CP, January 2018, Vol 10, No 1

The importance of the British Army’s slick drug-testing operations

When the UK was engaged in military operation in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007, the UK press reported a fivefold increase in the cocaine-positive rate of British soldiers, which was followed by a switch from cocaine to mephedrone. What can we learn from this, in the light of a current …

Stroke: classification and diagnosis

In light of the many pressures currently facing the NHS, as well as an ever increasing ageing population, pharmacists and healthcare professionals should be aware of the risk factors for stroke, its classification and diagnosis.…

NHS Grampian project: treating uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection in community pharmacy

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common conditions seen in female patients in general practice (GP) and account for 1–3% of all GP consultations each year in the UK. Over-the-counter (OTC) treatments for UTIs currently available in community pharmacy only attempt to relieve …

Rethinking the clinical interpretation of blood pressure readings taken in pharmacies

New research into blood pressure measurements taken in different settings could help pharmacists interpret blood pressure readings better and help them offer appropriate advice to patients.…

Preliminary results of a specialist pharmacist-led polypharmacy clinic for patients with prostate cancer

Polypharmacy — the use of multiple medications by a patient — generally occurs in older adults aged 65 years and over. The increasing number of treatment options and an ageing population mean that, anecdotally, we are seeing more patients with co-morbidities. The multiple specialisms inv…

Patients need access to comprehensible information and their summary care records

This letter is in response to ‘Health literacy, medication adherence and thriving healthcare systems: connecting the dots’. This is an excellent, thought-provoking article that reinforces the need to discuss further the various components of patient education and information, …

Primary-care overprescribing of rivaroxaban in patients without atrial fibrillation

There is a national prescribing trend for rivaroxaban (Xarelto; Bayer), one of four drugs known as direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), and prescription is steadily rising. The drug has six licensed indications, with four different dosages and at least five possible durations of therapy, depending on…

Impact of measures introduced to control meropenem consumption in a district general hospital over a 2-year period

Meropenem is a broad-spectrum antipseudomonal carbapenem antibiotic. Controlling the prescribing of carbapenems is important in our efforts to curb the development of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative organisms, which already pose a serious health threat to many parts of the UK. At Southport …

Ketamine provides short term relief from chronic migraine

A retrospective study showed that ketamine infusions improved short-term analgesia for refractory headaches…

Magic mushrooms as a treatment for depression

Study sheds light on magic mushrooms’ mechanism in the brain in depression…