OBJECTIVES Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern and is greatly exacerbated by inappropriate antibiotic use at a community level. The aim of this study was to ascertain which attitudes of community pharmacists were related to inappropriate antibiotic dispensing. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of community pharmacists in a region situated in northern Spain (n = 3...

BACKGROUND In 1999, the Pharmacists Association of Gipuzkoa, a Spanish province with a population of 700,000, initiated a campaign to reduce the common practice in community pharmacies of dispensing antibiotics without prescription. OBJECTIVE The study was designed to assess the ongoing effectiveness of this program in reducing nonprescription dispensing of antibiotics. METHODS In March 200...

Pharmacists are members of the healthcare teams that provide valuable services to society. Their incentive to deliver such services is influenced by remuneration methods. In this study, we aimed to review the remuneration models for pharmacists' services and the factors affecting the profitability of pharmacies in some selected countries, including France, Ireland, Canada and Turkey, and compar...

BACKGROUND In Alberta (Canadian province), the Chat Check Chart (CCC) model was developed to help pharmacists understand how patient care standards fit into routine practice. The CCC model outlines a process that covers the following: 1) Chart-asking three prime questions to gather information; 2) Check-perform pharmacotherapy workup by assessing prescription's indication, efficacy, safety and ...

There is an increasing trend towards consumption of complementary and alternative herbal products in many parts of the world. A cross-sectional sample of 115 community pharmacists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was visited and information on knowledge, attitudes and practices towards herbal remedies was collected using a structured questionnaire. All pharmacists acknowledged dispensing herbal products...

In Japan, pharmacists' activities for the most part consist of dispensing although in some University Hospitals they are directly involved in patient care. In the United States, pharmacists' activities have evolved over forty years in providing drug therapy and have now expanded to improvement in the patient's quality of life. In addition, a six-year pharmacy education program based on patient ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate physician and pharmacist knowledge on potential drug interactions between combined oral contraceptives (COC) and broad-spectrum antibiotics and determine if any difference exists between responses. METHODS Two hundred licensed retail pharmacists and 200 licensed family practice physicians in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland were mailed an anonymous sur...

In Japan, the principal role of hospital pharmacists has changed from that of dispensing medicines for outpatients to provision of clinical pharmacy services for inpatients. A self-administered questionnaire about subjective symptoms, working patterns, work environments and job satisfaction was administered to 495 hospital pharmacists and 84 prefectural office-based pharmacists (control group)....

BACKGROUND Health care reform initiatives are examining new care delivery models and payment reform alternatives such as medical homes, health homes, community-based care transitions teams, medical neighborhoods and accountable care organizations (ACOs). Of particular interest is the extent to which pharmacists are integrated in team-based health care reform initiatives and the related perspect...