scholarly journals Naloxone Availability and Pharmacy Staff Knowledge of Standing Order for Naloxone in Pennsylvania Pharmacies

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 272-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L. Graves ◽  
Elena Andreyeva ◽  
Jeanmarie Perrone ◽  
Frances S. Shofer ◽  
Raina M. Merchant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Standing Order

Prescription in Locker Box (PILBOX): Remodeling of the Medication Collection Process (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lim Jit Fan Christina ◽  
Goh Boon Kwang ◽  
Chee Wing Ling Vivian ◽  
Tang Woh Peng ◽  
Goh Qiuling Bandy
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Prescription Medications ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Ranking Score ◽  
Study Team ◽  
Willingness To Use

BACKGROUND Traditionally, patients wishing to obtain their prescription medications have had to present themselves physically at pharmacy counters and collect their medications via face-to-face interactions with pharmacy staff. Prescription in Locker Box (PILBOX) is a new innovation which allows patients and their caregivers to collect their medication asynchronously, 24/7 at their convenience, from medication lockers instead of from pharmacy staff and at any time convenient to them instead of being restricted to pharmacy operating hours. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the willingness by patients/caregivers to use this new innovation and factors that affect their willingness. METHODS This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted over 2 months at 2 public primary healthcare centres in Singapore. Patients or caregivers who were at least 21 yo and turned up at the pharmacies to collect medications were administered a self-developed 3-part questionnaire face-to-face by trained study team members, if they gave their consent to participate in the study. RESULTS A total of 222 participants completed the study. About 40% of them participants were willing to use the PILBOX to collect their medications. Amongst the participants who were keen to use the PILBOX service, slightly more than half (i.e. 52.8%) of them were willing to pay for the PILBOX service. The participants felt that the ease of use (3.46±1.21 i.e. mean of ranking score ± standard deviation) of the PILBOX was the most important factor that would affect their willingness to use the medication pick up service. This was followed by “waiting time” (3.37±1.33), cost of using the medication pick up service (2.96±1.44) and 24/7 accessibility (2.62±1.35). This study also found that age (p=0.006), language literacy (p=0.000), education level (p=0.000), working status (p=0.011) and personal monthly income (p=0.009) were factors that affected the willingness of the patients or caregivers to use the PILBOX. CONCLUSIONS Patients and caregivers are keen to use PILBOX to collect their medications for its convenience and the opportunity to save time, if it is easy to use and not costly.

scholarly journals Standing order use in general practice: the views of medicine, nursing and pharmacy stakeholder organisations

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Taylor ◽  
Eileen McKinlay ◽  
Caroline Morris
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
General Practitioner ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Timely Manner ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Standing Order ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
General Practices ◽  
Pharmacy Data ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Standing orders are used by many general practices in New Zealand. They allow a practice nurse to assess patients and administer and/or supply medicines without needing intervention from a general practitioner. AIM To explore organisational strategic stakeholders’ views of standing order use in general practice nationally. METHODS Eight semi-structured, qualitative, face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants representing key primary care stakeholder organisations from nursing, medicine and pharmacy. Data were analysed using a qualitative inductive thematic approach. RESULTS Three key themes emerged: a lack of understanding around standing order use in general practice, legal and professional concerns, and the impact on workforce and clinical practice. Standing orders were perceived to extend nursing practice and seen as a useful tool in enabling patients to access medicines in a safe and timely manner. DISCUSSION The variability in understanding of the definition and use of standing orders appears to relate to a lack of leadership in this area. Leadership should facilitate the required development of standardised resources and quality assurance measures to aid implementation. If these aspects are addressed, then standing orders will continue to be a useful tool in general practice and enable patients to have access to health care and, if necessary, to medicines without seeing a general practitioner.

scholarly journals Patients’ expectations on medicines information

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Sevikyan ◽  
I Kazaryan
Keyword(s):  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Duration Of Treatment ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Medicine Price ◽  
Expiry Date ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Medicines Information ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Effective Use

Abstract Background Medicines information is important for patients as it assists them in achieving more safe and effective use of pharmaceuticals. Many patients seek information from community pharmacies' staff. The objectives of this study were to identify specific topics of medicines information which patients expect to receive at community pharmacies. Methods Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 1059 visitors of community pharmacies in Armenia. Previously developed questionnaire was used for interviewing patients. Data were analysed with the SPSS statistical software. Results Most of participants acknowledged importance of receiving from community pharmacies' staff information on therapeutic indications of medicines (91.1%), dosage and method of administration (90.8%), the duration of treatment (86.3%), expiry date (85.7%), adverse reactions (85.0%), contraindications (84.6%), storage conditions (77.5%) and type of activity (76.0%). Importance of receiving information on some specific topics depends on patients' age. Participants' acknowledgement of information on interaction with other medicines, certain categories of users, and potential effects on the ability to drive is decreasing with patients' age increasing (p < 0.001). The opposite trend was observed with attitude to receiving information on medicine price that was mostly valued by elderly patients (p = 0.046). The number of patients who trust the information provided was higher among those who more often received comprehensive responses from pharmacists and pharmacy assistants (p < 0.001). Conclusions Receiving medicines information from the staff of community pharmacies is important for patients, and the majority of them trust to information received. Patients are mainly provided with comprehensive responses to their questions about medicines, and there was dependence between a frequency of receiving comprehensive responses and a level of patients' trust the information provided by pharmacy staff. Key messages Increasing patients’ awareness on their right to get medicines information can be beneficial. Comprehensive responses increase patients trust medicines information provided by pharmacists.

Gatekeeper training needs of community pharmacy staff

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-228
Author(s):  
Delesha M. Carpenter ◽  
Courtney A. Roberts ◽  
Jill E. Lavigne ◽  
Wendi F. Cross
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Gatekeeper Training

scholarly journals CHALLENGES FACED BY OLDER PERSONS IN USING PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION LABELS: WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S709-S710
Author(s):  
Rahul Malhotra ◽  
Sumithra Suppiah ◽  
Yi Wen Tan
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Limited English Proficiency ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Prescription Medication ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
System Level ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Medication Information ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract In Singapore, while many older people cannot read English, prescription medication labels (PMLs) are predominantly dispensed in English. This qualitative study documented the challenges faced and solutions employed by users (i.e. older Singaporeans) and dispensers (i.e. pharmacy staff) of PMLs. In total, 30 in-depth interviews were conducted; 20 were equally divided between older Singaporeans (≥60 years) who could read English and those with limited/no English reading ability, and 10 were conducted with pharmacy staff across 6 polyclinics. The audio-taped interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. The interviews with older Singaporeans and pharmacy staff revealed similar challenges in using PMLs. The first challenge related to reading and understanding PMLs by older people, mainly due to their limited English proficiency (LEP) or illiteracy. Consequently, older Singaporeans often relied on family members, domestic workers or pharmacy staff to help them interpret PMLs. Specifically, to address LEP, pharmacy staff reported translating PML instructions verbally and also handwriting them on PMLs. For illiterate patients, pharmacy staff reported drawing illustrations on PMLs to communicate key medication information. The second challenge related to PML readability, due to small font size. To address this, pharmacy staff routinely re-wrote medication information on PMLs in larger handwriting. Such improvised solutions by pharmacy staff to address the challenges faced by older Singaporeans in using PMLs indicate a pressing need for system-level improvements to PMLs. Improvements such as standardised and legible bilingual medication instructions and/or pictograms would appreciably facilitate medication counselling and allow for better understanding of PMLs by older Singaporeans.

scholarly journals Qualitative study using interviews and focus groups to explore the current and potential for antimicrobial stewardship in community pharmacy informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e025101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah Ffion Jones ◽  
Rebecca Owens ◽  
Anna Sallis ◽  
Diane Ashiru-Oredope ◽  
Tracey Thornley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Theoretical Domains Framework ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Barriers And Opportunities ◽  
The Impact

ObjectivesCommunity pharmacists and their staff have the potential to contribute to antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). However, their barriers and opportunities are not well understood. The aim was to investigate the experiences and perceptions of community pharmacists and their teams around AMS to inform intervention development.DesignInterviews and focus groups were used to explore the views of pharmacists, pharmacy staff, general practitioners (GPs), members of pharmacy organisations and commissioners. The questioning schedule was developed using the Theoretical Domains Framework which helped inform recommendations to facilitate AMS in community pharmacy.Results8 GPs, 28 pharmacists, 13 pharmacy staff, 6 representatives from pharmacy organisations in England and Wales, and 2 local stakeholders participated.Knowledge and skills both facilitated or hindered provision of self-care and compliance advice by different grades of pharmacy staff. Some staff were not aware of the impact of giving self-care and compliance advice to help control antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The pharmacy environment created barriers to AMS; this included lack of time of well-qualified staff leading to misinformation from underskilled staff to patients about the need for antibiotics or the need to visit the GP, this was exacerbated by lack of space. AMS activities were limited by absent diagnoses on antibiotic prescriptions.Several pharmacy staff felt that undertaking patient examinations, questioning the rationale for antibiotic prescriptions and performing audits would allow them to provide more tailored AMS advice.ConclusionsInterventions are required to overcome a lack of qualified staff, time and space to give patients AMS advice. Staff need to understand how self-care and antibiotic compliance advice can help control AMR. A multifaceted educational intervention including information for staff with feedback about the advice given may help. Indication for a prescription would enable pharmacists to provide more targeted antibiotic advice. Commissioners should consider the pharmacists’ role in examining patients, and giving advice about antibiotic prescriptions.

Evaluation of Inpatient Depot Antipsychotic Prescribing

1996 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1381-1386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis J Pabis ◽  
Peter G Dorson ◽  
M Lynn Crismon
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Length Of Hospital Stay ◽  
Inpatient Setting ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Antipsychotic Therapy ◽  
Fluphenazine Decanoate ◽  
Short Acting ◽  
Depot Antipsychotic ◽  
Depot Therapy

OBJECTIVE: To assess the use of fluphenazine decanoate and haloperidol decanoate in an inpatient setting. DESIGN: A prospective observational study conducted over a 3-month period. SETTING: A 400-bed state psychiatric hospital. INTERVENTIONS: The psychiatric pharmacy staff evaluated the medical records and new orders of 30 consecutive patients receiving depot antipsychotic formulations using a detailed evaluation form and the hospital pharmacy computer database. Criteria for evaluation were derived from the medical literature and product information, and included the following areas: diagnosis, stabilization on a short-acting form of the antipsychotic, appropriateness of dosage conversion to depot therapy, concomitant administration of short-acting antipsychotics (and duration of concomitant medications), and plasma concentration monitoring. RESULTS: Only 7 patients (23%) received what would be considered optimal depot antipsychotic therapy. These patients were receiving a stable dosage of a short-acting antipsychotic prior to conversion to depot therapy (i.e., ≥7 d), received optimal dose conversion to a depot form, and received optimum overlap with a short-acting preparation (i.e., overlap ≤7 d with fluphenazine HCl and 7–30 d with haloperidol HCl). When length of stay data were evaluated, no significant differences were observed in patients who received optimal therapy versus those who did not. There was also no difference in length of stay when the study group was compared with an age-, sex-, and diagnosis-matched cohort group. However, quantitatively fewer adverse effects were reported for patients whose treatment was considered optimal on the basis of the evaluation criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Depot antipsychotic therapy frequently did not meet the criteria for optimal use. This did not affect length of hospital stay in these individuals. However, individuals who met the criteria experienced quantitatively fewer adverse events.

Preparing pharmacists to increase naloxone dispensing within community pharmacies under the Pennsylvania standing order

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather M Santa ◽  
Samira G Amirova ◽  
Daniel J Ventricelli ◽  
George E Downs ◽  
Alexandra A Nowalk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Opioid Overdose ◽  
Patient Counseling ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Overdose Prevention ◽  
Standing Order ◽  
Overdose Deaths

Abstract Purpose Opioid misuse and overdose deaths remain a public health concern in the United States. Pennsylvania has one of the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths in the country, with Philadelphia County’s being 3 times higher than the national average. Despite several multimodal interventions, including use of SBIRT (screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment) methods and naloxone distribution, the rate of overdose deaths remains high. Methods To gain insights on strategies for improving access to naloxone and naloxone distribution by pharmacists in Philadelphia County, a study was conducted in 11 community pharmacies (chain and independent) in Philadelphia. Twenty-four pharmacists were recruited and completed SBIRT and naloxone trainings. Each pharmacy elected to have at least 1 pharmacy champion who received additional training on and helped develop pharmacy site–specific naloxone dispensing protocols. Results Pre-post survey results showed a reduction in stigmatizing attitudes regarding naloxone dispensing and an increase in pharmacists’ understanding of the standing order and appropriate naloxone use. There was an increase in pharmacists’ self-reported confidence in their ability to appropriately identify, discuss, and dispense naloxone to patients. All pharmacies increased their average monthly dispensing rate following protocol implementation. Conclusion Pharmacists who received both trainings were more likely to change naloxone dispensing practices, leading to an overall increase in naloxone dispensing by community pharmacists. The study addressed overall gaps in pharmacists’ knowledge, reduced stigma, and prepared pharmacists to address opioid use and overdose prevention with their patients. The described pharmacist-led patient counseling and intervention service for overdose prevention may be explored as a model for other community pharmacies to adopt to improve naloxone dispensing and similar interventions to reduce overdose deaths.

scholarly journals Australian Community Pharmacy Harm-Minimisation Services: Scope for Service Expansion to Improve Healthcare Access

Pharmacy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Sara S. McMillan ◽  
Hidy Chan ◽  
Laetitia H. Hattingh
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Healthcare Access ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pharmacy Staff ◽  
Harm Minimisation ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Education Support

Community pharmacies are well positioned to participate in harm-minimisation services to reduce harms caused by both licit and illicit substances. Considering developments in pharmacist practices and the introduction of new professional pharmacy services, we identified a need to explore the contemporary role of community pharmacy in harm minimisation. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore the opinions of stakeholders, pharmacy staff, and clients about the role of community pharmacy in harm minimisation, including provision of current services, experiences, and expectations. Participants (n = 28) included 5 stakeholders, 9 consumers, and 14 staff members from seven community pharmacies. Three over-arching themes were identified across the three participants groups: (i) scope and provision, (ii) complexity, and (iii) importance of person-centred advice and support in relation to community pharmacy harm minimisation services. Community pharmacies are valuable healthcare destinations for delivery of harm minimisation services, with scope for service expansion. Further education, support, and remuneration are needed, as well as linkage to other sector providers, in order to ensure that pharmacists and pharmacy staff are well equipped to provide a range of harm minimisation services.

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