Browsing by Author "Hodge, Crystal"
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Item Can Trust in Pharmacists Improve When They Have Complete Health Records?(2023) Madunezim, Quentin; Oranu, Chukwuezugo; Hodge, CrystalIntro: Pharmacists rank third amongst U.S. professionals for honesty and ethics. As one of the most accessible healthcare fields, we hypothesized that Since Ccommunity pharmacists with additional access to patient medical records would improve the pharmacist’s ability to conduct MTM and subsequently strengthen the patient-pharmacist relationship. Methods: This is a survey study administered as part of a randomized controlled trial (NCT03437694)e with the primary purpose of the impact of medication therapy management (MTM) on the health of persons living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). As part of the larger clinical trial, participants were randomized 1:1 into the intervention arm (MTM with pharmacist access to patient health records) or the control arm (MTM without pharmacist access to patient health records). Patient health records were defined as updated labs, imaging results, and notes from their primary care provider. The inclusion criteria were African American, adults, and comorbid conditions including HIV on antiretrovirals, and the presence of hypertension and/or diabetes. The purpose of this survey study is to determine if there is a difference in the degree of participant trust based on the trial arms. Additional inclusion criteria for this study was completion of at least 5 out of the 9 scheduled visits. Participant surveys were excluded if they had unanswered responses. The study was approved by the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s IRB (#1436643/2018-094) which included the administration of participant surveys. The survey was an unvalidated, contained 43-item questionnairesassessed on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Agree to 5 = Strongly Disagree), and administered at every MTM visit. Four questions related to participant trust were extracted from the larger survey administered at the fifth study visit. Reverse coding was used given the structure of the Likert scale and applied so that higher values represented better outcomes. For each participant, an average of the responses to the four questions was calculated. All categorical data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Since patients were not matched, an independent t-test was used to compare the survey scores between arms. Results: A total of 58 participants were included with an average age of 55 years. The majority of the surveys were from participants assigned to the control arm (57%). The average trust score for the intervention arm was 4.82 ± 0.39. The average trust score for the control arm was similar at 4.82 ± 0.41 (p = 0.99). Conclusions: The results demonstrated an overall strong degree of trust in pharmacists conducting MTM. There was no statistically significant difference in participant’s attitude or expression of trust towards the capability of the community pharmacist regardless of pharmacist access to additional medical records. The lack of statistical difference could be explained by the small sample size, unmatched participant characteristics, and the overall high agreement signifying an already trusting relationship between participant and pharmacist. This is in line with other data suggesting that the field of pharmacy is one of the most trusted fields in healthcare.Item Oral Health Educational Needs Among HIV Health Care Providers in North Texas(2024-03-21) Garcia-Ponce, Alejandra; Teplitskiy, Nathaniel; McRae, Alison; Hodge, Crystal; Brosnan, Amanda; Neelamegam, Malinee; Allison, Waridibo; Griner, StaceyPurpose: Understanding connections between HIV and oral health is vital for providing comprehensive care to people with HIV (PWH). Due to compromised immune function associated with HIV, PWH are more susceptible to oral health disease and infections. In Texas, there is a need for improved access and provision of oral healthcare services for PWH, particularly amongst marginalized populations. The purpose of this study is to identify HIV/AIDS healthcare providers’ (HCPs) and non-clinical providers’ gaps in oral health knowledge and preferred educational strategies and models. Results can inform educational programming for providers, ultimately improving the quality of oral healthcare to PWH in North Texas. Methods: A targeted needs assessment (Qualtrics survey) was conducted among a sample of major HIV organizations in North Texas to assess the educational and training needs of their HCPs. The survey, administered in January 2024, featured multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Participants were presented with lists of topics based on existing programming and literature: (i) topics on oral health and HIV, such as oral microbiome and antiretroviral therapy; (ii) key populations, such as pregnant persons; and (iii) preferred learning models, such as workshops, webinars, and case studies. They were asked to select all topics of interest. Results: Of the 33 total responses, 8 were excluded due to incomplete surveys. The respondent’s credentials included DMD/DDS (n=4), MD/DO (n=1), PharmD (n=1), RN/NP (n=2), RDH (n=2), LSW/LPC (n=2). When prompted about general areas of interest within the HIV/AIDS care continuum, there was interest in learning about approaches to reduce patients lost to care, reduce HIV stigma in healthcare settings, and expand pre-exposure prophylaxis in routine oral care. Substance use disorder as it relates to HIV and oral healthcare was reiterated as an educational need. Specific educational gaps included oral manifestations of HIV (60%), HIV-related oral cancers (56%), and therapeutics such as antiretroviral therapy (48%) and other emerging treatments (48%). Clinical management of oral health conditions and HIV, dental implants and prosthetics, and innovations in diagnostics in the dental setting were other educational needs selected. Additionally, respondents indicated a need to learn more about specific key populations such as people living with substance use disorders (80%), people living without housing (76%), and transgender and gender diverse communities (64%). Pregnant persons, incarcerated persons, and aging populations were other groups of interest. Results indicate a significant preference for webinar (68%), seminar (52%), and workshop (44%) learning models. Podcasts (24%) and case studies (20%) were also selected often, but other major telementoring models (ECHO, self-paced learning and adapted community health clubs) did not receive the same preference. Conclusion: The results of this survey reveal knowledge gaps and oral healthcare needs among HCPs that should be addressed in order to enhance oral healthcare for PWH in North Texas. While synchronous educational methods like webinars and workshops were favored, HCPs may benefit from additional active learning models (e.g., ECHO) into their continuing education. By developing and implementing education on the identified topics, HCPs can advance efforts to end the HIV epidemic and ensure PWH receive comprehensive care, including addressing their oral health needs.