided services; and
5. Opportunities for pharmacists and student pharmacists to collaborate with policymakers and other health care professionals in order to create a system that ensures comprehensive services across the continuum of care. According to the United States Census Bureau, more than 45 million Americans (about 1 in 7) lack health insurance coverage. The growing coverage gap has been attributed to the increasing costs of health care, where spending has outpaced every other sector of the economy. According to the World Health Organization, American health care is the most expensive in the world and increased medical costs are often cited as one of the most common causes of personal bankruptcy. For those who do have coverage, less than optimal outcomes further contribute to increased costs.
Health care reform emerged as one of the top three concerns among voters in the 2008 Presidential elections. While consensus has not been reached on a specific payment model (e.g., nationalized health care, market reform of the current system, employer mandates, etc.), the majority of Americans now favor universal coverage. The long-term savings associated with preventive care and the increased productivity of a healthier U.S. workforce have been cited as reasons for supporting improved access to care.
The profession can have an integral role in U.S. health care reform by advocating the inclusion of pharmacist-provided patient care services, which have been shown to reduce costs for employers, payors, and the overall health system. More importantly, pharmacist-provided services improve outcomes by reducing hospitalizations and long-term complications through improved medication use. Unfortunately, many employer and government-subsidized plans still do not provide coverage for these services.
The APhA-ASP Resolutions Committee does not endorse a specific payment model, understanding that this could one day occur via a single-payer system (e.g., nationalized health care), multiple-payer system (e.g., market reform of the current system), a composite of the two, or a model not yet proposed by policymakers. As used in proposed resolution, universal coverage for pharmacy benefits means that every American would have covered access to pharmacist-provided patient care services, irrespective of payment model.
The APhA-ASP Resolutions Committee believes that as the health care debate continues, pharmacists and student pharmacists should remain engaged in dialogue with policymakers and other health care professionals. The committee's proposal incorporates several principles already defined and supported by a group of twelve pharmacy stakeholders Additionally, several statements are also part of official APhA Policy (Pharmacy Services Benefits in Health Care Reform, approved in 1994 and reaffirmed in 2004).
- 2009.7: Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences
1. APhA-ASP supports the development and utilization of a nationally-defined set of competencies to assess the successful completion of introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPE). APhA-ASP believes that these competencies should reflect the professional knowledge and skills necessary for entry into advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE).
2. APhA-ASP further advocates for the inclusion of student pharmacists in the development of these competencies. The Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum is designed to prepare graduates with the professional competencies necessary to enter pharmacy practice through both didactic and experiential education. As defined by the ACPE Standards and Guidelines for 2007, experiential education comprises nearly one third of the pharmacy curriculum.
Standard No. 10:
The curriculum for the professional portion of the degree program must be a minimum of four academic years or the equivalent number of hours or credits. The curriculum must include didactic course work to provide the desired scientific foundation, introductory pharmacy practice experiences (not less than 5% of the curricular length) and advanced pharmacy practice experiences (not less than 25% of the curricular length).IPPEs are necessary to provide students with enriching and educationally sound practice opportunities to develop their professional knowledge and prepare them for APPEs. Currently, no nationally-defined set of competencies exist to support schools and colleges of pharmacy in the design and development of their IPPEs. Moreover, ACPE has interpreted the accreditation standards and guidelines related to IPPE quite rigidly with respect to the required number of hours and the nature of applicable experiences. As a result, student pharmacists have encountered IPPEs of varying quality and professional value.
To address this issue, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) has formed a Task Force on IPPE Competencies that is comprised of practitioners and educators representing AACP, ACPE, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), and a variety of national pharmacy practice organizations. The task force is charged with developing a nationally-defined set of IPPE competencies and the mechanisms to evaluate if the IPPE curriculum component adequately prepares student pharmacist for their APPE and entry into professional practice.
It is for these reasons that the APhA-ASP Resolutions Committee supports the efforts of AACP and the Task Force on IPPE Competencies. The APhA-ASP Resolutions Committee feels that the development and utilization of a nationally-defined set of competencies would assist schools and colleges of pharmacy in constructing quality IPPE and would better assist students in developing the professional skills and knowledge necessary for pharmacy practice.
Voter's Registration Drive
Thank you so much for registering to vote. I was extremely excited with the turn out and would like to thank each and every one of you for making this voter's registration drive one of the most successful ones we've ever had! I would like to inform you that if you do not receive your NEW voter's registration card within 2 weeks, you should contact the Pulaski County Clerks office. Here's the contact information:
Pulaski Circuit/County Clerk
Voter Registration
401 West Markham St., Suite 100
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone#: 501-340-VOTE (8683)
www.pulaskiclerk.com
In addition, I appreciate everyone who helped out with the voter's registration drive. Without your help it wouldn't have been possible!
Call to Action: H.R.6331, A Success!
The Arkansas Pharmacists Association is proud to announce that the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (H.R.6331) is now federallaw. The new law ensures prompt payment for Medicare Part D claims, delays the implementation of provisions. In addition, the law temporarily suspends the 10 percent reduction in Medicare reimbursement for physicians that the bill overwhelming passed both the House and Senate; however President Bush vetoed the bill. Congress overrode the president's veto. The votes were 383-41 in the House and 70 to 26 in the Senate, meeting the constitutional requirement for two-thirds margins to enact legislation without the president's signature.
Arkansas Pharmacist Association July 16, 2008 Read the Article (PDF)
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