International Journal of Pharmacy Practice最新文献

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the perceived work-life balance (WLB) among community pharmacy professionals in Portugal, focusing on binary gender male/female differences.

Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey (QuestionPro®) based on a previously validated instrument, developed for the Portuguese pharmacy practice setting. The survey link was sent to all publicly available community pharmacy email addresses (N = 2838) obtained from the Portuguese National Authority of Medicines and Health Products website. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to identify associations (P < .05).

Key findings: A total of 384 completed responses were received, with women representing 79.9% of the sample and an average age of 39.7 years (SD ± 10.9). Roles varied, with 85.8% being pharmacists and 14.2% being pharmacy technicians or assistants. Overall, 97.5% of women and 100% of men worked full-time, with 65.7% reporting overtime hours. Satisfaction with WLB was reported by 37.5% of men and 37.3% of women, with women's responses showing significantly less satisfaction compared to men (P < .05). Women also reported higher dissatisfaction with salary and progression opportunities. Personal life was reported as neglected due to work, with relevant impacts on social activities, hobbies, and relationships.

Conclusions: Community pharmacy professionals, particularly women, experience challenges in achieving WLB while facing additional domestic responsibilities. Interventions promoting equitable workloads, professional growth opportunities, and strategies to improve personal well-being are necessary to enhance satisfaction and work outcomes for pharmacy professionals.

Objective: The study objective was to summarize and evaluate the literature from the last decade about the cost of illness (COI) of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) through a systematic review.

Methods: Author conducted a search of the PubMed, and Google Scholar, electronic databases from January 2014 until July 2024, by identifying the following keywords 'cost of illness,' 'economic burden,' 'diabetic retinopathy,' and 'diabetic macular edema.' The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

Key findings: The total number of identified titles were 6760. After screening, 22 articles assessing the COI associated with DR or DME were included. The treatment costs were high and varied across countries. More than half of studies (N = 13) measured direct medical costs from the healthcare perspective, utilizing information retrieved from electronic databases. These included costs associated with medications, equipment, procedures, diagnosis, hospitalization, rehabilitation, and inpatient/outpatient consultations. Seven studies measured both direct and indirect costs from a societal perspective. Intangible and informal cost analyses were rarely documented due to the challenges in retrieving necessary information. The majority of the studies (N = 16) had retrospective observational design.

Conclusion: This review highlights significant cost variability influenced by income levels, healthcare infrastructure, disease severity, and analytical perspectives. The growing economic burden of DR and DME underscores the importance of sufficient budget allocation. The heterogeneity in study designs and cost estimation methods points to an urgent need for standardization in COI research.

Objectives: The environmental impact of asthma is multifactorial and personalized strategies to optimize treatment and achieve improved asthma control are required to reduce asthma related carbon emissions. Digital interventions, such as electronic monitoring devices (EMDs) could be one potential solution to support inhaler optimization. This article explores the clinical and sustainability benefits of EMDs and the impact they could have on decarbonizing the asthma pathway.

Methods: An electronic database search was carried out on PubMed, Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, and the Cochrane library, in November 2024 and updated in April 2025. A structured search was used including free text and MeSH terms using the key terms 'asthma', 'adherence', and terms related to 'digital inhaler', 'digital sensor', 'electronic monitoring device', and 'environmental sustainability'. Fully published randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews or meta-analyses, and cohort studies were retrieved. Search results were limited to adolescent and adult asthma patients. Articles not published in English language were excluded.

Key findings: The review identifies that EMDs, particularly when combined with education and feedback, have the potential to reduce the carbon impact of asthma through improved adherence to preventer inhalers, reduced reliever overuse, and improved asthma control. However, the current evidence is limited and larger comparative studies demonstrating their impact on clinical outcomes and health economic and environmental factors are required.

Conclusions: Digital inhaler monitors could potentially support treatment optimization and decarbonization of the asthma pathway. Further research is required to truly understand their potential and support their adoption into clinical practice in the UK.

Objectives: To quantify and describe the types of enquiries received by on-call hospital pharmacists across public metropolitan and regional hospitals.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of data entered by on-call pharmacists between January/2019 and December/2023 from across seven Local Health Networks in South Australia. Medicine-related enquiries were classified by type according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system and 'APINCH' (Antimicrobials, Psychotropics, Potassium and electrolytes, Insulin, Narcotics and other sedatives, Chemotherapeutic agents, Heparin and anticoagulants) acronym.

Key findings: There were 9069 phone enquiries received over the 5 years analysed. The largest number of calls related to medicine supply (62%) and medicine information (20%). Twelve percent of enquiries required a pharmacist to attend the hospital in person. The time period with the highest call numbers was 6 p.m.-8 p.m. (29%), followed by 8 p.m.-10 p.m. (23%) and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (predominantly weekends; 15%). Nearly one-third of the medicine enquiries were for drugs that act on the nervous system classified using ATC system, with clozapine being involved with the highest frequency (n = 534; 6%). Over half of the medicine-related enquiries (n = 5046) were considered high-risk drugs using the 'APINCH' acronym. The most frequent subtype of 'APINCH' was antimicrobials (n = 2213/5046; 44%), followed by narcotics (24%) and psychotropics (16%).

Conclusions: The provision of on-call services involved a range of high-risk classification medicines that required timely supply and clinical advice from pharmacists. This study identifies the need for developing a state-wide approach to consolidate on-call data through technology to inform work processes and targeted education and resources for pharmacists and other professional staff.

Objective: This study investigated whether providing numerical adverse event information and social norm nudging in medication counselling enhances patients' willingness to take medication differently, depending on their numeracy skills.

Methods: An online survey was conducted with 554 Japanese adults who were randomly assigned to one of four medication counselling scenarios, combining numerical and non-numerical adverse event information with or without a social norm nudge. After viewing counselling videos on a hypothetical diabetes drug, participants' willingness to take the medication and subjective numeracy skills were assessed.

Key findings: The results indicated that numerical adverse event information significantly improved medication willingness among more numerate participants, but had no significant effect on less numerate participants. In contrast, social norm nudging was more effective for less numerate individuals, whereas it had no significant effect on more numerate participants.

Conclusions: The findings underscore the importance of tailoring counselling strategies to patients' numeracy levels to optimize decision-making and improve adherence. As a practical implication, the findings suggest that brief numeracy screening before medication counselling may enable pharmacists to optimize their communication strategies. Moreover, the findings offer a foundation for pharmacists to implement numeracy-based communication strategies in clinical counselling to enhance patient-centred communication.

Objectives: We aimed to translate the Patient Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (PDKQ) from the English version to the Malay version and validate it.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted by forward translating the English language PDKQ to the Malay language by two independent translators and backward-translated to the English language by another two independent translators. The Malay version of the PDKQ was harmonized and underwent expert content validation by six healthcare professionals. Subsequently, six patients participated in face validation. For the reliability test, patients who were recruited randomly answered both the PDKQ English version and the Malay version, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was analysed.

Key findings: Four items and three items were modified during forward and backward translation, respectively. The average scale-level content validity index (S-CVI) values for expert validation for relevance, importance and clarity were 1.000, 0.992, and 0.983, respectively, indicating relevant, important, and good clarity. For face validity, the average S-CVI for clarity was 0.975 and for understandability was 0.992. The ICC for the Malay version of the PDKQ was 0.945.

Conclusion: The Malay version PDKQ is a valid tool and has excellent reliability. It serves as a tool to assess the diabetes knowledge among Malay-speaking patients.

Objective: Describe current pharmacy education, practice, and related research endeavors for pharmacists in Malawi and comment on advances being made.

Key findings: Pharmacists are currently involved in a variety of research endeavors including antimicrobial stewardship, clinical trials, and medication use processes. Advances being made in pharmacy education will advance clinical practice and pharmaceutical care. These advances are expected to further expand research opportunities in the areas of implementation science, population health, and health outcomes.

Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of a pharmacogenomics (PGx) workshop on UK trainee pharmacists' knowledge, confidence, and application of PGx to simulated cases. The study also examined the experiences and support needs of workshop facilitators.

Methods: A mixed-methods design was employed, including surveys of workshop participants and focus groups (FGs) with workshop facilitators. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-tests, while qualitative data from FGs were thematically analyzed.

Key findings: A total of 229 trainee pharmacists attended one of five workshops. Of these, 199 completed the pre-workshop survey, and 157 completed the post-workshop survey. Pre-, post-workshop surveys indicated a significant increase in self-reported knowledge of PGx (P < .01) and an increase in the confidence to apply this knowledge in clinical practice, although not statistically significant (P = .06). Workshop facilitators identified challenges related to participant engagement, especially in online settings, and expressed a need for more comprehensive preparatory materials and technical support. Despite these challenges, the workshops were well-received, with participants appreciating the interactive format and case studies which incorporated pharmacogenomic results.

Conclusions: The findings show that a PGx workshop effectively enhanced trainees' knowledge but revealed ongoing gaps in their ability to apply this knowledge clinically. Facilitator feedback highlights the need for improved training and resources to support effective delivery, particularly in online environments. Iterative sessions and additional supportive materials are recommended to consolidate learning and application of PGx in clinical practice.