Yes / Objectives The New Medicines Service (NMS) is provided by community pharmacists
in England to support patient adherence after the initiation of a new treatment.
It is provided as part of the National Health Service (NHS) pharmacy contractual
framework and involves a three-stage process: patient engagement, intervention and
follow-up. The study aims to explore community pharmacists’ experiences and perceptions
of NMS within one area of the United Kingdom.
Methods In-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 14
community pharmacists. Interviews were audio-recorded, independently transcribed
and thematically analysed.
Key findings Pharmacists gave a mixed response to the operationalisation, ranging
from positive opportunities for improving adherence and enhancement of practice
to difficulties in terms of its administration. Pharmacists generallywelcomed opportunities
to utilise their professional expertise to achieve better patient engagement
and for pharmacy practice to develop as a patient resource. There was a perceived
need for better publicity about the service. Different levels of collaborative working
were reported. Some pharmacists were working closely with local general practices
most were not. Collaboration with nurses in the management of long-term conditions
was rarely reported but desired by pharmacists. Where relationships with
general practitioners (GPs) and nurses were established, NMS was an opportunity
for further collaboration; however, others reported a lack of feedback and recognition
of their role.
Conclusions Community pharmacists perceived the NMS service as beneficial to
patients by providing additional advice and reassurance, but perceptions of its
operationalisation were mixed.Overall, our findings indicate that NMS provides an
opportunity for patient benefit and the development of contemporary pharmacy
practice, but better collaboration with GPs and practice nurses could enhance the
service.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/8364 |
| Date | 25 February 2015 |
| Creators | Lucas, Beverley J., Blenkinsopp, Alison |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article, Accepted Manuscript |
| Rights | © 2015 Wiley. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Lucas A and Blenkinsopp A (2015) Community pharmacists’ experience and perceptions of the New Medicines Service (NMS). International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 23 (6): 399–406, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ijpp.12180. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. |
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