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Background: Longitudinal placements are defined as involving "a regular, recurrent placement in the same setting with the same supervisor over a period of time". "Continuity" is the organising principle for promoting learning through continuity of care, curriculum and supervision. Longitudinal placements are widely used in medicine, but less is known about their use in pharmacy and whether the educational principles translate to community pharmacy practice.Objective: This study sought to explore if a longitudinal community pharmacy placement (LCPP) for Year 2 pharmacy students promoted learning through student patient-centeredness, curricular integration, and growing professional engagement.Methods: An explanatory mixed methods study design was used. Quantitative data for the study was collected prior to and after the LCPP using a questionnaire incorporating a validated measure of professional engagement and items relating to patient-centeredness and curriculum integration. Pre and post-responses were compared using the Wilcoxon-signed rank test. To further understand the quantitative findings, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students, supervisors and practice-educators and thematically analysed through a constructivist lens.Results: There was a 78% response rate (47/60 paired responses) to the questionnaire and 25 interviews were conducted. There was quantitative and qualitative evidence of patient connection during LCPPs, yet some students had limited opportunities to connect with people. Curriculum integration was enhanced by the longitudinal nature of the placement. There was a significant increase in the sum scores of the S-PIPE instrument indicating enhanced professional engagement. Qualitatively there was evidence that engagement was promoted through role modelling and supervision, but continuity was compromised with changing supervisors.Conclusions: An early LCPP promotes learning by providing opportunities for curriculum integration and professional engagement. It may be worth considering as a way to enhance integration through experiential learning in curriculum design. The placement needs to be of a sufficient length to enable repeated patient interaction and ideally provide continuity of supervision for maximum benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Integrated health professions curricula aim to produce graduates who are capable of meeting current and future healthcare needs. This is reflected in pharmacy education where integration is increasingly advocated by pharmacy regulators as the perceived optimal way of preparing students for registration as pharmacists. There is, however, no definition of integration. Integration can be described according to a model of horizontal, vertical or spiral integration. It can also be described by the themes used to integrate, such as a systems-based approach or by integrative teaching and learning approaches. The level of integration can also be described.Objective: This scoping review aimed to explore health professions education literature to inform the optimal design of integrated pharmacy curricula. This review asks: what is meant by integration in health professions curricula?Methods: The Arksey and O'Malley scoping review framework was utilised. Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science and ERIC were searched. Models of integration, themes for integration, integrative teaching and learning approaches, and level of integration were defined and supported data extraction.Results: There were 9696 records screened and of these 137 were included. The majority of studies (n = 88) described horizontal integration. Systems-based teaching (n = 56) was the most common theme reported. Various integrative teaching and learning approaches were described, including experiential (n = 43), case-based (n = 42) and problem-based (n = 38) learning. The majority of the curricula could be classified as levels 5-7 on Harden's ladder (n = 102). Perception outcomes were reported for 81 studies, and only 3 reported outcomes beyond perception. Reported outcomes were generally positive and included knowledge gains and increased motivation.Conclusions: There is a need for integration to be explicitly defined by curriculum developers and researchers. Attention should be given to describing the model, theme, teaching and learning approach and level of integration. There remains a lack of evidence for integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public health emergencies (PHE) can disrupt personal medication practices and increase the risk of medication-related harm and other negative medication-related outcomes. Our aim was to examine the extent and nature of published research on this topic to guide future research and practice. Scoping review. Standard electronic databases were searched. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed. Extracted data were organised in response to review questions and narrative accounts developed. A total of 129 studies were included, conducted across 32 countries, mostly in the USA (n = 42). Sixty-eight (53%) reported on infectious events, 49 (39%) climatological or ecological events and the remainder a mixture of terrorism, war or other disasters. The studies described several medication safety outcomes (medication-related harm, adherence, supply) and adaptive medication practices (self-altering prescribed medications, sharing medications and changing healthcare providers). Challenges to maintaining routine medication practices during a PHE included transport, finance, quarantine and knowledge-related issues. Twenty-eight studies (22%) examined health inequalities pertaining to adverse medication-related outcomes, with findings suggesting that gender, age, ethnicity, educational and socio-economic status may be related to inequalities. Research gaps identified included carers', children's and minority communities' experiences and intervention studies. There is considerable evidence of disruptions to routine personal medication practices during PHEs and of medication-related harm and other negative outcomes. Maintaining medication supply for the management of chronic conditions is a universal problem across all emergency types. Research is needed to address these disruptions, particularly amongst people who experience health inequalities who may need additional support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]