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.     

眼科检查在神经遗传性疾病诊断及评估中的应用

神经遗传性疾病在临床上较罕见,且常因有多系统受累,临床表现复杂多变,故在疾病诊断,尤其在散发的不典型病例中更为困难。眼部,尤其是视网膜为中枢神经系统可视窗口,因其从胚胎期的神经管发育而来的,故在神经遗传性疾病中多有受累。利用眼底照相、光学相干层析成像(OCT)等常见眼科检查,可发现特征性的眼部改变。本文主要按照解剖分类,从眼球壁(角膜、巩膜、虹膜和脉络膜、视网膜)、眼内容物(玻璃体、晶状体)及视神经等几个方面,综述常见的有特征性眼部改变神经遗传性疾病,以提高临床医师对眼科检查在此类疾病中应用的认识,促进疾病的诊断。     

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。     

肌骨超声在腰痛诊断中的应用

腰痛已成为世界范围内主要的公共健康问题,常规的腰痛影像学检查会反复地对患者造成辐射伤害,并且存在一定的漏诊、误诊的可能性,延误治疗时机。肌骨超声是一种非侵入性的成像方法,具有安全、无创的特点,并且价格低廉,已经作为常用的腰痛辅助筛查手段。通过对腰痛的常规影像学检查手段进行分析比较,全面阐述肌骨超声在腰痛的诊断及康复过程中的价值,为更好地促进腰痛的诊断和康复提供理论基础。