Group items tagged

There are several aspects that must be taken into account. There are instances where two different kinds of medicines lead to side effects, hence you must see how you are managing your medication. Let us have a look at some of the best methods to ascertain proper medication management: LEARN ABOUT MOST COMMON MEDICATION MISTAKES This is one of the first things that one should know about simply because when you know what can lead to mistakes, you do not make mistakes. Some of the mistakes that most patients make may be in the form of taking too much medication, mixing up home remedies with prescribed drugs, and non-adherence to medical requirements. Evidence suggests that such mistakes lead to the ineffectiveness of medication, side effects, and overdose. USE ORGANIZATION TOOLS It may get very difficult to keep a track of the time and number of pills you need every day. It is especially true for elderly people who have a need for polypharmacy which is the use of five or more medications on a daily basis. Organization tools such as pill-box, alarm watch, and water bottle can be really helpful. For example, a pill-box can be used to keep your medicines safely and separately as per their categories such as medicines for diabetes in one part and medicines for pain in the other. This would help you easily manage your medication routine without a miss.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA)'s Health Education Foundation (HEF) has funded a major study that aimed to test the SPUR tool and evaluate how effective it was at measuring medicines adherence. The study has been published in the British Medical Journal Open. Dr Joshua Wells, a fourth year PhD candidate at Kingston University, who was awarded the NPA bursary, was the lead researcher for the SPUR UK study, under the guidance of Professor Reem Kayyali. Created by Observia, a health research group, SPUR is a self-assessment questionnaire which helps to detect a patient's risk of medicine non-adherence and aims to accurately articulate the reasons for health behaviour. As well as funding from HEF, the study was made possible via a partnership with Kingston University and Kingston Hospital. HEF chair of Trustees, Dr Ian Cubbin, said: "We are delighted that NPA's Health Education Foundation has played a part in such an important study. This research could lead ultimately to a far more personalised, tailored approach to medicines optimisation - recognising that people's medicines behaviour can be highly individual to them."

The benefits of regimen simplification include long-term medication adherence, reduced risk of #treatment failure, and improved quality of life. Make changes to an #HIV treatment regimen to get medication adherence easier. Visit Our Website: https://www.drpounders.com/

MedAdvisor will be investing $1.9 million (£1 million) into UK-based pharmacy dispensary app Charac, while securing a 7.4 per cent shareholding in the later company. Under this new agreement, MedAdvisor CEO Rick Ratliff will become a Non-Executive Director (NED) on the board of Charac. Both MedAdvisor and Charac provide digital medication adherence solutions that allow customers to file prescription orders to their local pharmacy through mobile apps. The investment is seen as part of MedAdvisor's cost saving strategy, as the Australian company has decided to discontinue its UK operations, and transfer its existing pharmacy relationships to Charac.

A BBC investigation has found 20 UK online pharmacies selling prescription-only medicines without adhering to the regulatory standards, such as checking for GP approval or patient's medical records. The news organisation was able to purchase over 1,600 restricted pills, including anti-anxiety drug, painkiller and sleeping medication, from these regulated online pharmacies easily by providing false information. However, the report didn't mention the names of the drugs as "they can be dangerous when taken without medical guidance." Some pharmacies were also found selling high-risk and potentially addictive medicines, including benzodiazepines and antidepressants, based on online questionnaires and did not require further checks. The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which regulate online pharmacies in the UK, states that selling and supplying medicines at a distance brings "different risks which need to be appropriately managed to protect patient safety."

"Our main concerns are that the use of what they call an asynchronous supply, where the prescriber neither sees nor talks to the patient at the time they issue the prescription, does lay itself open to perhaps people getting hold of medication that they shouldn't," the Head of Policy, PDA said. The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) engages in a critical conversation on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, shedding light on the online prescribing of weight loss drugs and advocating for safer practices. The PDA's spokesperson, Head of Policy Alima Batchelor, emphasised the importance of adhering to professional guidelines to ensure patient safety and mitigate regulatory concerns. During the feature, the PDA highlighted the complexities and risks associated with online supply chains, stressing the necessity for direct clinical consultations and pharmacist involvement in medication management. ""There are guidelines and advice about verification within the DiCE guidance, but it doesn't go quite far enough for us. We are concerned when patients decline to allow the online prescriber to advise their GP of what they're taking," Batchelor highlighted.

Community pharmacies are located within the very hotspots of peoples' communities, yet a staggering 720 individual businesses have stopped trading since 2015. It has been called a "national disgrace and a betrayal to the elderly and the vulnerable" by sector leaders. The funding crisis has been compounded by a gruelling 18-24 months post-Covid, both have which have placed immense pressure on the retail pharmacy sector. The population is aging and with this comes patients living with a range of long-term health conditions. Medication regimes are becoming ever more complex and as a result, maintaining prescription and medication adherence services is challenging to say the least. Yet the public feel great warmth towards their local pharmacy businesses, and this positive attitude only increased during the pandemic. In fact, in a recent report launched by Omnicell on the Changing Role of the Pharmacist, a survey of public opinion found that a third (32 per cent) said they perception of their local pharmacy had changed for the better since the start of the pandemic and nearly half (44 per cent) said they are more familiar with their local pharmacy services since the start of COVID. This has meant that the role of the pharmacist has also changed and evolved; in part due to a national need and drive for more patients to be seen and supported clinically by pharmacists. This change of service provider role has slowly been developing over the last couple of years. Pharmacists are currently carrying out 65 million consultations a year - a staggering rise of 44 per cent in the last 24 months alone.

In what's seen as a major step forward for the treatment of schizophrenia, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorised a new Johnson & Johnson drug in Britain. Byannli is a six-monthly paliperidone palmitate (PP6M) and is the first long-acting injectable schizophrenia treatment which offers patients the potential for up to six months of symptom control and a reduction in their risk of relapse with only two doses a year. It is a long-acting injectable that works by dissolving and entering the bloodstream slowly, due to its extremely low water solubility, resulting in continuous absorption of paliperidone palmitate over a six-month period. "Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe brain disorder, and antipsychotic medication plays an important role in its treatment. However, many people with the illness experience relapses which are often caused by poor adherence to oral medication," said Prof David Taylor, director of Pharmacy and Pathology at the Maudsley Hospital.

Have you ever wanted to know how vaccines are sent out from a lab to your doctor's office safely? Well, believe it or not, the integrity of the vaccines relies on how they have been packed just as much as how they are being transported. And the entire process is not as simple as you may think. Traditionally, styrofoam boxes might work well to secure glass or delicate goods during transportation but when it comes to hauling vials of liquid vaccine solutions out to medical centres and hospitals; the packing process must be more rigorous-understandably. The integrity of the vaccines, being transported, must adhere to particular protocols from the second they are packed right up to the moment they are administered. This process sounds strict and that's because it is. If vaccines are not well-cared for, even during transit, then they are at risk of being contaminated or damaged therefore rendering them unusable. Incorrectly transporting vaccines, which will end up being destroyed, is something nobody wants to happen therefore vaccine transportation must be strict. One of the best ways to ensure the safe and efficient transit of medical goods, like vaccines, is by using bioprocess containers. These containers are specifically designed to maintain the integrity of sensitive biological materials throughout their journey.

The drug has risks. In fact, some medications that you need to take more risks than to cure the disease by adhering to the ingestion of the drug. There are many things about your medicines are generally not known, but the facts are that you have to tell you what can be as healthy as possible and know what happens to your body.

Personal injury law, being a set of legal provisions and procedures, can often be difficult to understand; however, knowing the fundamentals is an entirely different game and can greatly impact your claim. If you have a small wound or a car accident, understanding your rights as the victim as well as the best course of action to take is essential. This is what you should know if you want to protect yourself. Documentation About Injury The documentation process is very crucial in ensuring that you win a personal injury case. This consists of maintaining receipts for medical expenses, treatment receipts, and any communication made to do with your injury. You can also use photographs as proof, such as pictures of your injuries, the site of the accident, or the extent of the property damage. Additional information in the form of specifications on how the injury has impacted your daily life, employment, and even mental health enhances the application. This kind of evidence can go a long way in pressuring an insurance company or a judge to take your injuries seriously. Every piece of documentation related to the injury is important, but it is critical to have help on how to format it while filing for the claim. A personal injury attorney must be hired as soon as possible because they play a major role in determining the results of the case. It is always recommended to consult with an attorney who has extensive experience handling these types of claims, as it is critical to adhere to all legal guidelines and procedures. Not only can they explain the general legal proceedings to you but they can also do all the negotiations with insurance companies for you and even defend you in court if required to do so.

Awareness weeks, such as National Self-Care Week (18-24 November 2024), are crucial for spreading important public health messages. At the Self-Care Forum, we believe these weeks are essential for encouraging better health choices. Pharmacists: Key Players in Self-Care Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to support self-care. They can provide advice on managing common ailments, medication adherence, and lifestyle changes. During National Self-Care Week, pharmacists can promote self-care practices and educate the public on preventive health measures. And the Self-Care Forum has a variety of free self-care aware fact sheets that are perfect resources to support people's health. Impact of Preventable Illnesses Preventable illnesses significantly impact lives and healthcare systems: In 2021/22, there were 125,612 avoidable deaths in England and Wales. Cardiovascular disease causes 168,000 deaths annually in the UK. Preventable conditions consume 40 per cent of the NHS budget. Long-term sickness cost the UK economy £21 billion in 2022/23.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has urged pharmacy owners to maintain the safety of their services while managing the additional workload brought on by the collective action of GP services, starting today (Thursday, 1 August). General practices across England have begun implementing a work-to-rule strategy indefinitely, following a ballot of GP partners conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA). Under this approach, GP practices will strictly adhere to contracted hours and duties, performing only the tasks specified in their NHS contract. With fewer GP appointments available, it is anticipated that more patients will turn to their community pharmacies for help and advice. Therefore, CPE has stressed the importance of pharmacy owners maintaining the safety of their services, with a focus on the safe supply of medicines, during this period of GP collective action.

NHS England has updated its 'Green plan guidance', outlining key actions for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and trusts to help achieve net zero carbon emissions. Among the recommended measures to reduce emissions from the medicines supply chain, organisations are asked to encourage patients to return used or expired inhalers to community pharmacies for appropriate disposal. Medicines account for approximately 25 per cent of NHS emissions, with a small number of medications contributing a large portion of this. For example, anaesthetic gases account for 2 per cent of NHS emissions, while inhalers contribute 3 per cent. The updated guidance says that organisations should build on ongoing progress in reducing these "point of use" emissions, while improving patient care and reducing waste. To address emissions from the medicines supply chain, the guidance recommends: Supporting high-quality, lower-carbon respiratory care Optimising inhaler choice by considering clinical appropriateness, the environmental impact of inhalers and patient preference Improving inhaler use and adherence Promoting the appropriate disposal of inhalers Addressing overprescribing and oversupply while ensuring support for patients in greatest need

Extending its support for the Prescription Charges Coalition (PCC), the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is asking pharmacists in England to share their experiences of patients denying prescriptions due to financial issues. PDA members who have practiced in the country within the last 12 months are asked to complete the Prescription Charges Coalition survey by Sunday 28 January. The PCC is an alliance of more than 50 organisations campaigning to abolish unfair prescription charges for people with long-term conditions in England. All members of the coalition, including PDA and Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), understand that if patients do not receive their prescribed medicines due to the cost, their health may deteriorate, and this can increase costs for the National Health Service (NHS).