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Biomedical subjects

R N Zelnio

Publications and source records attributed to R N Zelnio.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1984

Clinical pharmaceutical services in retail practice. I. Pharmacists' willingness and abilities to provide services.

The expansion of service levels in traditional community pharmacies in the face of structural and process impediments as well as the lack of reinforcement that would be provided by demand and reimbursement for such services requires a highly dedicated professional. As a result, this research had the goals of investigating the relationship between service provision and pharmacist willingness and competency, and characterizing pharmacists who presently do or do not provide expanded levels of service. A census of South Carolina community pharmacists was carried out using a self-administered, mail questionnaire. Analysis of the 890 responses representing 63.4 percent of the sample revealed that there is a significant relationship between pharmacists' willingness and ability and the extent to which they provide expanded levels of service. Pharmacists providing services were not only more willing and able to do so, but worked longer hours, tended to work in apothecary or independent pharmacies, held advanced degrees, and were more involved in continuing education. The results generally support the hypothesis that both willingness and competency may serve as barriers to the extension of clinical services into traditional community pharmacy settings.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1984

Clinical pharmaceutical services in retail practice. II. Factors influencing the provision of services.

The second phase of a two-part investigation of factors influencing the development of clinical pharmaceutical services in retail practice is presented. This report focuses on why pharmacists who reported a willingness and competency to perform services in Phase I had not developed such a practice. Transcripts from 11 focus group interviews conducted with pharmacists throughout South Carolina were analyzed by two panels. The first panel summarized subjects' comments regarding the major dimensions: (1) awareness, (2) demand, (3) motivation, (4) requisites, and (5) barriers for delivery of services. The second panel judged the validity of the first panel's analysis. Pharmacists were aware of common clinical services, but had given little thought to unique services oriented to patients' needs. Monetary factors were deemed to be more important than was concluded from the first phase. Pharmacists saw a minimal demand for services, but a great need. Pharmacists also felt the need for more clinical skills, but better systems of delivery also were emphasized. The report concludes with a strategy for promoting clinical services in retail practice.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1982

The interaction among the criteria physicians use when prescribing.

A randomly selected sample of Iowa physicians was surveyed using a self-administered mail questionnaire that measured the relative importance of prescribing criteria as well as selected physician and practice characteristics. Based on a response rate 68.3 per cent, it was found that the physicians' criteria for selection of a drug to prescribe could be reduced to two groups. The first group is used to select the generic drug or therapeutic class and is of primary concern to the physicians. Those criteria used in specifying a brand of drug product are of lesser importance to physicians and constitute the second group. It was further discovered that physicians could be segregated into two distinct segments based on the importance of the prescribing criteria. It was not possible, however, to explain the composition of the groups using the physician and practice characters measured.

Decision Making↗
PubMed1981

Interpretation of research data: other multivariate methods.

Four techniques of multivariate data analysis are described: discriminant analysis, factor analysis, cluster analysis, and multidimensional scaling. Objectives and applications, data requirements, mechanism of operation, methods of evaluation, and advantages and disadvantages of each method are covered. Multivariate methods are not substitutes for the researcher's use of proper study design. Investigators should try to avoid using a favorite or familiar technique across all research situations.

Research Design↗
PubMed1980

Data collection techniques: mail questionnaires.

Questionnaire use, construction, content, wording, administration and pretesting are reviewed. Mail questionnaires gather large amounts of information at relatively low costs, but their design and administration affect the usefulness of the results. Many different aspects of a questionnaire survey will influence its effectiveness, including pre-contact and follow-up, cover letters, question sequence, and questionnaire appearance and length. The type of question to use depends on the level of measurement desired, suitability of the response form to the issue surveyed, and the ability of respondents to use and understand the response form. A small sample group should be used to pretest the questionnaire.

Methods↗