Browsing by Author "Rovers, John"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Advancing Pharmacy Practice Through Social Theory
    (University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy, 2011) Rovers, John
    Although there is a substantial role for social theory in explaining patients’ health behaviors, it does not appear that pharmacists commonly use such theories to provide patient care. This paper attempts to demonstrate an explicit link between social theory and pharmacy practice. The theory of structure and agency and the practice problem of poor medication adherence (MA) in patients with HIV/AIDS are used as exemplars to illustrate such a link. Factors influencing MA were identified from qualitative studies of adherence in patients with HIV/AIDS. All factors identified were stratified into one of four categories: agency related factors that facilitate MA; agency related factors that are barriers to MA; structural factors that facilitate MA; structural factors that are barriers to MA. Stratifying MA in this manner allows pharmacists to identify clinical interventions that are targeted towards the specific cause of MA problems.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Interview with the Medicine Man: A Case Study of a Traditional Malian Healer
    (University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy, 2014) Rovers, John
    Pharmacists are commonly members of medical mission teams that provide health care services in underdeveloped countries. Although pharmacists and others often find their service on a mission trip to be positive and life changing, critics of such missions note that Western providers trained in biomedicine frequently lack the cultural awareness to practice effectively in such settings. This paper is a case study of one traditional healer who practices in rural Mali. Although the results of one case from one practice setting may not be generalizable to all cultures, a basic understanding of the healer’s beliefs and practices concerning the etiology and treatment of disease, the role of magic and other supernatural therapies, his experience with Western trained providers and the regulatory environment in which he works should assist pharmacists who serve on mission trips to be better culturally prepared.