Biomedical subjects

Ines Krass

Publications and source records attributed to Ines Krass.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Pharmaceutical care in Denmark: perceived importance of medicine-related problems and participation in postgraduate training.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the readiness of Danish community pharmacists to provide pharmaceutical care. Special focus was on information provided to patients on medicine-related problems and participation in postgraduate training. METHOD: National cross-sectional survey distributed to all Danish community pharmacies (N = 288). Response rate 75.7%; non-responders were interviewed by telephone to establish their reasons for not participating. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prioritization of information to patients regarding medicine-related problems. Postgraduate courses selected by pharmacists during the past three years. RESULTS: In accordance with the profile of Danish community pharmacists, respondents were primarily female and half were below 45 years of age. The main reason given for not responding was lack of time. The prioritization of information to patients regarding medicine-related problems resulted in three clusters of answers. The overall topics of the clusters were: information related to the technical-practical use of medicines; information related to pharmacotherapeutic aspects of medicine use; and information related to the function of the medicine. The clusters accounted for 61.9% of the total variance. The most frequently attended postgraduate courses were on quality assurance and specific diseases. CONCLUSION: The patient information prioritized by Danish community pharmacists is primarily of a technical-practical nature. The postgraduate training pursued is primarily technical without much focus on the philosophy of pharmaceutical care. These factors contribute to the lack of proper readiness of pharmacists to practice pharmaceutical care.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Rural community pharmacy: a feasible site for a health promotion and screening service for cardiovascular risk factors.

A pharmacist-delivered health promotion and screening service for cardiovascular risk factors in rural community pharmacy was implemented in the Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales (NSW). We describe the development of the service and profile 204 participants at their initial screening. A standardised clinical protocol guided the pharmacist through delivery of the service. The mean age of participants was 44 years (SD +/- 13). Over half (54%) had a Body Mass Index (BMI) > 25, 54% had cholesterol > 5.0 mmol L-1 and 18% a systolic BP> or = 140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP >or = 90 mmHg. Most (80%) received lifestyle information (dietary, exercise or smoking cessation). One third required referral to a general practitioner. Provision of the service through community pharmacy increased the community's access to screening, 28% reported that they had never had their cholesterol measured. Since this new service was able to identify, educate and refer people at risk of cardiovascular disease in a rural community, we recommend a broader adoption through rural pharmacies.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Factors influencing consumer use of written drug information.

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the use and impact of written drug information (WDI) on consumers, and to review the literature on the factors influencing the use of WDI by consumers. DATA SOURCES: Relevant articles published in English since the late 1970s were identified based on searches of on-line databases, texts, and cited references in published articles. STUDY SELECTION: Articles reporting findings on the origin, use, and impact of WDI were included. Due to limited literature, articles reporting findings on factors influencing the use of written drug as well as disease information were included. DATA EXTRACTION: Due to the lack of design consistency between studies and the comparatively small volume of work, subjective assessment rather than a criteria-based objective review was deemed more appropriate. DATA SYNTHESIS: To date, research on WDI has focused on its use and impact. WDI has the potential to increase patients' knowledge, compliance, and satisfaction. However, there is also the potential for anxiety or premature cessation of therapy due to fear of possible adverse effects. Multiple factors may potentially influence the use of WDI by consumers including those associated with the written information document (readability, presentation), the patient (health literacy, role of caregiver, demographic factors, health locus of control, coping style, health belief model), and the environment (timing of provision, experience). CONCLUSIONS: WDI has the potential to impact consumers positively and negatively. Although not widely investigated, a number of factors can potentially influence the use of WDI by consumers. The findings of this review can form the basis for much needed further research.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Using alternative methodologies for evaluating patient medication leaflets.

A variety of direct and indirect methods have been used to evaluate written medication information; however, no published research has validated assessment tools or presented direct consumer assessment of patient information leaflets (PILs) provided in US community pharmacy (CP). We report on two new instruments: the medication information design assessment scale (MIDAS), an indirect measure of design quality administered by the investigators, and the consumer information rating form (CIRF), a direct measure of comprehensibility, utility, and overall design quality applied by a consumer panel. These were used to assess two types of PILs: 36 CP-PILs obtained from community pharmacies and 3 Model-PILs incorporating recommended design characteristics. The validity of the MIDAS was demonstrated in two ways. First, as predicted, the Model-PILs were rated more positively by consumers. We also found a significant positive correlation between the number of design criteria incorporated in a CP-PIL (as measured by the MIDAS score) and the consumers rating of design quality (CIRF). In conclusion, we confirmed the importance of design characteristics in the production of written medication information and have also developed and validated two easy-to-use tools for the assessment of written medication information.

Drug Labeling↗