Improving the Quality of Publications in and Advancing the Entire Paradigms of Clinical and Social Pharmacy Practice Research: The Granada Statements / Mejorando la calidad de las publicaciones y avanzando en todos los paradigmas de la investigación de la farmacia Asistencial, clínica y social: las declaraciones de Granada

La farmacia y las ciencias farmacéuticas abarcan una serie de disciplinas diferentes. La Farmacia Asistencial se ha definido como “la disciplina científica que estudia los diferentes aspectos de la práctica de la farmacia y su impacto en los sistemas de atención de la salud, el uso de medicamentos y la atención al paciente”. Por lo tanto, los estudios de Farmacia Asistencial abarcan tantos elementos de farmacia clínica como de farmacia social. Como cualquier otra disciplina científica, la práctica de la farmacia clínica y social difunde los resultados de la investigación utilizando revistas científicas. Los editores de revistas de farmacia clínica y farmacia social tienen un papel en la promoción de la disciplina al mejorar la calidad de los artículos publicados. Como ha ocurrido en otras áreas del cuidado de la salud (es decir, medicina y enfermería), un grupo de editores de revistas de práctica farmacéutica clínica y social se reunió en Granada, España, para discutir cómo las revistas pueden contribuir a fortalecer la práctica farmacéutica como disciplina. El resultado de esa reunión se compiló en estas Declaraciones de Granada, que comprenden 18 recomendaciones reunidas en seis temas: el uso apropiado de la terminología, los resúmenes con impacto, la necesidad de la revisión por pares, la dispersión de revistas, el uso más eficaz y más inteligente de los indicadores bibliométricos y la selección por parte de los autores de la revista de práctica farmacéutica más adecuada para presentar su trabajo. (AU)

Pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences embrace a series of different disciplines. Pharmacy practice has been de-fined as “the scientific discipline that studies the different aspects of the practice of pharmacy and its impact on health care systems, medicine use, and patient care”. Thus, pharmacy practice studies embrace both clinical phar-macy and social pharmacy elements. Like any other scientific discipline, clinical and social pharmacy practice dis-seminates research findings using scientific journals. Clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy journal editors have a role in promoting the discipline by enhancing the quality of the articles published. As has occurred in other health care areas (i.e., medicine and nursing), a group of clinical and social pharmacy practice journal editors gathered in Granada, Spain to discuss how journals could contribute to strengthening pharmacy practice as a discipline. The result of that meeting was compiled in these Granada Statements, which comprise 18 recommendations gathered into six topics: the appropriate use of terminology, impactful abstracts, the required peer reviews, journal scatter-ing, more effective and wiser use of journal and article performance metrics, and authors’ selection of the most appropriate pharmacy practice journal to submit their work. (AU)

The Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality Applications on Enhancing the Learning Outcomes of Undergraduate Health Care Students: Systematic Review With Meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Immersive virtual reality (IVR) applications are gaining popularity in health care education. They provide an uninterrupted, scaled environment capable of simulating the full magnitude of sensory stimuli present in busy health care settings and increase students' competence and confidence by providing them with accessible and repeatable learning opportunities in a fail-safe environment. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effects of IVR teaching on the learning outcomes and experiences of undergraduate health care students compared with other teaching methods. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus were searched (last search on May 2022) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental studies published in English between January 2000 and March 2022. The inclusion criteria were studies involving undergraduate students majoring in health care, IVR teaching, and evaluations of students' learning outcomes and experiences. The methodological validity of the studies was examined using the Joanna Briggs Institute standard critical appraisal instruments for RCTs or quasi-experimental studies. The findings were synthesized without a meta-analysis using vote counting as the synthesis metric. A binomial test with P<.05 was used to test for statistical significance using SPSS (version 28; IBM Corp). The overall quality of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation tool. RESULTS: A total of 17 articles from 16 studies totaling 1787 participants conducted between 2007 and 2021 were included. The undergraduate students in the studies majored in medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, pharmacy, biomedicine, radiography, audiology, or stomatology. The IVR teaching domains included procedural training (13/16, 81%), anatomical knowledge (2/16, 12%), and orientation to the operating room setting (1/16, 6%). The quality of the 75% (12/16) of RCT studies was poor, with unclear descriptions of randomization, allocation concealment, and outcome assessor blinding procedures. The overall risk of bias was relatively low in the 25% (4/16) of quasi-experimental studies. A vote count showed that 60% (9/15; 95% CI 16.3%-67.7%; P=.61) of the studies identified similar learning outcomes between IVR teaching and other teaching approaches regardless of teaching domains. The vote count showed that 62% (8/13) of the studies favored using IVR as a teaching medium. The results of the binomial test (95% CI 34.9%-90%; P=.59) did not show a statistically significant difference. Low-level evidence was identified based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation tool. CONCLUSIONS: This review found that undergraduate students had positive learning outcomes and experiences after engaging with IVR teaching, although the effects may be similar to those of other forms of virtual reality or conventional teaching methods. Given the identification of risk of bias and low level of the overall evidence, more studies with a larger sample size and robust study design are required to evaluate the effects of IVR teaching. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) CRD42022313706; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=313706.

[Patient Safety Management Practices by Community Pharmacy Pharmacists～Telephone Follow-up by Community Pharmacy Pharmacists in Cancer Drug Therapy～].

As a patient safety management practice in outpatient cancer drug therapy at community pharmacies, continuous follow-up after the dispensing of medication is required. In 2013, QOL Pharmacy Kohoku and its affiliated stores started the "Telephone Follow-up for Cancer Patients" program, which utilizes telephones and information communication devices to communicate with patients and provide information to hospitals. Specifically, follow-up, including phone calls, is used to ascertain medication status and side effects before the next visit to the hospital, and feedback is provided to the prescribing source using trace reports. In some cases, this initiative has led to an early detection of side effects, reduction in the usage of anticancer drugs, and enhancement of supportive care, leading to patient safety and security. In addition, on August 1, 2021, a new pharmacy accreditation system was launched with two new functional categories, namely "Community Cooperative Pharmacies" and "Specialty Medical Institution Cooperative Pharmacies." Specialty medical institution-linked pharmacies are defined as pharmacies that can provide specialized and more advanced pharmacological management and dispensing of medications in cooperation with other pharmacies and medical institutions for patients who require specialized pharmacological management, such as in the case of cancer. Following our certification as a specialized medical institution collaborative pharmacy, we intend to continue the efforts we have invested to date and create a community that can assume a prevailing role in patient safety management.

[Patient Safety Management Practiced by Pharmacy Pharmacists Using Their Training at Oncology Hospital].

Recent changes in the environment surrounding community pharmacists include "follow-up after dispensing" becoming mandatory, initiation of "certified pharmacy system with specific functions," with the discussions on post-graduate training, lifelong training and specialization, refill of prescriptions, as well as pros and cons of hospital pharmacies in preparation for the 2022 dispensing fee revision. In this regard, since 2019, I have been receiving training at The Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research (JFCR). In addition, to implementing community pharmacists' perspectives into collaboration between community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists, a tracing report model incorporating the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) ver. 5.0 has been created. And, a regimen of drugs and operation describing necessary supportive care has been published in The Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR website. As a practice of patient safety management at pharmacies, we are working on the standardization of questionnaire criteria to assess the severity of adverse medication reactions in cancer patients and the measurement of health-related quality of life using EuroQol 5 dimensions 5-level (EQ-5D-5L), introduced with cooperation of universities, hospitals, and pharmacies. As medical care is advancing day by day, especially in cancer medication therapy, patient safety management by pharmacists becomes essential, when dealing with the complexity of administration schedule and the wide variety of side effects. For patient safety management, community pharmacists need to practice with pharmaceutical and medical knowledge, and have skills to acquire and convey information, with a researcher's perspective.

Entry and competition of retail pharmacies: A case study of OTC drugs sales and ownership deregulation1.

This study provides new empirical evidence on the changes in competition and entry decisions of pharmacies after regulatory changes. It investigates the development of the retail pharmacy market in Portugal, which underwent major regulatory changes in 2004 and 2007. Sale of OTC drugs and ownership of pharmacies were liberalized while entry restrictions related to market size and the location of new pharmacies prevailed. Our empirical strategy was based on entry models and provided indirect information on the toughness of competition and entry decisions of firms in the market. We estimated and compared the entry thresholds and their ratios before and after liberalization. Such a comparison allows to see if competition got tenser with OTC drugs deregulated. There were three main findings from the study. First, the entry thresholds decreased regardless of the number of pharmacies in the market, suggesting that room for the realization of profits is broader than it was in the past. Second, although the entry thresholds were lower in value, their increase was steeper with each incumbent in 2020, suggesting harsher price competition with new entrants. Third, the current rule of 3,500 patients per pharmacy is likely overly restrictive, pharmacies could break-even even in smaller markets.

Changes in prescription drug abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic evidenced in the Catalan pharmacies.

Introduction: The impact of a pandemic on the mental health of the population is to be expected due to risk factors such as social isolation. Prescription drug abuse and misuse could be an indicator of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. Community pharmacists play an important role in addressing prescription drug abuse by detecting signs and behaviors that give a clearer indication that a drug abuse problem exists. Methods: A prospective observational study to observe prescription drug abuse was conducted from March 2020 to December 2021 to compare with data obtained in the previous 2 years, through the Medicine Abuse Observatory, the epidemiological surveillance system set up in Catalonia. Information was obtained through a validated questionnaire attached on a web-based system and data collection software. A total of 75 community pharmacies were enrolled in the program. Results: The number of notifications during the pandemic period (11.8/100.000 inhabitants) does not indicate a significant change compared with those from pre-pandemic period, when it was 12.5/100.000 inhabitants. However, the number of notifications during the first wave when lockdown was in place stood at 6.1/100,000 inhabitants, significantly lower than in both the pre-pandemic and the whole of the pandemic periods. Regarding the patient's profile, it was observed that the proportion of younger patients (<25 and 25-35) rose in contrast to older ones (45-65 and >65). The use of benzodiazepines and fentanyl increased. Conclusions: This study has made it possible to observe the impact of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 on the behavior of patients in terms of use of prescription drugs through analysis of the trends of abuse or misuse and by comparing them with the pre-pandemic period. Overall, the increased detection of benzodiazepines has pointed out stress and anxiety generated by the pandemic.

Enhancing the service quality of community pharmacies for non-prescription medicines based on the perspectives of pharmacists and patients: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacies in several countries are encountering a fierce competition from both local and international rivals, resulting in significant challenges in maintaining competitiveness and market share. Pharmacies are important locations for those seeking non-prescription medicines and are equipped to manage a wide variety of ailments. However, despite the large number of previous qualitative studies on the service quality of community pharmacies, very few studies have explored the service quality dimensions, specifically for non-prescription medications. In this study, we aimed to explore pharmacists' and patients' perception of potential pharmacy service quality for dispensing non-prescription medicines. METHOD: Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit and select qualified pharmacists and patients in the major cities of Thailand. Multiple face-to-face and telephone interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed systematically using the interpretive method of content analysis. RESULTS: The participants reported several service attributes for dispensing of non-prescription medicines by community pharmacies. An analysis of the interviews revealed competence, communication, rapport, patient-centredness, and physical environment as the main themes related to service quality dimensions. Specifically, physical environment was categorized into two sub-themes, namely, hygiene and ambience. CONCLUSIONS: Service quality dimensions of community pharmacies for non-prescription medications were supported by dyadic perspectives - pharmacist and patient perspectives. The findings of the study contribute to community pharmacy research by focusing on the potential dimensions of service quality, especially for non-prescription medicines.

A blended model to support brief interventions in primary care: A qualitative study of usability and acceptability of HealthEir in community pharmacy.

BACKGROUND: Brief interventions for lifestyle behaviour change are effective health promotion interventions. Primary care settings, including pharmacies, are the most frequently visited healthcare facilities and are well placed to provide brief health interventions. However, despite the evidence-based and policy guidance, barriers to brief interventions have limited their implementation. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the usability and acceptability of HealthEir, a blended model with digital, print, and communication elements designed to support the delivery of brief health-promoting interventions in pharmacy practice. METHODS: Usability tests using a think aloud protocol and set tasks (to assess usability) and semi-structured interviews (to assess acceptability) were conducted with fifteen patients and twelve pharmacists. Usability data were analysed deductively using Nielsen's five quality components of usability as a framework. Acceptability data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. FINDINGS: All participants found HealthEir straightforward to use and completed the required tasks without assistance. A small number of patient and pharmacist participants identified opportunity for improvement of the digital element. Acceptability was also high, with individual comments from participants identifying opportunity for improvements to HealthEir, and two patients identifying privacy or safety concerns. The majority of comments regarding acceptability reflected wider social and cultural challenges such as perceptions of the roles of pharmacists and pharmacies and the low priority of preventative health interventions. CONCLUSION: HealthEir has been demonstrated to be a usable and acceptable support that has the potential to overcome barriers to delivery of brief interventions in pharmacies. Usability and acceptability testing identified minor changes that may further improve its design prior to piloting and implementation.

Patient Care in Community Pharmacies during the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Pandemic: Effectiveness of Post-Graduate Education and Further Training Courses on Revenues.

Thanks to their distribution throughout the territory and extended opening hours, community pharmacists are among the healthcare specialists most easily accessible to the public and often represent the first point of consultation both for the treatment of acute health conditions and, more generally, for health and therapy advice. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether post-graduate courses/further training courses for pharmacists might influence the quality of patient management and care and, consequently, the satisfaction of the users who entered the pharmacy. We used the revenues of the pharmacies (Group A) in which these pharmacists are employed as a performance indicator. We compared the data for this group with the national averages for Italian pharmacies (Group B) and with those of a group (Group C) of selected pharmacies as similar as possible to the pharmacies in Group A based on a number of well-defined parameters. The comparison of revenues, year-on-year changes, and the average number of sales by the pharmacies in the three groups indicates that the pharmacies in Group A had the best performance, not only when compared with the national average but especially compared with the control group, specifically selected to make the comparison as significant as possible.

Making community pharmacies psychologically informed environments (PIE): a feasibility study to improve engagement with people using drug services in Scotland.

AIM: This developmental study tested the feasibility of training pharmacy staff on the psychologically informed environments (PIE) approach to improve the delivery of care. BACKGROUND: Community pharmacies provide key services to people who use drugs (PWUD) through needle exchange services, medication-assisted treatment and naloxone distribution. PWUD often have trauma backgrounds, and an approach that has been demonstrated to work well in the homeless sector is PIEs. METHODS: Bespoke training was provided by clinical psychologists and assessed by questionnaire. Staff interviews explored changes made following PIE training to adapt the delivery of care. Changes in attitude of staff following training were assessed by questionnaire. Peer researchers interviewed patient/client on observed changes and experiences in participating pharmacies. Staff interviews were conducted six months after training to determine what changes, if any, staff had implemented. Normalisation process theory (NPT) provided a framework for assessing change. FINDINGS: Three pharmacies (16 staff) participated. Training evaluation was positive; all participants rated training structure and delivery as 'very good' or 'excellent'. There was no statistically significant change in attitudes. COVID-19 lockdowns restricted follow-up data collection. Staff interviews revealed training had encouraged staff to reflect on their practice and communication and consider potentially discriminatory practice. PIE informed communication skills were applied to manage COVID-19 changes. Staff across pharmacies noted mental health challenges for patients. Five patients were interviewed but COVID-19 delays in data collection meant changes in delivery of care were difficult to recall. However, they did reflect on interactions with pharmacy staff generally. Across staff and patient interviews, there was possible conflation of practice changes due to COVID-19 and the training. However, the study found that training pharmacy teams in PIE was feasible, well received, and further development is recommended. There was evidence of the four NPT domains to support change (coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring).

Tele-pharmacy perception, knowledge and associated factors among pharmacy students in northwest Ethiopia: an input for implementers.

BACKGROUND: Tele-pharmacy is a subset of telemedicine in which pharmacies use telecommunication technology to provide patient care. Tele-pharmacy can improve pharmaceutical care service delivery by reducing medication errors, improving access to health professionals and facilities in remote and rural areas, and minimizing adverse drug events. However, there is limited evidence regarding future pharmacists' knowledge and perceptions of the Tele-pharmacy system in Ethiopia. As a result, this study aimed to assess tele-Pharmacy perception, knowledge and associated factors among pharmacy students in Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 376 pharmacy students in Northwest Ethiopia between July 15 and August 27, 2022. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were entered using Epi info version 7.0 and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics, bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to describe pharmacy students' knowledge and perceptions of Tele-pharmacy and identify associated factors. An adjusted odds ratio (OR) and a p-value with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to declare statistical significance. RESULTS: From a total of 352 participants, about 32.4% with [95% CI (27%-37%)] and 48.6% with [95% CI (43%-54%)] had good knowledge and a positive perception toward Tele-pharmacy, respectively. Being age group of 26-30 (AOR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.17-0.68), being male (AOR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.26-4.49), Having a CPGA of > 3.5 (AOR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.24-4.19), Taking basic computer training (AOR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.17-3.39), Management support (AOR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.06-3.19) were found to be significantly associated with pharmacy students' knowledge of Tele-pharmacy. Similarly, having access to electronic devices (AOR = 3.80, 95% CI: 1.81-7.97), training related to pharmacy information systems (AOR = 6.66, 95% CI: 3.34-13.29), availability of guidelines (AOR = 2.99, 95% CI: 1.62-5.50) were found to be significantly associated with pharmacy students' perceptions of Tele-pharmacy. CONCLUSION: This study found that pharmacy students have limited knowledge and perceptions of the Tele-pharmacy system. A continuing Tele-pharmacy training package, incorporating pharmacy information system guidelines as part of their education, and providing managerial support could be recommended to improve pharmacy students' knowledge and perception of Tele-pharmacy.

Community Pharmacy Staff's Knowledge, Educational Needs, and Barriers Related to Counseling Cancer Patients and Cancer Survivors in Denmark.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to determine Danish community pharmacy staff's knowledge, educational needs, and barriers when communicating with cancer patients/survivors. Furthermore, the study investigated whether pharmacy staff was interested in participating in education about cancer. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among community pharmacy staff (pharmacists and pharmaconomists) in Denmark. Descriptive and bivariate (t-test and chi-square) statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: In total, 134 staff members responded to the questionnaire. Their self-reported knowledge of cancer-related topics was between 'very little knowledge' and 'some knowledge'. The most well-known topics concerned risk factors for cancer and side effects from cancer treatments. The importance of learning more about the same topics was rated between 'important' and 'very important'. The largest barriers identified in counseling cancer patients/survivors were a lack of knowledge about cancer, a focus on healthcare problems other than cancer, and a traditional view of community pharmacies as a place to pick up medication. Pharmacy staff expressed interest in participating in educational programs about cancer treatment (91.0%), communication with cancer patients (88.1%), and late effects of cancer (93.3%). CONCLUSION: Community pharmacy staff show interest in participating in education regarding cancer, but need more knowledge to properly counsel cancer patients and survivors at the community pharmacies. This important barrier should be addressed in future educational programs for community pharmacy staff.

Design and Development of Tools for Risk Evaluation of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in Community Pharmacy.

There is an increasing motivation to implement pharmacist-led screening services in community pharmacies. This study aims to develop tools to support the pharmacist in the context of a diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk assessment service. Our development involved a multistep process using a user-centred approach, including a need assessment phase (14 patients, 17 pharmacists) and a creative design phase, followed by the evaluation of the materials (10 patients, 16 pharmacists). Three following themes covering educational needs emerged from stakeholders' discussions: "content", "layout", and "form", with three additional themes regarding the practical organisation: "software", "awareness", and "referral". Based on the need assessment, tools for patient education purposes and awareness campaigns were created. During the development, special attention was paid to the writing style and structure with less text and more graphical colourful elements to suit patients with different health literacy and educational levels. The evaluation phase allowed researchers to observe participants engaging with the materials. Overall, participants were satisfied with the tools. The contents were considered valuable and relevant. However, adaptations were necessary to ensure their understanding and long-term usability. Finally, future research is required to evaluate the materials' impact on patients' behaviour towards their identified risk factors and ensure their effectiveness.

Methodology for conducting a comprehensive product review in managed care.

The high degree of complexity of the product-review process and differences in procedures between organizations have resulted in a need for best practices and an overall product-review process to create efficiencies for health care decision makers. In an effort to streamline product-review concepts, this article outlines the different components of the review process, including clinical and economic review, formulary placement determination, and evaluation of alternatives within a drug class. The article also details opportunities for the near future, as technology continues to advance and alignment between medical and pharmacy benefits is desired. DISCLOSURES: Drs Linnerooth, Penley, Ha, and Craven report employment with Xcenda, which provided funding for the manuscript. Drs Sauvageau and Hydery report employment Xcenda, which provided funding for the manuscript, and stock holdings with AmerisourceBergen. Dr Feeney reports support for attending meetings and/or travel provided by Highmark, Inc. Dr Thomas reports receipt of consulting fees from ActiveRADAR, board member roles with ActiveRADAR and RoundtableRx, an adjunct professor role with the University of Minnesota, and stock options and pensions with Eli Lilly and Aetna/CVS. Dr Watkins reports payment or honoraria from ISPOR and for articles written for Value and Outcomes Spotlight, and support for attending meetings and/or travel by AMCP.

[Analysis of the legal framework on food supplements for menopause in Spanish community pharmacies]. / Análisis del marco legal sobre complementos alimenticios para la menopausia en farmacias comunitarias españolas.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the legal framework for the marketing of specific food supplements prescribed and indicated for menopause symptoms, so that it is verified if according to the effects on health that they produce, should be considered in the category of food supplements, or in others included in our legal system. METHOD: An exhaustive review of the legal frameworks applicable to food supplements used both in Spain and in Europe, collecting those aspects that are related to legal concepts such as the definition of medicine for human use, medicine based on medicinal plants, or the so-called "frontier products". RESULTS: There is a large number of products that can be called "frontier products", they can fit into different product categories, they can fit into different product categories, since some of the plants in their formulation are also authorized for use as industrial medicines or medicines based on traditional medicinal plants. CONCLUSIONS: There are currently specific food supplements for menopause that raise reasonable doubts about their inclusion in other legal categories, both as medicines for human use, or as herbal medicines, so the legislator would need to enable more agile mechanisms and more frequent reviews of the new certainties that science finds, and that can change the status of these products.

Improving diagnostic antimicrobial stewardship in respiratory tract infections: a protocol for a scoping review investigating point-of-care testing programmes in community pharmacy.

INTRODUCTION: Diagnostic uncertainty regarding the cause of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) multiplies the problem of unnecessary use of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance in primary care. Point-of-care testing (POCT) programmes have been recognised as a potential stewardship strategy to optimise antimicrobial use in primary care. There is a need for greater understanding of community pharmacy-based POCT programmes in reducing the unnecessary use of antimicrobials in patients with RTIs. This review systematically maps out evidence around the effectiveness, feasibility and implementation challenges of POCT programmes in community pharmacy to improve safe antimicrobial use in RTIs. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist and the Arksey and O'Malley methodology framework will guide the reporting of this review. We will systematically review studies with either randomised controlled trial, non-randomised controlled trial, before-after study, observational study or pilot feasibility study design. Medline, Emcare, PubMed, Health Technology Assessment, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Google Scholar databases will be used to search for articles. Three reviewers will independently screen, review and select studies with POCT programmes involving community pharmacists for antimicrobial stewardship in RTIs. Summary statistics and random effects model, if data permit, will be used to summarise the effectiveness, feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the POCT programme. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research will capture POCT implementation drivers. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This review study does not require research ethics approval. Findings will be disseminated through national and international conferences, seminars and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Improving the quality of publications in and advancing the paradigms of clinical and social pharmacy practice research: The Granada statements.

Pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences embrace a series of different disciplines. Pharmacy practice has been defined as "the scientific discipline that studies the different aspects of the practice of pharmacy and its impact on health care systems, medicine use, and patient care". Thus, pharmacy practice studies embrace both clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy elements. Like any other scientific discipline, clinical and social pharmacy practice disseminates research findings using scientific journals. Clinical pharmacy and social pharmacy journal editors have a role in promoting the discipline by enhancing the quality of the articles published. As has occurred in other health care areas (i.e., medicine and nursing), a group of clinical and social pharmacy practice journal editors gathered in Granada, Spain to discuss how journals could contribute to strengthening pharmacy practice as a discipline. The result of that meeting was compiled in these Granada Statements, which comprise 18 recommendations gathered into six topics: the appropriate use of terminology, impactful abstracts, the required peer reviews, journal scattering, more effective and wiser use of journal and article performance metrics, and authors' selection of the most appropriate pharmacy practice journal to submit their work.

The role of perceived service quality and price competitiveness on consumer patronage of and intentions towards community pharmacies.

BACKGROUND: When consumers choose a service provider, they trade-off their perceptions of service quality with their perceptions of the cost of engaging with the service provider. For community pharmacy owners and managers, it is important to understand the relative impact on loyalty of providing the extra resources to improve service quality versus forsaking gross profit by discounting prices. The aim of this study was to explore the relative effects of consumers' perceptions of service quality (pSQ) and price competitiveness (pPC) on patronage loyalty (patronage history of the rated pharmacy), patronage disloyalty (patronage history at other pharmacies) and loyalty intentions. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted within Australia using an online survey administered to members of a consumer marketing panel. Eligible participants were adults taking 2 or more prescription medicines and had attended a community pharmacy within the past 4 weeks. Participants were asked to rate the pharmacy they had last visited, self-report patronage history of that and other pharmacies and report the brand of pharmacy visited. Previously validated scales were used for consumers' perceptions of service quality (pSQ) and loyalty intentions. New scales were developed for pPC and self-reported patronage loyalty and disloyalty. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to validate the measurement model. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with robust estimator (EQS) was used to test the relationships between the variables. Sensitivity analysis, in the presence of covariates were performed with multivariate regression analysis with bootstrapping. RESULTS: Surveys were completed by 303 participants. Most consumers had visited the rated pharmacy more often than once monthly and most had visited only 1 or 2 pharmacies in the past 12 months for prescription medicines. Overall, participants rated pSQ, pPC highly and expressed high loyalty intentions. The SEM was a good fit for the data. The model predicted 12%, 15% and 69% of the variation in patronage loyalty and patronage disloyalty and loyalty intentions, respectively. The effect of pSQ on patronage was 0.38 (p < 0.05) for loyalty and -0.38 (p < 0.05) on disloyalty whereas the effect of pPC was marginal. The total effect of pSQ and pPC on loyalty intentions was 0.64 (<0.05) and 0.20 (p < 0.05) and in sensitivity analyses, no other covariate, including pharmacy brand was significant. CONCLUSION: In order to drive loyalty behavior and generate loyalty intentions, providing a high-quality service appears to be far more effective than creating perceptions that the pharmacy has competitive prices. This finding affords a motivation for both discount AND non-discount brand pharmacies to undertake the steps needed to improve service quality.

Facilitating pharmacy staff's conversations about non-medical medication switches: Development and testing of a communication training.

BACKGROUND: Non-medical medication switches, a change to another medicine or medication label not motivated by medical reasons, occur frequently. Switches often lead to negative patient emotions, such as confusion and anger. Pharmacy staff's communication, i.e. delivering the message and addressing patients' emotions is crucial, but experienced as difficult. OBJECTIVE: To develop and test a communication training for the pharmacy team to facilitate medication switch conversations. METHODS: A communication training was developed based on the 'breaking bad news model' and 'positive message framing' strategies, and incorporating needs and preferences from practice. The training consisted of an e-learning with theory and reflective exercises, a half-day live training session, and an online reflection session. The Kirkpatrick training evaluation model (levels one 'reaction' and two 'learning') was used to evaluate the training. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and interview data was transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. RESULTS: Twelve pharmacists and 27 pharmacy technicians from 15 Dutch pharmacies participated in the training. According to Kirkpatrick's model level one, the major learning outcome was to give space to patients to express their emotions and/or concerns (e.g. more silences in the conversations). For level two, most participants valued practicing the conversations, role-playing, and receiving feedback. The majority of the participants indicated that they had sufficient tools and practice during the live training to apply the strategies in daily practice. A few participants still needed time and practice, or missed examples to apply the strategies. CONCLUSION: The communication training based on the two strategies was well-received and participants felt well-equipped post-training. The take-away for participants was to give space to patients to express their emotions. Using these strategies and skills, pharmacy teams can tailor their medication counseling to patients' emotions and concerns during non-medical medication switches to better support patients in proper medication use.

[The experience of community pharmacy in SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection tests programs.] / Experiencia de la farmacia comunitaria en los programas de pruebas de detección de antígenos del SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 infection was an unprecedented pandemic with unprecedented global health and socio-economic impact. More than 13 million cases had been confirmed in Spain by August 2022, and diagnostic testing to detect cases of infection in the country has helped to partially mitigate the spread of the virus. In 2021, the first self-testing antigen tests were marketed for dispensing in community pharmacies, and over-the-counter dispensing was allowed from July of that year. The network of community pharmacies played a key role, not only in the informed dispensing of these tests, but also in actively participating in the performance, supervision and reporting of results to the health authorities, and even in the issuing of digital certificates. A compilation has been made of all the available data on the subject, with a deadline of 13 February 2022, which is considered to be the end of the sixth wave of the epidemic in Spain. The results of the action taken by community pharmacies in twelve Autonomous Communities, which somehow participated in these initiatives by carrying out or supervising a total of 1,043,800 tests, from which 109,570 positive cases (10.5% of the total) were detected and reported to the National Health System, are presented in this article. Although the results are provisional, because many of the programmes are still ongoing, they are a clear demonstration of the potential that community pharmacies can play in Public Health work.

La infección por SARS-CoV-2 ha constituido una pandemia con un impacto sanitario y socioeconómico global sin precedentes. Con más de trece millones de casos confirmados en España hasta agosto de 2022, la realización de pruebas diagnósticas para detectar los casos de infección ha permitido atenuar parcialmente la expansión del virus. Durante 2021 se comercializaron los primeros test de antígenos para autodiagnóstico, de dispensación en farmacias comunitarias, y desde julio de ese año se permitió su dispensación sin receta médica. La red de farmacias comunitarias jugó un papel fundamental, no solo por la dispensación informada de dichos test, sino participando activamente en la realización, en la supervisión de su realización y en la notificación de resultados a las autoridades sanitarias, e incluso en la emisión de certificados digitales. Se ha realizado una recopilación de todos los datos disponibles al respecto, fijando como límite temporal la semana del 13 de febrero de 2022, por considerarse como el final de la sexta ola de la epidemia en España. El presente artículo revela los resultados derivados de la actuación de las farmacias de doce comunidades autónomas, que participaron de una forma u otra en dichas iniciativas mediante la realización o supervisión de un total de 1.043.800 pruebas, a partir de las cuales se detectaron 109.570 casos positivos (un 10,5% del total), que fueron comunicados al Sistema Nacional de Salud. Los resultados son provisionales, pues muchos de los programas continúan vigentes, pero son una muestra inequívoca del potencial que las farmacias comunitarias pueden desempeñar en tareas de Salud Pública.