Congenital and Fetal Effects After Mifepristone Exposure and Continuation of Pregnancy: A Systematic Review.

Mifepristone is an anti-progestational drug that is the first component of the standard medical abortion regimen. For women who take mifepristone and then do not take misoprostol, which is the second component of the medical abortion regimen, it is possible that their pregnancy may continue to live birth. Since mifepristone is commonly used for medical abortion up to 9-10 weeks gestation, any adverse or teratogenic effects on the developing embryo/fetus must be considered, given exposure during the critical time of its development and organogenesis.

Progesterone after mifepristone: A pilot prospective single arm clinical trial for women who have changed their mind after commencing medical abortion.

Aim: This pilot study aimed to assess the utility of an oral progesterone treatment protocol for women who commenced medical abortion and then changed their mind and wished instead to maintain their pregnancy.

Methods: The Progesterone-After-Mifepristone-pilot for efficacy and reproducibility (PAMper) trial was designed as a prospective single-arm pilot clinical trial, conducted via telehealth. Women aged 18 to 45 years in Australia who reported ingesting mifepristone within the last 72 h to initiate medical abortion and had not taken misoprostol were included.

Clinical pharmacists' perspective of medication adherence support in Ethiopian hospital settings: a qualitative study.

Background: Hospital pharmacists can assist patients with medication adherence in a hospital setting. No studies have explored the views of hospital pharmacists on medication adherence.

Objectives: The study aimed to explore Ethiopian clinical pharmacists' understanding of and experience with medication adherence, and identify strategies for medication adherence support.

Assessment of Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing for People With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using IMPACT2DM, a New Explicit Tool.

People with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at greater risk of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) due to multiple comorbidities and polypharmacy. IMPACT2DM (Inappropriate Medication Prescribing Assessment Criteria for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus) is a tool designed to identify PIP for adults with T2DM. To assess PIP for adults with T2DM in Ethiopia using the IMPACT2DM and to test the face validity and clinical validity of the tool.

Measurement Properties of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Medication Adherence in Cardiovascular Disease: A COSMIN Systematic Review.

Background And Objective: Several medication adherence patient-reported outcome measures (MA-PROMs) are available for use in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, little evidence is available on the most suitable MA-PROM to measure medication adherence in patients with CVD. The aim of this systematic review is to synthesise the measurement properties of MA-PROMs for patients with CVD and identify the most suitable MA-PROM for use in clinical practice or future research in patients with CVD.

Methods: An electronic search of nine databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, ProQuest Health and Medicine, Cochrane Library, PsychInfo, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science) was conducted to identify studies that have reported on at least one of the measurement properties of MA-PROMs in patients with CVD.

Design considerations for cases used in pharmacy teaching and learning using the case difficulty cube.

Introduction: Learner-centered authentic learning opportunities in health science disciplines can be provided using cases to allow integration of theoretical knowledge across multiple subject areas and development of problem-solving skills. We have previously described the adaptation of the case difficulty cube (CDC), a model from business education, that proposes assignment of case difficulty based on three dimensions (analytical, conceptual, and presentation) in pharmacy education.

Methods: The CDC for use in health science disciplines (modCDC) was evaluated using 13 cases from summative undergraduate pharmacy examinations.

Exploring the Experiences of Pharmacy Students and Their Transition to Online Learning during COVID-19.

Due to the heavy focus on development of communication skills, compounding laboratories and many practical workshops, undertaking a registerable pharmacist qualification in an online format is typically not an option for students. COVID-19 presented on-campus pharmacy students with the opportunity to experience online learning. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of on-campus pharmacy students who were required to move their studies to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Potentially inappropriate prescribing for adults living with diabetes mellitus: a scoping review.

Background: People living with diabetes often experience multiple morbidity and polypharmacy, increasing their risk of potentially inappropriate prescribing. Inappropriate prescribing is associated with poorer health outcomes.

Aim: The aim of this scoping review was to explore and map studies conducted on potentially inappropriate prescribing among adults living with diabetes and to identify gaps regarding identification and assessment of potentially inappropriate prescribing in this group.

Development and validation of explicit criteria to identify potentially inappropriate prescribing for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Early detection and timely resolution of potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) prevents adverse outcomes and improves patient care. An explicit tool specifically designed to detect PIP among people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has not been published.

Objectives: This study aims to develop and validate the Inappropriate Medication Prescribing Assessment Criteria for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (IMPACT2DM); an explicit tool that can be used to identify PIP for adults with T2DM.

Understanding management of poorly controlled pain in community-dwelling analgesic users: a qualitative study.

Background Chronic pain is a prevalent and debilitating condition for many people. Globally it is the greatest contributor to years lived with disability. Management often includes pharmacotherapy and pharmacists are therefore well placed to contribute to chronic pain management.

Potentially inappropriate prescribing for adults with diabetes mellitus: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: This scoping review aims to explore and map studies investigating potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) for adults with diabetes mellitus.

Introduction: Inappropriate prescribing for people with diabetes mellitus has been reported by various authors focusing on different aspects of inappropriateness. A preliminary search revealed no published reviews on PIP for adults with diabetes mellitus.

Self-reported medication adherence tools in cardiovascular disease: protocol for a systematic review of measurement properties.

Objective: The aim of this review is to identify high-quality, self-reported medication adherence tools for adults with cardiovascular disease to improve health outcomes.

Introduction: Medication adherence is a complex concept affected by multiple factors and positively associated with clinical outcomes. Poor adherence to cardiovascular medications is a hindrance to the effective management of cardiovascular disease, leading to poor disease prognosis or increased risk of death.

Non-prescription supply of combination analgesics containing codeine in community pharmacy: A simulated patient study.

Background: The inappropriate use of non-prescription combination analgesics containing codeine (NP-CACC) has become a significant health issue in Australia.

Objective: To investigate the current management of NP-CACC direct product requests in community pharmacies located in Victoria, Australia.

Methods: A covert simulated patient (SP) method was used to observe the responses of pharmacy staff during an NP-CACC request.

Bacteriophage formulated into a range of semisolid and solid dosage forms maintain lytic capacity against isolated cutaneous and opportunistic oral bacteria.

Background: Resistance of bacteria to antimicrobial agents is of grave concern. Further research into the development of bacteriophage as therapeutic agents against bacterial infections may help alleviate this problem.

Objectives: To formulate bacteriophage into a range of semisolid and solid dosage forms and investigate the capacity of these preparations to kill bacteria under laboratory conditions.

The Use of Melatonin by Children: Parents' Perspectives.

Study Objectives: To explore the perceptions and experiences of parents whose children were using melatonin.

Methods: A qualitative exploratory study was undertaken using face-to-face semi-structured interviews that were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data was thematically analyzed via open coding and subsequent axial coding.

Managing inappropriate use of non-prescription combination analgesics containing codeine: A modified Delphi study.

Background: Misuse and/or dependence upon non-prescription combination analgesics containing codeine (NP-CACC) can result in serious physiological and psychological harms.

Objective: To explore pharmacists' and other health care professionals' ideas and views on strategies for managing NP-CACC misuse and/or dependence in a community pharmacy setting.

Methods: A 3-iteration modified Delphi study was conducted to gain the consensus view of panelists.

The multifaceted nature of access to compounded progesterone: a cross-sectional study from Australia.

Objective: To explore the influences on accessibility of compounded progesterone therapy for Australian women.

Study Design: A cross-sectional survey of a stratified sample of Australian women who use progesterone only products using the 'Perspectives on Progesterone' questionnaire.

Main Outcome Measures: Principle components analysis (PCA) to determine components of access to progesterone treatment and multi-way analysis of variance to compare groups.

The upscheduling of combination analgesics containing codeine: the impact on the practice of pharmacists.

Background: Prior to the 1st May 2010 some combination analgesics containing codeine (CACC) were available for sale over the counter (OTC) in Australia with no requirement for input from a pharmacist. Since then the upscheduling of these medications requires the involvement of a pharmacist in all OTC CACC sales.

Objective: To explore how the upscheduling of OTC CACC has impacted the practice of community pharmacists.

Compounded progesterone and the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use.

Compounded progesterone (P₄) is a product that, from a clinical experience-based perspective, effectively relieves a range of symptoms. In contrast, from a conventional evidence-based medicine perspective, P₄ is ineffective. As P₄ is not a product prescribed by conventional medicine, it is unlikely to be prescribed by family doctors, which increases the barriers to utilization.

Application of cognitive interviewing to improve self-administered questionnaires used in small scale social pharmacy research.

Validating questionnaires for social pharmacy research with smaller sample sizes can be unnecessarily time-consuming and costly, a solution to this is cognitive interviewing with 2 interviews per iteration. This paper shows how cognitive interviewing with pairs of interviews per iteration of the questionnaire can be used to identify overt and covert issues with comprehension, retrieval, judgment and response experienced by respondents when attempting to answer a question or navigate around the questionnaire. When used during questionnaire development in small scale social pharmacy research studies cognitive interviewing can reduce both respondent burden and response error and should result in more reliable survey results.

Compounded progesterone: why is it acceptable to Australian women?

Objectives: To determine factors influencing compounded progesterone products' acceptability amongst Australian women who use them.

Study Design: A cross-sectional survey of 366 women from all states of Australia who had been dispensed a compounded progesterone product, using the 'Perspectives on Progesterone' questionnaire.

Main Outcome Measures: Descriptive statistics and a logistic regression model of acceptability.

Systematic review of progesterone use by midlife and menopausal women.

Progesterone treatment for menopausal symptoms is still controversial. Progesterone levels fall during menopause transition, therefore some menopausal women may benefit from progesterone therapy. A systematic review was conducted of studies published from 2001 reporting on progesterone use to treat symptoms associated with menopause or postmenopausal women.