Pharmacy, Volume 7, Issue 3

Penicillin allergies are among of the most commonly reported allergies, yet only 10% of these patients are truly allergic. This leads to potential inadvertent negative consequences for patients and makes treatment decisions challenging for clinicians...

The increasing number of pharmacists in the US has generated concern regarding potential oversupply. A 2018 analysis from the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) in the US projected a best case scenario of an oversupply of more than...

General practice electronic health record (EHR) data have significant potential for clinical research. This study demonstrates the feasibility of utilising longitudinal EHR data analysis to address clinically relevant outcomes and uses the relationsh...

Macrolides are antimicrobial agents that can be used to treat a variety of infections. Allergic reactions to macrolides occur infrequently but can include minor to severe cutaneous reactions as well as systemic life-threatening reactions such as anap...

Nearly 44 million Americans are affected by mental illness every year. Many individuals, however, are not diagnosed and/or do not receive treatment. The present manuscript reviews the incidence of mental illness, the continuum from mental wellness to...

As one of the earliest developed antimicrobial classes, sulfonamides remain important therapeutic options for the empiric and definitive treatment of various infectious diseases. In the general population, approximately 3–8% of patients are rep...

Background: Fitness to practise (FtP) impairment (failure of a healthcare professional to demonstrate skills, knowledge, character and/or health required for their job) can compromise patient safety, the profession’s reputation, and an individu...

Pharmacy practice-based research networks (PBRNs) are relatively new compared to their primary care forebears, representing a unique set of research challenges. Recruitment and retention of network members are essential to maintaining the integrity o...

Deprescribing is complex and multifactorial with multiple approaches described in the literature. Internationally, there are guidelines and tools available to aid clinicians and patients to identify and safely withdraw inappropriate medications, post...

This study assesses the effectiveness of a pharmacy-led transition of care (TOC) service on increasing patients’ understanding of, and reported adherence to, medication post hospital discharge. A cross-sectional survey was administered to patie...

Peripheral neuropathy is a neurological disease characterised by pain, numbness, tingling, swelling or muscle weakness due to nerve damage, caused by multiple factors such as trauma, infections and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. In Kuwait 54% o...

Background: To investigate information sources utilized in pharmacists’ assessment of population-based health needs and/or community changes; and the association between information sources utilized and reported completion of continuing profess...

There are numerous definitions of polypharmacy to describe the use of many medications among older adults, but there is a need to clarify if they are purposive and meaningful. By means of a systematic review, we identified definitions of polypharmacy...

Aminoglycosides are antimicrobial agents that are primarily used for infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens. The purpose of this article is to review the allergic reactions reported in the published literature to aminoglycoside antibiotics. A t...

The consequences of a documented penicillin allergy in the medical record are especially troublesome in acutely ill, hospitalized patients. A penicillin allergy label may lead to alternative or second line therapies resulting in adverse drug events,...

This paper describes the design and implementation of elements of an integrated competency-focused pharmacy programme in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SoPPS), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Ireland. Following a national review of...

Antibiotics are commonly prescribed to treat a variety of bacterial infections. As with all medications, hypersensitivity reactions may occur and clinicians should be able to recognize them accurately and recommend appropriate management. Antibiotic...

Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) rely on a cadre of engaged members to participate in research projects. As pharmacist PBRNs increase in number, it is helpful to understand how members of other professions view their own participation in PBRN...

There has been an increase in opioid analgesic prescribing in general practice (GP). This is causing some concern around this contributing to dependency. NHS Lanarkshire have attempted to reduce the prescribing from GP surgeries through the developme...

Community pharmacies across the United States are forming clinically integrated networks (CINs) to facilitate the provision of patient-centered care. These networks need to continually innovate and demonstrate how their patient care services positive...

Poor performance in foundational science courses, which are usually taken during the first or second year of pharmacy school, can have several negative consequences including increases in student drop-out rates and increases in the number of dismissa...

Globally, health education reform is directing efforts to strengthen the health system through collaboration between health education and health services. However, collaborative efforts vary between developed and developing countries as the health ne...

MedsCheck (MC) is an annual medication review service delivered by community pharmacists and funded by the government of Ontario since 2007 for residents taking three or more medications for chronic conditions. In 2010, MC was expanded to include pat...

Medicine falsification is a global issue. Viagra, an erectile dysfunction therapeutic (EDT) medicine consisting primarily of sildenafil citrate, is the most commonly falsified medicine worldwide. Recently falsified EDTs have been reported multiple ti...

Antimicrobial desensitization represents a last-line option for patients with no alternative therapies, where the benefits of this intensive process must outweigh the potential harm from drug exposure. The goal of antimicrobial desensitization proced...

Community pharmacies are an ideal setting to manage high-risk medications and screen older adults at risk for falls. Appropriate training and resources are needed to successfully implement services in this setting. The purpose of this paper is to ide...

Our objective was to explore the implementation of a novel NHS England (NHSE)-funded pilot project aimed at deploying clinical pharmacists in an integrated urgent care (IUC) setting including the NHS 111 service. Eight integrated urgent care clinical...

Understanding antibiotic allergies and the risk of cross-sensitivity between and within antibiotic classes can have a substantial impact on patient care. The purpose of this review article is to provide insight into carbapenem allergies, describing t...

Background: It has been estimated that in 2018, 20% of pharmacy students were unemployed following graduation. However, many pharmacy positions go vacant each year, with the majority of these positions existing in rural areas. Methods: Pharmacy stude...

A needs assessment study of pharmacists working in family medicine groups (FMG) demonstrated the necessity to build a practice-based network. This network would foster a faster integration into FMG and a more efficient collaborative practice. It woul...

Community-based pharmacy practice is evolving from a focus on product preparation and dispensing to becoming a health care destination within the four walls of the traditional community-based pharmacy. Furthermore, community-based pharmacy practice i...

International travel is growing and pharmacists are well placed to provide travel health services for the prevention and management of travellers’ diarrhoea (TD). Legislation changes in many countries has enabled pharmacists to access prescription on...

Despite the widespread use of tetracycline antibiotics since the late 1940s, tetracycline hypersensitivity reactions have rarely been described in the literature. A comprehensive PubMed search was performed, including allergic and serious adverse rea...

(1) Background: This project evaluates the outcomes of a novel pharmacy-led model of deprescribing unnecessary medications for care home patients. A feasibility study was conducted in 2015 to explore exposure to inappropriate polypharmacy in patients...

Cephalosporins are among the most commonly prescribed antibiotic classes due to their wide clinical utility and general tolerability, with approximately 1–3% of the population reporting a cephalosporin allergy. However, clinicians may avoid the...

There is concern internationally that many older people are using an inappropriate number of medicines, and that complex combinations of medicines may cause more harm than good. This article discusses how person-centred medicines optimisation for old...

Prescription medicines aim to relieve patients’ suffering but they can be associated with adverse side effects or adverse drug reactions (ADRs). ADRs are an important cause of hospital admissions and a financial burden on healthcare systems acr...

Background: Risperidone is the only antipsychotic approved in Australia for the management of the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). In June 2015, the Australian Government Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) amended the in...

The history of community pharmacy in America since the 1920s is one of slow progress towards greater professional standing through changes in pharmacy education and practice. The history of American community pharmacy in the modern era can be divided...

Value-added pharmacy services encompass traditional and emerging services provided by pharmacists to individual and entire populations of persons increasingly under the auspices of a public health mandate. The success of value-added pharmacy services...

Quinolones are the second most common antibiotic class associated with drug-induced allergic reactions, but data on quinolone allergy are scarce. This review article discusses the available evidence on quinolone allergy, including prevalence, risk fa...

In an effort to increase access to contraception, the pharmacist scope of practice is being expanded to allow prescribing. While this is being accomplished in the United States by a variety of models, legislation that allows pharmacists to prescribe...

Antimicrobials in the penicillin class are first line treatments for several infectious diseases in the pediatric and adult population today. In the United States, patients commonly report having a penicillin allergy, with penicillin being the most f...

To amass a body of knowledge for managing emergency situations in pharmacies, we surveyed the occurrence and nature of medical problems in Hungarian pharmacies. The occurrence of real or suspected emergencies in pharmacies was markedly different and...

Three Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland are accredited to provide education and training, successful completion of which, entitles one to register as a pharmacist with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI). Legislation (2014) mand...

Background: The Erasmus+ project “Reinforcement of the Framework for Experiential Education in Healthcare in Serbia” (ReFEEHS) has been undertaken with the aim to: (i) reinforce and modernize experiential education (ExEd) in the health sc...

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage could be enhanced by community pharmacies working with medical clinics to coordinate completion of the HPV vaccination series. The objective for this study was to assess the feasibility of a coordinated...

In some jurisdictions, governments and the public look to community pharmacies to provide expanded primary health care services, including care plans with follow-up. Care planning services, covered by the Compensation Plan in Alberta, Canada, require...

The study purpose was to use the theory of planned behavior to understand factors influencing South Asian consumers’ intention to seek pharmacist-provided medication therapy management services (MTMS). Specific objectives were to assess effects...

Recent evidence has shown that the incidence of long-term illnesses in young people aged 10–24 years is increasing. It is essential to highlight the importance of long-term health conditions in this age group and understand young people’s...