Adherence to high intensity statins drops off for heart attack patients Better insurance for drug costs, more specialist visits and taking part in cardiac rehabilitation could improve adherence to recommended statin treatment, researchers believe.…
Demonstrating the patient benefit and value for the NHS of community pharmacy: insight from the Community Pharmacy Future model In the face of funding and efficiency cuts to community pharmacy, the role of the sector is coming under increasing pressure. The importance of outcomes evidence (particularly health economic evidence) is being brought sharply into focus. The profession must come together to produce the evidence nee…
Rivaroxaban more effective than aspirin for preventing blood clots, study results suggest Rivaroxaban is as safe as aspirin and more effective at preventing recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients who were in equipoise for continued anticoagulants, a study shows.…
Health professionals are often the ‘second victims’ when patients are harmed, delegates hear When patients are harmed as a result of adverse drug events, the needs of healthcare professionals are often neglected, sometimes with far-reaching consequences.…
Anti-inflammatory drugs show no clinically significant effect in back pain, study suggests Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) seem to offer no real benefit over placebo in relieving back pain, a systematic review suggests.…
Evaluate pharmacists working in GP pilot schemes, MPs urge Pilot schemes testing whether locating pharmacists inside GP practices can improve clinical care and free up GP time now need to be formally evaluated, says an all-party parliamentary group of MPs.…
Overseas patients to pay fees to the NHS under new plans Hospitals in England will have to check overseas patients’ and migrants’ entitlement to free non-urgent NHS care from April 2017 when new regulations are due to be introduced, the Department of Health has announced. On 6 February 2017, health secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a s…
The rise of patient-centred technologies in community pharmacy2017 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.…
Christian and Muslim groups raise concerns over change to pharmacists’ ‘conscience’ clause Religious groups representing healthcare professionals have raised concerns over a proposed change to professional standards that requires pharmacists to ensure their beliefs do not compromise patient-centred care.…
Welsh audit body recommends managing medicines plan The government, the NHS and health bodies should revise the indicators used to compare how different prescribers and organisations use medicines, says a report by the Welsh Audit Office.…