Peter Loewen: Associate Professor at , UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Associate Professor

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Research Classification

Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences (except clinical aspects)

Research Interests

Cardiovascular diseases

Arrhythmia

Thrombosis and Embolism

Heart Failure

Pharmacoepidemiology

stroke

Health Care Technologies

Professional Practices

Hematology

decision making

adherence to medication

atrial fibrillation

clinical prediction rules

healthcare communication technologies

hospital pharmacy practice

knowledge translation of evidence to patient care

patient complexiometry

patient decision aids

patient education

pharmacy practice

prediction of stroke and bleeding in atrial fibrillation patients

quality of care, quality drug therapy

Shared decision-making

stroke prevention therapy

use of mobile technology for clinical decision-making

Relevant Degree Programs

View all programs

Affiliations to Research Centres, Institutes & Clusters

Institute of Applied Mathematics

Research Options

I am interested in and conduct interdisciplinary research.

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Research Methodology

pharmacoepidemiology

Qualitative Research

Randomized Controlled Trials

Meta-analysis

prospective observational studies

retrospective observational studies

patient preferences & decision-making

Recruitment

Looking to recruit:

Master's students

Doctoral students

Postdoctoral Fellows

Desired start dates: 2021

Potential research project areas:

In the above domains, to be worked out with excellent candidates.

Other options:

I support public scholarship, e.g. through the Public Scholars Initiative, and am available to supervise students and Postdocs interested in collaborating with external partners as part of their research.

I support experiential learning experiences, such as internships and work placements, for my graduate students and Postdocs.

I am open to hosting Visiting International Research Students (non-degree, up to 12 months).

I am interested in hiring Co-op students for research placements.

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Great Supervisor Week Mentions

Each year graduate students are encouraged to give kudos to their supervisors through social media and our website as part of #GreatSupervisorWeek. Below are students who mentioned this supervisor since the initiative was started in 2017.

Huge thanks, from the bottom of my heart to my #GreatSupervisor, Dr. Peter Loewen, for supporting me and believing in me (sometimes more than I believe in myself), in the past 3 years. I am a better person because of you.

Shahrzad Salmasi (2019)

Graduate Student Supervision

Master's Student Supervision (2010 - 2020)

Assessment of atrial fibrillation patients' education needs (2018)

Introduction: Education facilitates construction of a correct illness representation, corrects beliefs about medications and improves patients’ illness-treatment coherence. There is no consensus on the best education strategy for atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Identifying patients’ education needs is the first step towards development of an effective education program.Purpose: The overall aim of this thesis was to provide insights into AF patients’ education needs from patient and clinician viewpoints, and to inform the design of AF patient education programs and initiatives.Methods: The current evidence on AF patients’ knowledge gaps was summarized through a literature review. This was followed by a qualitative descriptive study utilizing semi-structured interviews with patients and clinicians who were recruited through purposive sampling. All interviews were conducted by a Master of science student. The interviews were conducted in English, in a private room or over the phone, without the presence of any non-participants. Each interview lasted approximately 30 minutes and was audio-recorded. Verbatim transcripts were generated within three days of the interview. The reporting of this qualitative study conforms to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SQRQ) and the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ).Analysis: The analysis of the data was iterative, occurring as interviews proceeded. The interview guides were revised frequently based on the emerging data. The data collected were analyzed through inductive qualitative thematic analysis. Data from patients and clinicians were analyzed independently.Results: Eleven clinicians and ten patients were interviewed. Clinician and patient interviews led to emergence of three and four themes, respectively. This research went beyond identification of knowledge gaps by offering a rich description on patients’ misconceptions, information seeking behavior, education style preferences, attitudes towards online education, expectations of an education program, emotional education needs, preferences for risk communication, and clinicians’ views on the topic. A key finding of my study was the identification of patients’ emotional education needs: the need for education that addresses patients’ concerns and relieves their anxiety. Summarizing my study findings, I offered a set of recommendations that can be used by those involved in educating AF patients.

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