No description available.

No / OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to conduct the proof of concept study and to develop and evaluate an educational intervention that promotes the evidence-based supply of non-prescription medicines (NPMs). METHOD: An educational intervention was delivered to pharmacy assistants and pharmacists in three pharmacies in England. The intervention included the provision of summaries of evidence for the treatment of four minor ailments and resulted in the preparation of evidence-based portfolios for the treatment of the following ailments: athlete's foot, cough, nasal congestion and period pain. The effect of the intervention was evaluated using a combination of direct overt observation, vignettes, self-reported behaviour and interviews. KEY FINDINGS: Evaluation data were collected from the three pharmacies. Data were derived from 3 pharmacists and 13 assistants, of whom 10 (3 pharmacists; 7 assistants) attended the training event. Comparing pre- and post-intervention practice, 8/11 (pre-) versus 5/6 (post-) observed, 46/80 versus 62/80 vignette and 25/30 versus 39/40 self-reported recommendations were evidence based. Prior to the intervention, 3/16 participants understood the role of evidence regarding the supply of NPMs compared with 16/16 post-intervention. Participants reported relying upon experiential knowledge to inform their decision making prior to the educational intervention. Thereafter, the participants reported using evidence to a greater extent. Barriers and facilitators for evidence-based practice were also identified. CONCLUSION: A one-off educational intervention increased participants' self-reported awareness and potential application of evidence to inform their supply of NPMs. Further research is needed to assess the effectiveness, long-term impact, generalisability and cost-effectiveness of this intervention for a wider range of common conditions.

Det övergripande syftet med den här avhandlingen har varit att, inom området läkemedelsinformatik, studera utvecklingen av elektroniska stöd inom läkemedelsförskrivning; för klinisk praxis, uppföljning och forskning. Under århundraden har det handskrivna receptet varit det sätt, med vilket läkare förmedlat sina läkemedelsordinationer till apotekare, vilket också för patienten blivit en informationskälla för hur läkemedel ska användas för att göra bästa nytta. Nu genomgår receptet en förändring från pappersbaserat till elektroniskt meddelande och att anpassa en traditionell process till en ny elektronisk era innebär både möjligheter och utmaningar. Studierna som ingår i avhandlingen har visat att exponeringen av förskrivna läkemedel i en allmän befolkning har ökat under de senaste tre decennierna. Risken för potentiella interaktioner mellan läkemedel, varmed avses den risk som finns att olika läkemedel kan påverka varandras effekter och biverkningar, har också visat sig öka starkt desto fler läkemedel som används av en individ. Denna ökade samtidiga användning av flera olika läkemedel, så kallad polyfarmaci, medför att det finns en större anledning för förskrivare och farmacevter att uppmärksamma risken för potentiella interaktioner mellan läkemedel. De nyinrättade nationella receptregistren över uthämtad receptförskriven medicin bör användas bland annat för att upptäcka potentiella läkemedelsinteraktioner, såväl i vårdens utövning som inom läkemedelsepidemiologisk forskning. Den svenska läkemedelsförteckningen, som omfattar information om uthämtade receptförskrivna läkemedel för huvuddelen av den svenska befolkningen, bedöms ha en stor klinisk potential. Den enskilde individens historiska information om uthämtade läkemedel är tillgänglig för individen på Internet med hjälp av e-legitimation; även förskrivare och farmacevter på apotek kan ta del av informationen med den enskildes samtycke. Brist på tillgång till enhetliga och säkra autenticeringsmetoder inom hälso- och sjukvården kan dock fördröja tillgången på individuell läkemedelsinformation för förskrivare. I och med att de flesta recepten i Sverige nu skrivs och överförs elektroniskt är det viktigt att kvalitetsmässiga aspekter tas tillvara så att en iakttagen ökad risk för receptförskrivningsfel inte överförs i informationskedjan. Avhandlingens slutsats är att e-förskrivning, med kommunikation och användning av lagrad information om receptexpeditioner, möjliggör att läkemedelsbehandling som process kan följas och studeras på ett helt nytt / The thesis aimed to study the developments, in the area of pharmacoinformatics, of the electronic prescribing and dispensing processes of drugs - in medical praxis, follow-up, and research. For hundreds of years, the written prescription has been the method of choice for physicians to communicate decisions on drug therapy and for pharmacists to dispense medication. Successively the prescription has also become a source of information for the patient about how to use the medication to maximize its benefit. Currently, the medical prescription is at a transitional stage between paper and web, and to adapt a traditional process to the new electronic era offers both opportunities and challenges The studies in the thesis have shown that the exposure of prescribed drugs in the general population has increased considerably over three decades. The risk of receiving potentially interacting drugs was also strongly correlated to the concomitant use of multiple drugs, polypharmacy. The pronounced increase in polypharmacy over time constitutes a growing reason for prescribers and pharmacists to be aware of drug interactions. Still, there were relatively few severe potential drug interactions. Recently established national prescription registers should be evaluated for drug interaction vigilance, both clinically and epidemiologically. The Swedish National Pharmacy Register provides prescription dispensing information for the majority of the population. The medication history in the register may be accessed online to improve drug utilization, by registered individuals, prescribers, and pharmacists in a safe and secure way. Lack of widespread secure digital signatures in healthcare may delay general availability. With a relatively high prevalence of dispensed drugs in the population, the National Pharmacy Register seems justified in evaluating individual medication history. With a majority of prescriptions transferred as ePrescriptions, the detected increased risk for prescription errors warrants quality improvement, if the full potential of ePrescriptions is to be fulfilled. The main conclusion of the studies was that ePrescribing with communication of prescribed drug information, storing and retrieving dispensed drug information, offers new opportunities for clinical and scientific

The overall aim of this thesis was to explore aspects of the subjective views and experiences of doctors as prescribers, focusing on responsibility for and factors of importance in achieving appropriate prescribing. To provide insights into the prescriber’s perspective the study designs were qualitative. In the first studies secondary care doctors’ perceptions of appropriate prescribing and influences in prescribing were investigated in interviews. The doctors perceived that appropriate prescribing needed continuous revision. From the perspective of the prescribers the definition of prescribing could be rephrased as: “the outcome of the recurring processes of decision making that maximises net individual health gains within society’s available resources”. Among the influences in prescribing were guidelines, colleagues and therapeutic traditions. In the subsequent studies the experiences of exchanging information regarding a patient’s drugs in an electronic patient medical record (e-PMR) shared between primary and secondary care and views of responsibility was explored, using focus groups with both primary and secondary care doctors. Considering the gap between health care levels, doctors’ views of responsibility in prescribing and exchange of information are of concern. The doctors expressed how they assume information to be in the e-PMR and active information transfer has decreased. On the other hand, they experienced an information overload in the e-PMR system. There is a need for improved and structured communication between health-care givers. Taking responsibility to review all the patient’s medications was perceived as important, but described as still not done. Lack of responsibility taken was often due to acts of omission, i.e. that doctors did not make needed changes to the list of medications due to different barriers. The barriers rested both with individual doctors and the system, but to ensure solutions that are realisable in practise, perspectives of the doctors need to be taken into consideration when overcoming those barriers.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In community pharmacies, at the time the pharmacist incorporates clinical practice into their routine, several barriers and facilitators influencing the implementation of patient care services. Objectives: To learn and understand the perception of a group of pharmacists on the process of implementation of Clinical Pharmacy Services in community pharmacies; Understand through a Scoping Review of literature, pharmacist perception about Clinical Pharmacy Services in community pharmacy. Methods: The study was structured in two stages. The first step corresponded to Scoping Review held in the Lilacs, PubMed, Scopus, Scielo and Web of Knowledge database. Studies should be of the pharmacist perception, and the pharmaceutical services should be patient-focused. The second stage corresponded to a qualitative study in which three focus groups were conducted with a group of 11 pharmacists. Data analysis was done using the technique of content analysis. Results: Step 1 - The literature search resulted in 29 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The studies were performed in eight different countries, had qualitative methods (focus groups, interviews, diaries and questionnaires) and quantitative (questionnaires) and 12 different classifications of pharmaceutical services were found. In most studies, pharmacists believed that their role in community pharmacies was positive for patients, barriers and facilitators for service were reported. Step 2 - The audio recording of the focus groups were fully transcribed and analyzed. The perception of pharmacists brought issues such as access to medication, barriers and facilitators to service, expectations, changes generated during the implementation of services, results achieved and consolidation of services. Conclusion: The Scoping Review made recommendations for implementation of Clinical Services Pharmacists in community pharmacies, making it easier to service delivery and enhancing practices in community pharmacies. The dissemination of positive experiences in implementations of services through perception studies have shown that it is possible to develop a model of clinical services in community pharmacies. / Em farmácias comunitárias, no momento em que o farmacêutico incorpora a prática clínica em sua rotina, várias barreiras e facilitadores influenciam a implantação de serviços de cuidado aos pacientes. Objetivos: Conhecer e compreender a percepção de um grupo de farmacêuticos sobre o processo de implementação dos Serviços Clínicos Farmacêuticos em farmácias comunitárias; Conhecer e compreender por meio de uma Revisão de Escopo da literatura, a percepção farmacêutico na provisão de Serviços Clínicos Farmacêuticos em farmácia comunitária. Metodologia: O estudo foi estruturado em duas etapas. A primeira etapa correspondeu a Revisão de Escopo realizada nas bases de dados Lilacs, PubMed, Scopus, Scielo e Web of Knowledge. Os estudos deveriam ser e se declarar de percepção de farmacêutico e os Serviços Farmacêuticos deveriam ser centrados no paciente. A segunda etapa correspondeu a um estudo qualitativo, no qual foram realizados três Grupos Focais com um grupo de 11 farmacêuticos. A análise dos dados foi feita por meio da técnica de análise de conteúdo. Resultados: Etapa 1 - A pesquisa bibliográfica resultou em 29 artigos que cumpriram os critérios de inclusão. Os estudos foram realizados em oito países diferentes, possuíam metodologias qualitativas (grupos focais, entrevistas, diários e questionários) e quantitativas (questionários), e foram encontradas 12 diferentes classificações de serviços farmacêuticos. Na maioria dos estudos, os farmacêuticos acreditavam que seu papel em farmácias comunitárias era positivo para os pacientes, barreiras e facilitadores para os serviços foram relatados. Etapa 2 - A gravação dos áudios dos grupos focais foi integralmente transcrita e analisada. A percepção dos farmacêuticos trouxe temas como acesso ao medicamento, barreiras e facilitadores para o serviço, expectativas, mudanças geradas ao longo da implementação dos serviços, resultados atingidos e a consolidação dos serviços. Conclusão: A Revisão de escopo apresentou recomendações para a implementação de serviços clínicos farmacêuticos em farmácias comunitárias, tornando mais fácil a provisão de serviços e valorizando as práticas em farmácias comunitárias. A divulgação de experiências positivas em implementações de serviços por meio de estudos de percepção têm mostrado que é possível desenvolver um modelo de serviços clínicos em farmácias comunitárias.

Background: The purpose of drug treatment is to reduce morbidity and mortality, and to improve health-related quality of life. However, there are frequent problems associated with drug treatment, especially among the elderly. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the impact of clinical pharmacy services within a multiprofessional healthcare team on quality and safety of patients’ drug therapy, and to study the frequency and nature of medication history errors on admission to hospital. Methods: A model for clinical pharmacy services within a multiprofessional healthcare team (the Lund Integrated Medicines Management model, LIMM) was introduced in three hospital wards. On admission of patients to hospital, clinical pharmacists conducted medication reconciliation (i.e. identified the most accurate list of a patient’s current medications) to identify any errors in the hospital medication list. To identify, solve and prevent any other drug-related problems, the clinical pharmacists interviewed patients and performed medication reviews and monitoring of drug therapy. Drug-related problems were discussed within the multiprofessional team and the physicians adjusted the drug therapy as appropriate. Results: On admission to hospital, drug-related problems, such as low adherence to drug therapy and concerns about treatment, were identified. Different statistical approaches to present results from ordinal data on adherence and beliefs about medicines were suggested. Approximately half of the patients were affected by errors in the medication history at admission to hospital; patients who had many prescription drugs had a higher risk for errors. Medication reconciliation and review reduced the number of inappropriate medications and reduced drug-related hospital revisits. No impact on all-cause hospital revisits was demonstrated. Conclusion: Patients admitted to hospital are at high risk for being affected by medication history errors and there is a high potential to improve their drug therapy. By reducing medication history errors and improving medication appropriateness, clinical pharmacy services within a multiprofessional healthcare team improve the quality and safety of patients’ drug therapy. The impact of routine implementation of medication reconciliation and review on healthcare visits will need further evaluation; the results from this thesis suggest that drug-related hospital revisits could be reduced. / Läkemedelsgenomgångar och läkemedelsavstämning - LIMM-modellen