IJPP 2003, 11: 33–39
© 2003 Int J Pharm Pract
Received June 20, 2001
Accepted September 20, 2002
DOI 10.1211/002235702793
ISSN 0961-7671
Welsh School of Pharmacy,
Cardiff, Wales
David Neale John, senior lecturer
The Robert Gordon University,
Aberdeen
Janet Krska, reader
Denise Hansford, lecturer
Correspondence:
Dr John,
Welsh
School of Pharmacy, Redwood
Building, Cardiff University, King
Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff,
Wales CF10 3XF.
E-mail: JohnDN@cardiff.ac.uk
Acknowledgments:
This study
was funded by the Galen Award,
administered by the Royal
Pharmaceutical Society of Great
Britain. The authors wish to
thank Dr Emily Kennedy of
Dumfries, Scotland, for her
contribution to the study design,
pharmacist recruitment and data
collection, and Dr Chris Poole of
the Welsh School of Pharmacy,
Cardiff University, for advice on
statistical analysis. We are
grateful for the assistance given
to us by all of the pharmacists
who agreed to take part and
their staff and to the customers
who returned the
questionnaires.
Original Papers
Are customers requesting medicines by name less likely to be advised or referred? Provision of over-the-counter H2-receptor antagonists and alginate products from pharmacies
David Neale John, Janet Krska and Denise Hansford
AbstractObjectives To identify selected factors which may influence the provision of over-the-counter alginate and H2-receptor antagonist (H2RA) products, advice and referral from community pharmacies, and to establish if referrals of customers with dyspepsia made by pharmacy staff were in line with published referral guidelines.
Setting Customers supplied with over-the-counter alginates or H2RAs by 39 community pharmacies in Scotland and Wales in a six-month period.
Method A structured questionnaire was issued to customers provided with an alginate or H2RA from community pharmacies, with one reminder sent to non-responders.
Key findings A total of 608 completed questionnaires were returned (79 per cent response): 523 customers (86 per cent) stated they requested the product they were supplied with by name, with previous use being the most frequently cited reason. Customers who requested a product by name were less likely to receive advice about the supplied medicine, less likely to be referred to a medical practitioner (GP) and also less likely to receive lifestyle advice than customers who did not request a named product. Overall, only 30 per cent of patients whomet criteria for referral to a GP were referred.
Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that more emphasis should be placed on referrals by pharmacy staff and on the provision of lifestyle and product-specific advice, particularly when products are requested by name. The acceptability of these actions to pharmacy customers is not known.