Patient consultation

Why patient information leaflets have their place in informing patients about their medicines

Patient information leaflets have come under criticism again recently. Theo Raynor explains the improvements that have been made to them and how they can be more useful for pharmacists during patient consultations.…

Saving my mother from depression using skills I learned in pharmacy

Amarata Gill explains how she used her pharmacy training to help her mother, who was suffering from depression.…

How to use the new BNF and BNF for Children app

Around 500,000 print copies of the BNF and BNF for Children are distributed to healthcare professionals each year. A new app which combines BNF and BNF for Children content ensures the availability of drug information through a smart device.…

Negative feedback from health monitoring devices

Health is more than the sum of laboratory results and monitoring figures. In the same way, quality of life needs to reflect more than just observations. I want to share my experience of a relative who is under at-home digital monitoring, which she started after she had a heart complaint. The t…

Why pharmacists need to re-evaluate what information they provide to patients

Previous court cases concerning informed consent of treatment have raised questions about what consent means in relation to pharmacists, medicines and prescribing.…

The rise of patient-centred technologies in community pharmacy

2017 could see a rise in patient-centred technologies across pharmacy. Martin Hao, managing director at Healthera, a new medicines management app, looks at the reasons behind the trend.…

Update on the FIP pictogram project to improve health literacy

I would like to provide readers with an update of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) pictogram project. FIP attempts to bring a high level of recognition to health literacy. The Military and Emergency Pharmacy Section (MEPS) of FIP undertook a major project in 2004 to develop cl…

Identifying patients with testosterone deficiency in community pharmacy

Addressing men’s health is always an ongoing conundrum and not just limited to “Movember”. Beyond just addressing this health issue, it is also about saving valuable NHS resources, keeping families together for longer, reducing economic loss and improving health equality. Com…

Campaign to raise eye drop technique awareness

In summer 2016, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust launched its pharmacy-led #knowyourdrops campaign. Its main objectives are to promote and encourage good eye drop compliance, provide support to patients, carers and staff regarding best techniques for administering eye drops, and demonstr…

Improving the care of people with learning disabilities in pharmacy

There are about 1.2 million people in England with a learning disability. A number of recent studies have highlighted concern about the widespread prescribing of psychotropic drugs for people with a learning disability. The Stopping Over-Medication of People with Learning Disabilities campaign aims …