Mindfulness for people with chronic pain: Factors affecting engagement and suggestions for programme optimisation.

Introduction: Chronic pain is a common, multifactorial condition and pharmacological treatments have limited benefits. Mindfulness is a holistic approach that might be of value in the management of chronic pain. However, attrition rates from mindfulness-based interventions are high and factors affecting engagement are unknown.

"I'm empowered to look after myself" - Mindfulness as a way to manage chronic pain: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of participant experiences in Scotland.

Background And Primary Aim: Chronic pain is a common problem that can impact on psychological and social wellbeing and activity levels. Despite pharmacological treatments, there is often a lack of improvement in physical and emotional functioning and health-related quality of life. Mindfulness meditation has become an increasingly popular self-management technique.

Consumer internet purchasing of medicines using a population sample: A mixed methodology approach.

Background: Malta has an average of 3-4 private community pharmacies per locality, providing patients with easy access to medicines yet according to general statistics gathered from European organisations, Internet is used to purchase various online products with medicines being amongst them.

Objectives: To identify patterns around internet purchasing of medicines among Maltese residents.

Methods: The study followed a mixed methods approach, employing a cross-sectional survey followed by semi-structured interviews.

Defining the Role of the Pharmacy Technician and Identifying Their Future Role in Medicines Optimisation.

Background: Traditionally, pharmacy technicians have worked alongside pharmacists in community and hospital pharmacy. Changes within pharmacy provide opportunity for role expansion and with no apparent career pathway, there is a need to define the current pharmacy technician role and role in medicines optimisation.

Aim: To capture the current roles of pharmacy technicians and identify how their future role will contribute to medicines optimisation.

The influence of organisational climate on care of patients with schizophrenia: a qualitative analysis of health care professionals' views.

Background: Organizational climate relates to how employees perceive and describe the characteristics of their employing organization. It has been found to have an impact on healthcare professionals' and patients' experiences of healthcare (e.g.

Relationship between personality traits and pharmacist performance in a pharmacy practice research trial.

Background: Pharmacy practice research is one avenue through which new pharmacy services can be integrated into daily pharmacy practice. However, pharmacists' participation in this research has not been well characterized. Drawing from the literature on work performance and personality traits, 4 hypotheses were developed to gain insight into pharmacists' performance in a pharmacy practice research trial.

Comparison of sole nurse and team-delivered community clozapine services for people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Aim: To compare sole nurse and doctor-led multidisciplinary team delivery of community clozapine services for people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Background: Around 20% of people with schizophrenia are treatment resistant and fail to respond to front line medications. Clozapine, a second-line treatment, has potentially serious side effects requiring regular monitoring.

Personality traits of hospital pharmacists: toward a better understanding of factors influencing pharmacy practice change.

Background: The profession of pharmacy has adopted a mandate to become more patient-centred; however, significant change in this direction has not been achieved.

Objective: To characterize the personality traits of hospital pharmacists in one Canadian province, to provide insights into potential barriers to practice change.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of hospital pharmacists was conducted in Alberta, Canada.

Clinical governance issues arising from the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Pharmacy Workforce Survey (England) 2006.

Objectives: In the last 10 years changes in the Government's agenda for medicines management and improved patient safety have resulted in unprecedented calls for the provision of mental health pharmacy services. This has not been reflected in pharmacy workforce planning or budgets. We aim to ascertain pharmacy staffing levels in Mental Health Trusts and whether supply of medicines and delivery of clinical pharmacy services are at an appropriate level.

What happens when doctors are patients? Qualitative study of GPs.

Background: Current evidence about the experiences of doctors who are unwell is limited to poor quality data.

Aim: To investigate GPs' experiences of significant illness, and how this affects their own subsequent practice.

Design Of Study: Qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis to conduct and analyse semi-structured interviews with GPs who have experienced significant illness.

Pharmacists and nurses as independent prescribers: exploring the patient's perspective.

Background: Little is known about patients' opinions upon the development of non-medical prescribing (NMP).

Objective: To explore the opinions of patients on the development of NMP.

Methods: In-depth interviews using qualitative methodology (Interpretative Phenomological Analysis).

Experiencing "the other side": a study of empathy and empowerment in general practitioners who have been patients.

Work-related pressures and susceptibility to health problems mean that many general practitioners (GPs) will, at some stage, experience the role of patient. However qualitative evidence about their experiences of illness and patienthood is sparse. Our study offers an interpretative perspective on GPs' experiences of illness and the influence that this has had on their practice.

The changing nature of prescribing: pharmacists as prescribers and challenges to medical dominance.

This paper investigates the potential threat to medical dominance posed by the addition of pharmacists as prescribers in the UK. It explores the role of prescribing as an indicator of professional power, the legitimacy and status of new pharmacist prescribers and the forces influencing professional jurisdictional claims over the task of prescribing. It draws upon 23 interviews with pharmacist supplementary prescribers.