bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Provision of a domiciliary service by community pharmacists
Authors: Schneider Julia , Barber Nicholas 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The potential benefits of home visits by community pharmacists to housebound people with medication difficulties were examined. Sixteen community pharmacist volunteers made initial home visits to 39 patients referred by 14 general practitioners. The medication in their possession was noted, and information about the medication recorded from the medication container label, a patient medication record provided by the referring sugery and the patients' own knowledge. In 35 cases there were discrepancies between the medicines in the patient's possession, those they were currently taking and those listed on the patient medication record. Non-adherence, medication hoarding and adverse drug reactions were found. After each visit a summary was sent to the patient's GP and dispensing pharmacist. GP intervention was requested for 25 patients and dispensing pharmacist intervention for 17. Follow-up visits to 18 patients one month later showed that 37 per cent of suggested GP interventions and 50 per cent of suggested dispensing pharmacist interventions had been acted on. Feedback was received from the visiting pharmacists during a meeting and from the GPs and dispensing pharmacists by interview. The service was valued by the patients and endorsed by the GPs and all the community pharmacists involved, indicating that community pharmacists have a potential role to play in enhancing the care of specific housebound patients through domiciliary visits.
White and ethnic minority pharmacists' professional practice patterns and reasons for choosing pharmacy
Authors: Hassell Karen 
Published: February 2011

AbstractThe growing number of women in pharmacy practice has led to a wealth of research looking at their role and impact on the profession. While anecdotal evidence supports the view that pharmacy is also an increasingly popular profession for a large number of ethnic minority groups, there is no empirical pharmacy practice research to support the claim. A small scale postal survey was conducted to determine and compare the practice environments and reasons for embarking on a pharmacy career of white and ethnic minority pharmacists (classified using the 1991 United Kingdom census classification scheme). The sample comprised graduates of one UK school of pharmacy over a 10 year period. While the data are not generalisable, and despite small numbers in the ethnic minority group, the results indicate that ethnic minority status may contribute to different practice patterns. Ethnic minority pharmacists might be more likely to practise in community pharmacy, and to be under-represented in management positions although over-represented as owners/partners of community pharmacies. There is also some evidence to suggest that ethnic minority pharmacy graduates might have more difficulty than white pharmacy graduates in obtaining preregistration posts.
Savings at ward level through simplification of dose schedules
Authors: Wallenius Kari , Tuovinen Kati , Naaranlahti Toivo , Enlund Hannes 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The magnitude of possible savings to be made by changing drug dose frequency was investigated. First, the time, labour cost and material cost involved in administering three different dosage forms on the oncology ward of a university hospital was measured. On average, administering a single oral dose took 0.6 minutes, an injection 4.8 minutes and an infusion 10.9 minutes. The dose frequencies on three wards (oncology, surgical and internal medical) were then noted. For oral medications the frequencies were similar, 39 to 53 per cent of the doses being administered three times daily, but for parenteral drugs there was a large variation in dose frequency. The total time spent on drug dosing activities in one month was 82.7 hours on the oncology ward, 74.8 hours on the surgical ward and 65.8 hours on the medical ward. The time spent giving doses of the most frequently ordered thrice daily oral drug varied from 4.0 to 5.2 hours per month on each ward. The annual costs of drug dosing, related to drug acquisition costs, varied from 5.8 per cent to 30.1 per cent. The magnitude of theoretical savings at the hospital level, made by changing the most popular intravenous antibiotic (currently administered three times a day) to a once a day alternative could mean savings of about 60,000 ECU per year. However, in practice, this kind of calculation is applicable only to the most frequently used medications.
Developing community pharmacy services wanted by local people: information and advice about prescription medicines
Authors: Livingstone Carina R , Pugh Anthony L G , Winn Sandra , Williamson Valerie K 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
An extended information service on prescription medicines was evaluated in four community pharmacies over a period of 11 months, including a three-month pilot phase. Written patient information leaflets (PILs) and structured verbal advice designed according to the preferences of local people were provided by the pharmacist to patients prescribed any of three study drugs — amoxycillin, atenolol or ibuprofen. A total of 1,614 PILs were issued. Data were collected from a sample of 311 recipients about their perception and recall of the information service. Altogether, 64 per cent remembered receiving the study leaflet and 56 per cent remembered receiving some verbal information from the pharmacist. More than 80 per cent of service recipients supported the provision of both verbal and written information by the pharmacist. In the main study period (n=203), the types of information respondents could recall receiving most frequently were when to take the medicine (67 per cent), the name of the medicine (53 per cent) and side effects (41 per cent). Sixty seven per cent (40) of those receiving amoxycillin, 61 per cent (43) taking atenolol and 38 per cent (28) taking ibuprofen recognised a side effect of their medicine given in both the leaflet and verbal advice. For all three drugs, side effects were recognised most frequently when included in both the written and verbal information. Support for this aspect of the pharmacist's extended role has been demonstrated in practice and the feasibility of service implementation is discussed.
Comparison of attitudes and beliefs about self-care and personal responsibility for health held by consumers and pharmacists in Thailand
Authors: Charupatanapong N , Chairojkanjana K , Tanapaisalkit A 
Published: February 2011

AbstractThe 16-item Krantz Health Opinion Survey (KHOS) and the 18-item Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) were used to measure Thai consumers' and pharmacists' attitudes and beliefs about self-care and personal responsibility for health. A face-to-face interview was conducted with 193 consumers at Silpakorn university pharmacy, Thailand, and with 34 pharmacists who worked occasionally at the pharmacy. All subjects were asked to indicate their responses to each of the 34 statements on a continuous measure ranging from strong disagreement to strong agreement. The KHOS results showed that Thai pharmacists had more favourable attitudes than Thai consumers towards receiving health care information and were more actively involved in their health care. The MHLC results showed that Thai consumers believed more than Thai pharmacists that their health was under the control of “powerful others”. Out of five demographic variables (sex, age, marital status, education and income), education was found to be the best predictor of Thai consumers' attitudes and beliefs. However, none of these variables could be used to predict Thai pharmacists' attitudes and beliefs.
Health promotion in community pharmacy
Authors: Moore S M , Cairns C J , Harding G , Craft M 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
In this study, health promotion activity in community pharmacies and pharmacists' perceptions of the barriers to increasing health promotion activity were investigated. A stratified sample (30) was investigated using a structured interview. Health promotion activities were undertaken in all pharmacies in the study. The number of times advice was given or a query dealt with was estimated to be around 1,400 per week for this sample. Health promotion activity was 2.5 times more likely to be reactive than proactive. Other issues were identified which suggest that pharmacists' activities in this field tend to be passive and product orientated. Barriers identified included remuneration issues, space, time, training and insufficient liaison with other health professionals and health promotion units.
Pharmacy involvement in formulary development: community pharmacists' views
Authors: Hughes Carmel M , McFerran Geraldine 
Published: February 2011

AbstractA postal survey was carried out in the Eastern health and social services board in Northern Ireland to evaluate the views of community pharmacists (n= 100) on pharmacy involvement in formulary development. There was one mailing, with a response rate of 66 per cent. Most respondents (78.7 per cent) agreed or strongly agreed that pharmacist involvement in formulary development was important. Almost two thirds of responding pharmacists said they would be prepared to approach a GP in relation to such collaborative work and 27 per cent had had previous contact with GPs on the subject. Respondents considered that their input would be particularly useful in improving prescribing, providing cost advice and developing a closer working relationship with GPs. Evaluation of current levels of interprofessional liaison in relation to prescribing issues showed that 33.3 per cent of the pharmacists were already contacted by a GP regularly and 45.4 per cent contacted a GP regularly. Most (80 per cent) rated their working relationship with the GP as useful or very useful. The results suggest that community pharmacists in the Eastern health and social services board are willing to become involved in formulary development, thereby extending the use of practice formularies in general practice and integrating community pharmacy more fully into the primary health care team.
Clinical evaluation of community pharmacists' interventions
Authors: Caleo Sue , Benrimoj Shalom , Collins David , Lauchlan Roberta , Stewart Kay 
Published: February 2011

AbstractPharmacists' clinical interventions with prescriptions listed on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme were investigated in a pilot study set up in 30 pharmacies — 10 each from the states of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria — stratified by city or rural location. Clinical interventions were self-reported by the 29 participating pharmacies for a period of four weeks. A total of 89,326 prescription items was dispensed in the pharmacies over the 675 recording days. There were 1,273 clinical interventions recorded from 1,053 prescription forms. Clinical interventions were divided into two main categories: reactive and proactive. The mean of the total clinical intervention rate was 1.5 per cent (SD=1.4 per cent), comprising 1.2 per cent (SD=1.2 per cent) reactive interventions and 0.3 per cent (SD=0.3 per cent) proactive interventions. A random sample of 50 proactive interventions that resulted in a change in a patient's therapy was evaluated by a clinical expert panel to determine the most likely adverse outcome avoided as a result of the pharmacist's intervention. This study provides evidence of community pharmacists' interventions with prescriptions and demonstrates that pharmacists increase the efficiency and effectiveness of patients' drug regimens and also, potentially, their welfare and quality of life.
Leading edge practitioners in community pharmacy: approaches to innovation
Authors: Tann Jennifer , Blenkinsopp Alison , Allen Judy , Platts Adrian 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
Despite the recommendations of the Nuffield (1986) and Pharmaceutical Care (1992) reports, implementation of the “wider role” in pharmacy practice has been piecemeal. While individual pharmacists have successfully introduced innovations in tasks and working methods, others have not. The paper explores the hypothesis that innovation is related to a set of (largely) generic characteristics possessed by those who promote professional change, together with enabling elements in the work environment. The hypothesis is explored by the identification of leading edge practitioners (LEPs) by key stakeholders in pharmaceutical service delivery and tested using critical incident analysis, an extended interview schedule and a psychometric test (KAI). LEPs were found to initiate more actions, to be more patient-centred, to be effective “soft” networkers, more focused on staff development and more effective influencers. There are wide implications for both providers and purchasers of pharmaceutical care, together with those who have a responsibility for training and development.
Use of non-prescription advice offered to the public by community pharmacists
Authors: Evans Stuart W , John David N , Bloor Michael J , Luscombe David K 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
A study was undertaken to establish whether members of the public use the specific advice offered by community pharmacists relating to minor ailments and non-prescription medicines. Conversations between pharmacists and clients discussing symptoms and researcher-client interviews were recorded and transcribed. Ninety-eight clients who had sought advice either for themselves or someone in their care were interviewed by telephone using a structured instrument. While pharmacists offered a mean of 13.7 information items per client, only 3.3 were later recalled (24 per cent). Clients were more likely to recall procedural advice (P&lt;0.001) and repeated items of information (P&lt;0.01). Over three-quarters of the medicines sold (76.5 per cent) were reported to have been used within the dose range specified by the manufacturer (or recommended by a pharmacist if different). Ten clients were directly referred by the pharmacist to a general practitioner; seven had visited their GP before the interview. A further 30 clients were conditionally referred. Forty-six clients reported the resolution of symptoms on interview and a further 34 reported symptom improvement. All clients, when asked, reported being satisfied with their pharmacy visit.
When do medication administration errors happen to hospital inpatients?
Authors: Ho Catherine Y W , Dean Bryony S , Barber Nicholas D 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine when medication administration errors (MAEs) are most likely to occur. MAEs were identified by observing nurses preparing and administering medication on a care of the elderly ward during two eight-day periods. The exposure of individual patients to MAEs was also determined.
A total of 119 MAEs was identified during the observation of 2,170 opportunities for error, representing an error rate of 5.5 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval, 4.5 per cent to 6.4 per cent). The omission of drugs that were not available on the ward was the predominant type of error. Of the 56 study patients, 35 experienced at least one MAE during the study period. Errors occurred at an average rate of at least 0.3 errors per patient day. The MAE rate was significantly higher on weekdays (6.4 per cent) than during weekends (4.0 per cent) and higher during pharmacy opening hours (7.8 per cent) than when the pharmacy was closed (4.6 per cent). Patients were at greatest risk of MAEs in the first 48 hours of admission and in the first 48 hours after prescribing. A multidisciplinary approach is required to design safer systems.
Impact of domiciliary pharmacy visits on medication management in an elderly population
Authors: Begley S , Livingstone C , Hodges N , Williamson V 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
This paper describes medication management by elderly patients living in their own homes, and the effects of patient counselling during five domiciliary pharmacy visits on patient compliance and medication management. The 190 subjects who completed the 12-month study were randomly allocated to either an intervention group (receiving counselling on the correct use and storage of their drugs during five domiciliary visits), a control (V) group (receiving visits but no counselling), or a control (NV) group (having no contact between an initial visit and the end of the study). The patients' drug knowledge, dexterity and cognitive functioning were assessed, and patients in all three groups were well matched at baseline. At each follow-up visit, patient compliance was measured using pill counts and interviews. After the initial visit, patients in the intervention group demonstrated better compliance, better drug storage practices and a reduced tendency to hoard drugs, and required fewer GP consultations, than patients in either of the control groups. The provision of the domiciliary pharmacy service was effective in detecting drug-related problems in a potentially high risk patient group. The effectiveness of such a service may be improved by increased transfer of patient information between community pharmacists and general medical practitioners.
Patients' perceptions and expectations of outpatient pharmacy services in a teaching hospital
Authors: Tam Vincent H Y , Lim Mun Moon 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
A six-week prospective study was carried out in a Singapore outpatient hospital pharmacy to assess patients' perceptions and expectations of pharmacy services. From a total of 1,273 self-administered questionnaires distributed, 413 evaluable responses were returned. These showed that the most important services in the patient's view were a prescription filling waiting time of less than 30 minutes, medicines being dispensed accurately and reasonable pricing. The mean acceptable waiting times for prescription filling were 9.5 minutes for up to two items, 16.8 minutes for three to five items and 23.9 minutes for six or more items. Pharmacists' competency was rated significantly higher by respondents with higher education and higher incomes than by those with lower education and incomes, while the time spent with the pharmacist was rated less sufficient by respondents with a lower income than by those with higher incomes.
Perceptions of United Kingdom pharmacy lecturers about teaching pharmaceutical care
Authors: Winit-Watjana Winit , Greene Russell J 
Published: February 2011

AbstractPharmaceutical care is now regarded as the primary mission of pharmacy practice. To help ensure that this mission is fulfilled, pharmacy students need the clinical knowledge and skills that underlie pharmaceutical care, and pharmacy academics need to be aware of this concept and its applications. A survey was conducted of British pharmacy lecturers' views on teaching pharmaceutical care. Correlations between lecturers' characteristics (sex, teaching commitment and teaching experience) and the use of computer-aided learning (CAL) in teaching pharmaceutical care were also evaluated. Self-completion questionnaires were sent to 16 heads of departments of pharmacy practice, or their equivalent, for distribution. There was a 40 per cent response rate. Perceptions varied considerably in terms of the definition of pharmaceutical care, the difference between clinical pharmacy and pharmaceutical care, the application in practice settings, drug-related problems, knowledge and skills required and the barriers to teaching pharmaceutical care. Lecturers' characteristics were not related to views on either the use of CAL generally or the potential use of CAL in teaching pharmaceutical care. Many respondents agreed that a CAL program could be used to supplement pharmaceutical care teaching. Further studies on pharmaceutical care teaching are suggested.
Supplying injecting equipment to drug misusers: a survey of community pharmacists' attitudes, beliefs and practices
Authors: Rees Lois , Harding Geoffrey , Taylor Kevin M G 
Published: February 2011

AbstractA postal survey of 888 community pharmacists in one metropolitan administrative region of southern England investigated the pharmacists' involvement in the supply of injecting equipment to injecting drug misusers (IDMs). The survey response rate was 59 per cent. Of respondents, 58 per cent sold injecting equipment and almost 10 per cent supplied it via “exchange” schemes. The respondents' attitudes and beliefs towards provision of injecting equipment were measured on a five point scale. Providers of injecting equipment were significantly more likely than non-providers to have a positive attitude towards supply, to perceive greater demand for injecting equipment, and to believe that “important others,” such as the pharmacy clientele and other health professionals, would like them to make equipment available. Certain demographic variables and specific beliefs were identified which differentiated between providers and non-providers of injecting equipment. Pharmacists who did not supply injecting equipment were significantly more likely than providers to believe in negative outcomes of supply, such as theft from the pharmacy. The strong associations identified in this study, between service provision, attitudes and beliefs, have implications for shaping attitudes and encouraging pharmacists' future involvement in HIV-prevention initiatives.
Postgraduate clinical pharmacy programmes in the United Kingdom: a comparative content analysis
Authors: Quinn John , Bates Ian , Cox Roy 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
Hospital pharmacy in the United Kingdom has developed in the past 20 years from mainly a supply function to a more patient-orientated function. In addition, pharmacists in hospitals are interacting more with medical colleagues on drug issues, and affecting patient care directly or indirectly, through initiatives such as the formation of drug protocols/guidelines and the formation of formulary management systems. Postgraduate clinical pharmacy programmes have been developed in order to meet the needs of hospital pharmacists who have to undertake such roles. It might be expected that the 16 higher education institutions offering these programmes would differ to some extent. However, a non-judgmental, descriptive content analysis showed variation in all aspects of the programmes, namely, programme type/timescale, programme delivery/structure, choice, professional skills, research training and clinical content. The differences found were greater than was expected. On the basis of evidence obtained in this study, postgraduate clinical pharmacy programmes cannot be regarded as producing equivalent types of practitioners. Questions arise about whether these programmes meet the needs of pharmacist participants in extending their clinical role.