Estimating the potential impact of implementing pre-emptive pharmacogenetic testing in primary care across the UK.

AIMS: Pharmacogenetics (PGx) in the UK is currently implemented in secondary care for a small group of high-risk medicines. However, most prescribing takes place in primary care, with a large group of medicines influenced by commonly occurring genetic variations. The goal of this study is to quantitatively estimate the volumes of medicines impacted by implementation of a population-level, pre-emptive pharmacogenetic screening programme for nine genes related to medicines frequently dispensed in primary care in 2019. METHODS: A large community pharmacy database was analysed to estimate the national incidence of first prescriptions for 56 PGx drugs used in the UK for the period 1 January-31 December 2019. These estimated prescription volumes were combined with phenotype frequency data to estimate the occurrence of actionable drug-gene interactions (DGI) in daily practice in community pharmacies. RESULTS: In between 19.1 and 21.1% (n = 5 233 353-5 780 595) of all new prescriptions for 56 drugs (n = 27 411 288 new prescriptions/year), an actionable drug-gene interaction (DGI) was present according to the guidelines of the Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group and/or the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium. In these cases, the DGI would result in either increased monitoring, guarding against a maximum ceiling dose or an optional or immediate drug/dose change. An immediate dose adjustment or change in drug regimen accounted for 8.6-9.1% (n = 2 354 058-2 500 283) of these prescriptions. CONCLUSIONS: Actionable drug-gene interactions frequently occur in UK primary care, with a large opportunity to optimise prescribing.

Antibiotic prescribing for residents in long-term-care facilities across the UK.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health problem. Elderly residents in long-term-care facilities (LTCFs) are frequently prescribed antibiotics, particularly for urinary tract infections. Optimizing appropriate antibiotic use in this vulnerable population requires close collaboration between NHS healthcare providers and LTCF providers. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to identify and quantify antibiotic prescribing in elderly residents in UK LTCFs. This is part of a wider programme of work to understand opportunities for pharmacy teams in the community to support residents and carers. METHODS: This was a retrospective longitudinal cohort study. Data were extracted from a national pharmacy chain database of prescriptions dispensed for elderly residents in UK LTCFs over 12 months (November 2016-October 2017). RESULTS: Data were analysed for 341536 residents in LTCFs across the four UK nations, from which a total of 544796 antibiotic prescriptions were dispensed for 167002 residents. The proportion of residents prescribed at least one antibiotic over the 12 month period varied by LTCF, by month and by country. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst national data sets on antibiotic prescribing are available for hospitals and primary care, this is the first report on antibiotic prescribing for LTCF residents across all four UK nations, and the largest reported data set in this setting. Half of LTCF residents were prescribed at least one antibiotic over the 12 months, suggesting that there is an opportunity to optimize antibiotic use in this vulnerable population to minimize the risk of AMR and treatment failure. Pharmacy teams are well placed to support prudent antibiotic prescribing and improved antimicrobial stewardship in this population.

Antimicrobial use in UK long-term care facilities: results of a point prevalence survey.

BACKGROUND: The majority of people in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are aged 65 years and older, and most of their care needs are provided by the LTCF staff. Provision of healthcare services for residents in LTCFs is variable and can result in disjointed care between carers and NHS healthcare professionals. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to understand the use of antibiotics in LTCFs across the UK and to identify potential gaps in knowledge and support for carers and residents when using antibiotics, in order to determine how community pharmacy teams can provide additional support. METHODS: A point prevalence survey (PPS) was conducted by community pharmacists (n = 57) when they carried out visits to LTCFs across the UK between 13 November and 12 December 2017. Anonymized data were recorded electronically by the individual pharmacists. RESULTS: Data were analysed for 17909 residents in 644 LTCFs across the UK. The mean proportion of residents on antibiotics on the day of the visit was as follows: 6.3% England (536 LTCFs), 7.6% Northern Ireland (35 LTCFs), 8.6% Wales (10 LTCFs) and 9.6% Scotland (63 LTCFs). The percentage of antibiotics prescribed for prophylactic use was 25.3%. Antibiotic-related training was reported as being available for staff in 6.8% of LTCFs and 7.1% of LTCFs reported use of a catheter passport scheme. Pharmacists conducting the PPS intervened during the survey for 9.5% of antibiotic prescription events; 53.4% of interventions were for clinical reasons and 32.2% were for administration reasons. CONCLUSIONS: This survey identified high prophylactic use of antibiotics. There are opportunities for community pharmacy teams to improve antimicrobial stewardship in LTCF settings, including workforce education.

Moving anticoagulation initiation and monitoring services into the community: evaluation of the Brighton and hove community pharmacy service.

BACKGROUND: As part of the NHS desire to move services closer to where people live, and provide greater accessibility and convenience to patients, Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) underwent a review of their anticoagulation services during 2008. The outcome was to shift the initiation and monitoring service in secondary care for non-complex patients, including domiciliary patients, into the community. This was achieved via a procurement process in 2008 resulting in the Community Pharmacy Anticoagulation Management Service (CPAMs) managed by Boots UK (a large chain of community pharmacies across the United Kingdom). METHODS: This evaluation aims to review the outcomes (International Normalised Ratio [INR] readings) and experiences of those patients attending the anticoagulation monitoring service provided by community pharmacists in Brighton and Hove. All patients on warfarin are given a target INR range they need to achieve; dosing of and frequency of appointment are dependent on the INR result. Outcome measures for patients on the CPAM service included percentage INR readings that were within target range and the percentage time the patient was within therapeutic range. Data collected from 2009 to 2016 were analysed and results compared to the service targets. Patient experience of the service was evaluated via a locally developed questionnaire that was issued to patients annually in the pharmacy. RESULTS: The evaluation shows that community pharmacy managed anticoagulation services can achieve outcomes at a level consistently exceeding national and local targets for both percentage INR readings in therapeutic target range (65.4%) compared to the recommended minimum therapeutic target range of 60.0% and percentage time in therapeutic range (72.5%, CI 71.9-73.1%) compared to the national target of 70.0%. Patients also indicated they were satisfied with the service, with over 98.6% patients rating the service as good, very good or excellent. CONCLUSION: The Brighton and Hove CPAM service achieved above average national target management of INR and positive patient feedback, demonstrating that community pharmacy is ideally placed to provide this service safely and deliver enhanced clinical outcomes and positive patient experience.

"It's easier in pharmacy": why some patients prefer to pay for flu jabs rather than use the National Health Service.

BACKGROUND: There is a need to increase flu vaccination rates in England particularly among those under 65 years of age and at risk because of other conditions and treatments. Patients in at risk groups are eligible for free vaccination on the National Health Service (NHS) in England, but despite this, some choose to pay privately. This paper explores how prevalent this is and why people choose to do it. There is moderate to good evidence from several countries that community pharmacies can safely provide a range of vaccinations, largely seasonal influenza Immunisation. Pharmacy-based services can extend the reach of immunisation programmes. User, doctor and pharmacist satisfaction with these services is high. METHOD: Data were collected during the 2012-13 flu season as part of a community pharmacy private flu vaccination service to help identify whether patients were eligible to have their vaccination free of charge on the NHS. Additional data were collected from a sample of patients accessing the private service within 13 pharmacies to help identify the reasons patients paid when they were eligible for free vaccination. RESULTS: Data were captured from 89,011 privately paying patients across 479 pharmacies in England, of whom 6% were eligible to get the vaccination free. 921 patients completed a survey in the 13 pharmacies selected. Of these, 199 (22%) were eligible to get their flu vaccination for free. 131 (66%) were female. Average age was 54 years. Of the 199 patients who were eligible for free treatment, 100 (50%) had been contacted by their GP surgery to go for their vaccination, but had chosen not to go. Reasons given include accessibility, convenience and preference for pharmacy environment. CONCLUSIONS: While people at risk can access flu vaccinations free via the NHS, some choose to pay privately because they perceive that community pharmacy access is easier. There are opportunities for pharmacy to support the NHS in delivering free flu vaccinations to patients at risk by targeting people unlikely to access the service at GP surgeries.

What proportion of prescription items dispensed in community pharmacies are eligible for the New Medicine Service?

BACKGROUND: The payment structure for the New Medicine Service (NMS) in England is based on the assumption that 0.5% of prescription items dispensed in community pharmacies are eligible for the service. This assumption is based on a theoretical calculation. This study aimed to find out the actual proportion of prescription items eligible for the NMS dispensed in community pharmacies in order to compare this with the theoretical assumption. The study also aimed to investigate whether the proportion of prescription items eligible for the NMS is affected by pharmacies' proximity to GP practices. METHODS: The study collected data from eight pharmacies in Nottingham belonging to the same large chain of pharmacies. Pharmacies were grouped by distance from the nearest GP practice and sampled to reflect the distribution by distance of all pharmacies in Nottingham. Data on one thousand consecutive prescription items were collected from each pharmacy and the number of NMS eligible items recorded. All NHS prescriptions were included in the sample. Data were analysed and proportions calculated with 95% confidence intervals used to compare the study results against the theoretical figure of 0.5% of prescription items being eligible for the NMS. RESULTS: A total of 8005 prescription items were collected (a minimum of 1000 items per pharmacy) of which 17 items were eligible to receive the service. The study found that 0.25% (95% confidence intervals: 0.14% to 0.36%) of prescription items were eligible for the NMS which differs significantly from the theoretical assumption of 0.5%. The opportunity rate for the service was lower, 0.21% (95% confidence intervals: 0.10% to 0.32%) of items, as some items eligible for the NMS did not translate into opportunities to offer the service. Of all the prescription items collected in the pharmacies, 28% were collected by patient representatives. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that the proportion of items eligible for the NMS dispensed in community pharmacies is lower than the Department of Health assumption of 0.5%. This study did not find a significant difference in the rate of NMS opportunities between pharmacies located close to GP practices compared to those further away.

Evaluating the role of primary care pharmacy technicians in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and acne management using TARGET resources.

Background: Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is accelerating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) (Antibiotic resistant infections and associated deaths increase  https://www.gov.uk/government/news/antibiotic-resistant-infections-and-associated-deaths-increase). Pharmacy professionals (pharmacists and pharmacy technicians) promote good antibiotic prescribing practice. The traditional role of pharmacy technicians in supporting pharmacists and patients has expanded alongside the clinical expansion of pharmacist roles. (Boughen M, Fenn T. Practice, skill mix and education: the evolving role of pharmacy technicians in Great Britain. Pharmacy (Basel) 2020; 8(2): 50. doi:10.3390/pharmacy8020050) This paper focuses on the opinion of pharmacy technicians and their role in the review of acne management and the evaluation of the UKHSA TARGET acne 'How to…' review resources. Aims and objectives: To explore the impact of the TARGET resources on the capability, opportunity and motivation of pharmacy technicians in general practice in managing patients with acne.To evaluate the usefulness of the acne 'How to…' review resources. Materials and methods: A primarily quantitative study using an electronic survey asking UK-based pharmacy technicians to rate their agreement on a five-point Likert scale with 21 predefined statements, themed on the COM-B model and usefulness of the TARGET resources for acne. Discussion: The survey found that capability and opportunity in managing acne in the group familiar with TARGET resources was higher than the group not familiar with TARGET resources. Scores for motivation in both groups were high; pharmacy technicians have the motivation to undertake infection management roles, whether or not they are familiar with the TARGET toolkit.The acne 'How to…' review resources were overall rated as useful in supporting the review of patients with acne. Conclusion: The TARGET materials are effective resources that helps to upskill pharmacy technicians in the area of AMS, increasing capability and opportunity in the management of acne.

Pilot and quantitative evaluation of the TARGET acne toolkit by UK pharmacy professionals working in general practice.

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris (acne) is a common skin condition sometimes needing topical or oral antibiotic treatment. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians (together known as pharmacy professionals) working in general practice are well placed to ensure their appropriate use. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are to pilot an evidence-based intervention ('How to…' tool) to review treatments in the management of acne and evaluate the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) of pharmacy professionals working in general practice before and after the use of this tool. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A quantitative electronic survey was developed asking UK-based pharmacy professionals working in general practice to rate their agreement with 21 predefined statements related to the COM-B model. INTERVENTION: Participants were sent an initial survey, given time to access and use the 'How to…' acne resources and then sent a follow-up survey 2 weeks later. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome was change in 5-point Likert scale responses to statements on capability, opportunity and motivation in the management of acne. Secondary outcome was the perceived usefulness of the toolkit. RESULTS: 141 pharmacy professionals completed the initial survey; 19 completed the follow-up survey. Significant improvement in the 5-point Likert scale means that responses were observed after implementation of the acne 'How to' resource; capability 3.68 (SD 0.40) versus 4.11 (SD 0.29), t(189) =-5.10, p <0.001; opportunity 3.85 (SD 0.24) versus 4.07 (SD 0.29), t(94)=-2.50, p=0.007 and motivation 4.35 (SD 0.47) versus 4.51 (SD 0.32), t(113)=-2.51, p=0.007. The 'How to' resources were rated as being useful (4.06, SD 0.12) and supportive (4.08, SD 0.18) to help pharmacy professionals in all areas of managing acne. CONCLUSION: The acne 'How to' resources are useful to pharmacy professionals in managing acne in general practice and may improve their capability. Further work is needed with greater numbers of participants to demonstrate generalisability of this outcome.

A large-scale and PCR-referenced vocal audio dataset for COVID-19.

The UK COVID-19 Vocal Audio Dataset is designed for the training and evaluation of machine learning models that classify SARS-CoV-2 infection status or associated respiratory symptoms using vocal audio. The UK Health Security Agency recruited voluntary participants through the national Test and Trace programme and the REACT-1 survey in England from March 2021 to March 2022, during dominant transmission of the Alpha and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants and some Omicron variant sublineages. Audio recordings of volitional coughs, exhalations, and speech were collected in the 'Speak up and help beat coronavirus' digital survey alongside demographic, symptom and self-reported respiratory condition data. Digital survey submissions were linked to SARS-CoV-2 test results. The UK COVID-19 Vocal Audio Dataset represents the largest collection of SARS-CoV-2 PCR-referenced audio recordings to date. PCR results were linked to 70,565 of 72,999 participants and 24,105 of 25,706 positive cases. Respiratory symptoms were reported by 45.6% of participants. This dataset has additional potential uses for bioacoustics research, with 11.3% participants self-reporting asthma, and 27.2% with linked influenza PCR test results.

Perceived current and future roles of UK-based community pharmacy professionals in the long-term management of acne.

Introduction: Acne is a common skin condition treated in community pharmacy but moderate to severe cases may need referral to general practice for treatment that may include topical or oral antimicrobial treatments. Pharmacy teams working in the community are well-placed to manage acne treatments in line with NICE guidance. Objectives: To explore the perceived current and future roles of community pharmacy (CP) teams alongside needs to achieve potential future roles. Additionally, usefulness of the TARGET acne 'How to' toolkit to support these roles was sought. Methods: A mixed-methods electronic survey of UK-based CP professionals and stakeholders in March 2023. Results: 54 pharmacy professionals and stakeholders responded to the survey. The current confidence of pharmacy professionals in managing acne was rated as moderate and reviewing long-term medications for acne prescribed by another healthcare professional was seen as a future role. The needs identified to undertake such a role were: training, availability of prescribing or supply frameworks, and appropriate remuneration. The TARGET acne resources were thought of as being very useful for acne management. Conclusions: Potential future roles for CP have been identified, alongside additional needs to undertake these roles; the TARGET acne 'How to' resources could support pharmacy professionals in the management and review of antimicrobial treatment for acne.

Mixed-Method Evaluation of a Community Pharmacy Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention (PAMSI).

The community pharmacy antimicrobial stewardship intervention (PAMSI) is multi-faceted and underpinned by behavioural science, consisting of the TARGET Antibiotic Checklist, staff e-Learning, and patient-facing materials. This mixed-method study evaluated the effect of PAMSI on community pharmacy staffs' self-reported antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) behaviours. Data collection included staff pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, qualitative interviews, and TARGET Antibiotic Checklists. Quantitative data were analysed by a multivariate ordinal linear mixed effect model; qualitative data were analysed thematically. A total of 101 staff participated from 66 pharmacies, and six completed semi-structured interviews. The statistical model indicated very strong evidence (p < 0.001) that post-intervention, staff increased their antibiotic appropriateness checks and patient advice, covering antibiotic adherence, antibiotic resistance, infection self-care, and safety-netting. Staff reported feeling empowered to query antibiotic appropriateness with prescribing clinicians. The TARGET Antibiotic Checklist was completed with 2043 patients. Topics patients identified as requiring advice from the pharmacy team included symptom duration, alcohol and food consumption guidance, antibiotic side-effects, and returning unused antibiotics to pharmacies. Pharmacy staff acknowledged the need for improved communication across the primary care pathway to optimise antimicrobial use, and PAMSI has potential to support this ambition if implemented nationally. To support patients not attending a pharmacy in person, an online information tool will be developed.

Exploring barriers to the sustainability of an electronic administration system in long-term care facilities: A case study approach.

BACKGROUND: The safe provision of medicines administration is a fundamental challenge faced in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Many residents of LTCFs are frail older persons with multiple morbidities, and in addition to polypharmacy, are particularly at risk of harm due to concomitant disease and disability. One potential method to optimise medication safety and facilitate medicines administration within LTCFs is the introduction of technology. OBJECTIVE: This paper explores the barriers to long-term sustainability concerning the use of an electronic administration system (eMAR) in LTCFs. METHODS: Fifteen in depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with LTCF staff (9), eMAR service commissioners (2), members of the implementation team (2) and care home strategy managers (2) across three LTCF sites. The study participants were purposefully sampled and each interview audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Nvivo 11. In addition to interviews, observational notes were taken by the lead researcher from visits to the LCTFs as a form of data collection. The analysis process consisted of a two-stage process of thematic analysis then theoretical mapping. RESULTS: Barriers identified were split into four main overarching areas: structural, implementation team, system user and operational barriers. The adoption of eMAR within this setting was welcomed by top-level stakeholders, however, LTCF staff displayed concerns over its usability. The lack of co-development and on-going training need highlighted barriers to its sustainability, in addition to risks associated with current legislation. The themes identified throughout the framework highlight challenges faced when exploring the sustainability of eMAR in LTCF. CONCLUSIONS: The use of technology in health care is evolving. Awareness of actors relating to its introduction can have significant impact on success and service sustainability.

Implementation of a Pharmacogenomic Testing Service through Community Pharmacy in the Netherlands: Results from an Early Service Evaluation.

Community pharmacy services have evolved to include medical and pharmaceutical interventions alongside dispensing. While established pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing is available throughout the Netherlands, this is primarily based in hospital environments and for specialist medicines. The aim of this work was to describe how best to implement PGx services within community pharmacy, considering potential barriers and enablers to service delivery and how to address them. The service was implemented across a selection of community pharmacies in the Netherlands. Data were captured on test outcomes and through a pharmacist survey. Following testing, 17.8% of the clinical samples were recommended to avoid certain medication (based on their current medicines use), and 14.0% to have their dose adjusted. Pre-emptive analysis of genotyped patients showed that the majority (99.2%) had actionable variants. Pharmacists felt confident in their operational knowledge to deliver the service, but less so in applying that knowledge. Delivering the service was believed to improve relationships with other healthcare professionals. These results add to the evidence in understanding how PGx can be delivered effectively within the community pharmacy environment. Training pharmacists in how to respond to patient queries and make clinical recommendations may enhance service provision further.

Concept formation: a supportive process for early career nurses.

BACKGROUND: Individuals come to understand abstract constructs such as that of the 'expert' through the formation of concepts. Time and repeated opportunity for observation to support the generalisation and abstraction of the developing concept are essential if the concept is to form successfully. Development of an effective concept of the 'expert nurse' is critical for early career nurses who are attempting to integrate theory, values and beliefs as they develop their clinical practice. AIM: This study explores the use of a concept development framework in a grounded theory study of the 'expert nurse'. DESIGN: Qualitative. METHOD: Using grounded theory methods for data collection and analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with registered nurses. The participants were asked to describe their concept of the 'expert nurse' and to discuss their experience of developing this. RESULTS: Participants reported forming their concept of the 'expert nurse', after multiple opportunities to engage with nurses identified as 'expert'. This identification did not necessarily relate to the designated position of the 'expert nurse' or assigned mentors. When the early career nurse does not successfully form a concept of the 'expert nurse', difficulties in personal and professional development including skill/knowledge development may arise. CONCLUSION: To underpin development of their clinical practice effectively, early career nurses need to be provided with opportunities that facilitate the purposive formation of their own concept of the 'expert nurse'. Formation of this concept is not well supported by the common practice of assigning mentors. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Early career nurses must be provided with the time and the opportunity to individually develop and refine their concept of the 'expert nurse'. To achieve this, strategies including providing opportunities to engage with expert nurses and discussion of the process of concept formation and its place in underpinning personal judgments may be of assistance.

Evaluation of a community pharmacy-led test-and-treat service for women with uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection in England.

BACKGROUND: Uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in women consulting primary healthcare, taking up GP resources. Delayed consultation can increase the risk of serious infections such as pyelonephritis or bacteraemia. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and uptake of a lower UTI test-and-treat service for women presenting with urinary symptoms within a community pharmacy in supporting self-care and appropriate use of antibiotics and reducing demand on other NHS resources. METHODS: The service was aligned to national guidelines to diagnose and treat lower UTI in women aged 16-64 years and used national resources to provide safety-netting and self-care advice. Consultation included clinical assessment and a urine dipstick test alongside a novel smartphone app, with diagnosis informed by test results. Women were provided with safety-netting advice and either advised on self-care, supplied with antibiotics or referred to their GP. RESULTS: Data were analysed for 764 women who presented to 23 pharmacies during December 2018 to April 2019. Lower UTI was found to be likely in 372/496 (75.0%) women, most of whom purchased antibiotics on the same day. Had the service not been available, approximately three-quarters of women who had completed the service and responded to the question would have visited their GP (214/301) and more than one-third would have used self-care with or without going to see their GP (116/301). CONCLUSIONS: A community pharmacy-led UTI test-and-treat service for women aged 16-64 years presenting with urinary symptoms provided accessible and timely care aligned to national guidance, with 75.0% of consultations requiring antibiotic treatment.

Feasibility of a community pharmacy antimicrobial stewardship intervention (PAMSI): an innovative approach to improve patients' understanding of their antibiotics.

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacy staff have an opportunity to play a pivotal role in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) due to their expertise in medicines and accessibility to patients. OBJECTIVES: To develop and test the feasibility of a pharmacy AMS intervention (PAMSI) to increase community pharmacy staff's capability, opportunity and motivation to check antibiotic appropriateness and provide self-care and adherence advice when dispensing antibiotics. METHODS: The PAMSI was centred around an Antibiotic Checklist, completed by patients and pharmacy staff, to facilitate personalized advice to the patient, based on their reported knowledge. An educational webinar for staff and patient-facing materials were also developed. Staff and patients completing Antibiotic Checklists were invited to provide feedback via questionnaires. RESULTS: In February 2019, 12 community pharmacies in England trialled the intervention. Forty-three pharmacy staff evaluated the educational webinar and reported increases in their understanding, confidence, commitment and intention to use the tools provided to give adherence and self-care advice. Over 4 weeks, 931 Antibiotic Checklists were completed. Staff reported being more focused on giving advice and able to address patients' knowledge gaps (mainly: likely symptom duration; alcohol and food consumption advice; possible side effects from antibiotics; returning unused antibiotics to the pharmacy), resulting in increased self-reported effective and meaningful conversations. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a PAMSI is feasible and effectively promotes AMS. Pharmacy staff and commissioners should consider this within their AMS plans. An optional digital format of the Antibiotic Checklist should be explored, for patients who are not collecting their antibiotic prescriptions themselves, and to save printing costs.

Accessing Mole-Scanning through Community Pharmacy: A Pilot Service in Collaboration with Dermatology Specialists.

Early identification and treatment of malignant melanoma is crucial to prevent mortality. The aim of this work was to describe the uptake, profile of users and service outcomes of a mole scanning service in the community pharmacy setting in the UK. In addition, health care costs saved from the perspective of general practice were estimated. The service allowed patients to have concerning skin lesions scanned with a dermatoscopy device which were analyzed remotely by clinical dermatology specialists in order to provide recommendations for the patient. Patients were followed up to ascertain the clinical outcome. Data were analyzed for 6355 patients and 9881 scans across 50 community pharmacies. The majority of the scans required no further follow-up (n = 8763, 88.7%). Diagnosis was confirmed for 70.4% (n = 757/1118) of scans where patients were recommended to seek further medical attention. Of these, 44.3% were ultimately defined as normal (n = 335) and 6.2% as malignant melanoma (n = 47/757). An estimated 0.7% of scans taken as part of the service led to a confirmed diagnosis of malignant melanoma. This service evaluation has shown that a mole scanning service available within community pharmacies is effective at triaging patients and ultimately playing a part in identifying diagnoses of malignant melanoma.

Over-The-Counter Codeine: Can Community Pharmacy Staff Nudge Customers into Its Safe and Appropriate Use?

The misuse of opioids, including codeine which is sold over-the-counter (OTC) in United Kingdom (UK) community pharmacies, is a growing public health concern. An educational Patient Safety Card was developed and piloted to see if it nudged customers into the safe and appropriate use of OTC codeine. Exploratory analysis was conducted by (i) recording quantitative interactions for people requesting OTC codeine in community pharmacies; and (ii) a web-based pharmacy staff survey. Twenty-four pharmacies submitted data on 3993 interactions using the Patient Safety Card. Staff found the majority of interactions (91.3%) to be very or quite easy. Following an interaction using the card, customers known to pharmacy staff as frequent purchasers of OTC codeine were more likely not to purchase a pain relief medicine compared to customers not known to staff (5.5% of known customers did not purchase any pain relief product versus 1.1% for unknown customers (χ2 = 41.73, df = 1, p < 0.001)). These results support both the use of a visual educational intervention to encourage appropriate use of OTC codeine in community pharmacy and the principles behind better self-care.

Improving Management of Respiratory Tract Infections in Community Pharmacies and Promoting Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Cluster Randomised Control Trial with a Self-Report Behavioural Questionnaire and Process Evaluation.

In England, 81% of all antibiotic prescriptions originate in primary care/community settings, of which up to 20% are thought to be inappropriate. Community pharmacies are often the first point of community contact for patients with suspected infections; providing an opportunity for community pharmacy teams to promote antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). The objective of the study was to improve the management of infections and antimicrobial stewardship in community pharmacies. The study methodology included a non-blinded cluster randomised control trial with pharmacy staff in 272 community pharmacies in England. The intervention arm received an AMS webinar and a patient facing respiratory tract infection (RTI) leaflet (TARGET TYI-RTI) for use in everyday practice for four weeks. The control arm received a webinar on how to participate in the study. The primary outcome was self-reported referrals to general practitioners (GPs). The secondary outcomes were; provision of self-care advice/ written information to patients, referrals to pharmacists, sign-posting to non-prescription medicines and common barriers and facilitators to advice-giving in community pharmacies. Ethics approval was granted by the Public Health England Research Ethics and Governance Group. 66.91% (182 of 272) of pharmacies provided 3649 patient consultation data reports across both arms. Use of the leaflet was associated with a lower likelihood of referrals to GPs for certain RTIs (p < 0.05) and a more frequent provision of self-care advice than the control (p = 0.06). Opportunities to deliver self-care advice were limited due to lack of time. Pharmacy staff had good motivation and capability for managing self-limiting infections but the opportunity to do so was a perceived barrier. Use of the TARGET leaflet facilitated pharmacy staff to give more self-care advice and decreased referrals to GPs.

Diabetes Screening Through Community Pharmacies in England: A Cost-Effectiveness Study.

Community pharmacies are commonly used to screen for patients with diabetes. The aim of this paper is to estimate the cost per test and cost per appropriately referred patient from a pharmacy perspective using a one-year decision tree model. One-way sensitivity analysis was performed to estimate the effect of geographical location and patient self-referral rate. Data was used from 164 patients screened and located in an area with average social deprivation and largely white European inhabitants and 172 patients in an area with higher social deprivation (lower than average ability to access society's resources) and a mixed ethnicity population in England. The diabetes screening consisted of initial risk assessment via questionnaire followed by HbA1c test for those identified as high risk. The cost per person screened was estimated as £28.65. The cost per appropriately referred patient with type 2 diabetes was estimated to range from £7638 to £11,297 in deprived mixed ethnicity and non-deprived areas respectively. This increased to £12,730 and £18,828, respectively, if only 60% of patients referred chose to inform their general practitioner (GP). The cost per test and identification rates through community pharmacies was similar to that reported through medical practices. Locating services in areas of suspected greater diabetes prevalence and increasing the proportion of patients who follow pharmacist advice to attend their medical practice improves cost-effectiveness.