Evaluation of a new patient consultation initiative in community pharmacy for ear, nose and throat and eye conditions.

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacy Common Ailments Services can ease the considerable workload pressures on primary and secondary care services. However, evidence is needed to determine whether there are benefits of extending such services beyond their typically limited scope. This study therefore aimed to evaluate a new community pharmacy model of a service for patients with ear, nose and throat (ENT) and eye conditions who would otherwise have had to seek primary care appointments or emergency care. METHODS: People with specified ENT or eye conditions registered with General Practitioners in Staffordshire or Shropshire who presented at participating community pharmacies were offered a consultation with a pharmacist trained to provide the service. The service included provision of relevant self-care advice and, where clinically appropriate, supply of non-prescription medicines or specified prescription-only medicines (POMs), including antibiotics, under Patient Group Directions. Patients received a follow up telephone call from the pharmacist five days later. Data were collected on the characteristics of patients accessing the service, the proportion of those who were treated by the pharmacist without subsequently seeing another health professional about the same condition, and patient reported satisfaction from a questionnaire survey. RESULTS: A total of 408 patients accessed the service, of whom 61% received a POM, 15% received advice and medicine supplied under the common ailments service, 9% received advice and purchased a medicine, 10% received advice only and 5% were referred onwards. Sore throat accounted for 45% of diagnoses where a POM was supplied, 32% were diagnosed with acute otitis media and 15% were diagnosed with acute bacterial conjunctivitis. The number of patients successfully followed up was 309 (76%), of whom 264 (85%) had not seen another health professional for the same symptoms, whilst 45 (15%) had seen another health professional, usually their GP. The questionnaire was completed by 259 patients (response rate 63%) of whom 96% reported being very satisfied or satisfied with the service. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that pharmacists can effectively diagnose and treat these conditions, with a high degree of patient satisfaction. Wider adoption of such service models could substantially benefit primary care and emergency care services.

Experience and attitudes of pharmacy teams towards suicide prevention: A cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Community pharmacists are increasingly recognized as integral members in suicide prevention programs, as part of a multidisciplinary and multifaceted approach. However, further research is required to understand then optimize the whole pharmacy teams' role across sectors. OBJECTIVE: To explore pharmacy teams' experience of, and attitudes towards, suicide prevention in England. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was purposively distributed to pharmacy staff in England before accessing an optional suicide awareness raising video, hosted by Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE), in September 2019-March 2021. Questions included demographics and experience of, attitudes towards, and preparedness for, suicide prevention. The 14-item Attitudes to Suicide Prevention (ASP) scale was used (possible range 14-70 with lower scores representing positive attitudes). Descriptive and comparative statistics were reported. Free-text comments were invited to explore respondents' experience of suicide prevention and reflexive thematic analysis used. RESULTS: Of 403 respondents, 82% were female; most were pharmacists (59%) or pharmacy technicians (21%), with the remainder having other roles. Eighty-five percent worked in community pharmacy. Eleven percent had prior suicide prevention training, and 71% reported interacting with at least one patient about suicide. Most often, suicidality was disclosed by the patient (40%), with 6% of pharmacy staff having directly asked a patient about suicidal behavior or plans. The aggregated ASP score was 31.51 (SD 6.23), and role did not affect experience or attitude. Pharmacy teams' experiences of suicide prevention can be summarized by three major themes i) Exposure to suicide; ii) Responsibility for action; and iii) Access to means of suicide. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacy teams felt responsibility in caring for those at risk of suicide and had experience of this. Further training should include understanding of medicines means restriction and involve all roles and sectors of pharmacy. Pharmacy teams should be integrated into the 'circle of care' to access referral pathways.

Does video e-learning improve pharmacy teams' attitudes and preparedness towards suicide prevention?

Background: Evidence on the role of pharmacy teams in suicide prevention is growing. To support pharmacy teams, a video e-learning was produced by the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) involving an 'on-the-sofa' style group interview with people with personal and professional experience of suicide and suicide research. Objective: The objective was to measure any change in attitudes and preparedness for suicide prevention, following a video e-learning produced for pharmacy staff. Methods: People working in any sector of pharmacy in England and who accessed the training video were invited to complete a pre- and post- training questionnaire, between September 2019 and March 2021. Question types included demographics, experiences, attitudes as measured by the Attitudes to Suicide Prevention (ASP) scale, and preparedness. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographics and experience and paired t-tests were used to compare pre- and post- questionnaire responses. Results: Both questionnaires were completed by 147 people. Most worked in community pharmacy (88%) and were pharmacists (64%) or pharmacy technicians (20%). Attitudes to suicide prevention improved significantly (pre:31.20 (SD 6.04); post:28.40 (SD 6.50), p < 0.0001) after watching the video, as did self-reported preparedness. Conclusions: Pharmacy teams' self-reported attitudes and preparedness for suicide prevention improved after watching this suicide awareness video compared to baseline. Suicide awareness training tailored to pharmacy teams may be valuable, but the longitudinal impact of any suicide prevention training requires further exploration.

Omission of the calibration bougie in laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hernia.

BACKGROUND: The use of an intraesophageal bougie has traditionally been an integral step in the repair of large hiatal hernia and fundoplication. Typically, the bougie is passed by the anesthesiologist or a member of the surgical team into the stomach to enable calibration of the hiatal repair and fundoplication. An inherent risk of esophagogastric perforation is associated with this maneuver. The authors report their experience comparing symptomatic outcomes for patients who have had a large hiatus hernia repaired with and without the use of a calibration bougie. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively for 28 consecutive patients undergoing elective laparoscopic repair of a paraesophageal hernia. A bougie was used in the first 14 patients. In the next 14 patients, the use of a bougie was omitted. Symptom and quality-of-life data were collected preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively for all the patients. RESULTS: All the patients were satisfied with their symptomatic outcome, as reflected in their postoperative quality-of-life scores. No patients required dilation for postoperative dysphagia. There was no difference in postoperative dysphagia scores between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The current series of consecutively performed laparoscopic paraesophageal hernia repairs showed no benefit in terms of symptomatic outcome associated with the use of an intraesophageal bougie. Currently, the authors' standard practice is to perform laparoscopic repair of the paraesophageal hernia and fundoplication without the aid of a calibration bougie.

Evaluation of lightweight titanium-coated polypropylene mesh (TiMesh) for laparoscopic repair of large hiatal hernias.

BACKGROUND: The use of mesh for laparoscopic repair of large hiatal hernias may reduce recurrence rates in comparison with primary suture repair. However, there is a potential risk of mesh-related oesophageal complications due to prosthesis erosion. The aim of this study was to evaluate a lightweight polypropylene mesh (TiMesh) repair of hiatal hernias with particular reference to intraluminal erosion. METHODS: Data were collected prospectively on 18 consecutive patients undergoing elective laparoscopic repair of a large hiatal hernia with the use of TiMesh between November 2004 and December 2005. Quality of life and symptom analysis was performed using QOLRAD questionnaires preoperatively and postoperatively after 6 weeks, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years. Barium studies were performed preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively to assess hernia recurrence. After 2 years, oesophagogastric endoscopy was performed to assess signs of mesh-related complications. RESULTS: All operations were completed laparoscopically. There was no 30-day mortality and median hospital stay was 2.8 days (range 2-13 days). Complications occurred in two patients (11%), both of whom were treated without residual disability. Two years after hiatal hernia repair, there was significant improvement in quality-of-life scores (QOLRAD 5.79, p < 0.001). There was no difference between pre- and postoperative dysphagia scores. No signs of stricture formation or prosthetic erosion were identified during endoscopic follow-up. One patient had a small (2 cm) sliding hiatal hernia demonstrated by barium studies, which was asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic reinforcement of primary hiatal closure with TiMesh leads to a durable repair in patients with large hiatal hernias. Endoscopic follow-up did not show any signs of mesh-related complications after prosthetic reinforcement of the crural repair. Our preliminary results suggest that it is safe to proceed with this lightweight polypropylene mesh for reinforcement of the hiatal repair.

Clinical evaluation of laparoscopic repair of large hiatal hernias with TiMesh.

The use of mesh for laparoscopic repair of large hiatal hernias may decrease recurrence rates in comparison with primary suture repair. The type of mesh material, as well as its size and shape, is still a matter of debate. The aim of this study was to evaluate a lightweight polypropylene mesh (TiMesh) repair of hiatal hernias, with particular reference to symptomatic relief, patient satisfaction and quality of life (QOL). From a prospectively maintained clinical database, 40 consecutive patients were identified who underwent elective laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair with TiMesh between November 2004 and December 2006. QOL and symptom analysis was carried out using Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia (QOLRAD) and dysphagia questionnaires preoperatively, and postoperatively after 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year. The mean age of the patient was 65.2 years (range: 40-93 years). Total complication rate was 7.5%; all complications were treated without residual disability. There was no 30-day mortality. Median hospital stay was 2.7 days (range 2-13 days). Completed questionnaires were obtained from 37 (92.5%) of 40 patients. After 1 year, more than 90% of patients were satisfied with their symptomatic outcome and regarded their surgery as successful. There was a significant improvement in QOL, measured with QOLRAD at all postoperative time-points (P < 0.001). There was no difference between pre- and postoperative dysphagia scores. Laparoscopic repair of large hiatal hernias with TiMesh yields good symptomatic and clinical outcome. Further studies are needed to show whether the use of this lightweight polypropylene mesh is associated with a reduction in recurrence rates after hiatal hernia repair in the longer term.