Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Nov 2016
Impact of prescription charges on people living in poverty: A qualitative study.
Prescription charges or copayments have been shown to reduce consumption of medicines. For people living in poverty, prescription charges can prevent them from getting the medicines they need, and this can result in poorer health status. Prescription charges are low in New Zealand compared to many other countries, but those living in poverty are not exempt from fees. ⋯ Even low financial barriers can have a significant impact on low income people's access to medicines and reduce the effectiveness of treatment. Not being able to afford prescription medicines may impact negatively on people's health directly by preventing access to medicines, through reducing expenditure on other items need for health, and by potentiating stigma.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Nov 2016
Prescription drug abuse communication: A qualitative analysis of prescriber and pharmacist perceptions and behaviors.
Interpersonal communication is inherent in a majority of strategies seeking to engage prescriber and pharmacist health care professionals (HCPs) in the reduction and prevention of prescription drug abuse (PDA). However, research on HCP PDA communication behavioral engagement and factors that influence it is limited. ⋯ Despite the perceived importance of engaging in PDA communication, HCPs reported that prescription drug abuse communication is uncomfortable, variable, multifactorial, and often avoided. The themes that emerged from this analysis support the utility of communication science and health behavior theories to better understand and improve PDA communication behaviors of both prescribers and pharmacists, and thereby improve engagement in PDA prevention and treatment.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Nov 2016
Lethal drugs in capital punishment in USA: History, present, and future perspectives.
Lethal injection is the preferred method for the execution of condemned prisoners in the United States. A recent decision of The European Union to prohibit the export of drugs used in capital punishment to the USA along with domestic firms ceasing to manufacture these drugs has resulted in a drug shortage and a search for alternative drugs and new drug combinations that have not been previously validated for inducing death. ⋯ Moreover, a cottage industry comprised of compounding pharmacies as emerged as a source of drug combinations used in capital punishment. Although there is a growing trend toward the abolishment of capital punishment in United States, the controversy concerning the efficacy of drug and involvement of health care professionals in the execution procedure is far from over.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Nov 2016
Don't assume the patient understands: Qualitative analysis of the challenges low health literate patients face in the pharmacy.
Low health literacy populations have difficulty understanding health information and making appropriate health decisions. Pharmacists need to ensure patients have a basic understanding of how to take their medications and understand the risks and benefits of their prescriptions. ⋯ Future interventions targeted to improving pharmacy medication information for the low health literate population should focus on addressing the challenges with limited time with pharmacists, poor understanding of medication information, forgetting to take medications, side effects and food instruction/interactions.
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Res Social Adm Pharm · Nov 2016
Examination of England's New Medicine Service (NMS) of complex health care interventions in community pharmacy.
Community pharmacies are increasingly commissioned to deliver new, complex health interventions in response to the growing demands on family doctors and secondary health care services. Little is known about how these complex interventions are being accommodated and translated into the community pharmacy setting and whether their aims and objectives are realized in practice. The New Medicine Service (NMS) is a complex medicine management intervention that aims to support patients' adherence to newly prescribed medicines for a long-term condition. ⋯ This study identifies the multifaceted and complex processes involved in implementing a new community pharmacy service in England. Community pharmacy workflow, infrastructure, and public and professional relationships all affect NMS implementation. Greater prior engagement with the pharmacy workforce and GPs, robust piloting and a phased rollout together with ongoing support and updates, are potentials strategies to ensure future implementation of pharmacy services meet their intended aims in practice.