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Tidsskrift For Den Norske Laegeforening... Sep 2020The summary care record receives a copy of all electronic prescriptions and their dispensing by Norwegian pharmacies. Some electronic prescriptions expire without being...
BACKGROUND
The summary care record receives a copy of all electronic prescriptions and their dispensing by Norwegian pharmacies. Some electronic prescriptions expire without being dispensed, in whole or in part. The purpose of the study was to ascertain how many electronic prescriptions passed their expiry date without being dispensed, and what type of prescriptions these were.
MATERIAL AND METHOD
All electronic prescriptions and dispensations for the period 1 March 2016-1 March 2018 were extracted anonymously from the summary care record. The number of prescriptions that expired without being dispensed was added up and classified according to the drug prescribed. The percentage of uncollected prescriptions was calculated for each drug.
RESULTS
Of 47 771 233 registered electronic prescriptions in the period, 5 934 589 (12 %) expired without having been dispensed. The proportion of non-dispensed electronic prescriptions varied within the individual drug groups from 4 % for Z-hypnotics to 49 % for glucagon.
INTERPRETATION
The study indicates that several reasons exist for the non-dispensing of prescriptions.
Topics: Drug Prescriptions; Electronic Prescribing; Humans; Pharmacies; Prescription Drugs
PubMed: 32998490
DOI: 10.4045/tidsskr.19.0577 -
Obstetrics and Gynecology Dec 2021To assess pharmacy participation in and accessibility of pharmacist-prescribed contraception after legislation effective in the state of Utah in 2019.
OBJECTIVE
To assess pharmacy participation in and accessibility of pharmacist-prescribed contraception after legislation effective in the state of Utah in 2019.
METHODS
A secret-shopper telephone survey was used to assess participation in pharmacist-prescribed contraception. Geospatial analysis was used to map the distribution of participating pharmacies by population characteristics.
RESULTS
Of all operating Class A retail pharmacies in Utah, 127 (27%) were providing pharmacist-prescribed contraception 1 year after implementation of the Utah standing order. Oral contraceptive pills were widely accessible (100%); however, other allowed methods were not (vaginal ring 14%; contraceptive patch 2%). Consultation fees and medication costs varied widely. Participating pharmacies were mainly concentrated in population centers. Assuming access to a personal vehicle, urban areas with a high percentage of Hispanic people (Utah's largest minority race or ethnicity group) have access to a participating pharmacy within a 20-minute driving distance. However, access in rural areas with a high percentage Hispanic or other minority were limited. We identified 235 (40%) census tracts with a high proportion of Utah's residents living below the poverty line or of minority race or ethnicity who also had low access to pharmacist-prescribed contraception.
CONCLUSIONS
Although the pharmacy-based model is intended to increase access to contraception, practical availability 1 year after the authorization of pharmacist-prescribed contraception in Utah suggests that this service does not adequately serve rural areas, particularly rural areas with a high proportion of minorities and those living below the federal poverty line.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Contraception; Drug Costs; Female; Health Plan Implementation; Health Services Accessibility; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pharmaceutical Services; Pharmacies; Pharmacists; Pharmacy; Poverty; Referral and Consultation; Rural Population; Utah; Young Adult
PubMed: 34735383
DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004594 -
The American Journal of Managed Care Oct 2022To assess the accuracy of a real-time benefit tool (RTBT) that is compliant with the standards of the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) in a large... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
OBJECTIVES
To assess the accuracy of a real-time benefit tool (RTBT) that is compliant with the standards of the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) in a large academic medical center.
STUDY DESIGN
Observational study of electronic health records and pharmacy records from July 14, 2019, through January 14, 2020, across all ambulatory clinics and outpatient pharmacies in the health system.
METHODS
Main assessments included (1) demographic characteristics of patients in whom the RTBT was used and those in whom it was not used, (2) types of changes most frequently made to medication orders upon reviewing the RTBT, and (3) comparison of the out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions vs the RTBT-generated estimates.
RESULTS
The most common modifications made to prescriptions due to RTBT use were changes in days' supply (44%) and the quantity of medication (69%). In more than 98% of prescription orders, patients' out-of-pocket costs were either equivalent to or lower than the estimates generated by the RTBT.
CONCLUSIONS
Current standards established by NCPDP yield accurate patient out-of-pocket estimates and could serve as a national standard for all Part D sponsors.
Topics: Humans; Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services; Pharmaceutical Services; Pharmacies; Pharmacy; Prescription Drugs
PubMed: 36252176
DOI: 10.37765/ajmc.2022.89254 -
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision... Aug 2020In recent years, online pharmacies have been accepted by increasingly more consumers, and the prospects for online pharmacies are optimistic. This article explores the...
BACKGROUND
In recent years, online pharmacies have been accepted by increasingly more consumers, and the prospects for online pharmacies are optimistic. This article explores the consumers' satisfaction factors addressed in Business to Customer (B2C) online pharmacy reviews and analyzes the sentiments expressed in the reviews. The goal of this work is to help B2C online pharmacy enterprises identify consumers' concerns, continuously improve the health services level.
METHODS
This article was based on the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic model. From a third-party platform-based B2C online pharmacy and a proprietary B2C online pharmacy (JD Pharmacy and J1.COM, respectively), 136,630 pieces of over-the-counter (OTC) drug review data posted from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018 were selected as samples and used to explore the satisfaction factors of B2C online pharmacy consumers regarding the entire drug purchasing process. Then, the sentiments expressed in the drug reviews were analyzed with SnowNLP.
RESULT
Categorization of the 12 factors identified by LDA showed that 5 factors were related to logistics; these 5 factors, which also included the most drug reviews, made up 38.5% of the reviews. The number of factors related to drug prices was second, with 3 factors, and reviews of drug prices made up 25.5% of the reviews. Customer service and drug effects each had two related factors, and a smaller percentage of these reviews (13.95%) were related to drug effects. Consumers still maintain positive opinions of JD Pharmacy and J1.COM. However, some opinions on logistics and drug prices are expressed.
CONCLUSION
The most important task for online pharmacies is to improve logistics. It is better to develop self-built logistics. Both types of B2C online pharmacies can improve consumer viscosity by implementing marketing strategies. With regard to customer service, focusing on improving employees' service attitudes is necessary.
Topics: Commerce; Consumer Behavior; Humans; Personal Satisfaction; Pharmaceutical Services, Online; Pharmacies
PubMed: 32807175
DOI: 10.1186/s12911-020-01214-x -
BMC Veterinary Research Jun 2022Veterinary medicines have been widely used for the prevention and treatment of animal diseases. Globally, the veterinary medicine industry is growing. However, there is...
BACKGROUND
Veterinary medicines have been widely used for the prevention and treatment of animal diseases. Globally, the veterinary medicine industry is growing. However, there is a significant increase of concern on the quality of veterinary medicines in various developing countries' legal markets. Poor-quality medicines are associated with treatment failure, development of drug resistance, increased healthcare cost, and death. These reasons warrant a need for monitoring the quality of the medicines circulating in the Tanzania Mainland.
METHODS
This was a survey study and veterinary medicines samples were collected from 9 out of 26 regions of Tanzania mainland between 2014 and 2017. Veterinary medicines were sampled from wholesale pharmacies, retail pharmacies, veterinary clinics and Veterinary Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets (ADDO-vet). All sampled medicines were subjected to product information review and full quality control testing at the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority-World Health Organization prequalified laboratory.
RESULTS
A total of 238 samples of veterinary medicines were collected. Out of these, 97.1% (231/238) were subjected to full quality control testing and product information review. All sampled veterinary medicines conformed to visual appearance, clarity, pH, solubility and sterility tests. Also, of the sampled veterinary medicines 97.8% (226/231) and 89.2% (206/231) passed identification and assay tests, respectively. As well as, the majority of the collected samples 92% (219/238) failed to comply with product information requirements. The most observed deficiencies on product information were inadequate information on the package insert 94.1% (224/238), inappropriate storage conditions 55.5% (132/238) and lack of Tanzania registration number 27% (64/238).
CONCLUSION
Veterinary medicines with poor quality were found circulating in the legal markets of Tanzania. This can potentiate treatment failure and the development of drug resistance in animals and humans. Post marketing surveillance program will continue to be implemented to ensure that only good quality, safe and efficacious medicines are circulating in the Tanzania Mainland market.
Topics: Animals; Drug Industry; Marketing; Pharmacies; Product Surveillance, Postmarketing; Tanzania
PubMed: 35681204
DOI: 10.1186/s12917-022-03329-x -
Medical Archives (Sarajevo, Bosnia and... Dec 2017After the collapse of the Arab rule, the Arab territorial expanses and cultural heritage were taken over by the Turks. Although scientific progress in the Turkish period... (Review)
Review
After the collapse of the Arab rule, the Arab territorial expanses and cultural heritage were taken over by the Turks. Although scientific progress in the Turkish period slowed down due to numerous unfavorable political-economic and other circumstances. Thanks to the Turks, Arabic culture and useful Islamic principles expanded to the territory of our homeland of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Significant role in the transfer of Arabic pharmaceutical knowledge was also attributed to the Sephardic Jews who, with their arrival, continued to perform their attar activities, which were largely based on Arab achievements. However, insufficiently elaborated, rich funds of oriental medical and pharmaceutical handwriting testify that Oriental science has nurtured in these areas as well, and that the Arabic component in a specific way was intertwined with other cultures and traditions of B&H. The Franciscan monasteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina have museums which contain important exhibits and libraries rich in books, among which many from the field of medicine and pharmacy. Muslim mosques, also, had small libraries with Arabic books used for spreading medical knowledge. The second category was folk doctors and practitioners who were on disposition to the people of any religion. Some of them listened to lectures in medicine during the studies of theology and philosophy. However, most did not have any medical education, but by reading books and teaching experience they made their own recipe collection. Special books, called "Ljekaruše" (Books of recipes) were also born during the study when they came into contact with an even larger number of health books. However, it should not be neglected that a lot of them contained folk medicines that were used in some environments depending on the habits and available herbs. Although it has been proven that many recipes from Ljekaruše are pharmacologically and medically justified, one should not ignore the knowledge and skill behind them. The true flowering of medicine in B&H happening thanks to graduate doctors in Italy, Austria, Hungary, Turkey, etc. Through their action, in a short time, they greatly improved health in B&H, educated the population. The Franciscans were important because they opened the first open-air clinics, the first pharmacies, and wrote the first pharmacopoeia and regulations for the work of health care institutions. Numerous works preserved in monasteries have mostly brought about the study in only one or two copies. Their contribution to the development of health care and the prevention of illness and treatment of the population in B&H during that period is very significant.
Topics: Bosnia and Herzegovina; Culture; Delivery of Health Care; History of Pharmacy; History, 15th Century; History, 16th Century; History, 17th Century; History, 18th Century; History, 19th Century; History, Medieval; Humans; Islam; Medicine, Arabic; Ottoman Empire; Pharmacies; Reference Books, Medical; Turkey
PubMed: 29416207
DOI: 10.5455/medarh.2017.71.439-448 -
Journal of Managed Care & Specialty... Jun 2019Formularies that Include prior authorization and utilization management are widely used by managed care organizations (MCOs), Including health plans and pharmacy benefit...
Formularies that Include prior authorization and utilization management are widely used by managed care organizations (MCOs), Including health plans and pharmacy benefit management companies. Utilization management criteria are essential to optimizing patient outcomes and reducing waste, error, unnecessary drug use, and cost. The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Professional Practice Committee has developed the following 9 specific concepts for effective prior authorization practices by MCOs: (1) patient safety and appropriate medication use, (2) clinical decision making, (3) evidence-based review criteria, (4) automated decision support, (5) transparency and advanced notice, (6) emergency access, (7) provider collaboration, (8) need for timeliness and avoiding disruptions in therapy, and (9) cost-effectiveness and value. AMCP supports these concepts to allow for further collaboration between prescribers and payers in order to ensure that patients receive appropriate and timely access to drugs, devices, and other therapeutic agents. DISCLOSURES: No funding was received for the conceptualizing, writing, and/or editing of this manuscript. The Professional Practice Committee is composed of volunteers selected from current Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy members in good standing. Concepts presented in this document were developed by request of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy and are not intended to represent the views of committee members' employers or affiliated organizations.
Topics: Cost-Benefit Analysis; Drug Utilization Review; Humans; Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services; Managed Care Programs; Pharmaceutical Services; Pharmacies; Prescription Drugs; Prior Authorization
PubMed: 30977701
DOI: 10.18553/jmcp.2019.19069 -
American Journal of Health-system... Nov 2022The college of pharmacy has operated pharmacies on campus for over 26 years. Employees and patients are users of the pharmacies; however, utilization across the campus...
PURPOSE
The college of pharmacy has operated pharmacies on campus for over 26 years. Employees and patients are users of the pharmacies; however, utilization across the campus has been limited. This paper describes a process, as well as results, that was used to gather input from employees on a large university health sciences center campus on pharmacy needs and related behaviors on campus pharmacy utilization.
METHODS
Two focus groups of staff and 4 focus groups of prescribers were conducted over 1 month. Participants were selected through purposive sampling via email within an academic health sciences center campus over a 1-month period. The sessions were moderated by one investigator using a preconstructed discussion guide and lasted 1 hour. Two additional investigators observed sessions for nonverbal communication; all sessions were audio recorded for subsequent transcription. An open-coding process was performed on verbatim transcripts using NVivo12. The investigator team then developed, refined, and grouped themes during subsequent group discussions.
RESULTS
A total of 44 participants took part in 6 focus groups. Participants included prescribers (physicians, nurses, physician assistants) and staff (nonprescribers). Two major themes identified were (1) factors related to on-campus pharmacies and (2) qualities valued in a pharmacy. There was an equal split (8% for each group) on awareness of the on-campus pharmacies. Almost 11% of participants commented on the accessibility of a pharmacy being a quality valued in a pharmacy.
CONCLUSION
Focus groups provided insights for the administration team regarding additional value-added services that would be helpful for the campus community, as well as various approaches to increase utilization of the on-campus pharmacies. Focus group methodology is an effective approach to engage employees of a large university campus to garner new ideas to enhance existing policies or services, as well as to gather thoughts on preliminary strategic plans before implementation.
Topics: Humans; Pharmacies; Pharmacists; Outpatients; Pharmaceutical Services; Pharmacy; Community Pharmacy Services
PubMed: 35980283
DOI: 10.1093/ajhp/zxac232 -
BMJ Open Jun 2019Although tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the USA, it is routinely sold in pharmacies. In 2008, San Francisco became the first city in the USA to... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
OBJECTIVES
Although tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the USA, it is routinely sold in pharmacies. In 2008, San Francisco became the first city in the USA to pass a tobacco-free pharmacy ordinance. Over the next decade, 171 municipalities enacted similar policies, and in 2018, Massachusetts banned tobacco sales in pharmacies. Our objective was to assess the perceived effects of tobacco-free pharmacy policies on displays, sales, customer visits and counselling.
DESIGN
Observational study and survey.
SETTING
In 2017, we visited Walgreens and CVS stores in San Francisco and nearby San Jose, which allows tobacco sales, to assess placement of tobacco and over-the-counter tobacco cessation products (nicotine replacement therapy or NRT). We surveyed an employee at each site regarding the impact that tobacco-free pharmacy policies had had on customer traffic and sales of NRT.
PARTICIPANTS
We obtained display data from 72 pharmacies and collected surveys from 55 employees (76% response rate).
RESULTS
A majority of respondents at tobacco-free pharmacies (55%) reported that the policy had not affected customer visits. In comparison, 70% of respondents at tobacco-selling pharmacies believed that eliminating tobacco sales would reduce the number of customers visiting their stores. Pharmacies that were tobacco free and those that sold tobacco reported comparable displays, sales and counselling for NRT.
CONCLUSIONS
Pharmacies operating under tobacco-free policies did not report reduced customer visits. Greater awareness of this outcome could help pharmacies implement public health recommendations to eliminate tobacco sales.
Topics: California; Commerce; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Licensure; Pharmacies; Public Policy; San Francisco; Smoking; Tobacco Products; Tobacco Use Cessation Devices; Tobacco, Smokeless
PubMed: 31203236
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025603 -
American Journal of Pharmaceutical... Jan 2020To identify skills and attributes that pharmacy students need upon graduation if planning to pursue a career path as a community pharmacy practice care provider....
To identify skills and attributes that pharmacy students need upon graduation if planning to pursue a career path as a community pharmacy practice care provider. In-depth interviews with community pharmacy stakeholders were conducted, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed to identify the skills and attributes pharmacy students need upon graduation to be prepared to practice as a community pharmacy-based care provider. Forty-two participants were interviewed. Identified attributes that were deemed transformative for community pharmacy practice included three behaviors, five skills, and two knowledge areas. Behavioral attributes needed by future community pharmacists were an approach to practice that is forward thinking and patient-centric, and having a provider mentality. The most commonly mentioned skill was the ability to provide direct patient care, with other skills being organizational competence, communication, building relationships, and management and leadership. Critical knowledge areas were treatment guidelines and drug knowledge, and regulatory and payer requirements. Additional skills needed by community pharmacy-based providers included identification and treatment of acute self-limiting illnesses and monitoring activities for chronic health conditions. Essential attributes of community pharmacists that will allow practice transformation to take place include behaving in a forward-thinking, patient-centric manner; displaying a provider mentality through use of effective communication to build relationships with patients and other providers, and learning how to meet regulatory and payer requirements for prescribers. These attributes should be fostered during the student's experiential curriculum.
Topics: Community Pharmacy Services; Curriculum; Education, Pharmacy; Health Personnel; Humans; Pharmacies; Pharmacists; Professional Role; Students, Pharmacy
PubMed: 32292190
DOI: 10.5688/ajpe7125