Narcolepsy: Comorbidities, complexities and future directions.

Patients with narcolepsy live with a lifelong sleep-wake disorder, impairing their quality of life, productivity, educational and employment outcomes. Clinicians are becoming aware that a significant aspect of the burden of this disease relates to frequent comorbid conditions, including aspects of the patient's emotional, metabolic, sleep and immune health. This review explores the literature describing the comorbidities seen in patients with narcolepsy, to enhance understanding of these often complex presentations.

Do Swiss community pharmacists address the risk of sexually transmitted infections during a consultation on emergency contraception? A simulated patient study.

Since 2002, Swiss community pharmacists have dispensed emergency contraception (EC) as pharmacist-only medicine ideally using the official Swiss protocol. Our study aimed to determine pharmacists' resolution of an imaginary EC case, compliance with the protocol, and provision of information on the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We conducted a simulated patient study with 69 students who each visited a community pharmacy.

Pharmacist-led screening in sexually transmitted infections: current perspectives.

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening is a crucial initiative that aims to reduce the increasing global prevalence of many common STIs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes simplex virus (HSV). Many STIs are either asymptomatic or show mild symptoms that are often attributed to other infections; hence, screening is the only way to identify - and by extension, treat - them. In this way, the spread of STIs can be reduced, and the health implications of an untreated STI are minimized.

Readiness of pharmacists and consumers for pharmacy-based chlamydia screening in Australia and Switzerland.

Objective: To assess chlamydia knowledge, willingness to undertake pharmacy-based chlamydia testing, and facilitators and barriers to such testing in consumers and community pharmacists, in Australia (AUS) and Switzerland (CH).

Methods: Statements of interest were retrieved from literature and assembled into a 12-item online survey (English and German versions). Survey was disseminated through Facebook, pharmacies' publicly available emails and professional websites (March 2015).

Barriers and Facilitators of Partner Treatment of Chlamydia: A Qualitative Investigation with Prescribers and Community Pharmacists.

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most frequently-notified sexually transmitted infection in Australia. Effective and timely partner treatment of chlamydia is essential to reduce overall prevalence and the burden of infection. Currently in most of Australia, the only avenue for partner treatment of chlamydia ("standard partner therapy") is a tedious, and often inconvenient, process.

Indonesian pharmacists' and pharmacy students' attitudes towards collaboration with physicians.

Background: Recent implementation of national health coverage and the increasing health burden in Indonesia require health professionals, including pharmacists, to work more collaboratively to improve access and quality of health care. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about Indonesian pharmacists' attitude towards collaboration.

Objective: To assess and compare the attitude of Indonesian pharmacy students and pharmacists towards collaboration with physicians.

Accuracy of tablet splitting and liquid measurements: an examination of who, what and how.

Objective: To examine factors that might affect the ability of patients to accurately halve tablets or measure a 5-ml liquid dose.

Methods: Eighty-eight participants split four different placebo tablets by hand and using a tablet splitter, while 85 participants measured 5 ml of water, 0.5% methylcellulose (MC) and 1% MC using a syringe and dosing cup.

Protocol for ACCESS: a qualitative study exploring barriers and facilitators to accessing the emergency contraceptive pill from community pharmacies in Australia.

Introduction: The rate of unplanned pregnancy in Australia remains high, which has contributed to Australia having one of the highest abortion rates of developed countries with an estimated 1 in 5 women having an abortion. The emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) offers a safe way of preventing unintended pregnancy after unprotected sex has occurred. While the ECP has been available over-the-counter in Australian pharmacies for over a decade, its use has not significantly increased.

A review of the provision of appropriate advice by pharmacy staff for self-medication in developing countries.

Background: Patients in developing countries often prefer to self-medicate via community pharmacies. Pharmacy staff are therefore in a strategic position to optimize the health of the public by providing appropriate advice to patients who self-medicate.

Objective: To determine the proportion of pharmacy staff who provide appropriate advice when handling self-medication requests in developing countries.

A review of self-report medication side effect questionnaires for mental health patients.

Side effects of psychotropic medications are important determinants of adherence to treatment. Discussion between the patient and clinician facilitated through the use of a side effect self-report questionnaire (SRQ) could lead to improved communications and treatment adherence. The aim of this review was to 1) identify all currently available side effect SRQs used in the assessment of mental health patients' subjective experiences, 2) evaluate the characteristics of the studies and 3) assess the psychometric properties of each of the questionnaires.

The use of a written assessment checklist for the provision of emergency contraception via community pharmacies: a simulated patient study.

Background: The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia recommends use of a written assessment checklist prior to supply of emergency contraception by pharmacists.

Objective: The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of use of a written assessment checklist by community pharmacists and secondly, to ascertain the effect of the checklist on appropriate assessment and supply.

Methods: Three female simulated patients visited 100 randomly selected pharmacies requesting supply of 'the morning after pill'.

To develop and measure the effectiveness and acceptability of a pharmacy-based chlamydia screening intervention in Australia.

Objectives: To develop and measure the effectiveness and acceptability of a pharmacy-based chlamydia screening intervention called Emergency Contraception Mediated Pharmacy Access to Chlamydia Testing (ECOMPACT).

Design: Selective, opportunistic and cross-sectional study targeting asymptomatic women requesting emergency contraception (EC).

Setting: 20 community pharmacies in the Perth metropolitan region, Australia.

Self-reported risk factors for chlamydia: a survey of pharmacy-based emergency contraception consumers.

Objectives: To investigate the self-reported risk factors for Chlamydia trachomatis in pharmacy-based emergency contraception (EC) consumers, evaluate their pharmacy experience and determine whether they would be willing to accept a chlamydia test from the pharmacy.

Methods: A survey for women to complete after their EC consultation was developed from themes identified in a literature search. Nineteen pharmacies in the Perth metropolitan region and 13 pharmacies in rural, regional and remote Western Australia (WA) participated in this study.

Chlamydia screening interventions from community pharmacies: a systematic review.

Background: Chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis) is the most commonly notified sexually transmissible infection in Australia. Increasing the number of people aged 16-25 years being tested for chlamydia has become a key objective. The strategy recommends that chlamydia screening sites should be easy to access.

A review of the information-gathering process for the provision of medicines for self-medication via community pharmacies in developing countries.

Background: Currently, no review has been completed regarding the information-gathering process for the provision of medicines for self-medication in community pharmacies in developing countries.

Objective: To review the rate of information gathering and the types of information gathered when patients present for self-medication requests.

Methods: Six databases were searched for studies that described the rate of information gathering and/or the types of information gathered in the provision of medicines for self-medication in community pharmacies in developing countries.