bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Survival of neonatal intravenous infusion sites
Authors: Hecker John F 
Published: February 2011

AbstractA survey was performed on the survival of 446 peripheral intravenous infusion sites in 82 babies in a neonatal intensive care unit. Median survival was 31 hours. Factors identified by multivariate survival analysis as significantly decreasing site survival were faster infusion rates, total parenteral nutrition rather than dextrose, decreased gestational age, and co-infusion of phosphate, ceftazidime and metronidazole. Pancuronium, aminophylline and, possibly, saline and ampicillin increased survival. These data indicate that, while neonatal infusions fail more rapidly than infusions in adults, there appear to be relatively few factors that have marked effects of the rate of failure.
Comparison of dissolution rates of ibuprofen tablets
Authors: Bosanquet Andrew G , Betteridge Richard F 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The dissolution profiles of 600mg ibuprofen tablets from four manufacturers have been compared with those of Boots's Brufen. The latter showed rapid dissolution in phosphate buffer pH 7.2 (the USP method) such that 50 per cent was dissolved in 3.9 ± 0.9 min and 90 per cent in 7.7 ± 1.9 min. Tablets from one manufacturer showed similar dissolution characteristics to those of Boots while the other manufacturers' products dissolved more slowly. Five out of 48 tablets from one manufacturer did not achieve the USP specification of 70 per cent dissolved by 30 min. Differences in dissolution rates have been shown to affect speed of action in some products. A study is required to determine the analgesic properties of ibuprofen tablets that dissolve at different rates.
Shelf life of cefuroxime eye-drops when dispensed in artificial tear preparations
Authors: Hebron Brian , Scott Hilary 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
There has recently been a clinical demand for cefuroxime formulated as an eyedrop. Cefuroxime exhibits a broad spectrum of activity against most common ocular infections and is considered to be less toxic to the compromised epithelium than some other topical antibiotics. A formulation in an artificial tear solution would be expected to enhance drug penetration by prolonging pre-corneal drug retention, and the presence of a preservative might enable a suitable formulation to be given a shelf life of more than 24 hours.
This paper reports studies on the stability of cefuroxime 50mg/ml (5 per cent) in artificial tear solutions, sodium chloride eye-drops and in solutions of benzalkonium chloride, hypromellose or water for injections. Cefuroxime was assayed by high performance liquid chromatography. The method had a coefficient of variation of 0.23 per cent at the concentration investigated and recovery of added cefuroxime was 100 per cent. The preparation of cefuroxime in artificial tear solutions which were preservative free or contained benzalkonium chloride less than 0.002 per cent appeared to be physically stable. Preparation of cefuroxime in Sno Tears also produced a stable solution. This preparation can be given a shelf life of 28 days at 4C, 24 hours at 25C and 14 days if stored in a domestic refrigerator, enabling a full course of treatment to be given on a single visit to the pharmacy.
The quality of written inpatient prescriptions
Authors: Jenkins Duncan , Cairns Christopher , Barber Nicholas 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the quality of inpatient prescription writing. Prescriptions from a teaching hospital and a district general hospital were assessed against prescription writing standards drawn from the British National Formulary and local procedures. The prescription charts were from a stratified sample of inpatients discharged between July, 1989, and July, 1990. Over 400 inpatients' charts, containing 4,536 prescriptions, were examined. Depending on the type of prescription, between 12 per cent and 32 per cent failed to use the approved name of the drug and 4 to 10 per cent were illegible or ambiguous. The dose was written incorrectly in 11 to 26 per cent of cases. Failures were particularly common in “as required” prescriptions, with 21 per cent potentially allowing an overdose of a drug to be given and 5 per cent indicating more than one route of administration. Three per cent of fluid additive prescriptions had not had the type of fluid defined. The standard of inpatient prescription writing needs to be improved. This paper offers objective standards which could be used to start a regular audit process.
Pharmacy practice research in the hospitals of South East Thames regional health authority, England
Authors: Davies G , Dodds L , Fleet E , Horne R , Joshua A 
Published: February 2011

AbstractPharmacy practice research is a relatively new discipline which is vital to the development of the pharmacist's professional role, both in the hospital service and in community practice. In 1991, a pharmacy practice research group was set up in South East Thames regional health authority, England, and its members set as a priority the need to develop a regional database of previous and ongoing pharmacy practice research that would be easily accessible to pharmacists within the region and elsewhere. At the same time, the opportunity was taken to survey the perceived barriers to practice research within the region.The survey demonstrated a steady increase in practice research projects undertaken within the region over the past decade, although this partly reflected an increase in the number of research projects imposed by preregistration training requirements or postgraduate qualifications. The most common reason for initiating research was to support a local service development; only 19 per cent had been initiated as a result of “personal interest”. Collaborative research with other professions, but not between pharmacists, was reported. A disappointingly low rate of publication of project results was noted. The main barriers to research were identified as lack of time and lack of funding. The survey results have enabled measures that might encourage practice research within the region to be identified and implemented.
Complaints to family health services authorities about pharmacy services
Authors: Smith F J , Weidner D 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The public in Britain is being encouraged to expect health care of a high standard. A consequence of this may be that people are more prepared to make complaints. Pharmacists will know that channels exist through which clients can complain about their services. However, few will have experience of these procedures, or be aware of the frequency with which clients resort to this action, for what reasons and with what outcomes. The objective of the study was to investigate the complaints made to family health services authorities (FHSAs) about pharmacy services.
The study involved all complaints made in a three and a half year period to six FHSAs in one health region. The number, nature and outcomes of these cases are presented. A total of 113 complaints was made. These included a wide range of different issues, 92 per cent of which related to dispensing activities. Forty-one per cent of complaints did not constitute a breach of contract by the practitioner. The formal procedure, for investigating complaints, resulting in a hearing was pursued in 25 per cent of cases.
There was considerable variation in the outcome of complaints that included an allegation of breach of contract. The diversity in the nature of complaints indicates that clients' perceptions and expectations of pharmacy services extend beyond the supply of the correct medication.
Stability and bioavailability of a flucytosine suspension
Authors: McPhail D C , Johnson J R , Pryce-Jones R H 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The stability and bioavailability of a suspension of flucytosine was evaluated. There was found to be no change in the flucytosine content of the suspension over a three month period. A shelf life of at least three months could be given to suspensions made by large scale dispensing.
The bioavailability of the suspension was compared with that of commercially available tablets in eight healthy male volunteers. A single dose (2g) of tablets was administered to each volunteer and urine samples were collected over a 24 hour period. After a washout period of one week, the procedure was repeated using the suspension (2g/20ml). The bioavailability of the suspension relative to commercially available tablets was 80.7 per cent. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method used was found to give consistent results for tablet and suspension assays and for urine analysis (relative standard deviation 1.8 per cent, correlation coefficient r = 0.996).
Where patients have impaired swallowing reflexes or few accessible sites for venepuncture, flucytosine suspension may have several advantages when large doses (10–15g/day) need to be administered.
Development and acceptability of structured work based learning in a community pharmacy vacation training programme
Authors: Rees J A , Collett J H , Mylrea S , Crowther I 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The development of structured work based learning (WBL) for use by pharmacy students in a standardised summer vacation work placement is outlined. Assessment methods were developed for measuring the acceptability of the WBL activities and work placement from both the students' and employers' viewpoint. Overall, both were acceptable, and students suggested that the WBL activities should become an integral part of the undergraduate degree course.
Clinical interventions by community pharmacists using patient medication records
Authors: Rogers Philip J , Fletcher George , Rees John E 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The use of patient medication records (PMRs) in clinical interventions made by community pharmacists has been studied over an 18-month period. Participating pharmacists recorded clinical intervention events by noting the nature of the intervention, the product(s) involved, any at-risk grouping of the patient, and outcome or action taken.
In total, 1,862 clinical interventions were reported, of which 1,234 were associated with the use of a PMR system. PMRs were of particular benefit in interventions associated with patients suffering from cardiovascular disease (231 events), asthma (129 events) and diabetes (55 events). Over 50 per cent of the reported events related to the wrong drug, strength or dose being written on a prescription form, frequently due to errors being made in the use of a general practice computer system at the time the prescription form was generated.
The study illustrates the important benefits to community pharmacists of keeping patient records which enable the exercise of clinical judgement in the provision of pharmaceutical care. Pharmacists using a computerised PMR system were more likely to intervene than those using a manual card-index system. PMRs were shown to be especially useful in alerting the pharmacist to potential drug interactions between previously-dispensed and newly-prescribed medication.
Hospital discharge correspondence — how effective is it?
Authors: Mottram D R , Slater S , West P 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
Continuity of patient care after discharge from hospital relies on effective discharge communication between the hospital doctors and the patient's general practitioner. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of discharge communication, in terms of its content and timing. The study involved analysing all discharge correspondence received by two city-based group practice medical centres over a period of one month. Three hundred and one pieces of discharge correspondence were scrutinised. These comprised 164 initial discharge summaries and 137 follow-up discharge letters. In general, information was more thoroughly and more accurately recorded in the follow-up letters than in the discharge summaries; however, there were significant delays in the receipt of the letters by the GPs. Results showed that there are many aspects of the correspondence between secondary and primary care which need improving. These include: improvement in the design of discharge correspondence forms; improvement in completing the forms; and improvement to the administrative systems for dispatching discharge correspondence. Although not specifically looked at in this study, we also believe that it would be useful for a mechanism to be set up for hospital pharmacists to establish links with their community colleagues in advance of a patient's discharge in order that the patient's pharmaceutical needs may be readily met in the community.
Reconstitution of Ambisome injection in one regional health authority
Authors: Chandhok Mani , Taylor Kevin M G , Craig Duncan Q M 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
Ambisome is a lyophilised liposomal formulation of amphotericin B which requires a prolonged and elaborate reconstitution procedure prior to administration by intravenous infusion. In this study a questionnaire survey was used to ascertain the level of usage of Ambisome in hospitals within the North Thames (West) regional health authority, England, and details of the reconstitution procedure employed.
Eight hospitals indicated that they currently had patients being treated with Ambisome or had in the recent past. A number of different guidelines, based on the product's data sheet, were used in the region. Reconstitutions of Ambisome performed in three hospitals during the study period were monitored by the investigator. When possible, samples of the reconstituted product were sized by photon correlation spectroscopy. The observational study suggests that significant deviation from the reconstitution guidelines occurred in practice. However, the sizing data, although indicating that liposome size may increase slightly on storage and be influenced to some extent by the reconstitution procedure, suggest that within limits the final product is not greatly influenced by reconstitution variables.
Location of community pharmacies: A rational approach using geographic information systems
Authors: Hirschfield A , Wolfson D J , Swetman S 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
The role played by community pharmacies in primary and community care and the extent to which they meet patient and customer needs has come under close scrutiny in Great Britain recently following publication of reports from the National Audit Office and House of Commons Public Accounts Committee.1,2 Spatial variations in the provision of pharmaceutical services and their physical accessibility to different sections of the community are issues at the forefront of the current debate. This paper reports on recent research, being undertaken in the North West region, to develop a systematic approach to the analysis of community pharmacy location drawing on the fields of geodemographics (ie, neighbourhood classifications) and geographical information systems (GIS).
Comprehensive information is being assembled about individual pharmacies, the services they provide, the types of residential neighbourhood in which they are located, their advice-giving role, and their proximity to general practitioners, other health care outlets and residential homes. Data sources include the pharmaceutical register, the family health services authorities (FHSAs) and surveys of pharmacists and health care professionals. This is being augmented with digitised boundary information including the road network and small area statistics on demographic structure, social conditions and deprivation.
These data are being utilised within a computerised system to identify how well the current distribution of pharmacies accords with expectations and alternative resource deployment scenarios. Particular attention is being paid to the identification of gaps in provision and areas of over-provision.
Consumer and professional views of pharmacy
Authors: Savage I T 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
With 116 participants from 21 countries, the 8th Social Pharmacy Workshop, held at Humboldt university in former East Berlin in June, was a truly international event. This year, there were participants from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia, and a large British contingent, which matched that of the host country. We publish here a summary of some of the research presented.
Where has all the money gone? Therapeutic areas making major contributions to general practitioner prescribing costs
Authors: Dunn Christopher D R , Beswick D Trevor 
Published: February 2011

AbstractA “top down” analysis was used to identify the therapeutic areas making major contributions to the greater than £22m increase in general practitioner prescription costs in the former South Western regional health authority (RHA) between the years ending August, 1992, and August, 1993. The analysis used PACTLINE and level 3 PACT to identify the British National Formulary (BNF) chapters and sections most responsible for cost increases. In support of this analysis, a “bottom up” analysis was also carried out. This involved empirically selecting therapeutic areas that might have made significant contributions, then calculating, using levels 2 and 3 PACT, the extent of the contribution.Despite the different approaches, several classes of agents were identified by both methods. The top down analysis indicated that just six therapeutic areas had contributed almost £11m to the total increase of £22m+: they accounted for over 100 per cent of the “excess” growth in the four high growth rate BNF chapters (1, 3, 4 and 6). As various authoritative guidelines have recently been published concerning the use of many of the drugs in these therapeutic areas, the bases exist for a detailed evaluation of whether or not the large increases in their use can be justified.Analysis of prescriptions dispensed for medicines in chapter 2, which served as a control because of a large increase in prescription numbers but a below average increase in costs, supported the contention that the increased use of generic products and/or some sort of price control (eg, their inclusion in the Drug Tariff) can release considerable resources to be exploited, allowing the introduction of newer and more expensive drugs even in situations of tightly-controlled budgets.
Hygiene compliance in contact lens wearers presenting to an ophthalmic casualty department
Authors: Wakelin Susan E 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
Poor compliance with contact lens care regimens is a factor considered important in the development of potentially sight-threatening microbial keratitis. The purpose of this study was to highlight particular areas of non-compliance in contact lens care. One hundred and sixty contact lens wearers, who presented to an ophthalmic casualty department over a period of six months, were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. Of the 142 patients who used daily wear lenses, 29 (20 per cent) did not clean/disinfect their contact lenses after every use. Soft contact lens wearers used a wide variety of care regimens, some of which would be ineffective in disinfecting the lenses. The care of the lens case was a particular problem, with only 10 patients (7 per cent) using a regular and effective method of case cleaning. Seventy-three patients (50 per cent) either rarely or never discarded their contact lens solutions 28 days after opening. Of the 128 patients wearing non-disposable lenses, 43 (34 per cent) either rarely or never used enzymatic cleaning tablets to remove protein from their lenses. Tap water, a potential source of microbial contamination, was used for rinsing contact lenses before or after cleaning by 36 patients (25 per cent). The results highlight specific areas where there was deviation from recognised standards of practice for contact lens care. There is a need for contact lens wearers to be re-educated in the care of their lenses. Since pharmacies are a major source of contact lens care products, pharmacy staff could have an important role to play in the counselling of contact lens wearers to help prevent serious ocular pathologies.
Evaluation of a presentation skills course for pharmacists
Authors: Hargie Owen D W , Morrow Norman C 
Published: February 2011

AbstractAs the role of the pharmacist develops, expands and changes, it is crucial that those involved in the provision of education and training programmes address areas of current need. One such area is that of delivering presentations to groups, since this is a task which pharmacists are increasingly expected to perform. This paper describes a communication skills training (CST) course for pharmacists, targeting on the area of presentation skills. Starting with a brief overview of the content of the course, where five specific presentation strategies are elaborated, the article goes on to describe the key instructional techniques used. Programme evaluation was through analysis of a post-course questionnaire designed to assess the perceived effects of the training on participants. Against the stated criteria the course achieved an overall 85 per cent score. Strategies for introducing, structuring and concluding a presentation, and for defining new terms scored highest in terms of skill use outcome whereas techniques for engaging audience participation obtained the lowest scores. The implications of these results are discussed, together with recommendations as to how this type of training can be optimised.
A preliminary investigation of the interactions between UK and US community pharmacists and their prescription clients
Authors: Evans Stuart W , John David N 
Published: February 2011

Abstract
Similar periods of time were spent recording pharmacist-client interactions in each of five pharmacies in North Carolina, United States, and South Wales, United Kingdom. All interactions involving prescription medicines were transcribed and analysed, 63 from the UK pharmacies and 60 from the US. The mean time spent by the US pharmacists counselling their clients (122.7 seconds) was almost twice as long as that spent by UK pharmacists (69.1 seconds). Pharmacists in the US offered significantly more items of information to their clients (11.2 items per interaction) than their UK counterparts (6.5 items per interaction). Although pharmacists from both countries asked their clients similar numbers of questions, UK pharmacists asked significantly more leading questions. Over 95 per cent of questions asked by pharmacists from both the UK and the US were the closed type. Although US pharmacists have been shown to offer more advice to their clients than those in the UK, the study did not assess the quality of advice given nor ascertain the opinion of those who received this advice.