5 billion. Conclusions Unnecessary spending on pharmacy charges has the potential to outstrip the estimated cost of medicines wastage in the UK. The cost-effectiveness of restricted prescription lengths for the cheaper, mostly generic medications merits an urgent re-examination. “
“Objective  Problem drinking is an increasing concern selleck kinase inhibitor to many governments worldwide including those of England and New Zealand. Screening and brief

intervention (SBI) is effective at reducing alcohol consumption and preventing escalation of hazardous drinking patterns into harmful drinking or dependence. Community pharmacy has been suggested as a potential site from which to provide readily accessible SBI services. This paper explores the views of 40 pharmacists on the prospect of providing SBI for alcohol health promotion purposes, focusing particularly upon potential barriers and incentives to provision of these services. The aim was to explore the views of community pharmacists toward the development of SBI for risky drinkers through semi-structured interviews. Methods  Qualitative, tape-recorded interviews conducted with 22 English pharmacists and 18 New Zealand pharmacists. Data collection continued until theme selleck screening library saturation

occurred. Transcribed interviews were thematically analysed. Key findings  Pharmacists considered there was a place for alcohol health promotion in community pharmacy. However, not all participants were positive about this potential new role and some expressed apprehension about implementing SBI services due to concerns about offending or alienating customers. Other barriers included lack of experience and confidence, problems faced with other health promotion initiatives, time, privacy and remuneration.

Other pharmacists were more positive, seeing potential in terms of remaining competitive. oxyclozanide Facilitators included a public health campaign to raise awareness of problem drinking, having appropriate screening tools available and training for pharmacists. Conclusion  There appears to be potential for alcohol SBI services in community pharmacy, and interventions designed to reduce barriers and enhance incentivisation need to be implemented and evaluated. “
“The objective of this article was to assess if Australian pharmacy staff prevent potential adverse reactions in warfarin patients requesting over-the-counter (OTC) analgesia. Mystery shoppers entered 170 pharmacies across Australia to request OTC analgesia for a hypothetical patient with a wrist injury who currently takes warfarin following a heart valve replacement. The request was made to the first pharmacist or non-pharmacist staff member to approach the mystery shopper. The interaction was audio-taped and assessed by a pharmacist. The OTC analgesic recommended was assessed for the potential to cause an adverse bleeding event.