About

Stephanie Carter, MD, is a University of Florida assistant professor of community health and family medicine and a board-certified family medicine physician at UF Health Jacksonville. She received her medical degree from the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, and completed her family medicine residency at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital in Jacksonville, FL. Her professional focus includes family medicine, and she is actively involved in academic and clinical work within the Department of Community Health and Family Medicine at the University of Florida. Her research includes studies on genetics, with assessments focusing on genes and rarely including the environment, as well as investigations into cancer detection and therapy. Dr. Carter's contributions are reflected in her publications in journals such as the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education and Enliven.

Research topics

• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Emergency medicine
• Intensive care medicine

Selected publications

• Making for Success: A Behavior Analytic Approach to Teaching Makerspace Activities to Adults with ASD

  2025-08-06

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Implementing pharmacist-led home medicines reviews within fracture liaison services for better post-fracture care: a qualitative study of patient and practitioner experience

  Osteoporosis International · 2025-07-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Home medicines reviews present a novel intervention supporting continuity of care between fracture liaison services and primary care. Home medicines review pharmacists deliver multifaceted, collaborative interventions that can bridge gaps in care, promote patient empowerment, facilitate a GP-patient discussion about bone health, and improve coordination of care. PURPOSE: Medication review has potential to reduce the risk of falls and fractures and improve transition of care from a specialist fracture liaison service to primary care. This study was designed to examine and evaluate the implementation of a home medicines review into fracture liaison services in Australia. Study objectives were to (1) explore how home medicines reviews might facilitate the healthcare transition from fracture liaison service to primary care and (2) identify factors required to achieve this. METHODS: This was a qualitative descriptive study nested within a randomised trial (reported elsewhere). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients and healthcare practitioners responsible for providing osteoporosis services. Formative and early-stage data collection occurred September 2022 to January 2024. Thematic analysis was employed inductively (data-driven) and directed content analysis was applied deductively (theory-driven) using the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) domains to frame factors affecting home medicines review implementation. RESULTS: Fifty-six interviews were performed: 25 with pharmacists, 14 with fracture liaison service clinicians, seven with GPs, and ten with patients. Participants perceived home medicines review pharmacists to be uniquely positioned to favourably influence the transition to primary care by (1) identifying gaps in care, (2) promoting patient empowerment, (3) facilitating a GP-patient discussion about bone health, and (4) improving coordination of care. Factors affecting home medicines review implementation related to CFIR domains of the individuals (patient and GP engagement and willingness to accept advice, patient preparedness, GP confidence deprescribing), the innovation (hospital endorsement of home medicines review reports, perception of intervention value, embedded administrative assistants, pharmacist expertise), the inner setting (role clarity, multidisciplinary teamwork culture, and patient-centred focus, scheduling practices, and communication systems), and outer setting (access to telehealth services, a network of mobile pharmacists, and appropriate remuneration systems). CONCLUSION: Home medicines review pharmacists delivering multifaceted, collaborative, and patient-centred interventions can support effective transition of care between fracture liaison services and primary care. Further work should test their integration into fracture liaison service models within routine care environments.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Medication-focused telehealth interventions to reduce the hospital readmission rate: a systematic review

  Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice · 2025-02-05 · 5 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Background: Transition of care from hospital to community is a period that carries significant risk for medication errors, potentially leading to hospital readmission, and causing financial and emotional strain on patients and caregivers. Telehealth technologies offer promising solutions to reduce hospital readmission. Therefore, the goal of this systematic review was to examine the effect of interdisciplinary telehealth post-discharge services that include a medication-focused component on hospital readmissions. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a search was conducted in five scientific databases using keywords related to hospital readmission, medication therapy, and telehealth interventions. The review focused on randomised controlled trials published between 2000 and 2023, written in English. Results: Out of 1,144 papers screened, 23 were included in the review. These studies targeted telehealth service provision to people over 60 years old with chronic illnesses. Various post-discharge telehealth interventions, including medication-focused components, were examined. Most of the interventions were multifaceted, embedded medication-focused interventions with reminders for diet, exercise, symptom check-ups, and education. Among the 23 included papers, 10 studies demonstrated success in reducing readmissions. Seven of these studies targeted patients with heart failure (HF). Conclusion: Overall, this review highlights the potential of telehealth medication-focused interventions in reducing hospital readmission rates in patients with HF.

  PublisherDOI

• Timely post-discharge medication reviews to Improve Continuity—the Transitions Of Care stewardship (TIC TOC) study in rural and regional Australia: a parallel-group randomised controlled trial study protocol

  BMJ Open · 2025-06-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: Transition of care from hospital is a period when the risks of medication errors and adverse events are high, with 50% of adults discharged having at least one medication-related problem. Pharmacist-led medication reviews can reduce medication errors and unplanned readmission when completed promptly post-discharge; however, they are underutilised. A Transition of Care Stewardship pharmacist has been proposed to facilitate and coordinate a patient's discharge process and facilitate a timely post-discharge medication review. Access to pharmacist medication review in rural and regional areas can be limited. This protocol describes a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to determine whether a virtual Transition of Care Stewardship pharmacist reduces medication-related harm in rural and regional Australia. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: Multicentre RCT involving patients at high risk of medication-related harm discharged from regional and rural hospitals to a domiciliary residence. Eligible patients must be aged≥18 years, admitted under a medical specialty, be discharged to a domiciliary setting, have a regular general practitioner (GP) or be willing to visit a GP or an Aboriginal Medical Service after discharge for medical follow-up, have a Medicare card and be at high risk of readmission. High risk of readmission is defined as either a previous admission to the hospital or Emergency Department (ED) presentation in the past 6 months AND≥three regular medications OR on at least ONE high-risk medication. A total of 922 participants will be recruited into the study. Enrolled participants will be randomised to the intervention or control (usual care). The intervention will include a virtual Transition Of Care Stewardship pharmacist to ensure that patients receive discharge medication reconciliation, medication counselling, medication list and communicate directly with primary care providers to facilitate a timely post-discharge medication review. Usual care will include informing the patient's clinical inpatient treating team that the patient is at high risk of medication misadventure and may benefit from a post-discharge Home Medicines Review (a GP-referred pharmacist medication review funded by the Australian Government).Data analysis will be performed on a modified intent-to-treat basis. The primary outcome assessed is a composite of a first unplanned medication-related hospitalisation or ED presentation within 30 days of hospital discharge. Comparisons between the intervention and usual care groups for the primary outcome will be made using a mixed-effects logistic regression model, adjusting for site-level clustering as a random effect. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study is approved to be conducted at the Western New South Wales Local Health District via the Research Ethics and Governance Information System (approval number: 2023/ETH00978). To ensure the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients are appropriately addressed, ethics for this study were submitted and approved by the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (approval number: 2148/23). Manuscripts resulting from this trial will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals. Results may also be disseminated at scientific conferences and meetings with key stakeholders. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12623000727640.

  PublisherDOI

• Implementation priorities in Australian community pharmacy: A semi-structured survey of Australian pharmacists

  Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy · 2025-11-20

  articleOpen access

  Australian community pharmacy is undergoing transformation, with pharmacists increasingly contributing to primary care and providing professional services. Implementation science offers structured approaches to support the scalable and sustainable delivery of healthcare. However, most Australian research to date has been exploratory in nature. To identify key factors influencing the implementation of professional services in Australian community pharmacies and develop a community pharmacist implementation importance scale (CPIIS). A semi-structured national survey was conducted among Australian community pharmacists, guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Cochrane's twelve key implementation dimensions. Descriptive statistics summarised demographics and workplace practices. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) examined perceived importance of implementation elements, and correlation analyses explored associations with pharmacist and practice characteristics. Data from 108 eligible respondents were analysed. Pharmacists reported delivering over 9000 services in the previous 14 days, with dose administration aids (67 %) and absence from work certificates (55 %) being most common. EFA identified two key dimensions: “Inner” and “Outer” contexts, with internal factors, such as staffing, workflow, and resource availability, rated as more important. Pharmacist experience was associated with a decrease in the perceived importance of the outer context. The model demonstrated good fit and internal consistency. Australian community pharmacists currently provide an extensive number and range of professional services. Internal operational factors are prioritised for service implementation. CPIIS offers a practical tool to evaluate the priorities of community pharmacists for implementation of professional services. Ethics registration: Ethics approval from the University of Sydney Ethics and Human Research Committee was obtained [2021/170]. • Community pharmacy services are expanding but implementation is variable. • A new community pharmacist implementation importance scale was developed using implementation science frameworks. • Two key dimensions emerged: “Inner” and “Outer” settings. • Pharmacists prioritise internal factors like staffing and workflow over external ones.

  PublisherDOI

• The Japanese version of the perceived service quality scale for community pharmacies: translation, cultural adaptation, and validation

  BMC Health Services Research · 2025-12-02

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Delivering person-centred care is a core responsibility of community pharmacies. However, no validated Japanese scale currently exists to evaluate community pharmacy services from the perspective of patient experience. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Perceived Service Quality Scale (pSQS) and its short-form (pSQS-SF6), originally developed to assess patient experiences in community pharmacies, into Japanese (pSQS-J and pSQS-J-SF6). METHODS: Following the established process, the pSQS-J was translated and culturally adapted from the original English version. The pSQS-J-SF6 was created by selecting one item from each domain. A survey was conducted among pharmacy users in Wakayama City, and descriptive statistics were reported. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed to explore psychometric properties. RESULTS: The pSQS-J was systematically translated and culturally adapted through a rigorous process. An online survey including the 19 pSQS-J items, along with demographic and related characteristics, was completed by 231 participants across nine pharmacies. After minor modifications (i.e., deleting one item and re-specifying another to a different factor), a six-factor correlated CFA model demonstrated acceptable fit and provided evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. A six-factor bifactor model demonstrated improved fit, and inspection of reliability indices reinforced the multidimensionality of the pSQS-J. However, the CFA results for pSQS-J-SF6 indicated insufficient evidence of convergent validity. CONCLUSION: The pSQS-J is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating patient experience in Japanese community pharmacies and may facilitate the advancement of person-centred care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Statistical collaboration in the conduct of social pharmacy research: Multiple perspectives

  Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy · 2025-09-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Methods used to identify and classify medication-related admissions and readmissions to hospitals: A systematic review

  Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy · 2025-12-18

  reviewOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Medication-related hospital admissions, including readmissions, are common and often preventable. Identifying these admissions is essential for implementing effective interventions, yet no consensus exists on the most appropriate identification method. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the methodologies used to classify medication-related hospital admissions, summarize the tools employed, identify validated tools, and assess their usability in clinical settings. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in Scopus, PubMed, and Embase following PRISMA guidelines. The review was registered on Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WEK2D). Full-text English-language articles published between October 2013 and October 2023 were included if they focused on the development or evaluation of a tool to identify medication-related hospital admissions. Systematic reviews, conference abstracts, editorials, and commentaries were excluded. Studies were screened and selected using Covidence by two authors, with disagreements resolved by a third party. Risk of bias and validity of evidence were assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool and the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies. Data was extracted and evaluated based on usability and if validated, the validation measures. RESULTS: Twenty-three studies were included which describe three methods for identifying medication-related admissions: trigger tools and indicators (n = 8), questionnaires (n = 4), and author-selected ICD-9 or ICD-10 codes (n = 10). Four studies included validated tools, which were further assessed using QUADAS-2 for risk of bias. The AT-HARM10 tool demonstrated the strongest evidence of validity, with good inter-rater reliability and practical usability (average completion time 5.7 min, useable by pharmacy students). However, most studies showed limitations, including risk of bias, inconsistent definitions, and concentrated in older populations, reducing generalizability. While ICD codes were frequently used, their retrospective design limited their applicability in real-time clinical decision-making. These findings highlight the need for standardized, validated tools that are feasible for routine use to improve identification of medication-related admissions and support targeted interventions. CONCLUSION: A range of methodologies exists for identifying medication-related hospital admissions, but few are both validated and feasible for clinical use. AT-HARM10 was the only tool meeting both criteria, making it the most suitable option for real-time application in clinical settings. These findings underscore the need for standardized, validated tools that are practical for routine use to improve detection and enable targeted interventions. Future research should prioritize validation across diverse populations to improve generalizability and support widespread implementation.

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring methods for Identification of Medication-Related Hospital Admission/Readmission: A systematic review

  Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy · 2025-09-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Expert insight into the education of healthcare professionals on medication adherence

  British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology · 2025-05-27 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  AIMS: Medication non-adherence is a global health problem affecting patients with numerous medical conditions. Training healthcare professionals (HCPs) on managing the challenging issue of medication non-adherence requires an evidence-based approach. Therefore, we aimed to describe the perspectives and experiences of adherence experts on educating HCPs about medication adherence in order to guide the content and delivery of medication adherence education to HCPs. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted online, face-to-face and by phone. Interviews were video or audio recorded and professionally transcribed. Data was coded line by line into the preliminary coding framework and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Fifteen adherence experts were interviewed between May 2022 and March 2023. Five major themes with subthemes were identified: enhancing awareness among HCPs, seeing life through the patient's lens, communicating to build empathy and rapport, having a structured approach to address individual patient behaviours, and delivering enriching and targeted training. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence experts emphasized the impact HCPs can play by regularly addressing the pervasive issue of adherence in their clinical setting. HCPs can elicit behaviour change by understanding the patient's perspective, the complexity of adherence and communicating effectively. Structured approaches include using tools, frameworks and communication methods. Continuous training that is clinically relevant and builds on existing professional expertise is required to overcome HCPs' own barriers to behaviour change. The findings of this study guide the content and delivery of medication adherence education and training to HCPs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• William B. Hurlbut

  49 shared

• Elizabeth H. Blackburn

  University of California, San Francisco

  49 shared

• Clark Addie

  American Enterprise Institute

  49 shared

• Gilbert Meilaender

  49 shared

• Noyes Kirby

  The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

  49 shared

• Alfonso Gómez-Lobo

  University of Córdoba

  49 shared

• David Tombs

  University of Otago

  49 shared

• León R. Kass

  49 shared

Education

• M.D.

  Morehouse School of Medicine

• Other, Family Medicine

  HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital