Magaly Bittner - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Magaly Bittner

Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association (1996), 1997

Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association (1996), 1996

A variety of databases can be used to gather patient in!or1nation necessary for developing pharma... more A variety of databases can be used to gather patient in!or1nation necessary for developing pharmaceutical care plans.

Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association (1996), 1998

Value in Health, 2016

A31 per individual, average number of medications, medication indication, and medication classifi... more A31 per individual, average number of medications, medication indication, and medication classification) were compared to each other and to the whole population. Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney, Kruskal Wallis, ANOVA and Chi-square statistical test were used. Results: A total of 44,466 subjects met the inclusion criteria within the 15 month study period. Top 1%, 5%, 10% and 30% spenders spent 51.17%, 82.03%, 89.73% and 98.15% of total medication cost respectively. There were statistically significant higher number of medication indications, average medications per person, average spending per person of top spenders compared to the whole population (p< 0.001). The top 1% had statistically significant higher rates of patients who were on anti-asthmatic/COPD, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, cough cold allergy, dermatological, endocrine, HIV, Hepatitis C and psychotherapeutic medications than in the other groups. ConClusions: No study has explored the characteristics of the top medication cost spenders in an incarcerated population, a growing understudied group. In this study, the top medication spenders had more co-morbidities and higher number of medications than the general incarcerated population. The results of this study can help focus on effective interventions to reduce medication cost and increase the quality of care for the high medication spender population and provide an opportunity to decrease overall health care cost.

Journal of the American Pharmacists Association

Journal of Interprofessional Care

Current Medical Research and Opinion

In 2013, Facebook was used in learning and teaching clinical problem solving in a Pathology and a... more In 2013, Facebook was used in learning and teaching clinical problem solving in a Pathology and a Clinical Sciences course delivered at a South Australian university. It involved firstand second-year Medical Radiation students and second-year Nursing students, Of the 152 students enrolled in the Pathology course, there were 148 students who participated in the Facebook group. Of the 148 students, 61 (41%) completed the invited post-intervention questionnaire. At the same time, all 17 nursing students enrolled in a science course at the regional campus of the same university participated in the Facebook initiative, however, only 10 (59%) completed the post-intervention questionnaire. A good practice and checklist were developed from the post-intervention evaluations, which consisted of 25 Likertand open-type questions. Both student cohorts found the use of Facebook beneficial for them in terms of providing an innovative way of learning; fostering greater interaction amongst co-studen...

Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 2003

Online continuing education (CE) holds promise as an effective method for rapid dissemination of ... more Online continuing education (CE) holds promise as an effective method for rapid dissemination of emerging evidence-based practices in health care. Yet, the field of CE continues to develop and delivery is predominately face-to-face programs. Practice-oriented online educational methods and e-learning platforms are not fully utilized. Educational theorists suggest an experiential approach to CE consistent with adult learning theory. A compelling question remains: Can online asynchronous CE programming prepare health care providers in delivering higher-level practice competencies?. To address this question, the authors have identified seven composite “sticky” factors that have been critical to the engagement of learners and the creation and delivery of practice-oriented online educational programs (Zaghab et al, 2015). The sticky factors are based in knowledge management (Nonaka, 1994; Szulanski, 2002) and adult education or andragogy (Knowles, 1970; 1984). In this paper, sticky facto...

... mediante una normativa oficial o reglamento que haga obligatorio su uso como norma para la ..... more ... mediante una normativa oficial o reglamento que haga obligatorio su uso como norma para la ... k) El CFT debe llevar a cabo una labor de "inducción" al uso de la ... Farmacología:Antibiótico sintético de amplio espectro, derivado de las quinolonas (fluoroquinolona) y relacionado ...

Benefits quarterly

Innovative approaches to managing an employee population with a high prevalence of type 2 diabete... more Innovative approaches to managing an employee population with a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus can mitigate costs for employers by improving employees' health. This article describes such an approach at McCormick & Company, Inc., where participants had statistically significant improvements in weight, average plasma glucose concentration (also called glycated hemoglobin or A1c) and cholesterol. A simulation analysis applying the findings of the study population to Maryland employees with a baseline A1c of greater than 6.0% showed that participation in the program could improve glycemic control in these patients, reducing the A1 c by 0.24% on average, with associated cost savings for the employer.

American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 2017

An audio interview that supplements the information in this article is available on AJHP's websit... more An audio interview that supplements the information in this article is available on AJHP's website at www.ajhpvoices.org.

Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 2017

Objective: To determine the effectiveness and cost savings of a real-world, continuous, pharmacis... more Objective: To determine the effectiveness and cost savings of a real-world, continuous, pharmacist-delivered service with an employed patient population with diabetes over a 5-year period. Setting: The Patients, Pharmacists Partnerships (P 3 Program) was offered as an "opt-in" benefit to employees of 6 public and private self-insured employers in Maryland and Virginia. Care was provided in ZIP codeematched locations and at 2 employers' worksites. Practice description: Six hundred two enrolled patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes were studied between July 2006 and May 2012 with an average follow-up of 2.5 years per patient. Of these patients, 162 had health plan cost and utilization data. A network of 50 trained pharmacists provided chronic disease management to patients with diabetes using a common process of care. Communications were provided to patients and physicians. Practice innovation: Employers provided incentives for patients who opted in, including waived medication copayments and free diabetes self-monitoring supplies. The service was provided at no cost to the patient. A Web-based, electronic medical record that complied with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act helped to standardize care. Quality assurance was conducted to ensure the standard of care. Evaluation: Glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c), blood pressure, and total health care costs (before and after enrollment). Results: Statistically significant improvements were shown by mean decreases in A1c (À0.41%, P <0.001), low-density lipoprotein levels (À4.7 mg/dL, P ¼ 0.003), systolic blood pressure (À2.3 mm Hg, P ¼ 0.001), and diastolic blood pressure (À2.4 mm Hg, P <0.001). Total annual health care costs to employers declined by $1031 per beneficiary after the cost of the program was deducted. This 66-month real-world study confirms earlier findings. Employers netted savings through improved clinical outcomes and reduced emergency and hospital utilization when comparing costs 12 months before and after enrollment. Conclusion: The P 3 program had positive clinical outcomes and economic outcomes. Pharmacist-provided comprehensive medication therapy management services should be included as a required element of insurance offered by employers and health insurance exchanges.

Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy, 2013

Culture influences patients' beliefs and behaviors toward health and illness. As the U.S. populat... more Culture influences patients' beliefs and behaviors toward health and illness. As the U.S. population becomes more diverse, a critical need exists for pharmacy education to incorporate patient-centered culturally sensitive health care knowledge and skills into the curriculum. Nursing was the first profession to incorporate this type of learning and training into its curriculums, followed by medicine. Pharmacy has also made great progress to revise curriculums, but inconsistency exists in depth, breadth, and methods across pharmacy colleges. This article addresses important aspects of pharmacy education such as curriculum development, incorporation of educational innovations and techniques into the teaching of patient-centered culturally sensitive health care across the curriculum from didactic to experiential learning, assessment tools, and global education. A preliminary model curriculum with objectives and examples of teaching methods is proposed. Future directions in pharmacy education, teaching and learning scholarship, postgraduate education, licensure, and continuing education are also presented.

Pharmacotherapy, 2007

The Institute of Medicine has stated that greater diversity within health care professionals lead... more The Institute of Medicine has stated that greater diversity within health care professionals leads to improved patient outcomes. Therefore, greater diversity within academia and student bodies is required to create future diverse health care professionals. Cultural sensitivity is required from recruitment to physical environment for administrators, faculty, staff, and students. University, college, and department recruitment, search committees, hiring practices, and admissions policies and procedures need to be assessed to determine whether they reflect the applicant pool and patient populations in their regions and whether they are culturally sensitive to a wide variety of cultures. The mission, vision, policies, procedures, curriculums, and environments should also be created or reviewed, modified, and/or expanded to ensure that no administrator, faculty member, staff member, or student is discriminated against or disadvantaged because of cultural beliefs or practices. In addition to discussing the interplay between cultural sensitivity and academic policies, procedures, and environments, this article briefly discusses specific cultural issues related to religion, spirituality, race, ethnicity, gender, age, marital status, veterans, physical, mental, and learning disabilities, and sexual orientation diversity.

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 2011

Positive health outcomes hinge on the effective use of medications especially among vulnerable, c... more Positive health outcomes hinge on the effective use of medications especially among vulnerable, chronically ill, and aging populations. Yet, increasingly powerful and complex drug combinations are used to treat patients with chronic diseases and multiple health conditions. As treatment complexity increases the potential grows for non-adherence to medications due to side-effects, drug-disease interactions, costs, and patient confusion about medicines. Pharmacists are the medication experts on a health care team. Working in collaboration with the patient and the prescriber, pharmacists offer solutions that foster medication adherence, improve clinical outcomes and decrease drug-related adverse events. Their accessibility, extensive knowledge of drug therapy, and trustworthiness in the minds of consumers open many opportunities for pharmacists to expand their reach in preventing drug-related problems in patients with chronic diseases.

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2009

Objective. To evaluate the impact of advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) on doctor of ... more Objective. To evaluate the impact of advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) on doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students' readiness for self-directed learning. Methods. The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) was administered to students prior to and after completing their APPEs. SDLRS is a validated instrument that determines the relative degree to which students have the attitudes and motivation to engage in self-directed learning. Results. Seventy-seven (64%) students completed the SDLRS prior to starting their APPEs and 80 (67%) students completed the instrument after completing their APPEs. Forty-six (38%) students completed both. Prior to starting their APPEs, 74% of students scored greater than 150 on the SDLRS, indicating a high level of readiness for self-directed learning. No significant difference was found between the mean scores of students who took the SDLRS both prior to (159 6 20) and after completing their APPEs (159 6 24; p. 0.05). Conclusion. Students at our institution appear to be ready for self-directed learning but APPEs had a minimal impact on their readiness for self-directed learning.