Have People Treated With Antihypertensives Been Diagnosed With Hypertension? A Cross-Sectional Study in Stockholm, Sweden.

Purpose: Studies on antihypertensive treatment are important, as hypertension remains the major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and premature death. However, antihypertensive medicines are also used for other conditions, and the use of these medicines as a proxy for a diagnosis of hypertension might lead to misclassification in pharmacoepidemiological studies. This study aimed to investigate to what extent people dispensed antihypertensive medicines have been diagnosed with hypertension.

Barriers and Unmet Educational Needs Regarding Implementation of Medication Adherence Management Across Europe: Insights from COST Action ENABLE.

Background: Medication adherence is essential for the achievement of therapeutic goals. Yet, the World Health Organization estimates that 50% of patients are nonadherent to medication and this has been associated with 125 billion euros and 200,000 deaths in Europe annually.

Objective: This study aimed to unravel barriers and unmet training needs regarding medication adherence management across Europe.

Trends in statin utilization and ischemic heart disease mortality in Lithuania and Sweden, 2000-2020.

Aims: To compare statin utilization and ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality trends in Lithuania and Sweden and to assess correlations between the total utilization of statins and IHD mortality.

Methods: An ecological study assessing time trends in statin utilization (DDDs per 1000 inhabitants per day; DDD/TID) and IHD mortality in Lithuania and Sweden between 2000 and 2020. Statin utilization data in Lithuania were wholesale trade data, and Swedish data were drugs dispensed at pharmacies.

Persistence to statin treatment: A cohort study in Lithuania.

Cardiovascular diseases are the main causes of death, and statins can reduce the risk of major vascular events. Lithuania is among the European countries with the highest cardiovascular mortality despite a rapidly increasing use of statins. Previous reviews have shown the problem of poor patient adherence, but there are limited studies from Eastern European countries.

New terminology of medication adherence enabling and supporting activities: ENABLE terminology.

Medication non-adherence negatively affects the effectiveness of evidence-based therapies and sustainability of healthcare systems. Lack of agreed terminology of medication adherence enabling and supporting activities leads to underuse of the available tools. The ENABLE COST Action was aimed at proposing a new terminology for these activities in order to help both scientific research and its clinical application.

Hypertension management and drug-related problems. A case report of the 23-year history of Mr. Jonas.

Arterial hypertension is a lifelong disease, which management is recognized as the most effective way to reduce cardiovascular mortality. Even though there is extensive evidence on the benefits of lifestyle modification and antihypertensive treatment, many patients with hypertension do not reach blood pressure targets. This paper aims to review the history of antihypertensive treatment of one patient and identify the drug related problems that occurred over the study period.

Developing a Tool for Auditing the Quality of Antibiotic Dispensing in Community Pharmacies: A Pilot Study.

Background: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control describes the community pharmacist as the gatekeeper to the quality of antibiotic use. The pharmacist has the responsibility to guard safe and effective antibiotic use; however, little is known about how this is implemented in practice.

Aims: To assess the feasibility of a method to audit the quality of antibiotic dispensing in community pharmacy practice and to explore antibiotic dispensing practices in Greece, Lithuania, Poland, and Spain.

Non-persistence to antihypertensive drug therapy in Lithuania.

Purpose: Poor persistence to antihypertensive therapy is an important cause of treatment failure. Investigating persistence is especially important in countries with a high cardiovascular mortality, like Lithuania. The aim of this study was to describe the antihypertensive treatment at initiation, to determine the percentage of patients not being persistent with antihypertensive treatment after 1 year and to explore factors associated with non-persistence.

Factors Facilitating and Hindering Development of a Medication Use Review Service in Eastern Europe and Iran-Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study.

Polypharmacy is a common issue in patients with chronic diseases. Eastern-European countries and Iran are exploring possibilities for implementing the Medication Use Review (MUR) as a measure for optimizing medication use and ensuring medication safety in polypharmacy patients. The aim of this study was to gain insights into the development of the community pharmacy sector and map facilitators and barriers of MUR in Eastern Europe and Iran.

The International Pharmacy Game: A Comparison of Implementation in Seven Universities World-Wide.

The utilization of serious games and simulations in health professional education has increased. The Pharmacy Game is one such concept that intersects gamification and simulation, in which pharmacy student teams competitively manage simulated pharmacies; a concept included in the pharmacy curricula of seven international universities. This study aimed to compare the implementation and conduct of the Pharmacy Game of participant universities and their students' performance in the same educational task.

Healthcare professional-led interventions on lifestyle modifications for hypertensive patients - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: About 0.9 billion people in the world have hypertension. The mortality due to hypertension increased dramatically over the last decades.