Current Issue : October - December Volume : 2018 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 6 Articles
Drug utilization studies helps to determine the role of drugs in society. For the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus, metformin is mainly used. Metformin is an insulin sensitizing agent with powerful antihyperglycemic properties. Metformin is considered as first glucose lowering agent of choice, when compared to other antidiabetic agents, due to its efficacy, security profile, benefic cardiovascular and metabolic effects. Hence our study aims to evaluate the drug utilization pattern of metformin and its combinations and to monitor the drug interactions and adverse drug reactions associated with metformin and its combinations. A prospective and observational study was carried out in 213 inpatients and outpatients with type II diabetes mellitus from November 2016 - April 2017. The data was collected from all patient case sheets/medication charts and prescriptions, after obtaining ethical clearance from Institutional Ethical Committee of AIMS, B.G. Nagara. The data was analysed using Microsoft excel. Total of 213 patients was reviewed, out of which 57.75% were females and 42.25% were males. Among various age groups, maximum numbers of patients i.e. 58.22% were found in the age group of 46-65 years. Category of patients based on occupation revealed that 53.1% of patients were house wives. Majority of patients i.e., 129 (60.05%) were suffering from associated comorbidities and 84 (39.44%) were not having any comorbidity. Hypertension (45.07%) was being the commonest comorbidity in 96 patients. 202 (94.84%) patients had no interactions, 8 (3.76%) patients had minor interactions, 3 (1.41%) patients had moderate interactions. Majority of the subjects i.e. 131 (61.50%) had a diabetic history of 2-10 years. Commonly prescribed oral anti-diabetic drug was metformin, which was given in 122 (57.28%) patients followed by metformin and glimepiride in 81 (38.03%) patients. Drugs were prescribed as monotherapy in 122 patients and as dual therapy in 85 patients as well as three drug therapies in 6 patients. This study gives a picture of the pattern of metformin use among diabetes patients and also provides valuable information for the health care team. Metformin was the most frequently prescribed oral anti diabetic drug as monotherapy whereas metformin and glimepiride as dual therapy....
Pharmacy students in Japan have to maintain strong motivation to learn for six years during\ntheir education. The authors explored the students� learning structure. All pharmacy students in\ntheir 4th through to 6th year at Josai International University participated in the survey. The revised\ntwo factor study process questionnaire and science motivation questionnaire II were used to assess\ntheir learning process and learning motivation profiles, respectively. Structural equation modeling\n(SEM) was used to examine a causal relationship between the latent variables in the learning process\nand those in the learning motivation profile. The learning structure was modeled on the idea that\nthe learning process affects the learning motivation profile of respondents. In the multi-group SEM,\nthe estimated mean of the deep learning to learning motivation profile increased just after their\nclinical clerkship for 6th year students. This indicated that the clinical experience benefited students�\ndeep learning, which is probably because the experience of meeting with real patients encourages\nmeaningful learning in pharmacy studies....
Vaccination against influenza is the most effective approach for reducing influenza\nmorbidity and mortality. However, influenza vaccines are unique among all licensed vaccines\nas they are updated and administered annually to antigenically match the vaccine strains and\ncurrently circulating influenza strains. Vaccine efficacy of each selected influenza virus vaccine varies\ndepending on the antigenic match between circulating strains and vaccine strains, as well as the age\nand health status of the vaccine recipient. Low vaccine effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccines in\nrecent years provides an impetus to improve current seasonal influenza vaccines, and for development\nof next-generation influenza vaccines that can provide broader, long-lasting protection against both\nmatching and antigenically diverse influenza strains. This review discusses a perspective on some of\nthe issues and formidable challenges facing the development and regulation of the next-generation\ninfluenza vaccines....
The aim of this paper was to explore pharmacistsââ?¬â?¢ views on reclassifications from\npharmacy-only to general sales and their experiences with the supply of these medicines, in addition\nto pharmacistsââ?¬â?¢ views on the reclassification of the shingles vaccine and sildenafil to be available\nthrough ââ?¬Ë?accreditedââ?¬â?¢ pharmacists. New Zealand community pharmacists were surveyed in 2013\nwith a written questionnaire of six Likert-style or open-ended questions sent to Pharmacy Guild\nmember pharmacies. The analysis involved descriptive statistics. Responses were received from\n246 pharmacies. Two thirds of pharmacists supported the reclassification of the shingles vaccine\nand sildenafil, although 14% disagreed with the sildenafil reclassification. Over 90% of pharmacists\ndisagreed with the reclassification of paracetamol and ibuprofen liquids, omeprazole, naproxen,\nand oxymetazoline from pharmacy-only medicine to general sales. This opinion was strongest for\nomeprazole. With liquid paracetamol and ibuprofen, pharmacists described consumer confusion\nwith dosing, and particularly potentially doubling-up on liquid analgesics/antipyretics including\nusing both prescription and non-prescription variants. Many reported giving safety advice frequently.\nAnti-inflammatories and omeprazole were also subject to potential double-dosing, as well as requests\nby consumers with contraindications, precautions, and drug interactions, and for inappropriate\nindications. Pharmacists described various interventions, including some that were potentially\nlife-saving. Pharmacy availability of medicines provides the potential for intervention that would not\nhappen in a general sales environment....
Pharmacy has utilised the changes in legislation since 2000 to increase the\nrange and supply function of services such as travel health to travellers. With the number of travellers\nleaving the UK and trying new destinations there is an increasing need for more travel health\nprovision. Working models: The models of supply of a travel health service vary according to the\nsize of the corporate body. The large multiples can offer assessment via a specialist nurse or doctor\nservice and then supply through the pharmacy. Others will undertake an onsite risk assessment\nand supply through the pharmacist. The sole Internet suppliers of medication have been reviewed\nand the assessment standards questioned following survey and inspection. Education: There is\nno dedicated pharmacist-training programme in advanced level travel health. As a consequence\none academic institution allows pharmacists to train on a multidisciplinary course to obtain an\nacademic membership. With training for travel health not being mandatory for any travel health\nsupply function the concern is raised with standards of care. Future: There is a consultation paper on\nthe removal of travel vaccines from NHS supply due to be decided in the future. If these vaccines are\nremoved then they will provide a greater demand on pharmacy services. Discussion: The starting\nof a travel health service can be made without any additional training and remains unregulated,\ngiving cause for concern to the supply made to the traveller. Conclusions: Pharmacies in the UK\noffer a range of options for supplying travel health services; however these need to be with improved\nmandatory training and supply....
Given the potential harm associated with anticoagulant use, patient education is often\nprovided as a standard of care and emphasized across healthcare settings. Effective anticoagulation\neducation involves face-to-face interaction with a trained professional who ensures that the patient\nunderstands the risks involved, the precautions that should be taken, and the need for regular\nmonitoring. The teaching should be tailored to each patient, accompanied with written resources\nand utilize the teach-back method. It can be incorporated in a variety of pharmacy practice settings,\nincluding in ambulatory care clinics, hospitals, and community pharmacies....
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