Kelly Grindrod

• BScPharm, PharmD, MSc
• Professor (Assistant) at University of Waterloo

Background Recent regulatory changes in Ontario have enabled pharmacists to perform point-of-care testing (POCT) to manage chronic diseases. With the introduction of any new service(s), educational interventions can aid acceptance and implementation. Computer-based education (CBE) improves pharmacists' knowledge, but there is little evidence of its...

Introduction: Vaccine hesitancy, including concerns about possible fertility side-effects, caused delay in the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada and elsewhere. One way of tackling vaccine hesitancy is the use of infographics that explain key issues and address concerns. The aim of this study was to explore the collaborative process of rapidly d...

Background Across the globe, racial and ethnic minorities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 with increased risk of infection and burden from disease. Vaccine hesitancy has contributed to variation in vaccine uptake and compromised population-based vaccination programs in many countries. Connect, Collaborate and Tailor (CCT) is a Pub...

Background Previous Canadian reviews of physician, pharmacist, and dentist disciplinary action have noted differences in discipline outcomes across professions and provinces. The objective of this study was to compare the disciplinary action process across provinces and professions, and to describe the perspectives of health professional regulatory...

The opioid crisis in Canada continues to cause a devastating number of deaths. Community-based naloxone programs have been identified as one of the solutions for combatting this crisis; however, there are disparities in which pharmacies stock and offer naloxone. Opioid-related stigma is a major barrier for limited naloxone distribution through phar...

Background: Shared decision-making (SDM) is a dynamic, patient-engaged approach to collaborative medical care. Limited SDM tools exist in pregnancy. We aimed to examine the need and usability of a novel SDM tool for pharmaco-therapeutic treatment of neurological conditions in pregnancy. Methods: This is an exploratory mixed-methods study. Non-pregn...

Background Community pharmacies are largely recognized as geographically accessible; yet concerns arise regarding inequitable access to COVID-19 vaccination, especially during early vaccine availability. Objectives This study aims to investigate the accessibility of COVID-19 vaccination from Ontario's community pharmacies from April to December 20...

Aims To determine the cost-effectiveness of pharmacy-based intranasal (IN) and intramuscular (IM) naloxone distribution in Canada. Methods We developed a state-transition model for pharmacy-based naloxone distribution, every 3 years, to illicit, prescription, opioid-agonist therapy and nonopioid use populations compared to no naloxone distribution...

Background Across the globe, racial and ethnic minorities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 with increased risk of infection and burden from disease. Vaccine hesitancy has contributed to variation in vaccine uptake and compromised population-based vaccination programs in many countries. Connect, Collaborate and Tailor (CCT) is a Pub...

Background Vaccination plays a critical role during pandemics, and mass vaccination clinics are often an imperative public health measure. These clinics usually consist of multi-disciplinary teams, which can pose significant coordination challenges, yet also present an opportunity for collectively contributing towards mitigating the impact of infec...

Vaccine hesitancy has been identified as one of the top 10 threats to global health. The causes of low vaccine uptake are many and vary at micro and macro levels. However, rural and remote coastal areas in the UK experience unique vaccine inequalities due to high levels of deprivation and their unique and complex access-related problems. This study...

Introduction Unpaid community volunteers are a vital public health resource in times of crisis. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, community volunteers were mobilized to support mass vaccination efforts in many countries. To have this group’s continued engagement, it is essential to understand the community volunteer experience, including the op...

Background The success of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out depended on clear policy communication and guidance to promote and facilitate vaccine uptake. The rapidly evolving pandemic circumstances led to many vaccine policy amendments. The impact of changing policy on effective vaccine communication and its influence in terms of societal response...

Citation: AlShurman, B.A.; Tetui, M.; Nanyonjo, A.; Butt, Z.A.; Waite, N.M.; Vernon-Wilson, E.; Wong, G.; Grindrod, K. Understanding the COVID-19 Vaccine Policy Terrain in Ontario Canada: A Policy Analysis of the Actors, Content, Processes, and Context. Vaccines 2023, 11, 782. Abstract: (1) Background: Canada had a unique approach to COVID-19 vacci...

Objective: This study aims to determine the reasons for disciplinary action and resultant consequences for Canadian pharmacists and any associations with demographic factors. Methods: Regulatory body disciplinary action cases from 10 Canadian provinces were coded. Demographic information was coded. Results: There were 665 pharmacist cases from...

Objective: This study aims to determine the reasons for disciplinary action, the consequences and any associations with demographic factors for Canadian dentists. Methods: Publicly available regulatory body disciplinary action cases from 10 Canadian provinces were coded. Demographic factors were also coded. Results: There were 344 dentist case...

Background Vaccination plays a critical role during pandemics, and mass vaccination clinics are often an imperative public health measure. These clinics usually consist of multi-disciplinary teams, which can pose significant coordination challenges, yet also presents an opportunity for collectively contributing toward mitigating the impact of infec...

Unlabelled: Mass vaccination clinics are complex systems that combine professionals who do not typically work together. Coordinating vaccine preparation and patient intake is critically important to maintain patient flow equilibrium, requiring continuous communication and shared decision-making to reduce vaccine waste. Objectives: (1) To develop...

Introduction: Racialised immigrant older adults (RIOAs) in Canada have poorer self-rated health and are more likely to report chronic conditions, while they concurrently experience well-documented challenges in navigating and accessing the healthcare system. There is strong evidence that patient and caregiver engagement in their healthcare leads t...

Background: Implementing mass vaccination clinics for COVID-19 immunization has been a successful public health activity worldwide. However, this tightly coupled system has many logistical challenges, leading to increased workplace stress, as evidenced throughout the pandemic. Understanding the complexities of mass vaccination clinics that combine...

Background: The success of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out depended on clear policy communication and guidance to promote and facilitate vaccine uptake. The rapidly evolving pandemic circumstances led to many vaccine policy amendments. The impact of changing policy on effective vaccine communication and its influence in terms of societal response...

COVID-19 infections are over-represented in ethnic minority groups and other deprived communities while low uptake levels for COVID-19 vaccines are observed in the same groups. The uptake of a vaccine depends not only on its perceived safety and effectiveness profile but also on how well vaccination policies are communicated by policy makers and su...

Many people have negative experiences with vaccination due to stress-related reactions including fear and pain. We used a pre-post study design to evaluate the impact of implementing a modified version of the CARD (Comfort-Ask-Relax-Distract) system on stress-related reactions in individuals aged 12 y or older undergoing COVID-19 vaccinations in ma...

Background: Documenting an indication when prescribing antimicrobials is considered best practice; however, a better understanding of the evidence is needed to support broader implementation of this practice. Objectives: We performed a scoping review to evaluate antimicrobial indication documentation as it pertains to its implementation, prevale...

Background Computer-based education is gaining popularity in healthcare professional development education due to ease of distribution and flexibility. However, there are concerns regarding user engagement. This pilot study aims to: 1) assess the feasibility and acceptability of a social reward and the corresponding study design; and 2) to provide...

Background: Past research on disciplinary action by pharmacist regulatory bodies has shown that most cases concern community pharmacists, with few occurring in a hospital setting. Objective: To investigate how discipline-related issues involving pharmacists are dealt with by hospital pharmacy departments in Canada. Methods: Hospital pharmacy d...

The number of opioid-related deaths in Canada has steadily increased since 2016 and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this trend. Naloxone has been pivotal for reducing opioid-related harms and death, and pharmacists play a crucial role in ensuring the supply of naloxone to Canadians through community pharmacies. However, naloxone dispensing by ph...

This companion document outlines what prescribers and pharmacists need to know about nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for the treatment of COVID-19 in Ontario, including: - Why is nirmatrelvir/ritonavir used to treat COVID-19? - What is the benefit of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for COVID-19? - Who should receive nirmatrelvir/ritonavir? - How do I dose nirmatrelv...

Smart adherence products are marketed to assist with medication management. However, little is known about their in-home integration by older adults. It is necessary to investigate the facilitators and barriers older adults face when integrating these products into their medication taking routines before effectiveness can be examined. The aim of th...

Objectives Regional health innovation ecosystems can activate collaboration and support planning, self-management and development and commercialization of innovations. We sought to understand how older adults and their caregivers can be meaningfully engaged in regional health innovation ecosystems focused on health and aging–related technology inno...

Background: Computer-based education has been widely implemented in healthcare professional development education. However, there has been little examination of the potential for computer-based education to enhance pharmacists’ knowledge. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of computer-based education on improving pharmacists’ knowledge com...

What research has been done to characterize the outcomes of disciplinary action or fitness-to-practice cases for regulated health professionals? To answer this research question, relevant publications were identified in PubMed, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL via EBSCOhost, and Scopus. Included papers focused on reviews of regulatory body disciplinary action f...

Background In North America, although pharmacists are obligated to ensure prescribed medications are appropriate, information about a patient’s reason for use is not a required component of a legal prescription. The benefits of prescribers including the reason for use on prescriptions is evident in the current literature. However, it is not standar...

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread societal disruption, with governmental stay-at-home orders resulting in people connecting more using technology than in person. This shift had a large implication on older adult residents staying in retirement homes and residential care facilities, where older adult residents may lack the technolog...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread societal disruption, with governmental stay-at-home orders resulting in people connecting more via technology rather than in person. This shift had major impacts on older adult residents staying in retirement homes and residential care facilities, where they may lack the technology literacy neede...

Background Medication mismanagement can lead to non-optimal management of chronic diseases and poor health outcomes. Objective The purpose of this study was to better understand meanings associated with in-home medication management and storage practices of older adults with chronic diseases. Methods A modified ethnographic approach using digital...

Health professional criminal behavior and clinical incompetence are distinct concepts that both endanger the public. In this paper, we compare and contrast these concepts using the case of convicted Canadian health care serial killer Elizabeth Wettlaufer, who also exhibited a pattern of clinical incompetence throughout her career. As one Canadian p...

A recent report found that the number of opioid-related deaths in Ontario in the first 15 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic was 38.2% higher than in the 15 weeks before the pandemic. Our study sought to determine if pharmacy professionals self-reported an increase or decrease in naloxone provision due to the pandemic and to identify adjustments made b...

Innovative dispensing products offering real-time medication intake monitoring are being developed to address medication non-adherence. However, implementation of these interventions within the workflow of a community pharmacy is unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore factors affecting implementation of a real-time adherence-monitoring,...

Introduction: Older Canadians living with frailty are high users of healthcare services; however, the healthcare system is not well designed to meet the complex needs of many older adults. Older persons look to their primary care practitioners to assess their needs and coordinate their care. They may need care from a variety of providers and servi...

Background Evidence of a gender wage gap has been identified across many professions, with some evidence in pharmacy. Negotiation is one potential strategy to address this gap and it is underutilized, especially among women. No studies to date have examined pharmacy student perceptions of negotiation when applying for co-operative education positio...

Objectives: Pharmacy professionals are required to take all necessary steps to protect commonly misused drugs such as opioids at their pharmacies to minimize the risk of diversion. The aim of this study is to assess Canadian pharmacy professionals' knowledge and compliance with federal and provincial regulations using the computer-based educationa...

In Canada, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy was recommended for funding for the treatment of select hematological cancers. Canadian hospitals have limited experience and capacity in administrating this therapy. We conducted a qualitative interview-based study with stakeholders in Canada. Questions were asked related to the development...

A variety of new sources describing community pharmacy-based take-home naloxone (THN) programs have emerged recently in the literature. There is a need to define the types of take-home naloxone programs being offered to support future research designs in implementing and evaluating standardized programs that fill pharmacist and patient knowledge ga...

Background Computer-based platforms are rapidly growing as a promising way to deliver education to health professionals (HPs). However, evidence to support the use of computer-based education to change professional behavior and clinical practice and to guide the selection of design features of computer-based educational platforms is lacking in the...

Background The indication for prescribing a particular medication, or its reason for use (RFU) is a crucial piece of information for all those involved in the circle of care. Research has shown that sharing RFU information with physicians, pharmacists and patients improves patient safety and patient adherence, however RFU is rarely added on prescri...

Background: No previous study, to the best of our knowledge, has examined both the time trend and impact of not having insurance or prescription medication cost coverage (PMCC) on the usage of type 2 diabetes and hypertension oral medications in Ontario and New Brunswick, Canada. Methods: We used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (C...

Background As pharmacy evolves, pharmacy professionals continue to struggle to practice to their full scope. A theoretically-informed intervention to change practice can support pharmacy professionals in providing full scope services. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) can inform the design of a behaviour change intervention to improve the upt...

Background: Medications are crucial for maintaining patient wellness and improving health in modern medicine, but their use comes with risks. Helping patients to understand why they are taking medications is important for patient-centered care and facilitates patient adherence to prescribed medications. One strategy involves enhancing communicatio...

BACKGROUND Social integration and mental health are vital aspects of healthy aging. However, close to half of Canadians over the age of 80 report feeling socially isolated. Research has shown that social isolation leads to increased mortality and morbidity, and various interventions have been studied to alleviate loneliness among older adults. The...

Background Social integration and mental health are vital aspects of healthy aging. However, close to half of Canadians older than 80 years report feeling socially isolated. Research has shown that social isolation leads to increased mortality and morbidity, and various interventions have been studied to alleviate loneliness among older adults. Thi...

Background The indication for a particular medication, or its reason for use (RFU), is important information for prescribers, pharmacists and patients but is not often communicated in writing from prescribers to pharmacists. Adding RFU to a prescription and a medication label would ensure that pharmacists are confident that they are providing high-...

BACKGROUND In North America, though pharmacists are obligated to ensure prescribed medications are appropriate, information about a patient’s reason for use is not a required component of a legal prescription. The benefits of prescribers to including the reason for use on prescriptions has been well documented. Yet, it is not standard practice to s...

We propose that the socio-technical matrix could be a useful tool when using FRAM (Functional Resonance Analysis Method) in complex domains where multiple iterations of technology and work organization may co-exist. In this paper, we describe the concept of the socio-technical matrix and demonstrate its value in the problem space of Medication Ther...

A computer-based education platform was developed using a theory-based approach to help Canadian pharmacy professionals adopt their full scope of practice. Data from the platform were used to identify factors that impacted user performance and engagement. A de-identified dataset included response data for 21 unique modules, including quiz responses...

This study explored how to inform the design of information systems for medication therapy management, in the context of the southwestern Ontario health system. The data collection comprised document analysis, interviews, and process mapping, and the analysis of previous interview records. The Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) was used fo...

This study explored how to inform the design of information systems for medication therapy management, in the context of the southwestern Ontario health system. The data collection comprised document analysis, interviews, and process mapping, and the analysis of previous interview records. The Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) was used fo...

PURPOSE The development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells has transformed oncology treatment, with the potential to cure certain cancers. Although shown to be effective in selected populations and studies, CAR T-cell technology requires considerable health care resources, which may lead to additional wait times to access this type of treat...

Community health workers in developing countries usually perform house calls in degraded and violent territories. Thus, in this paper we study the effects of urban violence in the performance of CHWs in poorly developed territories, in order to understand the challenges of delivering care to dangerous communities in developing countries. We conduct...

Background: Pharmacists and physicians are being increasingly encouraged to adopt a collaborative approach to patient care, and delivery of health services. Strong collaboration between pharmacists and physicians is known to improve patient safety, however pharmacists have expressed difficulty in developing interprofessional working relationships....

The objective of this study is to understand how the reason for use (RFU) or the indication for medications are used, its effects on the decision-making process, the implications, and the willingness among prescribers, pharmacists, and patients to share RFU information. Methods, semi-structured interviews were conducted to retrieve the information...

Objectives: We know little about how electronic health records (EHRs) should be designed to help patients, pharmacists, and physicians participate in interprofessional shared decision making. We used a qualitative approach to understand better how patients make decisions with their health care team, how this information influences decision making...

Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) is a preventable occurrence caused by the injection of a vaccine into the shoulder capsule rather than the deltoid muscle. As a result, inflammation of the shoulder structures causes patients to experience pain, a decreased range of motion, and a decreased quality of life. Physicians can mit...

Objectives: Recognizing pharmacists' increasing roles as primary care providers, programs offering remuneration for patient care services and the administration of injections by pharmacists continue to be implemented. The objective of this article is to provide an update on remuneration programs available to pharmacists internationally for nondisp...

The objective of this study is to understand how the reason for use (RFU) or the indication for medications are used, its effects on the decision-making process, the implications, and the willingness among prescribers, pharmacists, and patients to share RFU information. Methods, semi-structured interviews were conducted to retrieve the information...

Objectif: Passer en revue les symptômes de la toxicité sérotoninergique (communément appelée le syndrome sérotoninergique), les médicaments causatifs et leurs mécanismes d’action, et proposer aux médecins de soins primaires des stratégies pratiques pour prévenir et dépister la toxicité sérotoninergique. QUALITÉ DES DONNÉES: Une recherche documentai...

Objective: To review the symptoms of serotonin toxicity (commonly referred to as serotonin syndrome) and the causative drugs and their mechanisms of action, and to equip primary care providers with practical strategies to prevent and identify serotonin toxicity. Quality of evidence: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles o...

Objectives: Recognizing pharmacists' increasing roles as primary care providers, programs offering remuneration for patient care services, and the administration of injections by pharmacists continue to be implemented. The objective of this article is to provide an update on remuneration programs available to pharmacists internationally for nondis...

Objective: Concerns about liability from clinical errors have been cited as a barrier preventing greater adoption of practice change. Our objective was to determine the most common actions or omissions that result in disciplinary action for pharmacists and the restrictive actions imposed. Methods: Canadian disciplinary reports were reviewed. Cas...

Summary: 1.Objectives The study is to examine how physicians and pharmacists collaborate to perform medication therapy management (MTM) through Electronic Medical Records Systems (EMR), Pharmacy Management Systems (PMS) and Electronic Health Records Systems (EHR), and how the collaboration and interactions with EMR/PMS/EHR varied across different h...

Objective Apps promoting patient self-management may improve health outcomes. However, methods to secure stored information on mobile devices may adversely affect usability. We tested the reliability and usability of common user authentication techniques in younger and older adults. Methodology Usability testing was conducted in two age groups, 18...