scholarly journals Identifying Gaps in Community Pharmacists’ Competence in Medication Risk Management in Routine Dispensing

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Sonja Kallio ◽  
Tiina Eskola ◽  
Marja Airaksinen ◽  
Marika Pohjanoksa-Mäntylä
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Drug Interactions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Medication Risk ◽  
Medication Counselling

Background: Community pharmacists increasingly contribute to medication risk management while dispensing medicines to outpatients. Their risk management actions are shifting from medication counselling towards reviewing medications and following-up their therapeutic effects and outcomes. Acquiring these more clinical tasks require more patient care-oriented competences.  Objective: To identify gaps in community pharmacists’ competence in medication risk management in routine dispensing.  Setting: All community pharmacies in Finland. Method: A national cross-sectional online survey was conducted through the Association of Finnish Pharmacies (n=574 community pharmacies) and the university pharmacies (n=2) in 2015. One pharmacist from each pharmacy was recommended to report on behalf of their outlet.  Main outcome measure: Community pharmacists’ self-assessed competence to: 1) identify medication-related risks, 2) utilise electronic tools in medication risk management, and 3) identify their perceived needs for developing competence in medication risk management. Results:  Responses were received from 169 community pharmacies (response rate 29%). The highest proportion of good competency estimates were self-assessed in confirming doses (98% of the respondents evaluated their competence to be good) and identifying drug-drug interactions (83%). Competence to identify adverse effects, such as serotonergic load (10%) and anticholinergic load (12%), was most seldomly perceived as good. Of the wide range of electronic databases available, respondents most commonly reported using daily summaries of product characteristics (97% of the respondents), the checklist-type generic medicines information database that supports in medication counselling (85%), and the programme assisting in identifying drug-drug interactions (83%). The most commonly reported training needs were related to the identification of serotonergic load (63%), anticholinergic load (62%), and evaluating the clinical significance of drug-drug interactions (54%).   Conclusion: The results indicate remarkable gaps in community pharmacists’ current competence in medication risk management, particularly in their competence in applied and geriatric pharmacotherapy.

scholarly journals Medication Risk Management in Routine Dispensing in Community Pharmacies

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (21) ◽  
pp. 8186
Author(s):  
Sonja Kallio ◽  
Tiina Eskola ◽  
Marika Pohjanoksa-Mäntylä ◽  
Marja Airaksinen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Medication Risk

Community pharmacists have a duty to contribute to medication risk management in outpatient care. This study aimed to investigate the actions taken by pharmacists in routine dispensing to manage medication risks. The study was conducted as a national cross-sectional online survey targeted at all community pharmacies in Finland (n = 576) in October 2015. One pharmacist from each pharmacy was recommended to be the spokesperson for the outlet to describe their practices. Responses were received from 169 pharmacies (response rate of 29%). Pharmacists were oriented to solving poor adherence and technical problems in prescriptions, whereas responsibility for therapeutic risks was transferred to the patient to resolve them with the physician. Pharmacists have access to a wide range of electronic medication risk management tools, but they are rarely utilized in daily dispensing. Attention was paid to drug–drug interactions and the frequency of dispensing with regard to high-risk medicines. Pharmacies rarely had local agreements with other healthcare providers to solve medication-related risks. In routine dispensing, more attention needs to be given to the identification and solving of therapeutic risks in medications, especially those of older adults. Better participation of community pharmacists in medication risk management requires stronger integration and an explicit mandate to solve the therapeutic risks.

Australian pharmacists’ willingness to conduct rapid HIV testing in community pharmacies

Sexual Health ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 292
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Santella ◽  
Timothy E. Schlub ◽  
Damien Fagan ◽  
Richard J. Hillman ◽  
Ines Krass
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Hiv Patients ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Rapid Hiv Testing ◽  
Australian Community

Community pharmacists are expanding their roles in health care, especially as they are distributed over wide geographical areas and are often open long hours. New rapid HIV testing technologies may offer further opportunities to expand their roles. A cross-sectional, online survey of Australian community pharmacists found most prepared to provide treatment to HIV patients, with the majority willing to become involved in rapid HIV testing.

Identifying Gaps in Community Pharmacists’ Skills in Medication Risk Management in Routine Dispensing

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. e3
Author(s):  
Kallio Sonja ◽  
Eskola Tiina ◽  
Pohjanoksa-Mäntylä Marika ◽  
Airaksinen Marja
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Medication Risk

Pharmacists’ Perceptions of Feasibility and Development of a Weight Management Program for Implementation in Community Pharmacies

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 629-636
Author(s):  
Yiran Rong ◽  
Lori M. Ward ◽  
Seena Haines ◽  
Meagen Rosenthal
Keyword(s):  
Weight Management ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Weight Management Program ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Rural Settings

Background: Community pharmacists-directed weight management programs have demonstrated positive impacts. Objective: To explore the feasibility of developing a community pharmacy-based weight management program by examining pharmacists’ perceptions of the implementation of such a program in their practice setting. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional online survey design. The respondents were registered community pharmacists in the southeastern United States. The survey contained 5 sections including demographics and questions gauging pharmacists interest in the proposed program. Survey findingswere examined using descriptive statistics, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: A total of 426 surveys were completed and returned. Over half (53.3%) of the respondents obtained a BSc in Pharmacy. Several respondents were already providing prescription (44.1%) or over-the-counter (OTC) product (30.4%) recommendations to patients interested in weight management. Approximately 35% of respondents were at least somewhat interested in starting a weight management program. Pharmacists self-identifying as practicing in chain pharmacy or rural settings or as being staff pharmacists were less in favor of implementing a program than the other groups. Conclusions: Community pharmacists’ respondents appeared interested in implementing a weight management program. The information gathered herein will be used to design a weight management program specifically for community pharmacies.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Bexar County community pharmacist attitudes toward harm reduction

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 383-391
Author(s):  
Mikali Shedd ◽  
Anna Bozhkova ◽  
Bethany A. Kalich ◽  
G. Lucy Wilkening
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Community Pharmacist ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Interquartile Range ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Bexar County ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Pharmacist Attitudes

Abstract Introduction Harm reduction is a term for strategies that minimize the negative outcomes of drug use. Given the progressing opioid epidemic, identifying barriers to harm reduction dispensing in community pharmacies is essential. Methods This online, survey-based study assessed community pharmacist attitudes toward harm reduction and perceived dispense rates of both naloxone and needles/syringes to patients without verifiable injectable prescriptions. The online survey was distributed to members of the Bexar County Pharmacist Association and university alumni. The survey collected demographics, perceived dispense rates of naloxone, needles and syringes, availability of pharmacy protocols for dispensing these products, and Likert-scaled attitudinal questions. Responses were collected for 6 weeks. Results Thirty-two survey responses were analyzed. Participants were generally white (n = 14) or Hispanic/Latino (n = 14), had a median age of 37 years (interquartile range, 32-49 years), and had a median graduation year of 2011 (interquartile range, 1988-2016). Most pharmacists agreed or strongly agreed they should be involved in harm reduction (n = 26) and that pharmacies are an appropriate place to access these resources (n = 26). However, most reported never or rarely dispensing both naloxone (n = 19) and needles and syringes (n = 22). Naloxone or needle and syringe protocol use was reported by 66% (n = 21) and 47% (n = 15) of pharmacists, respectively. Pharmacy protocols significantly enhanced the likelihood of naloxone dispensing (P = .007) but not needle and syringe dispensing (P = .24). Conclusion Community pharmacists exhibited positive attitudes toward harm reduction but reported low rates of dispensing both naloxone and needles and syringes. Pharmacy protocols could be enhanced to better support community pharmacists in this area.

scholarly journals Trends in dispensing oral emergency contraceptives and safety issues: a survey of German community pharmacists

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1499-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Said ◽  
Matthias Ganso ◽  
Leonard Freudewald ◽  
Martin Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
The Past ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Emergency Contraceptives

Abstract Background Oral emergency contraceptives containing levonorgestrel or ulipristal acetate are available without prescription and only in pharmacies in Germany since March 2015. Due to this change community pharmacists are responsible for evaluating whether the product is appropriate and to educate women on proper use. Objective To measure the utilization of emergency contraceptives without a prescription and describe potential concerns and safety issues identified by community pharmacists in Germany. Setting The Drug Commission of German Pharmacists' nationwide network of reference pharmacies which includes 860 community pharmacies. Methods Reference community pharmacies were asked to participate in the eleven-questions online survey. Respondents were asked to recall their experiences with oral emergency contraceptives in the past 3 months. Data were collected between January 8 and February 19, 2018. Main outcome measure The survey focused on the utilization of emergency contraceptives without a prescription in Germany, and on the pharmacists’ experiences with (potential) problems and concerns regarding safe use. Results In total, 555 community pharmacies (64.5%) participated. Overall 38.2% of community pharmacists stated they dispensed six to ten courses of emergency contraceptives within the past 3 months. In addition, 54.3% of the pharmacists estimated they dispensed emergency contraceptives exclusively without prescription and 35.9% dispensed more than 30% of emergency contraceptives during night-time and emergency services. Moreover, 82.8% of pharmacists stated that emergency contraceptives were requested not by the women concerned but a third person and 44.3% identified uncertainties in woman's self-diagnosis. Three out of four pharmacists had concerns about the effective and safe use of emergency contraceptives. In situations suggesting sexually transmitted diseases, or suspicion for use of force, 59.5% and 55.8% of the pharmacists, respectively, dispensed emergency contraceptives. In cases of acute health impairment or chronic disease, or (potentially) relevant drug/drug interaction, the vast majority (91.0% and 90.5%) did not. Here, most pharmacists referred to gynecologists. Conclusion Pharmacists had safety concerns when dispensing emergency contraceptives. Professional expertise in evaluating the need for oral emergency contraceptives and the proper use is needed.

scholarly journals The Exposure of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Assistants to COVID-19: A Cross-sectional Study in Libya

2021 ◽  
Vol 06 (03) ◽  
pp. 9-19
Author(s):  
Faisa Alzunni ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Instant Messaging ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Exposure Risk ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Elevated Exposure

Introduction: As per the WHO reports dated July 7, 2021, 184,324,026 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were found in the world and 196,894 cases were found in Libya. Healthcare workers (HCWs), pharmacists, in particular, have been affected a lot because of COVID-19. Community pharmacies are considered workplaces with elevated exposure risk to COVID-19. Method: This study aims to roughly estimate the risk of COVID-19 exposure among pharmacists and pharmacy assistants working in pharmacies in Libya. An anonymous cross-sectional online survey was conducted among pharmacists and pharmacy assistants working in hospital pharmacies and community pharmacies. Between November 11th, 2020 and January 7th, 2021, a Google Form questionnaire was delivered through social media and instant messaging platforms, to certified community pharmacists and pharmacy assistants residing in Libya. Results: Out of 207 respondents, the majority (72.4%) reported having at least one or more flu-like symptoms. In addition, 52.17% of them reported that one of their relatives had at least one or more flu-like symptoms. The most common symptoms reported by respondents were headache (46.9%), tiredness (42.5%), fever (31.9%), and loss of smell and taste sensation (29.0%). The period with the highest number of all the symptomatic respondents as well as those with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 was between August to October 2020. Correspondingly, 108 (52.17%) symptomatic respondents had a relative with symptoms. Conclusion: The majority of respondents reported having flu-like symptoms in the period from August to October. Moreover, the highest cumulative number of people with suggestive COVID-19 symptoms reported their symptoms in the same period.

COUNSELLING ACTIVITIES OF DRUG USE IN 58 COMMUNITY PHARMACIES AT HUE CITY

2017 ◽  
pp. 75-80
Author(s):  
Quoc Duong Doan ◽  
Thi Ha Vo
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Cough Headache ◽  
Rational Drug ◽  
Question Survey

Background: Community pharmacists play an important role in counseling of rational drug use for population. The study aimed to characterize counselling activities of drug use and demand of counselling tools at some community pharmacies at Hue City. Materials and method: A 17-question survey were asked to fill pharmacy staffs of a convenient sample of 100 community pharmacies at Hue City from 2/2017 to 7/2017. Results: There were 58 pharmacies (58.0%) answered this survey. Cough, headache, fever, high blood pressure and diabetes were the most popular symptoms/diseases presented in pharmacies. Patients often need counselling about dose (82.8%) and when to take medicine (79.3%). The main bariers for counselling were a lack of time (53.4%), and of skills/medthods for counseling (31.7%). About 96.6% pharmacies demanded counselling tools and favorite formats were book (32.9%) or pocket handbook (29.3%). Conclusion: Most pharmacies demanded counselling tools. Other studies should be conducted to develop supporting tools for counseling and to assess the quality of counseling in pharmacies. Key words: community pharmacy, counseling of drug use, pharmacist, Hue

Synthesis and Antibacterial / Anticancer Activities of Compounds Containing Pyrazole Ring Linked to Piperazines

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-431
Author(s):  
Kishore K. Valluri ◽  
Tejeswara R. Allaka ◽  
IV Kasi Viswanath ◽  
Nagaraju PVVS
Keyword(s):  
Cell Line ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Cancer Cell Line ◽  
Pyrazole Ring ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Anticancer Activities ◽  
Human Colon Cancer ◽  
Parent Molecule ◽  
Wide Range

Background: Many pyrazole piperazine derivatives are known to exhibit a wide range, thus being attractive for the drug design and synthesis of interesting class of widely studied heterocyclic compounds. It is therefore necessary to devote continuing effort for the identification and development of New Chemical Entities (NCEs) as potential antibacterial and anticancer agents to address serious health problems. Methods: A series of new compounds containing pyrazole ring linked to a piperazine hydrochloride moiety were synthesized and screened for their antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity of novel scaffolds are described by variation in therapeutic effects of parent molecule. The structure variants were characterized by using a blend of spectroscopic 1H NMR, 13C NMR, IR, Mass and chromatographic techniques. Results: When tested for in vitro antibacterial and anticancer activities, several of these compounds showed good activities. The target compounds 9b, 9a and 9e exhibited a high degree of anticancer activity against human colon cancer cell line Caco-2 and human breast cancer cell line MDAMB231. Further, 9a, 9b, 9d, and 9h showed better activity towards four medically relevant organisms; Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella Species compared to CPF. In the present investigation, cheminfomatics tools Molinspiration, 2003 and MolSoft, 2007 for the prediction of insilico molecular properties and drug likeness for the target compounds 9a-h was evaluated and positive results were observed. Conclusion: Our study revealed that the molecular framework presented here could be a useful template for the identification of novel small molecules as promising antibacterial/ anticancer agents.

Cucurbitacins as Anticancer Agents: A Patent Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidayat Hussain ◽  
Ivan R. Green ◽  
Muhammad Saleem ◽  
Khanzadi F. Khattak ◽  
Muhammad Irshad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anticancer Agents ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Cytotoxic Effects ◽  
Natural Sources ◽  
Oh Groups ◽  
Drug Candidates ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range

Background: Cucurbitacins belong to a group of tetracyclic triterpenoids that display a wide range of biological effects. In the past, numerous cucurbitacins have been isolated from natural sources and many active compounds have been synthesized using the privileged scaffold in order to enhance its cytotoxic effects. Objective: his review covers patents on the therapeutic effects of natural cucurbitacins and their synthetic analogs published during the past decade. By far, the majority of patents published are related to cancer and Structure-Activity Relationships (SAR) of these compounds are included to lend gravitas to this important class of natural products. Methods: The date about the published patents was downloaded via online open access patent databases. Results: Cucurbitacins display significant cytotoxic properties, in particular cucurbitacins B and D which possess very potent effects towards a number of cancer cells. Numerous cucurbitacins isolated from natural sources have been derivatized through chemical modification at the C(2)-OH and C(25)- OH groups. Most importantly, an acyl ester of the C(25)-OH and, iso-propyl, n-propyl and ethyl ether groups of the C(2)-OH demonstrated the most increased cytotoxic activity. Conclusion: The significant cytotoxic effects of natural and semi-synthetic cucurbitacins make them attractive as new drug candidates. Moreover, cucurbitacins have the capability to form conjugates with other anticancer drugs which will synergistically enhance their anticancer effects. The authors believe that in order to get lead compounds, there should be a greater focus on the synthesis of homodimers, heterodimers, and halo derivatives of cucurbitacins. In the opinion of the authors the analysis of the published patents on the cucurbitacins indicates that these compounds can be developed into a regimen to treat a wide spectrum of cancers.

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