A pilot evaluation of specialist community pharmacy services for patients with Parkinson's disease

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The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7456 p709-712
16 June 2007

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Original papers

A pilot evaluation of specialist community pharmacy services for patients with Parkinson’s disease

By Geraldine Mynors, Crispin Jenkinson, Virginia MacNeill and Richard Balcon

Geraldine Mynors, BA (Oxon), MBA,
(Formerly) Head of Projects at the Medicines Partnership

Crispin Jenkinson, DPhil (Oxon), FFPH, is Professor of Health Services Research, Department of Public Health and Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford

Virginia MacNeill, PhD, FCIH, is research officer, Department of Public Health, University of Oxford

Richard Balcon is NHS Services Manager at UniChem Professional Services Division

Correspondence to:
Crispin Jenkinson at the Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LF
e-mail crispin.jenkinson@dphpc.ox.ac.uk

Abstract

Aim
To undertake a preliminary evaluation of a community pharmacy scheme in which Parkinson’s disease patients could contact local specialist pharmacists about their Parkinson’s disease medicines.

Design
Longitudinal survey of patients registered in three primary care trusts.

Subjects and setting
145 patients with Parkinson’s disease were recruited into the study at baseline, and followed up six months later. The service was delivered within community pharmacy premises and through home visits in three primary care trust locations.

Outcome measures
The satisfaction with information about medication scales (SIMS), the medication adherence report scale (MARS). Quality of life was measured on the 39-item Parkinson’s disease questionnaire (PDQ-39). At follow up patients were also asked questions about their views of the service. Pharmacists also documented the problems they identified and actions they took as a result.

Results
Statistically significant improvements were found in the proportion of people indicating satisfaction with information on what the medicine does and on possible impact on sex life. Furthermore a significant improvement was found on the “potential problems of medication” summary score on the SIMS. During the period of the study self reported physical function improved on the PDQ-39. No changes were found on the MARS.

Conclusions
The results suggest improvements in patient satisfaction and potential effects on quality of life in terms of self-reported physical function, possibly as a result of the specialist pharmaceutical services. The data presented here could be used to suggest hypotheses for future studies and provide material for power and hence sample size calculations.

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