Development of a Questionnaire to Measure Public Perceptions of the Role of Community Pharmacy in Public Health ().

Background: Community pharmacies are well placed to provide public-health interventions within primary care settings. This study aimed to establish the general public's perceptions of community pharmacy-based public-health services in the UK by designing a structured questionnaire to assess the barriers and facilitators to optimizing this role.

Methods: A standardized questionnaire was developed informed by the literature, additional semi-structured interviews, and synthesis of key findings with the authors' previous research based on data generated from eight focus groups.

Exploring the implementation of Discharge Medicines Review referrals by hospital pharmacy professionals: A qualitative study using the consolidated framework for implementation research.

Background: The Discharge Medicines Review (DMR) is a community pharmacy service in Wales that aims to reduce medicines-related harm after care transitions, including hospital discharge. To undertake a DMR, the Community Pharmacist must receive a patient's discharge medicines information, either electronically, by fax or presented by the patient. Although the DMR has evidenced benefits for improving patient safety, its evaluation showed inconsistent uptake, which Community Pharmacists partially attributed to hospitals not providing the necessary information.

Community Pharmacists' Views on the Early Stages of Implementation of a National Pilot Independent Prescribing Service in Wales: A Qualitative Study.

Background: A pilot Independent Prescribers' Service (IPS) was introduced in 13 community pharmacies across Wales in June 2020. Independent Pharmacist Prescribers (IPPs) could prescribe in the areas of management of acute conditions, contraception, or opioid withdrawal, as agreed with local commissioners. Access to the patients' medical records was provided via , the national community pharmacy IT platform.

Medicines prescribed by non-medical independent prescribers in primary care in Wales: a 10-year longitudinal study April 2011-March 2021.

Objectives: The therapeutic classes of medicines prescribed by non-medical independent prescribers (NMIPs) working in primary care in Wales has not been studied in detail. The aim of this study was to conduct a 10-year longitudinal analysis of NMIP prescribing in Wales from April 2011 to March 2021. The study examined the British National Formulary (BNF) chapters from which medicines were prescribed by NMIPs, whether this changed over time, and whether there was variation in prescribing across the geographic regions of Wales.

Using Technology-Supported Transfer of Care Systems: Informing Good Practice Recommendations.

The Discharge Medicines Review (DMR) referral system, Refer-to-Pharmacy (RTP), PharmOutcomes and Help for Harry are UK transfer of care systems that aim to reduce the risks associated with hospital discharge. These systems use technology to facilitate the transmission of discharge information to community pharmacy, allowing community pharmacists to provide an adherence-support service. Despite the evidence that these systems benefit patient safety, there is a paucity of literature on their use.

Prescribing trends over time by non-medical independent prescribers in primary care settings across Wales (2011-2018): a secondary database analysis.

Introduction: As of 2015, as part of the implementation of the Welsh Government primary care plan and primary care clusters, the Welsh Government has encouraged non-medical healthcare professionals working in primary care to train as independent prescribers (IPs).

Objectives: This research aimed to identify the number of NMIPs in primary care in Wales and describe their prescribing trend of items between 2011 and 2018, in order to compare their prescribing pattern before and after the implementation of primary care clusters for Wales.

Design: Retrospective secondary data analysis and interrupted time series analysis in order to compare prescribing by non-medical independent prescribers (NMIPs) preimplementation and postimplementation of primary care clusters across Wales.

Learning from Practice: How East Lancashire Hospitals' Pharmacy Service Has Embraced Information Technology.

The ethos of the pharmacy service at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) could be described as 'let's make things better'. We have a history of innovation involving technology and people; one without the other does not work but together they are synergistic. The Trust currently does not have an electronic patient record (ePR) or electronic prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA), although we do have electronic prescribing for chemotherapy.

Theory-based electronic learning intervention to support appropriate antibiotic prescribing by nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers: an acceptability and feasibility experimental study using mixed methods.

Objectives: To assess the acceptability and feasibility of using a theory-based electronic learning intervention designed to support appropriate antibiotic prescribing by nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers for patients presenting with common, acute, uncomplicated self-limiting respiratory tract infections (RTIs).

Design: Experimental with mixed methods; preintervention and postintervention online surveys and semistructured interviews.

Setting: Primary care settings across the UK.

Exploring the association of the discharge medicines review with patient hospital readmissions through national routine data linkage in Wales: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate the association of the discharge medicines review (DMR) community pharmacy service with hospital readmissions through linking National Health Service data sets.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: All hospitals and 703 community pharmacies across Wales.

Theory-based electronic learning intervention to support appropriate antibiotic prescribing by nurses and pharmacists: intervention development and feasibility study protocol.

Introduction: Nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers manage patients with respiratory tract infections and are responsible for around 8% of all primary care antibiotic prescriptions. A range of factors influence the prescribing behaviour of these professionals, however, there are no interventions available specifically to support appropriate antibiotic prescribing behaviour by these groups. The aims of this paper are to describe (1) the development of an intervention to support appropriate antibiotic prescribing by nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers and (2) an acceptability and feasibility study designed to test its implementation with these prescribers.

A 5-year evaluation of the emergency contraception enhanced community pharmacy service provided in Wales.

Background: Access to emergency contraception (EC) has been a core component of attempts to address high teenage pregnancy rates in Wales. A national service was commissioned in 2011, allowing supply of EC free of charge from community pharmacies (CPs). This study investigated 5 years of the EC service, to describe its use and investigate changes in the pattern of use over time.

Community pharmacists at the heart of public health: A longitudinal evaluation of the community pharmacy influenza vaccination service.

Background: Influenza ("flu") is a contagious viral infection causing approximately 600 deaths/year in the United Kingdom. Annual vaccination is the most effective prevention strategy with a target of 75% uptake in 'at-risk' patient groups. Before 2012, immunisation was conducted in General Practice (GP), but uptake was below target.

Classic e-Delphi survey to provide national consensus and establish priorities with regards to the factors that promote the implementation and continued development of non-medical prescribing within health services in Wales.

Objective: To provide national consensus and establish priorities with regards to the factors that promote the implementation and continued development of non-medical prescribing within health services.

Design: Classic e-Delphi survey.

Setting: National study in Wales.

Defining antimicrobial stewardship competencies for undergraduate health professional education in the United Kingdom: A study protocol.

Multi-drug resistant infections have been identified as one of the greatest threats to human health. Healthcare professionals are involved in an array of patient care activities for which an understanding of antimicrobial stewardship is important. Although antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship competencies have been developed for healthcare professionals who adopt the role of a prescriber, competencies do not exist for other medicine-related stewardship activities.

Does an integrated information technology system provide support for community pharmacists undertaking Discharge Medicines Reviews? An exploratory study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the views of community pharmacists participating in the pilot of a secure online platform in Wales, the Choose Pharmacy application (CPA), with particular interest in the electronic Discharge Advice Letters (e-DALs) and online Discharge Medicines Review (DMR) form.

Materials And Methods: A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was adopted. A gatekeeper from National Health Service Wales Informatics Service identified 35 pharmacies, of the 43 pharmacies where the CPA had been implemented, that had completed at least one DMR, and these were therefore invited to an interview.

Community pharmacists' opinions on skill-mix and delegation in England.

Objectives: Following the 2005 contractual framework amendment, the expanding role of community pharmacy team members required a shift in entrenched views on roles and duties. This study aimed to report on community pharmacists' opinions on skill mix and explore how they can be addressed so that skill mix may be optimised.

Methods: An invitation to complete an online questionnaire was distributed via email, marked for the attention of the lead pharmacist.

Overview of the uptake and implementation of non-medical prescribing in Wales: a national survey.

Objectives: To identify (1) the non-medical healthcare professionals in Wales qualified to prescribe medicines (including job title, employer, where the prescribing qualification is used, care setting and service provided); (2) the mode of prescribing used by these healthcare professionals, the frequency with which medicines are prescribed and the different ways in which the prescribing qualification is used; and (3) the safety and clinical governance systems within which these healthcare professionals practise.

Design: National questionnaire survey.

Setting: All three National Health Service (NHS) Trusts and seven Health Boards (HB) in Wales.

The public's perception of the role of community pharmacists in Wales.

Objective: To investigate the general public's perceptions of the community pharmacist's (CP) role in Wales by exploring understanding, awareness of services provided and potential interventions for promoting the role of CPs.

Methods: Qualitative methodology using focus group (FG) discussions exploring opinions, facilitated by a moderator (pharmacist) and an assistant. Topics discussed included the following: what a CP does; reasons for visiting; from whom they seek advice on medicines or lifestyle issues; use of traditional and newer services and promotion of services.

Antibiotics for acute respiratory tract infections: a mixed-methods study of patient experiences of non-medical prescriber management.

Objective: To (1) explore patients' expectations and experiences of nurse and pharmacist non-medical prescriber-led management of respiratory tract infections (RTIs), (2) examine whether patient expectations for antibiotics affect the likelihood of receiving them and (3) understand factors influencing patient satisfaction with RTI consultations.

Design: Mixed methods.

Setting: Primary care.

Antibiotic intravenous-to-oral switch guidelines: barriers to adherence and possible solutions.

Objectives: To identify reasons for poor adherence to antibiotic intravenous-to-oral switch guidelines and to explore the possible solutions. To rate the importance of the barriers and solutions identified, as perceived by a multidisciplinary expert panel.

Methods: Three-round Delphi study in an expert panel comprising doctors, nurses and pharmacists, with concurrent semi-structured interviews.