Evaluating the use of the heart age tool in community pharmacies: a 4-week cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Background: Joint British Societies have developed a tool that utilizes information on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors to estimate an individual's 'heart age'. We studied if using heart age as an add-on to conventional risk communication could enhance the motivation for adapting to a healthier lifestyle resulting in improved whole-blood cholesterol and omega-3 status after 4 weeks.

Methods: A total of 48 community pharmacies were cluster-randomized to use heart age+conventional risk communication (intervention) or only conventional risk communication (control) in 378 subjects after CVD risk-factor assessment.

Community pharmacies offer a potential high-yield and convenient arena for total cholesterol and CVD risk screening.

Background: Moderately elevated blood total cholesterol (TC), blood glucose (BG) and blood pressure (BP) are rarely symptomatic and as such many individuals remain untreated. We studied the yield of an in-pharmacy screening for identifying undetected high TC and strategies to reach those with absence of prior measurement of TC, BG and BP.

Methods: A cross-sectional TC screening study with complementary TC measurements and self-administered questionnaire was conducted for 1 week in each of 2012 and 2014 in 148 and 149 BootsTM Norge AS community pharmacies nationwide in Norway.

A randomized controlled trial in Norwegian pharmacies on effects of risk alert and advice in people with elevated cardiovascular risk.

We investigated if alerting subjects to elevated total cholesterol (TC), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and blood pressure (BP) (cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors that are usually asymptomatic), and if providing advice would result in reduced risk. We conducted a multicenter (50 community pharmacies) parallel three-arm 8-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a 52-week follow-up visit. During six days of screening, TC, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, HbA1c, BP and body mass index (BMI) were assessed in 1318 individuals.

Dermatological cancer screening: Evaluation of a new community pharmacy service.

Background: Skin cancer accounts for one third of all cancers. Prognosis is inversely related to identification stage.

Objectives: To describe a novel service, mole scans, performed in community pharmacy, the findings from the first 3.

Analysis of direct-to-consumer marketed Chlamydia trachomatis diagnostic tests in Norway.

Unlabelled: Background In 2014, and for the first time in Norway, a pharmacy chain started selling home sampling kits for Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) detection. Direct-to-consumer diagnostic kits for C.