Journal de pharmacie de Belgique最新文献

Medication adherence in chronic conditions such as asthma, type 2 diabetes, heart failure, HIV and cancer appears to be a frequent problem. However, the literature on adherence in patients who use inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), oral hypoglycemic agents, drugs for heart failure, antiretrovirals or oral chemotherapy, contains little or no relevant data for Belgium. In the context of a Master thesis in Pharmaceutical care at KU Leuven, a quantitative study was performed to determine the prevalence of adherence to chronic medication in Belgium. This retrospective, cross-sectional study used a database containing refill data of a regional pharmacists' association (KLAV). Out of the 603 pharmacies affiliated with this association, all 50 pharmacies where HIV medication was delivered, were selected. Dispensing data from the selected pharmacies were collected from 01/07/2008 to 31/12/2009 for five pathologies, i.e.; asthma, type 2 diabetes, heart failure, HIV and cancer. Adherence (TT) was calculated with the Medication Refill Adherence (MRA) method. In order to determine whether there were associations between age, gender, drug class and adherence, Chi-square tests were used. Compared with the other patients, cancer patients were the most adherent in taking their drugs (median adherence rate = 88%). In addition, this was the only group in which the median adherence rate was above the set limit of 80%. The patients who were prescribed inhaled corticosteroids were the least adherent (median adherence rate = 38%). More than 50% of patients with asthma/COPD, heart failure and diabetes were classified as "under-users". Furthermore, the results showed a significant association within asthma patients between gender and adherence. In asthma, type 2 diabetes, heart failure and HIV patients there was a significant relationship between age and adherence and drug class and adherence. As the current study has some limitations, the results should be handled with caution. Nevertheless, the current study shows that also in Belgium there is a problem with medication adherence in chronic conditions, especially in asthma patients.

Introduction: Counseling of patients filling a first prescription is an essentiaL aspect of pharmaceutical care. The use of a protocol summarizing all relevant counseling aspects can be a useful tool to standardize pharmaceutical care and to promote impLementation.

Aim: (1) To develop a protocol for counseling of patients starting with oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHA), and (2) to investigate current provision of counseling for these patients in Belgian community pharmacies.

Method: Based on literature, a consensus meeting with community pharmacists and consultation with physicians, we developed a protocol for counseling patients starting OHA. Additionally, an observational study of current provision of counseling for patients starting OHA was performed in 90 community pharmacies.

Results: All pharmacists reported to provide the most important item of our protocol, i.e. dose and timing of OHA intake. All other protocol items were provided by a smaller proportion of pharmacists: indication (by 64.4% of pharmacists), mechanism of action (30.0%), what to do if a dose is missed (3.3%), side effects (34.4%), hypoglycaemia (24.4%) and Lifestyle advice (68.9%). About 45% of pharmacists reported to give written drug information to patients starting OHA. Reduction of the administrative workload was most frequently mentioned as measure to spend more time on patient counseling. The majority of pharmacists considered our protocol as feasible and appLicabLe in daily pharmacy practice.

Conclusion: This study found that current counseLing practices for patients starting OHA can be improved. Our protocol could be a useful and feasible tool to facilitate implementation of first prescription counseling.

In France, central IV admixture of chemotherapy (CT) treatments at the hospital is now required by law. We have previously shown that the shaping of Therapeutic Objects (TOs) could profit from an Analytical Quality Assurance (AQA), closely linked to the batch release, for the three key parameters: identity, purity, and initial concentration of the compound of interest. In the course of recent and diversified works, we showed the technical superiority of non-intrusive Raman Spectroscopy (RS) vs. any other analytical option and, especially for both HPLC and vibrational method using a UV/visible-FTIR coupling. An interconnected qualitative and economic assessment strongly helps to enrich these relevant works. The study compares in operational situation, the performance of three analytical methods used for the AQC of TOs. We used: a) a set of evaluation criteria, b) the depreciation tables of the machinery, c) the cost of disposables, d) the weight of equipment and technical installations, e) the basic accounting unit (unit of work) and its composite costs (Euros), which vary according to the technical options, the weight of both human resources and disposables; finally, different combinations are described. So, the unit of work can take 12 different values between 1 and 5.5 Euros, and we provide various recommendations. A qualitative evaluation grid constantly places the SR technology as superior or equal to the 2 other techniques currently available. Our results demonstrated: a) the major interest of the non-intrusive AQC performed by RS, especially when it is not possible to analyze a TO with existing methods e.g. elastomeric portable pumps, and b) the high potential for this technique to be a strong contributor to the security of the medication circuit, and to fight the iatrogenic effects of drugs especially in the hospital. It also contributes to the protection of all actors in healthcare and of their working environment.