A comparison of the clinical effectiveness and costs of mental health nurse supplementary prescribing and independent medical prescribing: a post-test control group study

Background  

Supplementary prescribing for mental health nurses was first introduced in the UK in 2003. Since then, a number of studies have reported stakeholders' perceptions of the success of the initiative. However, there has been little experimental research conducted into its effectiveness. This paper reports findings from the first known study to compare the cost and clinical impact of mental health nurse supplementary prescribing to independent medical prescribing.     

Determinants of the range of drugs prescribed in general practice: a cross-sectional analysis

Background  

Current health policies assume that prescribing is more efficient and rational when general practitioners (GPs) work with a formulary or restricted drugs lists and thus with a limited range of drugs. Therefore we studied determinants of the range of drugs prescribed by general practitioners, distinguishing general GP-characteristics, characteristics of the practice setting, characteristics of the patient population and information sources used by GPs.     

Variation in prescribing for anxiety and depression: a reflection of health inequalities, cultural differences or variations in access to care?

Background  

There are large variations in mental health prescribing in UK populations. However the underlying reasons for these differences, which may be related to differences in prevalence, cultural expectations or practical difficulties in access to treatment, remain uncertain.     

Encouraging good antimicrobial prescribing practice: A review of antibiotic prescribing policies used in the South East Region of England

Background  

Good prescribing practice has an important part to play in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Whilst it was perceived that most hospitals and Health Authorities possessed an antibiotic policy, a review of antibiotic policies was conducted to gain an understanding of the extent, quality and usefulness of these policies.     

Patient and public perspectives of community pharmacies in the United Kingdom: A systematic review

Background

The United Kingdom has been at the forefront of enhancing pharmacist roles and community pharmacy services, particularly over the past decade. However, patient and public awareness of community pharmacy services has been limited.

Objective

To identify and synthesize the research literature pertaining to patient and public perspectives on: existing community pharmacy services, extended pharmacist roles and strategies to raise awareness of community pharmacy services.

Search strategy

Systematic search of 8 electronic databases; hand searching of relevant journals, reference lists and conference proceedings.

Inclusion criteria

UK studies investigating patient or public views on community pharmacy services or pharmacist roles from 2005 to 2016.

Data extraction and synthesis

Data were extracted into a grid and subjected to narrative synthesis following thematic analysis.

Main results

From the 3260 unique papers identified, 30 studies were included. Manual searching identified 4 additional studies. Designs using questionnaires (n = 14, 41%), semi‐structured interviews (n = 8, 24%) and focus groups (n = 6, 18%) made up the greatest proportion of studies. Most of the studies (n = 28, 82%) were published from 2010 onwards and covered perceptions of specific community pharmacy services (n = 31). Using a critical appraisal checklist, the overall quality of studies was deemed acceptable. Findings were grouped into 2 main themes “public cognizance” and “attitudes towards services” each with 4 subthemes.

Discussion and conclusions

Patients and the public appeared to view services as beneficial. Successful integration of extended pharmacy services requires pharmacists’ clinical skills to be recognized by patients and physicians. Future research should explore different approaches to increase awareness.     

Prescribing patterns in premenstrual syndrome

Background  

Over 300 therapies have been proposed for premenstrual syndrome. To date there has been only one survey conducted in the UK of PMS treatments prescribed by GPs, a questionnaire-based study by the National Association of Premenstrual Syndrome in 1989. Since then, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors have been licensed for severe PMS/PMDD, and governmental recommendations to reduce the dosage of vitamin B6 (the first choice over-the-counter treatment for many women with PMS) have been made. This study investigates the annual rates of diagnoses and prescribing patterns for premenstrual syndrome (1993–1998) within a computerised general practitioner database.     

General Practitioners' views on the provision of nicotine replacement therapy and bupropion

Background  

Nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) and a new drug, bupropion, are licensed in several countries as aids to smoking cessation. General practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in recommending or prescribing these medications. In the UK there has been discussion about whether the medications should be reimbursable by the National Health Service (NHS). This study assessed English GPs' attitudes towards reimbursement of NRT and bupropion.     

Ethnicity and attitudes to deceased kidney donation: a survey in Barbados and comparison with Black Caribbean people in the United Kingdom

Background  

Black minority ethnic groups in the UK have relatively low rates of deceased donation and report a higher prevalence of beliefs that are regarded as barriers to donation. However there is little data from migrants' countries of origin. This paper examines community attitudes to deceased kidney donation in Barbados and compares the findings with a survey conducted in a disadvantaged multi-ethnic area of south London.     

Variations in chemoprophylaxis for meningococcal disease: a retrospective case note review, analysis of routine prescribing data and questionnaire of general practitioners

Background  

Invasive meningococcal disease is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in the UK. Administration of chemoprophylaxis to close contacts reduces the risk of a secondary case. However, unnecessary chemoprophylaxis may be associated with adverse reactions, increased antibiotic resistance and removal of organisms, such as Neisseria lactamica, which help to protect against meningococcal disease. Limited evidence exists to suggest that overuse of chemoprophylaxis may occur. This study aimed to evaluate prescribing of chemoprophylaxis for contacts of meningococcal disease by general practitioners and hospital staff.     

Understanding frames: A UK survey of parents and professionals regarding the use of standing frames for children with cerebral palsy

Background

Standing frames are used for children with cerebral palsy (CP). They may improve body structure and function (e.g., reducing risk of hip subluxation, and improving bladder and bowel function), improving activity (e.g., motor abilities) and participation (e.g., interaction with peers), but there is little evidence that they do. We aimed to identify current UK standing frame practice for children with CP and to understand stakeholder views regarding their clinical benefits and challenges to use.

Method

Three populations were sampled: clinicians prescribing standing frames for children with CP (n = 305), professionals (health and education) working with children with CP who use standing frames (n = 155), and parents of children with CP who have used standing frames (n = 91). Questionnaires were developed by the co‐applicant group and piloted with other professionals and parents of children with CP. They were distributed online via clinical and parent networks across the UK.

Results

Prescribing practice was consistent, but achieving the prescribed use was not always possible. Respondents in all groups reported the perceived benefits of frames, which include many domains of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health for Children and Youth. Challenges of use are related to physical space and child‐reported pain.

Conclusions

These survey findings provide information from key stakeholders regarding current UK standing frame practice.     

Health and lifestyle of Nepalese migrants in the UK

Background  

The health status and lifestyle of migrants is often poorer than that of the general population of their host countries. The Nepalese represent a relatively small, but growing, immigrant community in the UK, about whom very little is known in term of public health. Therefore, our study examined the health and lifestyle of Nepalese migrants in the UK.     

Medication safety in community pharmacy: a qualitative study of the sociotechnical context

Background  

While much research has been conducted on medication safety, few of these studies have addressed primary care, despite the high volume of prescribing and dispensing of medicines that occurs in this setting. Those studies that have examined primary care dispensing emphasised the need to understand the role of sociotechnical factors (that is, the interactions between people, tasks, equipment and organisational structures) in promoting or preventing medication incidents. The aim of this study was to identify sociotechnical factors that community pharmacy staff encounter in practice, and suggest how these factors might impact on medication safety.     

Preventive medical care in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory: a follow-up study of the impact of clinical guidelines,computerised recall and reminder systems,and audit and feedback

Background  

Interventions to improve delivery of preventive medical services have been shown to be effective in North America and the UK. However, there are few studies of the extent to which the impact of such interventions has been sustained, or of the impact of such interventions in disadvantaged populations or remote settings. This paper describes the trends in delivery of preventive medical services following a multifaceted intervention in remote community health centres in the Northern Territory of Australia.     

The social relations of health care and household resource allocation in neoliberal Nicaragua

Background  

With the transition to neoliberalism, Nicaragua's once-critically acclaimed health care services have substantially diminished. Local level social formations have been under pressure to try to bridge gaps as the state's role in the provision of health care and other vital social services has decreased. This paper presents a case study of how global and national health policies reverberated in the social relations of an extended network of female kin in a rural community during late 2002 - 2003.     

How equitable are GP practice prescribing rates for statins?: an ecological study in four primary care trusts in North West England

Background  

There is a growing body of literature highlighting inequities in GP practice prescribing rates for a number of drug therapies. The small amount of research on statin prescribing has either focussed on variations rather than equity per se, been based on populations other than GP practices or has used cost-based prescribing rates.     

Antibiotics for coughing in general practice: a questionnaire study to quantify and condense the reasons for prescribing

Background  

Antibiotics are being overprescribed in ambulant care, especially for respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Gaining insight into the actual reasons for prescribing remains important for the design of effective strategies to optimise antibiotic prescribing. We aimed to determine items of importance for the antibiotic prescribing decision and to make them operational for an intervention trial.     

Evidence-based cardiovascular care in the community: A population-based cross-sectional study

Background  

Ischaemic heart disease and congestive heart failure are common and important conditions in family practice. Effective treatments may be underutilized, particularly in women and the elderly. The objective of the study was to determine the rate of prescribing of evidence-based cardiovascular medications and determine if these differed by patient age or sex.     

Burden of disease and costs of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) in the United Kingdom

Background

To estimate life years and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost and the economic burden of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) in the United Kingdom including healthcare and non-healthcare costs from a societal perspective.

Methods

All UK residents in 2005 with aSAH (International Classification of Diseases 10^th revision (ICD-10) code I60). Sex and age-specific abridged life tables were generated for a general population and aSAH cohorts. QALYs in each cohort were calculated adjusting the life tables with health-related quality of life (HRQL) data. Healthcare costs included hospital expenditure, cerebrovascular rehabilitation, primary care and community health and social services. Non-healthcare costs included informal care and productivity losses arising from morbidity and premature death.

Results

A total of 80,356 life years and 74,807 quality-adjusted life years were estimated to be lost due to aSAH in the UK in 2005. aSAH costs the National Health Service (NHS) £168.2 million annually with hospital inpatient admissions accounting for 59%, community health and social services for 18%, aSAH-related operations for 15% and cerebrovascular rehabilitation for 6% of the total NHS estimated costs. The average per patient cost for the NHS was estimated to be £23,294. The total economic burden (including informal care and using the human capital method to estimate production losses) of a SAH in the United Kingdom was estimated to be £510 million annually.

Conclusion

The economic and disease burden of aSAH in the United Kingdom is reported in this study. Decision-makers can use these results to complement other information when informing prevention policies in this field and to relate health care expenditures to disease categories.     

Practice characteristics and prescribing of cardiovascular drugs in areas with higher risk of CHD in Scotland: cross-sectional study

Background

We examine whether practices in areas with higher risks of CHD prescribe different levels of cardiovascular drugs and describe how they differ in GP and practice characteristics.

Methods

Propensity score matching was used to identify two groups of practices in Scotland. The cases were in areas with 5% or more of the population in South Asian ethnic groups. The controls were in areas with less than 1% of the population in South Asian ethnic groups and were matched for other population characteristics.

Results

The 39 case practices have lower prescribing rates than the matched controls for all heart disease drugs Significant different are found for six drugs (statins, ace Inhibitors, clopidogrel, thiazides, warfarin and digoxin. The differences range from 12.8% less for amlodipine to 43.9% for clopidogrel. The case practices also have lower prescribing costs than the unmatched group with the exception of ace inhibitors and aspirin. The highest prescribing costs for all drugs are found in the matched control group. The case practices are smaller than the controls, and have fewer GPs per 1,000 patients. Case practices have fewer quality markers and receive less in total resources, but have higher sums reimbursed to cover their employed staff costs.

Conclusion

Patients with higher risk of CHD tend to live in areas served by practices with lower prescribing rates and poorer structural characteristics. The scale of the differences in prescribing suggests that health care system factors rather than individual treatment decisions cause inequity in care. Identifying whether South Asian individuals are less likely to receive heart disease drugs than non South Asians requires individual-level prescribing data, which is currently not available in the UK.