Abstract
Background: The Pharmacy Minor Ailment Service (PMAS) was introduced in the UK over 15 years ago for use in treating minor ailments and has been shown to be effective and acceptable by the public in reducing the burden on high-cost healthcare settings (such as general practice and emergency departments). This paper aims to review the use of a PMAS in the paediatric population. Methods: PMAS was established in a London Borough in 2013. Data were collected from 33 pharmacists and 38 GPs on demographics, service utilization and costs. Results: In total, 6974 face-to-face consultations by 4174 patients were provided by pharmacies as part of the PMAS over a 12-month period. Moreover, 57% of patients were children with fever, hay fever and sore throat, accounting for 58% of consultations. Only 2% were signposted to other services. Sixty-nine percent of patients reported being seen within 5 min and 96% of patients were seen within 10 min with high levels of satisfaction. Cost savings of over GBP 192,000 were made during the scheme. Conclusions: PMAS is a highly cost effective, accessible and acceptable service for children with minor illnesses.
Highlights
Minor ailments are defined as “common or self-limiting, uncomplicated conditions that can be diagnosed and managed without medical intervention” [1,2]
10% of infants attending an Emergency Departments (ED) in a large district general hospital had no coded diagnosis and probably attended for minor illness and general advice only [9]
We look at Pharmacy Minor Ailment Service (PMAS) utilisation by children below the age of 16, parents’ satisfaction and re-consultation rates by age group
Summary
Minor ailments are defined as “common or self-limiting, uncomplicated conditions that can be diagnosed and managed without medical intervention” [1,2]. 10% of infants attending an ED in a large district general hospital had no coded diagnosis and probably attended for minor illness and general advice only [9] As this is a growing proportion of ED attendances, this puts a lot of demand on our health services [10]; greater use of community pharmacy services instead of medical services for minor ailments could help relieve pressure on healthcare providers in high-cost settings [11,12]. The Pharmacy Minor Ailment Service (PMAS) was introduced in the UK over 15 years ago for use in treating minor ailments and has been shown to be effective and acceptable by the public in reducing the burden on high-cost healthcare settings (such as general practice and emergency departments). Conclusions: PMAS is a highly cost effective, accessible and acceptable service for children with minor illnesses
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