Economic impact of pharmaceutical services on polymedicated patients: A systematic review

BackgroundPolypharmacy is commonly related to poor drug adherence, decreased quality of life and inappropriate prescribing in eldery. Furthermore, this condition also leads to a higher utilization of health services resources, due to the increased risk of adverse drug events, length of stays in hospitals and readmissions rates after discharge.ObjectiveThis Systematic Review aimed to synthesize the current evidence that evaluates pharmaceutical services on polymedicated patients, from an economic perspective.MethodsSystematic searches were conducted in MEDLINE, SCOPUS and Cochrane Library databases to identify studies that were published until January 2021. Experimental and observational studies were included in this review, using strict inclusion/exclusion criteria and were assessed for quality using the following tools: RoB and ROBINS-I. Two independent reviewers selected the articles and extracted the data.Results3,662 articles were retrieved from the databases. After the screening, 18 studies were included: 9 experimental and 9 observational studies. The studies reported that the integration of the pharmacist as a member of the healthcare team provides an optimized use of pharmacotherapy to polymedicated patients and contributes to health promotion, providing reduction of spending on medication, reduction of expenses related to emergency care and hospitalizations and other medical expenses. The ECRs made cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit analysis, and most of the Non Randomized studies had statistically significant cost savings even considering the expenses of pharmaceutical assistance. Experimental studies reported a cost reduction varying between US$ 193 to US$ 4,966 per patient per year. Furthermore, observational studies estimated a cost reduction of varying from US$ 3 to US$ 2,505 per patient per year. The cost savings are related to decrease in emergency visits and hospitalizations, through pharmacist intervention (medication review and pharmacotherapy follow-up).ConclusionsConsidering the set of studies included, pharmaceutical care services directed to polymedicated patients may cooperate to save financial resources. Most of the interventions showed positive economic trends and also contributed to improving clinical parameters and quality of life. However, due to the majority of the studies having exploratory or qualitative methodology, it is essential to carry out more robust studies, based on full economic evaluation.     

Adopting global tools for the advancement of pharmacy practice and workforce in Saudi Arabia

BackgroundThe continuing expansion of the pharmacist’s role necessitates continuous evaluation of current practice to identify strategies for improvements. The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has developed tools to support stakeholders in identifying development needs and planning advancement strategies. The aim of this research was to utilise the FIP Global Competency Framework, version 2 (GbCF v2), and FIP Development Goals (DGs) to evaluate competencies related to pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia, and to understand the strategies needed to develop and improve the current practice.MethodsThe study involved four phases. Phase 1 involved translation of the FIP GbCF v2 into the Arabic language. Phase 2 was a consensus panel validation to establish the initial relevance of the competencies to current practice. Phase 3 included a national survey distributed to all registered pharmacists in Saudi Arabia. The final phase was conducted through mapping ‘not relevant’ competencies to FIP DGs to identify priorities.ResultsThe translation phase yielded a bilingual framework that could be utilized by pharmacists in Saudi Arabia. The initial validation phase identified 61 behavioral statements (from 124 in the GbCF v2) as ‘highly relevant’ or ‘relevant’ to pharmacy practice. Findings from the national survey identified a list of ‘not relevant’ competencies that could highlight gaps in current practice. The final mapping phase generated a list of three FIP DG priorities: DG5 (competency development), DG8 (working with others) and DG11 (impact and outcomes).ConclusionThe study indicated that competencies in the GbCF v2 were relevant to pharmacists practicing in the country. However, some competencies were perceived as ‘not relevant’ to current practice and these highlighted gaps in the current practice that need attention. Mapping ‘not relevant’ competencies to FIP DGs should be used as a starting point towards developing strategies, systems, and protocols to advance pharmacy practice in Saudi Arabia.     

Occurrence,detection and ecotoxicity studies of selected pharmaceuticals in aqueous ecosystems- a systematic appraisal

Pharmaceutical compounds (PCs) have globally emerged as a significant group of environmental contaminants due to the constant detection of their residues in the environment. The main scope of this review is to fill the void of information on the knowledge on the African occurrence of selected PCs in environmental matrices in comparison with those outside Africa and their respective toxic actions on both aquatic and non-aquatic biota through ecotoxicity bioassays. To achieve this objective, the study focused on commonly used and detected pharmaceutical drugs (residues). Based on the conducted literature survey, Africa has the highest levels of ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, lamivudine, acetaminophen, and diclofenac while Europe has the lowest of all these PC residues in her physical environments. For ecotoxicity bioassays, the few data available are mostly on individual groups of pharmaceuticals whereas there is sparsely available data on their combined forms.     

2022年北京冬奥会定点医院医疗卫生保障实践

2022年北京冬奥会是全球瞩目的盛事，如何有效提升延庆赛区定点医院医疗卫生保障能力是冬奥会筹办过程中需要解决的重大课题。文章系统总结延庆赛区冬奥定点医院医疗保障特点、主要做法和经验，旨在为今后大型赛事定点医院的医疗保障提供参考。     

Out of the boxes,out of the silos: The need of interdisciplinary collaboration to reduce poor-quality medical products in the supply chain

In this paper, we argue that understanding and addressing the problem of poor-quality medical products requires a more interdisciplinary approach than has been evident to date. While prospective studies based on rigorous standardized methodologies are the gold standard for measuring the prevalence of poor-quality medical products and understanding their distribution nationally and internationally, they should be complemented by social science research to unpack the complex set of social, economic, and governance factors that underlie these patterns. In the following sections, we discuss specific examples of prospective quality surveys and of social science studies, highlighting the value of cross-sector partnerships in driving high-quality, policy-relevant research in this area.     

系统中药学指导下的益母草多维评价研究

系统中药学是基于现代中药学学科的开创者凌一揆教授"大中药"的思想,是研究中药复杂系统品种、品质、制药、药性、功效、应用等关键要素发生、发展、变化的科学。本文论述了系统中药学的科学内涵,报告了在系统中药学指导下益母草"品质制性效应"的研究实践。     

Three opportunities for standardization: A literature review of the variation among pharmacists’ patient care services terminology

BackgroundVariation describing pharmacists’ patient care services exist, and this variation contributes to the prevalent misunderstanding of pharmacists' roles. In contrast, standard phraseology is a critical practice among highly reliable organizations and a way to reduce variation and confusion.ObjectiveThis work aims to identify and define pharmacists’ patient care service terms to identify redundancies and opportunities for standardization.MethodsBetween May to August 2018, terms and definitions were searched via PubMed, Google Scholar and statements/policies of professional pharmacy organizations. Two references per term were sought to provide an “early definition” and a “contemporary definition.” Only literature published in English was included, and data gathered from each citation included the date published, the term's definition, and characterization of the reference's source as either a regulatory or professional body. A five-person expert panel used an iterative technique to revise and verify the list of included terms and subsequent literature review results. Terms were then searched in the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Heading Database (MeSH) in July, 2019.ResultsThere are fifteen commonly misunderstood terms that refer to the patient care services provided by pharmacists. The appearance of these terms in the literature spanned nearly five decades. Nearly half of terms appeared first in regulatory, law or policy documents; of these, two terms had contemporary definitions appearing in the professional literature that differed from their early regulatory definition. Three opportunities to improve standardization include: (1) Implementation of standardized phraseology systems similar to nursing's Clinical Care Classification System; (2) Academics' adherence to standardized MeSH terms; and (3) Clarification of pharmacy education accreditation standards.ConclusionNumerous terms are used to describe pharmacists' patient care services, with many definitions of terms overlapping in several key components. The profession has made concerted efforts to consolidate and standardize terminology in the past, but more opportunities exist.