Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Dermatitis and acne account for a large number of general practitioner appointments yet are amenable to treatment with products available to purchase from community pharmacies.
OBJECTIVES:
1. The clinical appropriateness of community pharmacy interventions for these conditions
2. Patient reported measures of the effectiveness of the pharmacist’s management of their condition.
METHODS:
Nine community pharmacies opportunistically recruited patients presenting with suspected cases of both conditions, taking digital images and audio-recording the consultation. These files were uploaded to a secure site and independently reviewed by three dermatology specialists.
Following their consultation, patients received a questionnaire to assess their views on the effectiveness of the treatment provided and their level of satisfaction with pharmacy management.
RESULTS:
Forty patients (36 dermatitis and 4 acne) were recruited.
Of 113 assessments (7 not rated due to missing data) reviewed, specialists agreed with pharmacist’s diagnosis in 33.6% of cases, disagreed in 38.9% but were unable to determine the diagnosis in 27% of cases. Treatment was deemed appropriate in 42% of cases, inappropriate in 27% and indeterminate in 31% of cases.
Twenty-three patients (58%) returned a questionnaire and 12 of these (54.5%, 1 missing) stated that their condition had cleared completely following pharmacist advised treatment. Almost all (91.3%) were very satisfied or satisfied with the advice and/or treatment provided.
CONCLUSION:
Specialists judged the clinical appropriateness of pharmacist diagnosis and management as suboptimal yet patients were more positive. This study indicates a possible need for greater assessment-related training in dermatology for study pharmacists and further work to determine the generalisability of findings.
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Dermatitis and acne account for a large number of general practitioner appointments yet are amenable to treatment with products available to purchase from community pharmacies.
OBJECTIVES:
1. The clinical appropriateness of community pharmacy interventions for these conditions
2. Patient reported measures of the effectiveness of the pharmacist’s management of their condition.
METHODS:
Nine community pharmacies opportunistically recruited patients presenting with suspected cases of both conditions, taking digital images and audio-recording the consultation. These files were uploaded to a secure site and independently reviewed by three dermatology specialists.
Following their consultation, patients received a questionnaire to assess their views on the effectiveness of the treatment provided and their level of satisfaction with pharmacy management.
RESULTS:
Forty patients (36 dermatitis and 4 acne) were recruited.
Of 113 assessments (7 not rated due to missing data) reviewed, specialists agreed with pharmacist’s diagnosis in 33.6% of cases, disagreed in 38.9% but were unable to determine the diagnosis in 27% of cases. Treatment was deemed appropriate in 42% of cases, inappropriate in 27% and indeterminate in 31% of cases.
Twenty-three patients (58%) returned a questionnaire and 12 of these (54.5%, 1 missing) stated that their condition had cleared completely following pharmacist advised treatment. Almost all (91.3%) were very satisfied or satisfied with the advice and/or treatment provided.
CONCLUSION:
Specialists judged the clinical appropriateness of pharmacist diagnosis and management as suboptimal yet patients were more positive. This study indicates a possible need for greater assessment-related training in dermatology for study pharmacists and further work to determine the generalisability of findings.
Members Only
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | SelfCare |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2017 |
Keywords
- case management
- consultation
- common illnesses
- dermatology
- primary care