Pharmacists' empathy after a postgraduate course in narrative medicine: an observational study.

Background: Narrative medicine is a recent cross-disciplinary approach which through aesthetic activities such as reading fiction and creative writing aims to encourage empathy, reflection, professionalism, and trustworthiness in the encounter between patients and health care professionals.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in level of empathy after a postgraduate course in narrative medicine among pharmacists conducting medication counselling.

Method: During 2020-2021, three courses in narrative medicine among pharmacists with the aim to enhance empathy were held in Odense, Denmark.

Counselling customers at risk of the triple whammy effect at community pharmacies - A feasibility study.

The combination of diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-i)/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) involves a risk of acute renal failure known as the triple whammy effect (TWE). NSAID can be provided by prescription or over the counter (OTC) and community pharmacies counsel on this medication every day to contribute to medication safety. The objective of this study is to test the feasibility of an intervention where community pharmacies identify and counsel customers at risk of the TWE.

Danish community pharmacies supporting self-care for patients.

In Denmark, self-care has been a part of the health care professional and health political discourse since the middle of the 1970s particularly in relation to prevention. However, the concept has become more visible in connection with the Danish government's public health programme "Healthy throughout life" from 2002 to 2010, where patients' self-care was highlighted as an important element in preventing disease progression and complications. Self-care in Denmark is seen as a partnership between the patient and the health care professional.

Perspectives on medication safety from vulnerable older migrants and their relatives-A qualitative explorative study.

Little is known about the combined effect of several risk factors occurring simultaneously, and the perspectives of patients with language barriers or dementia are lacking because these patients are often excluded as research participants. This study aimed at investigating medication safety among older migrants with cognitive disorders who use five or more medications daily from the perspective of older patients and their relatives. Eight semi-structured interviews with patients and relatives were conducted in their homes.

How patient-centredness takes place in pharmacy encounters: a critical common-sense interpretation of video-recorded meetings.

Background: Counselling patients in community pharmacies is important to obtain the best usage of medicines. However, it does not seem to be sufficiently patient-centred. To become more patient-centred, communication guidelines could be used but the guidelines need to be supplemented with up-to-date research that specifies how patient-centredness takes place or could take place in the pharmacy encounters.

Developing a pharmacist-led intervention to provide transitional pharmaceutical care for hospital discharged patients: A collaboration between hospital and community pharmacists.

Background: Patients who transfer from the hospital back to the community are at risk of experiencing problems related to their medications. Hospital pharmacists (HPs) and community pharmacists (CPs) may play an important role and provide transitional pharmaceutical care in transition of care interventions.

Objective: To describe how a pharmacist-led intervention to provide transitional pharmaceutical care for hospital discharged patients was developed, utilizing already existing pharmacist interventions in the hospital and community pharmacy.

What do persons with diabetes want from community pharmacies? A qualitative study.

Background: Diabetes is a demanding disease with a complex treatment regimen. Many persons with diabetes have difficulty managing their disease and taking medication as prescribed, possibly because they lack knowledge and sometimes misinterpret medical benefits. Community pharmacies continuously provide professional counselling to persons with diabetes.

Health care professionals' perspectives on medication safety among older migrants with cognitive impairment exposed to polypharmacy - A qualitative explorative study.

Background: Older migrants with cognitive impairment exposed to polypharmacy constitute a vulnerable group of patients. To our knowledge, evidence on medication safety among this patient group with multiple risk factors is lacking.

Objectives: To explore the perspectives of health care professionals on medication safety among older migrants with cognitive impairment taking five or more medications daily.

Mapping of Danish Pharmacy Technician Students' Third-Year Projects in a Year with the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To graduate, pharmacy technician students write a project in their third year. They choose between six elective courses, and work with a subject related to their education and everyday practice at community or hospital pharmacies. In this article, we report the mapping of third-year project themes and provide an overview of the challenges that COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have had on completing the projects.

The Danish Network for Community Pharmacy Practice Research and Development.

The community pharmacy has a number of attributes that makes it an excellent setting for research and development projects, as it is a highly accessible part of the healthcare system and is staffed by highly trained health care professionals. The big turnover in patients in the community pharmacy makes it possible to reach a great number of patients and collect a lot of data in a relatively short time. However, conducting nation-wide research and development projects can be a rather time-consuming process for the individual community pharmacy, and can thus require collaboration with other community pharmacies and researchers.

Hospital and Community Pharmacists' Views of and Perspectives on the Establishment of an Intraprofessional Collaboration in the Transition of Care for Newly Discharged Patients.

Background: Hospital and community pharmacists are increasingly involved in patients' medication interventions related to the transition of care from the hospital to a patient's home. These interventions may enable pharmacists to collaborate across healthcare sector boundaries. However, little is known about pharmacists' views on intraprofessional collaboration across healthcare sectors and what affects the establishment of such collaboration.

Integration of and visions for community pharmacy in primary health care in Denmark.

In 2014, the Danish government launched a plan for health entitled: "Healthier lives for everyone - national goals for the health of Danes within the next 10 years". The overall objective is to prolong healthy years of life and to reduce inequality in health. In Denmark, the responsibility for health and social care is shared between the central government, the regions and the municipalities.

For which patient subgroups are there positive outcomes from a medication review? A systematic review.

Background: A medication review is a possibility to assess and optimise a patient's medicine. A model that includes a medication review and a follow-up seem to provide the best results. However, it is not known whether specific subgroups of patients benefit more from a medication review than others.

Pharmacy practice research - A call to action.

Pharmacists have a societal duty of care. How to best provide that type of care requires scientific study. Pharmacy practice is a scientific discipline that studies the different aspects of the practice of pharmacy, and its impact on health care systems, medicine use, and patient care.

Pharmacy practice research priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic: Recommendations of a panel of experts convened by FIP Pharmacy Practice Research Special Interest Group.

Across the globe, pharmacists on the frontline continue to fight COVID-19 and its continuously evolving physical, mental, and economic consequences armed by their knowledge, professionalism, and dedication. Their need for credible scientific evidence to inform their practice has never been more urgent. Despite the exponentially increasing number of publications since the start of the pandemic, questions remain unanswered, and more are created, than have been resolved by the increasing number of publications.

Using Real-Life Data to Strengthen the Education of Pharmacy Technician Students: From Student to Research Assistant.

This commentary is based on the experience of teaching and observations of how pharmacy technician students can expand their perspective on patient safety by using real-life student-gathered patient data collected from community pharmacies. Pharmacy technicians in Denmark work extensively with counselling on the safe and efficient use of medications. Final-year pharmacy technician students can take the elective course in Clinical Pharmacy in Community Pharmacy, which targets the students who wish to work in depth with patient communication and quality assurance in counselling.

Pharmacy Technicians' Contribution to Counselling at Community Pharmacies in Denmark.

(1) pharmacy technicians are the largest group of staff at Danish community pharmacies and play a vital role in counselling customers on prescription medication, over-the-counter (OTC) medication and non-medical products. This is the first study carried out to specifically analyse how they contribute to counselling and identification of drug-related problems (DRPs) at Danish community pharmacies. (2) seventy-six pharmacy technicians from 38 community pharmacies registered data on all of their customer visits for five days, over a four-week period, between January and March 2019.

Pharmaceutical care services available in Danish community pharmacies.

In recent years, increased longevity of the Danish population has resulted in a growing segment with age-related and chronic health conditions. This, together with a general increase in the demand on the services of doctors, has augmented the role of pharmacies in the provision of healthcare services. In Denmark, a variety of pharmacy services has been developed, evaluated and implemented since the introduction of pharmaceutical care.

Customers' information seeking behavior prior to community pharmacy visits: A community pharmacy survey.

Background: Customers are commonly seeking information, e.g. via the internet, to achieve information on health, diseases, and treatment options.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Will it change pharmacy practice?

The industrial world is at the beginning of a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This era will radically change the human use of technology, with major implications for the ways people live and work. This commentary asks: will 4IR change pharmacy practice? The first three revolutions created the pharmaceutical industry and gave pharmacists a near-monopoly over drug supply.

Work Preferences and General Abilities Among US Pharmacy Technicians and Danish Pharmaconomists.

Introduction: The importance of pharmacy support personnel is increasingly recognized. Studies have evaluated workplace issues and evolving roles; however, needed information from technicians themselves is scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine preferences for work activities and the general abilities of US pharmacy technicians and Danish pharmaconomists.

The caring behaviours of Danish pharmaconomists: insight for pharmacy technician practice around the world.

Objectives: Pharmacy workforce support personnel are being accorded greater scopes of practice, especially Danish pharmaconomists [pharmacy technician, experts in pharmaceuticals with a 3-year degree]. The aims of this study were to assess pharmaconomists' caring behaviours and identify factors related to those behaviours.

Methods: A self-administered survey was distributed to a random sample of pharmaconomists in Denmark.

Development and perceived effects of an educational programme on quality and safety in medication handling in residential facilities.

Objectives: To develop and test an educational programme on quality and safety in medication handling for staff in residential facilities for the disabled.

Methods: The continuing pharmacy education instructional design model was used to develop the programme with 22 learning objectives on disease and medicines, quality and safety, communication and coordination. The programme was a flexible, modular seven + two days' course addressing quality and safety in medication handling, disease and medicines, and medication supervision and reconciliation.

Community pharmacists as educators in Danish residential facilities: a qualitative study.

Objectives: To explore experiences with engaging community pharmacists in educational programmes on quality and safety in medication handling in residential facilities for the disabled.

Methods: A secondary analysis of data from two Danish intervention studies where community pharmacists were engaged in educational programmes. Data included 10 semi-structured interviews with staff, five semi-structured interviews and three open-ended questionnaires with residential facility managers, and five open-ended questionnaires to community pharmacists.