COMMUNITY PHARMACIST-LED NEW MEDICINE SERVICE FOR PATIENTS WITH A LONG TERM MEDICAL CONDITION: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22159/ijpps.2017v9i6.17464Keywords:
New medicine service, Community pharmacist, Adverse drug reactionsAbstract
Objective: This study assessed the impact of the new medicine service (NMS) on medication use in patients starting a new medication for a long-term medical condition in the United Kingdom (UK).
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in community pharmacies in the West Midlands area for three months from July to September 2012. The drug therapies/agents included in the study were antihypertensive, antidiabetics, anti-asthmatics and antiplatelet/anticoagulants.
Results: 20 community pharmacists completed questionnaires related to 285 patients (160 female and 125 male). On the first NMS assessment, 82 patients reported drug-related problems including adverse effects and incorrect use of medications. Of these 82 patients, 58 received pharmacists' advice and 24 did not receive any advice. At the NMS follow up 39 (67%) of the 58 patients who received pharmacists' advice reported resolution of their drug-related problems while only four (17%) of the 24 patients who did not receive pharmacists' advice reported resolution of their problems (odds ratio 10.2, 95% CI 3.0-34.2 p<0.0001). The improvement in the correct use of medications by patients reported in this study for example by improving the inhaler technique of asthmatic patients is expected to have important implications for improving the healthcare outcome of patients with long-term conditions.
Conclusion: This study provides support for the NMS as an opportunity to improve detection of adverse effects and improve the incorrect use of medicines by patients. Further research is needed to address the policy implications of the NMS, including analyses of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of this service, and the sustainability of this form of pharmacist intervention in the long-term in clinical practice.
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