Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice

BACKGROUND: Effective vaccine management is crucial to maintain vaccine potency. To achieve this, elements, such as temperature management, stock management, infrastructure, cold chain equipment and waste management, need to be properly implemented. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the vaccine storage and stock management practices in public health facilities within Vihiga County. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Eighty-six public health facilities were selected and one staff involved in handling vaccines from each facility participated in the study...

INTRODUCTION: Trials have demonstrated the benefits of methylprednisolone in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, data on optimal dose, duration and timing of administration are limited. This study investigates the outcome of various methylprednisolone treatment regimens among hospitalised COVID-19 patients. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on hospitalised adult COVID-19 patients admitted between June and August 2021 in general COVID-19 wards, treated with methylprednisolone...

BACKGROUND: Proprietary Chinese medicine (PCM) is widely used in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China. However, the regulatory frameworks and procedures for PCM registration in the region are not well-established, and there are differences among the three jurisdictions. The study is aimed to compare the legal basis, regulatory guidelines, application requirements, and evaluation criteria in each jurisdiction. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive review of the registration application processes for PCMs in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau based on publicly available information from respective regulators...

BACKGROUND: The pharmaceutical sector in Pakistan has grown over a period, however, there are several barriers in the framework governing the growth of the country's pharmaceuticals. The lack of academia-industry linkage (AIL) is among the critical barriers; hence the focus of the study is to find out the reasons for the lack in the above collaboration. Understanding barriers may help their redressal. METHOD: This qualitative phenomenology-based study has been conducted in the most prominent pharmacy institutes, located in Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Sargodha, and Quetta...

BACKGROUND: The critical shortage of comprehensively trained healthcare staff in Tanzania affects the capacity to deliver essential health services, attain universal health coverage and compromises health outcomes. There is a specific lack of suitably trained pharmaceutical professionals, thus, an increase in the use of unqualified or poorly trained staff. Following the introduction of a one-year pharmacy dispenser course intervention, this study explored the impact that the new cadre of graduates had on pharmacy practice compared to healthcare facilities with non-pharmacy trained dispensers (NPTDs)...

Background: Conscientious objection (CO) in healthcare is a controversial topic. Some perceive CO as freedom of conscience, others believe their professional duty-of-care overrides personal-perspectives. There is a paucity of literature pertaining to pharmacists' perspectives on CO. Aim: To explore Australian pharmacists' decision-making in complex scenarios around CO and reasons for their choices. Method: A cross-sectional, qualitative questionnaire of pharmacists' perspectives on CO. Vignette-based questions were about scenarios related to medical termination, emergency contraception, IVF surrogacy for a same-sex couple and Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Results: Approximately half of participants ( n  = 223) believed pharmacists have the right to CO and most agreed to supply prescriptions across all vignettes...

BACKGROUND: Early detection, monitoring, and managing adverse events (AEs) are crucial in optimising treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence, factors, management, and impact of AEs on treatment outcomes in MDR-TB patients. METHODS: This study reviewed the medical records of 275 MDR-TB patients at Fatimah Jinnah Institute of Chest Diseases in Quetta, Pakistan. Patient information was collected using a designed data collection form...

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the level of community pharmacy professionals' (CPPs) actual practices and contrasted it with their self-reported perceived involvement in diabetes management. METHODS: A self-reported cross-sectional and simulated patient (SP)-based study were employed at community drug retail outlets (CDROs) in Northwest Ethiopia. SP-case scenarios were used to examine the actual practices of CPPs in diabetes management and were compared with self-reported perceived involvement...

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the economic impact of the developed antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) versus the preliminary ASP use, in the adults' general medicine settings in Qatar. METHODS: Patient records were retrospectively reviewed during two periods: preliminary ASP was defined as the 12 months following ASP implementation (i.e. May 2015-April 2016), and developed ASP was defined as the last 12 months of a 5-year ASP implementation in Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) (i...

BACKGROUND: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of stroke by a factor of five, leading a significant cost burdens on healthcare system. Pharmacists, especially those based in a primary care environment are well placed to support patients in this therapeutic area. OBJECTIVES: To assess primary care pharmacists' actual knowledge on the management of AF symptoms and anticoagulation. Furthermore, to investigate the resources used by pharmacists. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using survey was conducted, targeting UK-based registered pharmacists employed within primary care settings...

BACKGROUND: Drug stores is an option that people can receive health care services for their common illnesses. This is the first study aims to estimate cost savings for 16 common illness symptoms to the Thailand's health system. METHOD: This study gathered retrospective secondary data from several studies and surveyed the median cost of medicines. Cost savings of care provided by pharmacists at drug stores in comparison to out-patient department (OPD) services at hospitals were quantified using cost of illness approach...

BACKGROUND: Thromboembolism is reported to be up to 27% in COVID-19 patients due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Dysregulated systemic inflammation and various patient traits play a vital role in thrombosis progression. PURPOSE: To assess odds and associated factors for thrombosis development among Lebanese COVID-19 patients. METHODS: This was a case-control retrospective study conducted in January-May 2021. Patients infected with COVID-19 and developed thrombosis were classified as cases and patients who were thrombosis-free identified as control...

BACKGROUND: In Uganda, there is limited adoption of pharmaceutical care in hospitals due to pharmacist shortages and limited collaboration among healthcare professionals. Intern pharmacists are deployed annually to assist in patient care to address pharmacist shortages. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate intern pharmacist's extent of involvement in pharmaceutical care activities, assess facilitators and barriers, and explore healthcare professionals' perceptions, attitudes, and opinions on implementation of pharmaceutical care...

BACKGROUND: Transition of care (TOC) is associated with an increased risk of medication-related problems. Despite recent advancements in pharmacy practice and research in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the characteristics and impact of regional pharmacy-supported TOC interventions remain unclear.This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to describe pharmacist-supported TOC interventions in the MENA region and evaluate their effectiveness. METHODS: PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) were searched from their inception to March 9, 2023, for experimental studies published in English, comparing pharmacist-supported TOC interventions with usual care for adults (age ≥18 years) discharged from the hospital...

BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is associated with poor health outcomes. Pharmacists play a role in delivery of substance use treatment, with several studies having examined their attitudes to people with opioid use disorder, but little is known about their attitude towards people with MUD. This study aimed to explore pharmacists' perspectives on the provision of services to clients with MUD. METHODS: A convenience sampling strategy was used to recruit community pharmacists across Sydney, Australia...

In this study, information on injectable anticancer drug use and additional fee for enhanced collaboration (AEC) and additional fee for specific drug management guidance 2 (ASD2) claims from the NDB Open Data Japan (NODJ) dataset and the number of patients with cancer according to sex and age from the National Cancer Registry (NCR) dataset were integrated and evaluated to determine the current status and challenges in pharmacist interventions for patients receiving cancer treatment. The NODJ data, including receipt data billed from 2020 to 2021, were obtained from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website...

BACKGROUND: Rational prescribing is key to optimising therapeutic outcomes and avoiding risks associated with irrational use of medicines. Using WHO drug use indicators, this study evaluated drug use patterns among paediatric outpatient encounters at Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) in Bujumbura Mairie, Republic of Burundi. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional research assessed paediatric medicine use in 20 PHCs. From 8 February to 7 April 2023, 800 randomly selected paediatric encounters' 2022-year data were retrospectively collected...

The success of universal coverage depends on ensuring that patients have access to medicine. Encouraging local production of medicines in developing countries can provide better access to medicines. In addition to determining the quality of pharmaceutical goods, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) also determine their cost. According to market forecasts, the active pharmaceutical ingredients market is expected to increase from USD 193.15 billion in 2023 to USD 285.29 billion by 2028. Pakistan largely depends on India and China for its Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient requirements...

BACKGROUND: To reduce Medicare prescription drug expenditures, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to directly negotiate with drug manufacturers on Medicare prices of high-expenditure drugs (≥$200m annual spending) which meet certain eligibility criteria. However, it is unclear what proportion of high-expenditure drugs covered by Medicare, and attributable annual drug spending, would typically be eligible for CMS negotiations in a given year...

BACKGROUND: This study explored the treatment-related, financial and psychological experiences of caregivers during cancer treatment of their children in South Africa's (SA) public and private sectors. METHODS: In this exploratory study, three focus groups were conducted with caregivers of children undergoing cancer treatment in SA's public healthcare sector. A fourth small focus group with two parents in the private sector was conducted online. A mixed-methods approach was employed using a combination of thematic analysis and grounded theory...