Royal Pharmaceutical Society Research Articles

Call for Society Fellowship nominations

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society Panel of Fellows will be holding their next meeting in May 2021. Nominations for Society Fellowship must be received by the Secretary of the Panel of Fellows by 21 April 2021 to be considered at this meeting. Nominations need to be made by a current member of the Society and be […]

Pictures alignment test

As pharmacists move towards being more fully integrated members of healthcare teams, collaborative working becomes a necessary feature of their professional lives. I believe this is a compelling theme running through the stream ?Improving pharmaceutical care by optimising the use of medicines? at this year?s Royal Pharmaceutical Society Annual Conference. Participants will have the opportunity […]

New chairs and vice chairs elected to RPS national pharmacy boards

Cheryl Way, Thorrun Govind and Andrew Carruthers have been elected as the new chairs of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS’s) Welsh, English and Scottish National Pharmacy Boards, respectively. Votes were held on 22 June 2021, during an open session of the three national pharmacy board meetings. The meetings marked the first time that the new […]

Pharmacy-led COVID-19 vaccination sites told they can cut appointments as supply dips

Open access article The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has made this article free to access in order to help healthcare professionals stay informed about an issue of national importance. To learn more about coronavirus, please visit: https://www.rpharms.com/resources/pharmacy-guides/wuhan-novel-coronavirus NHS England has advised community pharmacy-led COVID-19 vaccination sites to offer appointments over the course of two or three […]

Thorrun Govind: 'I worry pharmacy teams will be abused over face masks'

It’s been a meteoric few years for Thorrun Govind, who was recently elected as chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS’s) English Pharmacy Board. In just three years, she has gone from being elected as the youngest member of an RPS national pharmacy board to chairing that same board: again, the youngest person to do […]

Welsh Pharmacy Board election 2021 results

The final counting of votes for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society board elections 2021 took place immediately following the close of poll at 17:00 on 13 May 2021. A breakdown of the result and turnout for Wales is included below: Electorate Number of individuals eligible to vote 1,263 Total number of individuals who voted 270 Votes […]

New Society Fellows

In accordance with the powers vested in it, the panel of Fellows appointed under Section 4 of the Society’s regulations has designated the following 22 members as Fellows of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society for Distinction in the Profession of Pharmacy: Alison Margaret Astles Matthew Dyer Barclay Catrin Eleanor Barker Malcolm Ernest Brown Aileen Bryson Leanne […]

Tribute: William (Bill) Rucker

On 10 February 2021, William ‘Bill’ Rucker — a former Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society — passed away at Derriford Hospital aged 85 years. Bill, born and bred in Manchester, studied at Plymouth School of Pharmacy, having come to Devon after seeing a photograph of Plymouth in the Sheffield University library. Here he met […]

Pharmacy-led COVID-19 vaccination sites to open in places of worship to increase take-up

Open access article The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has made this article free to access in order to help healthcare professionals stay informed about an issue of national importance. To learn more about coronavirus, please visit: https://www.rpharms.com/resources/pharmacy-guides/wuhan-novel-coronavirus Community pharmacies running COVID-19 vaccination sites could be commissioned to provide temporary clinics in places of worship to reach […]

Tribute: Peter Homan

I was very sorry to hear of the death of my friend and colleague Peter Homan. Peter’s background was in working for Boots’ pharmacies, but he became one of the stalwarts in the study of the history of medicine and pharmacy. A long-time volunteer and guide in the museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, he […]

Scottish Pharmacy Board election 2021 results

The final counting of votes for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society board elections 2021 took place immediately following the close of poll at 17:00 on 13 May 2021. A breakdown of the result and turnout for Scotland is included below: Electorate Number of individuals eligible to vote 2,016 Total number of individuals who voted 417 Votes […]

Long service of members

The Pharmaceutical Journal is marking long service of members by publishing the names of members and Fellows of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society who reached 50, 60 or 70 years of continuous membership in 2020. Members wishing to have their contact details forwarded to any of these people should apply to the membership department by emailing membership@rpharms.com. 50 […]

Abandoning print is a retrograde step

The announcement of a new and improved website for The Pharmaceutical Journal must be welcomed (Pharm J 2020;305[7944]:394), but the total abandonment of a print version is a highly damaging and retrograde step for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the profession. Before I am accused of a Luddite attitude and of failing to keep up […]

Storage requirements for Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine could change as MHRA reviews stability data

Open access article The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has made this article free to access in order to help healthcare professionals stay informed about an issue of national importance. To learn more about coronavirus, please visit: https://www.rpharms.com/resources/pharmacy-guides/wuhan-novel-coronavirus Storage requirements for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are being reviewed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) […]

Most pharmacists on RPS mentoring programme seeking help with career development, study finds

A study of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS’s) mentoring programme has found that help with career development is a common motivation for pharmacists on the programme. A semi-structured interview-based study of 20 participants — mentees, mentors and those who had signed up as both — published in Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy found that […]

More than 650 sign-ups to RPS Inclusion and Wellbeing Pledge in its first week

Since its launch one week ago, on 9 June 2021, more than 650 organisations and individuals have signed up to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS’s) Inclusion and Wellbeing Pledge. Organisations and individuals — including pharmacists, technicians and pharmacy support staff — are invited to sign the pledge to demonstrate a “public commitment to “be inclusive, […]

Self-perceived competence on antimicrobial stewardship among government ward pharmacists in Malaysia

Background: Pharmacists are widely involved in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), but there's a paucity of data on their competence in AMS. Hence, this study is aimed to identify self-perceived competence of ward pharmacists in AMS and their predictors. Methods and materials: A cross-sectional survey via questionnaire was conducted online (via email invitation) and by hard copies per request from May to July 2018, involving ward pharmacists from hospitals under Ministry of Health and Hospital Canselor Tunku Muhriz (HCTM). 5-point likert scales were used in 28 questions to assess self-perceived competence. These questions were adapted and modified from the Expert Professional Practice Curriculum for Pharmacists in Infections and AMS by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. They were categorized into four constructs, namely knowledge (6 questions), confidence (8 questions), attitude (3 questions), and practice (3 questions). Different types of Likert scale option anchors were chosen based on the constructs mentioned (16). Each of the Likert-scale response carries a score, which was calculated in total to reflect the overall self-perceived competence of government ward pharmacists in this study, where higher total scores indicate higher levels of self-perceived competence in AMS. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the results of the questionnaire. Results: A total of 553 ward pharmacists from 67 hospitals responded to this survey, yielding a response rate of 72.5%. Knowledge on infections, antimicrobials and AMS system, confidence to advise on various issues relating to antimicrobial therapy and participation in clinical audit and evaluation were among the learning needs identified (median score 3.00). Meanwhile, knowledge on epidemiology of infections, off-label uses of antimicrobials, and pharmacoeconomics relating to antimicrobials had lower median scores (2.00) and thus prioritized as high learning needs. Significant predictors of self-perceived competence in AMS were gender (p < 0.001), prior specific training in infections and AMS (p < 0.001), Masters degree and above (p < 0.001), practicing in the area of infectious disease (p < 0.05), and years of working experience as a ward pharmacist (p < 0.005). Conclusion: Findings in this study suggest the necessity to establish and intensify standardized training in AMS among government ward pharmacists.

Optimising the absorption of medicines.

The speed and extent of medicine absorption in the human body are affected by numerous interrelated pharmacokinetic factors. To maximise therapeutic benefit and ensure patient safety, nurses require an optimal understanding of these factors. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has established four principles of medicines optimisation that healthcare professionals should follow. This article discusses the pharmacokinetic factors that affect medicine absorption. It also examines the four principles of medicines optimisation and how nurses can use these to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines.

A qualitative evaluation of a prescribing e-learning package for general practice.

The GMC PRACtiCe study identified a 1 in 20 error rate in prescriptions issued in general practice and identified a need for further training in prescribing. As a result, an e-Learning prescribing package was designed and launched to healthcare professionals through the Royal College of General Practitioners in January 2014. This part of the study explored the longer-term impact on prescribing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of practitioners completing the eLearning prescribing package. On completion of the e-Learning package, participants were asked to indicate their willingness to be contacted for a telephone interview. Semi-structured interviews were conducted which were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis, aided by NVivo. Interviewees were invited to enter a prize draw to win Stockley's Drug Interaction textbook (provided courtesy of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society). Of the 120 participants who expressed an interest in being followed up for interview, seven prescribers were interviewed in 2014 and 2015. Reasons for completing the course were explored, and interviewees gave examples of changes made to their prescribing practice as a result of completing the e-Learning. This included the adoption of specific strategies to enhance safe practice, and enacting enhanced vigilance in key areas such as renal function monitoring. Some changes to the course content and presentation were also recommended. These interviews have highlighted the potential for using e-Learning for prescribing training and to achieve long-term changes in prescribing practice. However, further work is needed to generate substantive evidence of its impact on prescribing.

Developing a competency framework for designated prescribing practitioners

In 2019, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society published a Competency Framework for Designated Prescribing Practitioners to support the implementation of regulatory changes and underpin quality in training of non-medical prescribers during the period of learning in practice. This article takes a look at the need for, development, scope and content of the framework, and considers its implementation in practice. The framework has been developed to support quality in training during the period of learning in practice. It is designed for use by a broad range of user groups across different professions and settings, as such, some contextualisation of the content is needed and there will be local variation in how it is used in practice.