PJ, October 2017, Vol 299, No 7906

Non-invasive glucose monitoring for diabetes: five strategies under development

People with diabetes must regularly check their blood glucose levels to know how much medication to use, or to keep track of fluctuating levels. This monitoring is generally done at home using a finger prick blood test. Although accurate, this test can be messy and inconvenient, and there are concer…

Event report: Scottish National Seminar 2017

Health literacy, revalidation and the Scottish government’s strategy for pharmacy ‘Achieving Excellence in Pharmaceutical Care’ were high up the agenda at the 2017 Scottish National Seminar.…

London health and care devolution plans to be finalised by end of year

The agreement for health and care devolution in London is due to be finalised by the end of 2017, according to the chair of the London Health and Care Devolution Programme Board, Will Tuckley. Speaking at a Policy Forum for London seminar on health and social care in London on 29 September 201…

Improving medicines education to consumers by redesigning written medicines information resources

Written medicines information is an important part of consumer education, with the interpretation of this information dependent on adequate consumer health literacy. This form of education is especially important in an acute care setting where patients may be discharged from hospital on a number of …

Community pharmacy must ‘fight for survival’, says PSNC

Community pharmacy must rebuild vital relations with the government and general practice and fight for its very survival, a conference has heard.…

Proton pump inhibitors linked to liver disease, researchers find

Researchers have found evidence that use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may cause changes to gut bacteria that can promote liver disease.…

NICE issues new guidance on spotting child neglect or abuse

Pharmacists should look out for potential signs of child neglect, such as parents or carers failing to administer essential prescribed medicine or not taking their child to follow-up appointments, updated guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have said.…

Puerto Rico hurricane damage could lead to drug shortages

The damage wreaked by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in September 2017 could have serious repercussions for patients who rely on medicines and healthcare products manufactured there.…

Pharmacy flu vaccinations hit 500,000

More than half a million flu vaccinations have been administered through pharmacies during this season’s flu vaccination service in under five weeks, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee has announced.…

Prescribing gabapentin with opioids could increase risk of fatal overdose, study finds

Patients who are prescribed the anticonvulsant medication gabapentin alongside opioid painkillers could face an increased risk of opioid-related death, a new study published in PLOS Medicine has found.…