Minor Ailments Research Articles

The Place to Purchase Drugs for Community Self-Medication at Green Hills Moncongloe Housing, Maros Regency

Self-medication or self-medication is part of the community's efforts to treat minor ailments by using over-the-counter drugs, limited over-the-counter drugs and mandatory pharmacy drugs without consulting a doctor first. Most people self-medicate because they don't have time to go to the doctor, the distance to the puskesmas, hospital or doctor's office is far from home. So that people choose where to buy drugs at pharmacies, grocery stalls, minimarkets and drugstores. The purpose of this study was to find out where to buy drugs for self-medication in the Green Hills Moncongloe Housing Complex, Maros Regency. The method used in this research is descriptive method, namely research that includes surveys with data collection techniques in the form of questionnaires. This research was conducted at the Green Hills Moncongloe Housing Complex, Maros Regency which was carried out in February - March 2023 by distributing questionnaires to 50 respondents. From the results of the study it can be seen that of the 50 respondents, 29 people (58%) bought drugs at pharmacies, 16 people (32%) at grocery stalls, 3 people (6%) minimarkets, and finally 2 people (4%) drugstores. So it can be concluded that more people choose places to buy medicines at pharmacies because people believe that medicines sold at pharmacies can be trusted for their quality and authenticity and the public can obtain information about the drugs they buy.

Role of community pharmacy and pharmacists in self-care in Brazil

Global healthcare systems, including the National Health System in Brazil – one of the largest public models in the world –, continue to evolve, as well as populations' health needs, currently shaped on individuals feeling a greater desire to manage their own health. Self-care practices are part of several public policies and clinical guidelines in Brazil including the National Policy on Complementary and Integrative Practices, the National AIDS Control Program, the National Policy for Women's Health, and the Guidelines for Care of People with Chronic Diseases. There are over 100,700 community pharmacies, in the country (89.2% privately owned) employing 234,300 pharmacists, representing an important delivery point for self-care, as they are the first point of access to care for most patients. Self-medication is a common practice in Brazil (prevalence rates of self-medication ranging from 16.1% to 35.0%), especially with non-prescription/over-the-counter medicinal products (65.0%). In fact, these products represent over 25% of volume marketed of medicines, summing revenues of USD 1.9 billion per year. Studies demonstrated a positive budget impact as important savings for the National Health System due to reductions of unnecessary medical appointments and loss of working days. In addition to minor ailments management, other self-care services provided by community pharmacies that are frequently sought by Brazilian citizens (20–25% of cases) are smoking cessation and weight management (costs per service ranging from around USD 5.00–12.00). However, pharmacy services are not yet as fully integrated in Brazil to the same extent as in other countries. Barriers such as standardization of processes (from services' design, implementation, and evaluation in practice), pharmacist remuneration for the provision of services and the amount to be charged for the service are still a matter of controversy. For more rapid and sustainable advances in these practices, communication among various stakeholders, professional practice and healthcare regulations, standardization of services and financing of self-care (both publicly and privately) are urgently needed. This paper provides an overview of some self-care services provided by community pharmacies in Brazil and call attention to the ongoing challenges to move the National Health system forward.

Patient satisfaction with access, affordability and quality of diabetes care at Mohalla Clinics in Delhi, India

Mohalla Clinics have been set up to provide curative care for minor ailments free of cost within walking distance in the urban slums, thus making primary care more accessible and affordable. Studies evaluating patient satisfaction with treatment of chronic conditions, such as diabetes, in these clinics are lacking. A survey of 400 type 2 diabetes patients was conducted, split equally between Mohalla clinics (MC) and Private clinics (PC) in Delhi. Responses were analyzed using STATA17, applying appropriate statistical tests for the data type (Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, or two-sample t test). Satisfaction level was high in both groups with no significant difference between mean satisfaction scores of MC patients and PC patients (Mean 3.79 vs. 3.85 respectively, p = 0.4). However, MC patients reported a significant improvement in their satisfaction score after switching to MC (Mean 3.79 vs. 3.3 for the previous facility, p < 0.05). Physician interaction with the patients was the most important factor in influencing the satisfaction score. Proximity to the clinic was the second most important factor for MC patients but was not as important for PC patients. Surprisingly, treatment success was considered an important factor for satisfaction level by < 10% MC and < 20% PC patients only, pointing to the need for patient education across both the groups. None of the MC patients mentioned free treatment as a contributory factor to high satisfaction, perhaps because most shifted from a government setup to MC. PC patients had more frequent follow-up visits and blood glucose monitoring, and longer consultation duration compared to MC patients, which were offset by access factors, thus not causing much difference to the satisfaction score between the two groups. Mohalla clinics are making diabetes treatment accessible and affordable for the marginalized population of Delhi, despite not being designed or fully equipped to care for chronic diseases such as diabetes that require multi-specialty care to monitor and manage multiple co-morbidities and long-term complications. Positive perception of physician interaction and convenient location of the clinics are the two major contributors to the high satisfaction patients expressed with diabetes care at these clinics.

Barriers and facilitators for providing self-care advice in community pharmacies: a qualitative study

BackgroundCommunity pharmacies are easily accessible for self-care advice. Guidelines for providing self-care advice were introduced in several countries, including the Netherlands in the 1990s. Previous studies have indicated room for improvement in self-care advice in daily pharmacy practice.AimTo identify barriers and facilitators for providing self-care advice.MethodSemi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face or online with pharmacists and pharmacy assistants using a topic guide based on the Theoretical Domains Framework. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were deductively analysed to identify barriers and facilitators for self-care counselling. COREQ guidelines were followed.ResultsIn total, 13 pharmacists and 12 pharmacy assistants were interviewed to reach data saturation. In general, most themes addressed by pharmacists and pharmacy assistants belonged to similar domains. The following domains were frequently mentioned: environmental context and resources (e.g. priority for prescription drugs, privacy, collaboration with general practitioners, access to patients’ records), intentions (providing reliable advice), skills (communication, decision-making), knowledge (ready guideline knowledge), beliefs about consequences (patient safety), social influences (patient awareness of pharmacist role), reinforcement (lack of reimbursement for relatively time-consuming advice).ConclusionThis study identifies barriers and facilitators for evidence-based self-care advice. Pharmacists should first support pharmacy assistants by helping them keep their knowledge and skills up to date and creating suitable pharmacy preconditions to facilitate improvements in self-care counselling. Second, collaboration with general practitioners regarding minor ailments should be improved.

SELF-MEDICATION PRACTICES AMONG 1st- AND 2nd-YEAR MEDICAL UNDERGRADUATES

Objective: The objectives of our study were to estimate the prevalence of self-medication, to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of self-medication, and to compare the risk factors of self-medication practices among 1st-and 2nd-year medical undergraduates, of a Government Medical College in Kerala, India. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students after obtaining Institutional Ethics Committee approval and informed consent. A pre-validated questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed and variables associated with self-medication were entered into a multivariate logistic regression model to compute adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: The response rate was 59.47% (233/375). More than three-quarters of the participants responded correctly to the query on definition of over-the counter drug. As compared to 46.8% of 1st years, 67.6% of 2nd years had practiced self-medication in the past 6 months. The most common medical condition/symptom for consuming self-medication was for managing the common cold and paracetamol was the most common medication. The risk of developing adverse drug reactions was considered a serious threat after self-medication by around three-quarters of the participants. There was a significant association of self-medication practice among the 2nd years as compared to the 1st years (p=0.009, OR-1.64 (95% CI 1.16–2.31). Conclusion: The prevalence of self-medication was high among medical students and there was a greater risk of self-medication among the 2nd years (1.64 times) as compared to the 1st-year students. The study revealed that the students exhibited inadequate knowledge regarding appropriate self-medication. Although they had a positive attitude toward self-medication they commonly engaged in inadequate self-medication practices. Knowledge of medicines obtained for similar previous illnesses and the feeling that there is no need to consult a doctor for minor ailments that were the main reasons for self-medication.

Designing for health equity: A mixed method study exploring community experiences and perceptions of pharmacists' role in minor ailment care.

Minor ailments are self-limiting, easily diagnosable and treatable conditions. Funded pharmacist minor ailments services (PMAS) have been posited to improve medicines access equity and, despite ethnic minorities across the globe experiencing reduced access to medicines and health care, PMAS internationally have not explicitly centered ethnic equity in service design or outcome measurement. To explore Māori experiences of minor ailments care and perceptions of the pharmacists' role. This mixed methods study collected data through facilitated wānanga (collaborative knowledge-sharing group discussions). Eligible participants (Māori, 18 years plus, obtained medicine from pharmacy in last 3 years) were recruited through local pharmacist networks using convenience sampling. Wānanga included qualitative data collection through discussion using a topic guide and a quantitative questionnaire. Indigenous theory was applied within a general inductive approach to thematic development to analyze qualitative data. Quantitative data was reported using simple descriptive statistics. Thirteen wānanga (3 in-person, 10 online) were conducted from September 2021-February 2022 with 62 participants from seven New Zealand regions. The minor ailments that participants were most likely to seek treatment from pharmacy first, instead of a doctor, were eczema (87.2%), coughs and colds (85.7%), headlice (85.7%), insect bites (83.9%), and hayfever (83.9%). Four themes were generated from the qualitative data: designing the right environment for minor ailment care; clinically and culturally safe care; moving from stigmatizing to strengths-based services; the benefits of PMAS. Participant-informed ideas for PMAS service development centered on Māori aspirations included: developing clinically and culturally safe pharmacy environments, enabling medicine supply outside of the physical pharmacy setting, avoiding stigmatizing language when promoting PMAS availability, and collaborative practice with other health providers. This study provides important recommendations when developing PMAS to increase the likelihood of delivering equitable care, and has international application across multiple pharmacy and health service settings.

Consumer Impressions of the Safety and Effectiveness of OTC Medicines

The public generally believes OTC medicines to be helpful for treating minor ailments. From a survey point of view, that position often originates from feedback obtained when these medicines are considered as one broad category. The objective of the study was to assess the properties of 15 categories of agents across three dimensions-effectiveness, safety, and familiarity. Data were gathered via an online non-random survey in one Canadian province, where residents were asked to consider 15 OTC medicine categories in terms of those dimensions. Five hundred and seventy-five completed surveys were obtained out of 3000 sent. On the 10-point effectiveness scale, values ranged from 5.1 (Athlete's foot cream) to 7.3 (headache medicine). For safety, the medicines were closely grouped (6.0 to 7.4). Cough syrups for children were perceived as less safe than those for adults. There was a trend in that, as product familiarity grew, so did impressions of safety and effectiveness. The results support other reports where OTC medicines are described as safe and effective, although safety ratings were not particularly high. Responders considered these medicines to generally be higher in safety than effectiveness.

Education on the Making of Ginger Powder Herbal Drink in the Benangka Community in Banangkah Village (Benangkah), Burneh District, Bangkalan, East Java

Indonesia is the largest producer of spices, one of which is ginger. Ginger is a plant that is easily grown in all types of soil, so it is easy to obtain, apart from cooking spices, ginger can also be used as an instant drink which is beneficial for the health of the body. Instant ginger powder is made from 100% ginger which is processed using household appliances so that everyone can make instant ginger powder drink easily and practically. The purpose of the community service in the village of Bangkalan, Bangkalan Regency, is to socialize the manufacture of good and correct instant ginger powder, so that it can produce really good powder, while the benefits are that many people still do not understand about instant ginger powder and its contents and benefits. The results of the dedication That from the ginger plant to instant powder and even the dregs can be used for some minor ailments that they don't know about and how to process ginger into instant ginger powder.

Prevalence, patterns and associated factors of self-medication among older adults in Ghana

: Health literacy has pushed the frontiers of self-care in recent decades, particularly among older adults. However, not much is known about self-medication for minor ailments and chronic conditions among older adults in developing countries. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by examining the prevalence, patterns, and associated factors of self-medication among older adults (aged 50 years and more) in Ghana. The study employed a cross-sectional survey within four communities in the Bosomtwe District, Ghana. Using the purposive, snowballing, and convenient techniques, 384 older adults were involved in the study. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to estimate the factors associated with self-medication. Up to 54.4% of the respondents had self-medicated at least 3 months before the survey, while 60.2% self-medicated at least once every month. Open markets (43%) were the dominant drug sources, while quick relief (26.6%) and cheap cost (22.7%) were the reasons for self-medication. Females (AOR: 2.626, CI: 0.015–0.030, p = 0.022), tertiary graduates (AOR: 1.825, CI: 0.007–0.045, p = 0.045) and uninsured older adults (AOR: 3.293, CI: 0.015–0.026, p = 0.007) were more likely to self-medicate. Furthermore, those with no past illness (AOR: 0.036, CI: 0.007–0.033, p = 0.013) and without non-communicable disease (AOR: 0.008, CI: 0.001–0.012, p = 0.020) were less likely to self-medicate. Policy recommendations targeting the educated, uninsured, female older adults as well as stiffening the sale of medicines without prescription will be necessary for reducing the prevalence of self-medication among older adults.

Attitudes of the general public toward community pharmacy services in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

This research was conducted to evaluate the attitudes of the general public toward community pharmacy services in Saudi Arabia. The current study followed a cross-sectional design using an online anonymous self-administered questionnaire. The study was conducted in Saudi Arabia between February and April 2022. The study participants were selected and recruited using a convenience sampling strategy. The questionnaire was adapted from previous work and involved four sections: demographic information, use of community pharmacy, perception and willingness to use community pharmacist services, and barriers to approaching a community pharmacist for advice. A total of 449 participants agreed to take part in this study and completed the questionnaire. Just above half (55%) of the participants indicated that they had visited a community pharmacy at least once a month over the last 12 months. The most frequently reported reason for visiting community pharmacies was to buy over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The majority (n = 318) of the participants were satisfied or highly satisfied with community pharmacy services in Saudi Arabia. A willingness to use community pharmacy services was expressed mostly for the essential community pharmacist roles, involving selecting over-the-counter products, management of minor ailments, selecting non-pharmaceuticals and receiving counseling on using medications. However, an unwillingness was noted to approach a community pharmacist for counseling on alcohol dependence and drug misuse. Lack of privacy in the community pharmacy was found to be the most frequently reported barrier that would hinder individuals from approaching community pharmacists to get help or advice. Policymakers in Saudi Arabia could considerably advance the community pharmacy practice and improve the public utilization of various community pharmacist services beyond their limited essential roles such as dispensing and counseling.

Knowledge and perceptions of patients towards generic and local medications: The lebanese version

Lebanon is one of the Mediterranean countries that are devastated by economic crisis. Knowing that generic medications are less costly when compared to brands, it is crucial to assess patients’ understanding and views regarding these medications. A 25-item self-administered anonymous questionnaire was distributed to a total of 421 participants. The questionnaire appraised participants’ knowledge and perceptions about generics versus brand medications, in addition to their perceptions and attitudes towards generic substitution. Most respondents agreed that generics are not inferior to their brand equivalents in terms of quality, efficacy and safety (66%, 68.9%, and 66.7%, respectively). On the other hand, 79.4% (n=334) accepted generic substitution for minor ailment medications, whereas, only 56.1% (n=236) accepted this substitution for their chronic medications. As a conclusion, the uncertainty about the use of generic medications, particularly those treating chronic illness is still an obstacle to overcome.

PREVALENCE, PREDICTORS AND PROFILE OF MALNUTRITION IN CHILDREN WITH CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS

Background: Malnutrition in children with congenital heart defects [CHDs] has been linked to increased morbidity and mortality as indicated by frequent hospitalisation, poor surgical outcomes, persistent impairment of somatic growth and increased death. All types of malnutrition, and severe forms in particular, contribute to mortality in childhood. There is strong evidence that poor growth [ malnutrition] is associated with delayed mental development and poor school performance.The mechanisms for growth deficiency in CHD are multifactorialand include associated chromosomal anomalies/ genetic syndromes, inadequate nutritional intake due to feeding difficulties, and poor absorption of nutrients from digestive tract in chronic congestive heart failure. Also increased calories are required to sustain the increased myocardial, respiratory and neuro-humoral functions in CHD-related heart failure. Chronic CHF and chronic hypoxemia in CHD impair cellular metabolism and cell growth. Other mechanisms of growth deficiency in CHD have been reported.The WHO recommends the WHO/National Center for Health Statistics [NCHS] growth standards for nutrition surveys.The present study aims to describe the prevalence, profile and predictors of malnutrition using recommended case definitions.The findings of present study could be applied to current and future paediatric cardiac care practice. Aims And Objectives: To investigate the prevalence, profile, predictors and epidemiological pattern of malnutrition in children with congenital heart defects. Materials And Methods: This was a Case-control, observational study which was conducted in post graduate department of paediatrics GB Pant Children Hospital on all patients above 6 months of age admitted in the hospital as cases of congenital heart defects and controls will include the patients with minor ailments admitted for short stay. Study was conducted between December 2020-November 2022 Stastical Analysis: Data was entered in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Categorical variables were summarized as frequency and percentage. Continuous variables were summarized as mean and SD. Results: The study was conducted on two hundred and fifty cases of CHD. The detected cardiac anomalies were classified as acyanotic heart diseases (n=163 65%) and cyanotic heart diseases (n=87 35%). The prevalence of CHD-related malnutrition was 90% as compared to 21.2% in the control patients with 63.3% of cases having severe malnutrition. Among cases, the relative proportions of wasting, stunting and underweight were 40.8%, 28.8% and 20.8%, respectively. Wasting was proportionately higher (58.3%) in acyanotic CHD, while stunting was predominant (67.8%) in cyanotic CHD (p=0.0001).

Public Health Interventions Delivered by Pharmacy Professionals in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in Africa: A Systematic Scoping Review

Pharmacists and their teams play an important role in providing public health services, however little is known about their level of contribution and the strength of evidence in Africa's Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The purpose of this scoping review was to explore and map the available evidence on pharmacy professional-delivered public health interventions in Africa's LMICs. Six electronic databases (Medline, Embase, International Pharmaceutical Abstract, PsycInfo, Maternity and Infant Care, and Cochrane database), relevant grey literature sources, key journals focused on African health issues, and libraries of relevant organizations were searched between January 2010 and December 2020. Studies were included if they reported public health interventions delivered by pharmacy professionals (pharmacists or pharmacy technicians) or their teams. The quality of the individual studies was assessed using an adapted grading system. Thirty-nine studies were included in this review. Pharmacy professionals delivered a wide range of public health interventions, with the most common themes being noncommunicable diseases, infectious diseases, sexual and reproductive health, antimicrobial resistance, and other health conditions, e.g., dental health, unused drugs or waste, minor ailments. The majority of the studies were classified as low-quality evidence. They were predominantly feasibility and acceptability studies conducted in a narrow study area, in a small number of LMICs in Africa, resulting in little evidence of service effectiveness, issues of broad generalizability of the findings, and sustainability. The major constraints to service provision were identified as a lack of training, public recognition, and supporting policies. Pharmacy professionals and their teams across LMICs in Africa have attempted to expand their practice in public health. However, the pace of the expansion has been slow and lacks strong evidence for its generalizability and sustainability. Future research is needed to improve the quality of evidence, which will subsequently serve as a foundation for policy reform, allowing pharmacy professionals to make significant contributions to the public health initiatives in the region.

Gambaran Penggunaan Obat Tradisional untuk Pengobatan Mandiri Masyarakat Desa Badang RW 03 Kecamatan Ngoro Kabupaten Jombang

Self-medication is an individual's effort to recognize symptoms or diseases and can choose drugs to cure that. The use of traditional medicine has been used by the community in curing minor ailments. This study was conducted in order to see an overview of the use of traditional medicine for self-medication in the Badang Village area, RW 03. This research is a descriptive and qualitative non-experimental research that has been tested for content validity. Sampling was done by purposive random sampling with inclusion criteria, namely age 17-60 years old, had experienced self-medication using traditional medicine. The results showed that the traditional medicines used by the Badang community for self-medication were Jamu, OHT, and Fitofarmaka. In addition, there are ways to use traditional medicines that can be drunk directly and processed first, such as boiled, grated, and brewed. Then the types of diseases that can be treated using traditional medicine to treat minor ailments such as colds, fever, coughs and colds, and diarrhea.

Knowledge regarding prevention of pulmonary tuberculosis among tuberculosis patient

Tuberculosis is a infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium Tuberculin. The disease primarily affects the lungs and cause pulmonary tuberculosis. It can also affect structure such as Intestine, meanings, bones and joints, lymph gland, skin and others tissue and body parts. The disease also affects animals like cattle; which is known as “bovine tuberculosis” which may also communicate to man. Pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common form of Tuberculosis, which affect the man. A quantitative evaluative approach with one group pre-test design was used for the study. The samples consisted of 60 tuberculosis patient selected by Non probability purposive sampling technique. Data was collected by administering a structured knowledge questionnaire by the investigator before and after self-instructional module. Post-test was conducted after 7 days. Data were analysis using descriptive &amp; inferential statistics (Paired‘t’ test, Chi- square test, Karl- Person’s correlation. The result of this study indicates that there was a significant increase in the post-test knowledge scores compared to pre-test scores of first aid minor ailments of prevention of tuberculosis. The mean knowledge score was observed 1.80 ± 0.40 in the pre-test and after implementation of self-instructional module post-test mean knowledge score was observed with 3.30 ± 0.46. T-test is shows the effectiveness of self-instructional module was -25.66. State will happened the experiment doesn't make any difference H0 will be no significant difference between pre-test and post test knowledge scores regarding prevention of Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Thus, after the analysis and interpretation of the data, we can conclude that the hypothesis H1 that, “There will be a significant difference in the pre-test and post-test knowledge score regarding prevention of Pulmonary Tuberculosis among tuberculosis patients is being accepted. And the hypothesis H2 “it was found out that the age, gender, educational status, occupation and previous knowledge found to be insignificant at the level of P&amp;#60; 0.05 is being rejected. From the above results, we can conclude that there was a statistically significant effectiveness seen in knowledge of tuberculosis patients. Thus, the intervention “Self- instructional module” was effective in improving the knowledge of tuberculosis patients.

Ayurvedic Treatment of Vipadika (Kshudra Kushtha) - A Case Study

Vipadika or Vaipadika is explained as one among Eleven Kshudra Kushtas (Minor skin ailments) which has the features of Paani-paada sputana (Cracking of palms and soles) associated with Teevravedana (Intense pain) as explained by Acharya Charaka. Based on the features the major dosha (Bio-forces of human body) involved is Vata along with Pitta and Kapha. Acharya Sushruta also explains it under Kshudra Kushta (Minor skin ailments) but with a different name called Padadaari. Though Vipadika sounds like a milder disease still it can be physically and emotionally stressful to the sufferer as in this present case. This is a case report of a 34 yrs female suffering with severe pain, itching and blackish discoloration of skin at both soles and left palm from the past 10 years. Due to various medications and chronic pain, patient was mentally sick too. The case was treated with Shodana (Bio purification) followed by shamana (Pacification) line of treatment along with significant lifestyle modifications. The uniqueness of the study lies in the selection of Shodhana (Bio purification) where instead of Basti, Virechana is opted. Though it is a chronic case, the patient was able to get relieved within a month which created a promising faith towards Ayurvedic treatment.

Uptake of community pharmacist prescribing over a three-year period

ObjectivesPharmacists in Nova Scotia have had legislated authority to prescribe since 2011. This study aimed to describe the prescribing activities of pharmacists and the characteristics of patients who used pharmacist prescribing services. MethodsUsing provincial health administrative databases we identified all community pharmacists who prescribed during the study period (October 2016 to March 2020) and correspondingly patients who had medications prescribed by a pharmacist during this period. Differences in, and predictors of the quantity of pharmacist prescribing over three fiscal years (April 2017 to March 2020) were described. Pharmacist prescribing activity was compared across the fiscal years of the study period with One-way Analysis of Variance. Negative binomial regression examined patient factors associated with use of pharmacist prescribing services. Analysis was carried out using SAS ENTERPRISE GUIDE v.8.2 (SAS Institute Cary, NC, USA). Key findingsA total of 1182 pharmacist prescribers were identified, who on average prescribed 24.6, 26.3, and 32.5 (p < 0.001) times per month in fiscal years 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively. The patient cohort contained 372,203 Nova Scotians over the 3-year period. For approved common and minor ailment prescribing in Nova Scotia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, vaccines (non-travel), contraceptive management, herpes zoster treatment, and allergic rhinitis had the highest number of prescriptions over the study period. Patient factors most strongly related to receiving more prescribing services by a pharmacist included receiving income assistance without copay (Incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.70), having >2 comorbidities (IRR = 1.51), male sex (IRR = 1.03), and greater age (IRR = 1.01). Those from an urban area (IRR = 0.92) or having a higher income (IRR = 0.95) received fewer pharmacist prescribing services (all p < 0.0001). ConclusionsPharmacist prescribing increased over the 3-year period. Patients who were older and those with multiple comorbidities used pharmacist prescribing services most often. Prescribing activities represent an increasingly utilized role for pharmacists in primary care.

Pharmacists provide antibiotics only where clinically appropriate, minor ailments scheme data show

Pharmacists provide antibiotics only where clinically appropriate, minor ailments scheme data show

Investigating the provision, nature and associated costs of unfunded pharmacy services: A nationwide study.

There is increasing evidence of pharmacists providing free or partially subsidised patient-focused services in order to meet healthcare needs. Limited information exists about the types of unfunded services and their value. (1) Identify the types of unfunded services provided nationally in New Zealand (NZ) and (2) Determine the costs associated with service provision. A continuous observation time-motion study was conducted across New Zealand to characterise the provision of unfunded pharmacy services and the labour costs associated with their provision. The time-motion study spanned one business day (between seven to eight hours) in each participating pharmacy. The primary investigator (YA) spent one business day in each participating pharmacy (n=51) and recorded details about the patient-focused services that were provided. Details included the type of service provided, approximate duration of the service and out-of-pocket costs borne by the patient. A total of 660 observations of unfunded services were recorded across the 51 pharmacies where 360 observation hours were carried out. Twenty-three types of unfunded services were identified, where minor ailments accounted for over half of the total observations. Labour costs associated with service provision were variable. Pharmacies across New Zealand are providing patient-focused services for which no funding is being provided.

Test your knowledge of minor ailments

Test your knowledge of minor ailments