Design and Evaluation of a New National Pharmacy Internship Program in Ireland.

To design, deliver, and evaluate a National Pharmacy Internship Program that met the educational requirements of pharmacy graduates to register as competent pharmacists and earned graduates a master's level degree. The National Pharmacy Internship Program was designed as a 12-month, full-time, blended-learning, competency-based program leading to a master's degree. Intern performance was assessed academically and by pharmacy preceptor (tutor) appraisals.

A qualitative study of English community pharmacists' experiences of providing lifestyle advice to patients with cardiovascular disease.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) progression is modifiable through lifestyle behaviors. Community pharmacists are ideally placed to facilitate self-management of cardiovascular health however research shows varied pharmacist engagement in providing lifestyle advice.

Objective: This study explored community pharmacists' experiences and perceptions of providing lifestyle advice to patients with CVD.

Science or practice? UK undergraduate experiences and attitudes to the MPharm degree.

Objective: The debate surrounding the science/practice balance in the teaching of undergraduate pharmacy has been played out in the professional literature for years. The objective of this work was to explore the attitudes of pharmacy undergraduates on the practice-science debate.

Setting: The study was undertaken as part of a national study of teaching, learning and assessment methods in United Kingdom (UK) schools of pharmacy.

Opportunities to replace the use of animals in sepsis research. The report and recommendations of a Focus on Alternatives workshop.

Sepsis and multiple organ failure are common causes of death in patients admitted to intensive care units. The incidence of sepsis and associated mortalities has been steadily increasing over the past 20 years. Sepsis is a complex inflammatory condition, the precise causes of which are still poorly understood.

An analysis of returned medicines in primary care.

Objective: The number of pharmaceutical items issued on prescription is continually rising and contributing to spiralling healthcare costs. Although there is some data highlighting the quantity, in terms of weight of medicines returned specifically to community pharmacies, little is known about the specific details of such returns or other destinations for wasted medications. This pilot study has been designed to investigate the types and amounts of medicines returned to both general practices (GPs) and associated local community pharmacies determining the reasons why these medicines have been returned.

Development of a prescribing indicator for objective quantification of antibiotic usage in secondary care.

Objectives: To compare the recognized defined daily dose per 100 bed-days (DDD/100 bed-days) measure with the defined daily dose per finished consultant episode (DDD/FCE) in a group of hospitals with a variety of medicines management strategies. To compare antibiotic usage using the above indicators in hospitals with and without electronic prescribing systems.

Methods: Twelve hospitals were used in the study.