Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy最新文献

{"title":"Assessing community antibiotic usage and adherence as per standard treatment guidelines: A potential area to enhance awareness at community pharmacy settings","authors":"Abdullah Al Masud ,&nbsp;Ramesh Lahiru Walpola ,&nbsp;Malabika Sarker ,&nbsp;Alamgir Kabir ,&nbsp;Muhammad Asaduzzaman ,&nbsp;Md Saiful Islam ,&nbsp;Ayesha Tasnim Mostafa ,&nbsp;Zubair Akhtar ,&nbsp;Holly Seale","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100552","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100552","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Antibiotic nonadherence significantly contributes to poor treatment outcomes and antimicrobial resistance. In Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh, community pharmacies are crucial in primary healthcare, and are key sources of over-the-counter antibiotics. However, understanding of adherence to the full course of community-dispensed antibiotics is limited. This study measured antibiotic adherence to Bangladesh government and WHO Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) among patients at community pharmacies and identifies associated factors.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional survey was conducted via phone among 358 respondents from four urban and rural areas of Bangladesh who participated in a previous antibiotic purchasing behavior survey. Descriptive analysis identified antibiotic use patterns, and adherence to the full course of antibiotics was assessed against STGs recommendations. Poisson regression model was used to explore correlations between patients' demographic characteristics, knowledge of antibiotic dosage, dosage regimen, and type of health-symptoms and adherence to the full course of antibiotics.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Adherence to antibiotic dosage per STGs was 40.5 %. Patients consulting a registered medical practitioner were significantly more likely to adhere (Adj-PR: 3.81, 95 % CI: 2.82–5.14) compared to those who did not. Males were 32.0 % less likely to adhere than females (Adj-PR: 0.68, 95 % CI: 0.54–0.86). Rural residents demonstrated 37.0 % lower adherence compared to urban (Adj- PR: 0.63, 95 % CI: 0.45–0.87). Respondents who recalled the antibiotic dosage had a higher likelihood of adherence (Adj-PR: 2.04, 95 % CI: 1.06–3.93). Patients on 12-hourly regimens had higher adherence (Adj-PR: 1.55, 95 % CI: 1.03–2.33) than 6-hourly regimens. Patients with uncomplicated skin-infections had higher adherence (Adj-PR: 1.72, 95 % CI: 1.22–2.47), while other symptoms showed no significant association.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Targeted interventions in diverse healthcare settings are essential, including user-centric research and enhancing patient knowledge and involvement. Strengthening patient-physician relationships and involving community pharmacies in antimicrobial stewardship programs can improve antibiotic dispensing and counselling practices among drug-sellers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100552"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11731586/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142985533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors influencing E-pharmacy adoption in India: A study of user experiences through interpretative phenomenological analysis","authors":"Kushal Pal Singh,&nbsp;Pawan Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100550","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100550","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid growth of e-commerce has led to the emergence of e-pharmacies, which enable consumers to purchase prescription medications online. This study aims to explore the factors influencing the adoption of e-pharmacies in India through an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach. Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals who had experience ordering prescription medicines through e-pharmacies. The findings revealed that constructs from the UTAUT2 model, including performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, price value, and habit, played a significant role in the adoption of e-pharmacies. Construct hedonic motivation, from UTAUT2, was found to be weakly significant in explaining the adoption of e-pharmacy. Additionally, health literacy was identified as a key factor, with e-pharmacy users demonstrating higher levels of health literacy. However, perceived risks, such as performance, financial, privacy, and psychological risks, were found to negatively influence the adoption of e-pharmacies. The study proposes, based on findings, a research model to understand consumer behavior in the adoption of e-pharmacies. The findings suggest that the presence of favorable conditions, such as convenience, accessibility, user-friendly interfaces, social influence, internet accessibility, integrated healthcare services, diverse payment methods, and price advantages, have contributed to the widespread acceptance and adoption of e-pharmacy services in India. The study highlights the need for future research to employ quantitative or mixed methods approaches to address the limitations of the current exploratory study and to investigate the multifaceted determinants of e-pharmacy adoption in different geographical contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100550"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11788603/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143123972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing work in community pharmacy: What preferences do community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have for a better allocation of daily activities?","authors":"Jean-Didier Bardet ,&nbsp;Jérôme Combe ,&nbsp;Arnaud Tanty ,&nbsp;Perrine Louvier ,&nbsp;Mathieu Granjon ,&nbsp;Benoît Allenet","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100549","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100549","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Pharmacy work encompasses two main streams. These are logistic flow (the supply and distribution of healthcare products) and pharmaceutical flow (the dispensing and provision of pharmacy services). The pharmaceutical flow has increased significantly with the introduction of reimbursed services such as Rapid Diagnostic Tests, chronic disease screening, minor ailment prescriptions, vaccine prescription and administration, and medication reviews. The implementation of new pharmacy services requires efficiency. The main objective of the survey presented here was to determine the preferences of community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in relation to the assignment of tasks within the community pharmacy team.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>The survey, which used the Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) method, presented 13 daily pharmacy activities to community pharmacists (CPs) and pharmacy technicians (PTs). Descriptive statistics and Bayesian logistic regression were used to analyse the data.</div></div><div><h3>Key findings</h3><div>The results indicate that medication dispensing is a shared activity between CPs and PTs, for which the latter already have partial autonomy. Management of nursing home orders and supplies tends to be assigned to pharmacy technicians, whereas clinical pharmacy services such as prescription renewal, medication reviews, and counselling are considered to be more within the CPs' domain. CPs would readily delegate tasks like screening procedures to PTs. PTs express interest in minor ailment prescribing, a responsibility CPs are not yet ready to entrust to them.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Delegating logistical activities to pharmacy technicians could enable community pharmacists to focus on specialized pharmaceutical care, thereby improving the efficiency and quality of the services offered to patients. However, the reorganization of tasks should not only be implemented from a logistical standpoint since pharmacy technicians also share an interest in pharmaceutical care.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100549"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11733183/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143016340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drug utilisation research and medicine access in Mozambique: An overview","authors":"Roger Wiseman ,&nbsp;Ilse Truter","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100548","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100548","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Access to medicine is fundamental to the provision of equitable health systems. However, availability of affordable quality-assured medicines continues to be poor, especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Targeted efforts associated with transparency and accountability around medicine utilisation are required in LMICs to address this problem. With the increased global focus on improved access to medicines, there is a heightened imperative to understand the current landscape of medicine prescribing in these territories. In Sub-Saharan Africa, drug utilisation research is generally under-developed due to the lack of access to databases that capture prescribed drug utilisation information. The advent of private health insurance in many African countries, including Mozambique, where the average life expectancy at birth is of the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa, has created an opportunity to collect comprehensive medicine-related prescription data to facilitate monitoring and evaluation of medicine use thereby assisting in directing medicine-related policy. This overview focuses on Mozambique as one such country where future drug utilisation studies might assist in informing medicine-related health policy and improving medicine access. In addition, it explores drug utilisation as a research methodology and how it might be of assistance in meeting Mozambique's unmet needs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100548"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11699339/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142933995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pharmacist-led Si-care (schizophrenia care) model to improve medication adherence and symptom management in schizophrenia","authors":"Noor Cahaya ,&nbsp;Susi Ari Kristina ,&nbsp;Anna Wahyuni Widayanti ,&nbsp;James A. Green","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100544","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100544","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder that requires long-term treatment, particularly antipsychotic medications. However, medication adherence among patients with schizophrenia is often suboptimal, leading to symptom relapse and poor outcomes. The Si-Care (Schizophrenia Care) program was developed as a pharmacist-led home intervention to improve medication adherence and support symptom control in patients with schizophrenia. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Si-Care intervention in improving medication adherence and maintaining stability of symptoms among schizophrenia patients.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A quasi-experimental study was conducted in three community health centers or Puskesmas in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. A total of 57 participants were recruited according to the sampling criteria. The Si-Care intervention consisted of seven home visits by trained pharmacists over four months, providing education, counseling, and medication monitoring. Adherence to medication was evaluated using the pill count method and severity of symptoms was measured using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) pre- and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using the Friedman test for adherence and the Wilcoxon test for PANSS scores.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Mean medication adherence improved significantly from 77.38 % ± 25.85 at baseline (T0) to 97.57 % ± 11.09 at the final visit (T4) (<em>p</em> = 0.000). However, the decrease in PANSS scores from 38.03 ± 9.14 to 37.81 ± 9.15 was not statistically significant (<em>p</em> = 0.089). Despite the lack of significant change in PANSS scores, symptoms remained stable throughout the intervention, suggesting effective symptom management.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The Si-Care intervention significantly improved medication adherence among people with schizophrenia, contributing to the maintenance of stable symptoms. Pharmacist-led home interventions provide valuable support to address adherence challenges and should be considered a critical component in schizophrenia care. Future studies should consider a more rigorous design, a larger sample size, and longer follow-up to better evaluate the sustainability, scalability, and applicability of the intervention in diverse healthcare settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"16 ","pages":"Article 100544"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142745716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artificial intelligence in community pharmacy practice: Pharmacists' perceptions, willingness to utilize, and barriers to implementation","authors":"Ashenafi Kibret Sendekie ,&nbsp;Liknaw Workie Limenh ,&nbsp;Biruk Beletew Abate ,&nbsp;Gashaw Sisay Chanie ,&nbsp;Abebe Tarekegn Kassaw ,&nbsp;Fasil Bayafers Tamene ,&nbsp;Kalab Yigermal Gete ,&nbsp;Ephrem Mebratu Dagnew","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100542","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100542","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Artificial intelligence (AI) has a significant potential to impact pharmacy practices worldwide. This study investigates pharmacists' perceptions of AI's role in pharmacy practices, their willingness to adopt it, and perceived barriers to its implementation at community pharmacies in Ethiopia.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in Ethiopia. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Independent samples <em>t</em>-test, one-way ANOVA, and post-hoc analyses were used to compare pharmacists' perception and willingness scores. A linear regression analysis examined the association of independent variables with pharmacists' perception of AI and willingness to utilize AI. A <em>p</em>-value &lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of 241 pharmacists approached, 225 (93.3 %) completed the survey. Overall, about two-thirds (67.1 % and 66.2 %) of community pharmacists had a high level of perception and willingness to use AI applications in pharmacy, respectively. Pharmacists with bachelor's degrees and above (β = 2.76: 95 % CI: 0.09, 5.01 vs. β = 1.79: 95 % CI: 0.05, 4.21), those who utilized scientific drug information sources (β = 2.45, 95 %: 0.17, 4.45 vs. β = 1.76, 95 % CI: 0.91, 3.89), pharmacists who had a previous exposure of AI (β = 1.02, 95 %: 0.03, 3.24 vs. β =1.13, 95 % CI: 0.07, 2.93), and those who with higher perceived AI knowledge (β =1.09, 95 % CI: 0.02, 2.46 vs. β = 1.14, 95 %CI: 0.17, 3.11) had significantly higher perception of AI and willingness to utilize it, respectively compared to their counterparts. Lack of internet availability (89.3 %), lack of AI-related software/hardware (88.2 %), and limited training (80.9 %) were the most frequently reported barriers by pharmacists to AI adoption. Over 90 % of pharmacists agreed on the importance of internet availability (93.3 %), policies/frameworks (91.6 %), and research/learning from others (89.3 %) for successful AI integration.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Despite positive perceptions and willingness from pharmacists, AI implementation in community pharmacies could be hindered by resource limitations, training gaps, skill constraints, and infrastructure issues. To facilitate adoption, enhancing knowledge and skills, and developing policies/frameworks are crucial.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"16 ","pages":"Article 100542"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142745717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pharmaceutical industry use of key opinion leaders to market prescription opioids: A review of internal industry documents","authors":"Brian Gac ,&nbsp;Kgosi Tavares ,&nbsp;Hanna Yakubi ,&nbsp;Hannah Khan ,&nbsp;Dorie E. Apollonio ,&nbsp;Eric Crosbie","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100543","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100543","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Prescription opioid-related deaths increased by 200 % from 2000 to 2014. There has been limited research regarding channels used by pharmaceutical companies to market prescription opioids. In this study, we investigated pharmaceutical industry use of key opinion leaders (KOLs).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a retrospective qualitative review of the first 503 opioid industry documents publicly released, which are held at the University of California, San Francisco Opioid Industry Document Archive (OIDA). We reviewed documents including legal rulings, correspondences, witness statements, clinical studies, and corporate communications for relevance and coded them by themes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Between 2001 and 2019, pharmaceutical companies including Janssen, Purdue Pharma, and Cephalon identified, recruited and developed individuals they referred to as “Key Opinion Leaders,” (KOLs) that they recognized could reach strategic audiences to influence prescriber behaviors. Pharmaceutical companies identified KOLs through a variety of sources ranging from partnerships with PR firms to social media analysis and congressional and regulatory sources. Companies recruited KOLs through various methods including surveys to identify common names identified by physicians, internal rankings based on friendliness, and opioid prescribing behaviors. Companies employed KOLs as speakers at conferences for branded opioid products, authors of research articles in support of prescription opioids, and consultants regarding marketing strategies.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>KOLs were employed by the pharmaceutical industry to leverage their reputations in the service of encouraging healthcare providers to prescribe more opioids. It is critical to ensure that researchers and leaders in the medical field are aware and critical of pharmaceutical corporate profit-led biases and are free from conflicts of interest to avoid inappropriate prescribing and minimize adverse outcomes for patients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"16 ","pages":"Article 100543"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142745718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling the complementariness of robotic tablet dispensing machines for elderly care: A bibliometric data analysis","authors":"Sunday Adewale Olaleye ,&nbsp;Olaleye Esther Olubunmi ,&nbsp;Berhanemeskel Weldegerima Atsbeha ,&nbsp;Mulugeta Negash Wodaje","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100545","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100545","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of academic papers and conference proceedings related to tablet dispensers, medicine dispensers, and pill dispensers within the framework of Sustainable Development Goal 03: Good Health and Well-Being. The analysis spans literature published between 1997 and 2023. Utilizing the Web of Science database, the study employs keywords such as “tablet dispenser,” “medicine dispenser,” and “pill dispenser” to gather relevant English-language papers classified as Proceeding Papers or Articles. The inclusion and exclusion criteria filtered 79 initial records down to 40, focusing on articles pertinent to SDG 03. Data analysis was performed using the Biblioshiny App through RStudio, examining publication trends, authorship patterns, citation networks, and other bibliometric indicators. The findings reveal a steady increase in research output, moderate citation impact, extensive references, and collaborative authorship, with limited international collaboration. The study underscores the growing interest and research activity in robotic tablet dispensing machines for elderly care while highlighting areas for further global engagement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100545"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142747538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Challenges prescribing and dispensing oral antibiotics with poor palatability for paediatric patients: A qualitative interview study with GPs and pharmacists","authors":"Ayat Elgammal ,&nbsp;Joseph Ryan ,&nbsp;Colin Bradley ,&nbsp;Abina Crean ,&nbsp;Margaret Bermingham","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100546","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100546","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Poor palatability of antibiotics is a key cause for non-adherence to antibiotic treatment among children. Failure to complete antibiotic treatment because of poor palatability can cause disease recurrence and may contribute to increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate the experience and challenges faced by general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists regarding prescribing and dispensing oral liquid antibiotics for children and the impact of poorly palatable antibiotic formulations on patients and the health-system.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>One-to-one semi-structured interviews with GPs and pharmacists were conducted via an online video-conferencing platform. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Twenty participants (7 GPs and 13 pharmacists) were interviewed. Three main themes and eight subthemes were identified. Theme 1: <em>challenges reported by GPs and pharmacists</em> included four subthemes; (i) factors affecting prescribing and dispensing antibiotics, (ii) reasons to select poorly palatable antibiotics, (iii) palatability discussion with parents, and (iv) formulation factors affecting oral liquid antibiotic acceptability. Theme 2: <em>the impact of prescribing or dispensing poorly palatable oral liquid antibiotics</em> encompassed two sub themes; (i) patient impact and (ii) health-system impact. Theme 3: <em>overcoming palatability challenges</em> involved two subthemes; (i) raising awareness of flavour and palatability issues among healthcare professionals and (ii) counselling parents while prescribing and before dispensing.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>There is a need to increase palatability awareness among healthcare professionals and parents. The development of more palatable oral liquid formulations can play a role in improving prescribing and medicines taking practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100546"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142747537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Non-dispensed prescriptions – A nationwide descriptive study","authors":"Heini Kari ,&nbsp;Fredriikka Nurminen ,&nbsp;Hanna Rättö ,&nbsp;Hanna Koskinen","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100541","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100541","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Medication non-adherence is associated with suboptimal health outcomes, higher mortality, and increased healthcare costs.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The aim of this study was to estimate the number and share of non-dispensed prescriptions at a national level and in specific patient and medicine subgroups.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The study was a nationwide retrospective register-based study. The data consisted of prescriptions prescribed in Finland in 2020 and dispensed between 2020 and 2022. A prescription was considered non-dispensed if it had not been dispensed within the two-year validity period. For each prescription, information on the patient's birth date, sex, and income as well as details of the prescribed medicine and physician's employment sector (public/private) were collected. Distributions and odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were used in the analyses.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of the 26 million prescriptions, 13.3 % were never filled. Over 1.7 million people (43.3 % of all people with prescriptions issued in 2020) had at least one non-dispensed prescription. The share of non-dispensed prescriptions was lower in men than women (12.9 % vs. 13.5 %; OR:0.95; CI:0.95–0.95). Compared to the youngest age group, the share of non-dispensed prescriptions was lower in the older age groups. The lowest share of non-dispensed medicines was in antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (7.8 %) and in cardiovascular system medicines (8.1 %), whereas the highest was in dermatologicals (20.2 %). The proportion of non-dispensed prescriptions varied between medicine groups, from 5 % for thyroid therapy to 38 % for other nervous system drugs. The most frequently non-dispensed medications were paracetamol, ibuprofen, and salbutamol.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The share and number of non-dispensed prescriptions varied across therapeutic areas, medicine groups, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and patient groups. Healthcare professionals should avoid unnecessary prescribing and improve medication adherence to ensure safer and more effective care.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"16 ","pages":"Article 100541"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142704765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}