The potential role of local pharmacies to assess asthma control: an Italian cross-sectional study

Abstract Background. Asthma control and monitoring still represents a challenge worldwide. Although the international guidelines suggest the interplay with primary care as an effective strategy to control the disease, community pharmacies’ are seldom involved in asthma control assessment. The present cross-sectional study aimed at providing a picture of the relationship between asthma severity and control in community pharmacies of the health district of the city of Verona (Veneto Region, North-Eastern Italy).Methods. A call for participation was launched through the Pharmacists’ Association of Verona. Patients referring to the participating pharmacies with an anti-asthmatic drug medical prescription and an asthma exemption code were asked to complete the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and a brief questionnaire collecting information on their age, sex, smoking status, aerobic physical exercise and usual asthma therapy, which also defined asthma severity. A multinomial logistic regression model was fitted to investigate the risk of uncontrolled as well as poorly controlled vs. controlled asthma (base). Results were expressed as relative risk ratios (RRR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI).Results. 57 community pharmacies accepted to participate and 584 asthmatic patients (54% females; mean-age: 51 ± 19 years) were consecutively recruited from 1st January to 30th June 2018 (6 months). Based upon ACT score 50.5% patients had a controlled asthma, 22.3% a poorly controlled and 27.2% uncontrolled. A variable proportion of patients with uncontrolled asthma were observed for every level of severity, although more frequently with mild persistent form of asthma. Most patients (92%) reported regular compliance with therapy. At multinomial regression analysis, patients under regular asthma treatment course (RRR=0.33; 95%CI: 0.15; 0.77) were less likely to have an ACT<16 compared to those not taking medications regularly.Conclusions. Overall, our findings highlighted an unsatisfactory asthma control in the general population, independently of the severity level of the disease. Community pharmacies could be a useful frontline interface between patients and the health care services, supporting an effective asthma management plan, from disease assessment and monitoring treatment compliance to referral of patients to specialist medical consultancies.

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The Potential Role of Local Pharmacies to Assess Asthma Control: an Italian Cross-sectional Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-26577/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marco Caminati ◽

Luca Cegolon ◽

Marco Bacchini ◽

Nadia Segala ◽

Annarita Dama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Asthma Control ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Treatment Compliance ◽

Asthma Severity ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Disease Assessment ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Disease Community

Abstract Background. Asthma control and monitoring still represents a challenge worldwide. Although the international guidelines suggest the interplay with primary care as an effective strategy to control the disease, community pharmacies’ are seldom involved in asthma control assessment. The present cross-sectional study aimed at providing a picture of the relationship between asthma severity and control in community pharmacies of the health district of the city of Verona (Veneto Region, North-Eastern Italy).Methods. A call for participation was launched through the Pharmacists’ Association of Verona. Patients referring to the participating pharmacies with an anti-asthmatic drug medical prescription and an asthma exemption code were asked to complete the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and a brief questionnaire collecting information on their age, sex, smoking status, aerobic physical exercise and usual asthma therapy, which also defined asthma severity. A multinomial logistic regression model was fitted to investigate the risk of uncontrolled as well as poorly controlled vs. controlled asthma (base). Results were expressed as relative risk ratios (RRR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI).Results. 57 community pharmacies accepted to participate and 584 asthmatic patients (54% females; mean-age: 51 ± 19 years) were consecutively recruited from 1st January to 30th June 2018 (6 months). Based upon ACT score 50.5% patients had a controlled asthma, 22.3% a poorly controlled and 27.2% uncontrolled. A variable proportion of patients with uncontrolled asthma were observed for every level of severity, although more frequently with mild persistent form of asthma. Most patients (92%) reported regular compliance with therapy. At multinomial regression analysis, patients under regular asthma treatment course (RRR=0.33; 95%CI: 0.15; 0.77) were less likely to have an ACT<16 compared to those not taking medications regularly.Conclusions. Overall, our findings highlighted an unsatisfactory asthma control in the general population, independently of the severity level of the disease. Community pharmacies could be a useful frontline interface between patients and the health care services, supporting an effective asthma management plan, from disease assessment and monitoring treatment compliance to referral of patients to specialist medical consultancies.

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The Potential Role of Local Pharmacies to Assess Asthma Control: an Italian Cross-sectional Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-26577/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marco Caminati ◽

Luca Cegolon ◽

Marco Bacchini ◽

Nadia Segala ◽

Annarita Dama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Asthma Control ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Treatment Compliance ◽

Asthma Severity ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Disease Assessment ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Disease Community

Abstract Background. Asthma control and monitoring still represents a challenge worldwide. Although the international guidelines suggest the interplay with primary care as an effective strategy to control the disease, community pharmacies’ are seldom involved in asthma control assessment. The present cross-sectional study aimed at providing a picture of the relationship between asthma severity and control in community pharmacies of the health district of the city of Verona (Veneto Region, North-Eastern Italy).Methods. A call for participation was launched through the Pharmacists’ Association of Verona. Patients referring to the participating pharmacies with an anti-asthmatic drug medical prescription and an asthma exemption code were asked to complete the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and a brief questionnaire collecting information on their age, sex, smoking status, aerobic physical exercise and usual asthma therapy, which also defined asthma severity. A multinomial logistic regression model was fitted to investigate the risk of uncontrolled as well as poorly controlled vs. controlled asthma (base). Results were expressed as relative risk ratios (RRR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI).Results. 57 community pharmacies accepted to participate and 584 asthmatic patients (54% females; mean-age: 51 ± 19 years) were consecutively recruited from 1st January to 30th June 2018 (6 months). Based upon ACT score 50.5% patients had a controlled asthma, 22.3% a poorly controlled and 27.2% uncontrolled. A variable proportion of patients with uncontrolled asthma were observed for every level of severity, although more frequently with mild persistent form of asthma. Most patients (92%) reported regular compliance with therapy. At multinomial regression analysis, patients under regular asthma treatment course (RRR=0.33; 95%CI: 0.15; 0.77) were less likely to have an ACT<16 compared to those not taking medications regularly.Conclusions. Overall, our findings highlighted an unsatisfactory asthma control in the general population, independently of the severity level of the disease. Community pharmacies could be a useful frontline interface between patients and the health care services, supporting an effective asthma management plan, from disease assessment and monitoring treatment compliance to referral of patients to specialist medical consultancies.

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Asthma Control According to the Community Pharmacists: Evidence and Potential Implications from an Italian Cross-Sectional Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-26577/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marco Caminati ◽

Luca Cegolon ◽

Marco Bacchini ◽

Nadia Segala ◽

Annarita Dama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Asthma Control ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Treatment Compliance ◽

Asthma Severity ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Severity Level ◽

Asthmatic Patients

Abstract Background. Asthma control and monitoring still represents a challenge worldwide. Although the international guidelines suggest the interplay with primary care as an effective strategy, the community pharmacies’are rarely involved in asthma management.The present cross-sectional study aimed at providing a picture of the relationship between asthma severity and control according to the community pharmacies’ perspective of the health district of Verona (North-Eastern Italy).Methods. A call for participation was launched through the Pharmacists’ Association of Verona.Patients referring to the participating pharmacies with an anti-asthmatic drug medical prescription and an asthma exemption code were asked to completethe Asthma Control Testand a brief questionnaire collecting information on their age, sex, smoking status, aerobic physical exercise and usual asthma therapy, which also defined the severity level of asthma.A multinomial logistic regression model was fitted to investigate the risk of uncontrolled as well as poorly controlled vs. controlled asthma (base). Results were expressed as relative risk ratios (RRR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI).Results.57 community pharmacies accepted to participate and 584 asthmatic patients (54% females; mean-age: 51 ± 19 years) were recruited. According to the ACT score 50.5% patients hada controlled asthma, 22.3% a poorly controlled and 27.2% uncontrolled. A variable proportion patients with uncontrolled asthma was observed at every level of severity, although more frequently in mild persistent form of disease. Most patients (92%) reported regular compliance with therapy. At multinomial regression analysis, patients under regular asthma treatment course (RRR=0.33; 95%CI: 0.15; 0.77) were less likely to have an ACT<16 compared to those not taking medications regularly.Conclusions.Overall, our findings highlighted an unsatisfactory asthma control from the pharmacists’ perspective, independently of the asthma severity level. The relevance of community pharmacies as a first line interface suggest their involvement inan effective asthma management plan, from disease control and treatment compliance assessment to referral of asthmatic patients to medical consultancies.

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Impact of COVID-19 on Pharmaceutical Care Services and the Role of Community Pharmacists: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study in Ethiopia

SAGE Open Nursing ◽

10.1177/23779608211025804 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 237796082110258

Author(s):

Dawit Kumilachew Yimenu ◽

Chilot Abiyu Demeke ◽

Asmamaw Emagn Kasahun ◽

Ebrahim Abdela Siraj ◽

Adane Yehualaw Wendalem ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Pharmacists ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Bahir Dar ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Services ◽

Chi Square Test

Objectives The current study aimed at assessing the impact of COVID-19 on pharmaceutical care services and the role of community pharmacists. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1st to June 7, 2020, on community pharmacies in Bahir Dar and Gondar cities, Ethiopia. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were conducted. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered to declare statistical significance at a 95% Confidence interval (CI). Results A total of 101 community pharmacies were approached (one pharmacist per pharmacy), and 80 of them had completed the survey. From the total pharmacies, 78.8% of them had encountered a shortage of pharmaceutical products. Chi-square test revealed that there was a significant difference ( P = 0.036) in the shortage of personal protection equipment between Gondar and Bahir Dar cities. Face mask 55 (77.4%) followed by hand glove 15 (21.1%) were the most commonly reported personal protective equipment’s in short supply. Conclusion Strategies should be in place to improve the availability and affordability of various essential pharmaceuticals to mitigate the spread of the disease and prevent other complications.

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Illegal Antibiotic Dispensing by Online and Community Pharmacies in China: A National Cross-Sectional Study

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3369792 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yanhong Gong ◽

Nan Jiang ◽

Zhenyuan Chen ◽

Jing Wang ◽

Jianxiong Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

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Community Pharmacists’ Practice, Awareness, and Beliefs about Drug Disposal in Saudi Arabia

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9070823 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 823

Author(s):

Sultan Alghadeer ◽

Mohammed N. Al-Arifi

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Environmental Damage ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Age Group ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Take Back ◽

Medication Disposal

The awareness among Saudi people regarding the good and safe practice of drug disposal is fairly low. Community pharmacists’ potential toward drugs disposal directions and practice are not emphasized enough. Therefore, a cross sectional study was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to evaluate the practice, awareness and beliefs of community pharmacists about disposal of unused drugs. Out of 360 subjects who participated in the study, more than 70% returned the unused drugs to the pharmaceutical distributors. Around 80% of the participants confirmed the risk of environmental damage due to the inappropriate disposal of drugs, and 87.5% of them held themselves responsible for preventing such risk. Approximately 85% of surveyed pharmacists believed community pharmacies to be an appropriate location for the collection of unused drugs. There was no significant association between the community pharmacists’ age group and years of practice as community pharmacists with either the awareness of unused medication disposal on environmental hazards, or the beliefs about the appropriate location for collecting unused drugs (p > 0.05). The awareness and proactive accountable responsibility, along with community pharmacists’ belief of appointing pharmacies to collect unused drugs, strongly support the institution of drug take-back programs.

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Food insecurity among the elderly: cross-sectional study with soup kitchen users

Revista de Nutrição ◽

10.1590/s1415-52732013000600007 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 26 (6) ◽

pp. 679-691 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Bruna Fernanda do Nascimento Jacinto de Souza ◽

Letícia Marín-León

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Family Income ◽

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

The Elderly ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Welfare Programs ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Socioeconomic Condition ◽

Soup Kitchen

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether food insecurity is associated with the demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and health conditions of the elderly. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 427 elderly (³60 years) from Campinas, São Paulo; half were users of a government-run soup kitchen and the others, their neighbors of the same sex. Food insecurity was measured by the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Univariate multinomial logistic regression was used for calculating the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval to measure the association between the independent variables and food insecurity. Variables with p<0.20 were included in a multinomial model, and only those with p<0.05 remained. RESULTS: Most respondents (63.2%) were males; 15.2% and 6.6% were experiencing mild and moderate/severe food insecurity, respectively. The final model, adjusted for sex and age, showed that elderly with a total family income ≤2 minimum salaries (OR=3.41, 95%CI=1.27-9.14), who did not have a job (OR=2.95, 95%CI=1.23-7.06), and who were obese (OR=2.01, 95%CI=1.04-3.87) were more likely to be mildly food insecure. Elderly with cancer (OR=4.13, 95%CI=1.21-14.0) and those hospitalized in the past year (OR=3.16, 95%CI=1.23-8.11) were more likely to be moderately/severely food insecure. Finally, elderly living in unfinished houses (OR=2.71; and OR=2.92) and who did not consume fruits (OR=2.95 and OR=4.11) or meats daily (OR=2.04 and OR=3.83) were more likely to be mildly and moderately/severely food insecure. CONCLUSION: Food insecure elderly are more likely to have chronic diseases, poor nutritional status, and poor socioeconomic condition. Therefore, the welfare programs should expand the number of soup kitchens and develop other strategies to assure adequate nutrition to these elderly.

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Women’s attitude toward gynecological pain in fertile age: Results from a cross-sectional study among Italian community pharmacies

Journal of Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Disorders ◽

10.1177/2284026518776148 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 88-94

Author(s):

Corrado Giua Marassi ◽

Assunta Pistone ◽

Fabio Parazzini ◽

Silvia Vannuccini ◽

Felice Petraglia

Keyword(s):

Medical Treatment ◽

Pelvic Pain ◽

Epidemiological Data ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Community Pharmacies ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Self Medication ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mean Delay ◽

Italian Community

Introduction: Several epidemiological data on women afferent to clinics for medical treatment of pelvic pain are available, while few studies explored the general population. Thus, this study aimed to investigate women presenting with gynecological pain at the community pharmacy and to evaluate the relevance of pharmacist advice regarding medical treatment. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 10 Italian community pharmacies, by administering a structured questionnaire to fertile age women reporting pelvic pain during the last 3 months. Questions were concerning demographic information, pain characteristics, women’s behavior toward gynecological pain, and diagnosis possibly received from a physician. Results: A group of 290 women were interviewed. Severe pain was reported in 58.3%, with a mean ± SD of 4.4 ± 6.8 days of suffering, causing absenteeism from work in 45.3% of cases. Almost half of women reported that the onset of gynecological pain was before 15 years and 72.2% had consulted a physician in the past, with a mean delay of 2.5 ± 4.3 years between the onset of pain and medical consultation. However, only 28% of the overall population received a diagnosis. 51.0% received one treatment, while 39% received two or more. The first therapy was prescribed in 40.2% cases by the physician, while in the remaining it was recommended either by the pharmacist or it was a self-medication. Conclusion: Gynecological pelvic pain is a disabling problem, regardless of the underlying cause, with significant impact on social and working life and requiring a better medical management.

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