BACKGROUND The Italian Ministry of Health decided to introduce community professional services in 2010. This trial provides an opportunity to evaluate the outcomes of a new professional pharmacy service: Italian Medicines Use Review (I-MUR) aimed at reducing the severity of asthma and its associated costs. METHODS/DESIGN This is a cluster randomised controlled trial of the I-MUR service. Data...

12 A ship sinks at sea. The occupants are left floating in the ocean aided only by their life preservers and buoyant pieces of debris. Fortunately, a CoastGuard cutter, attracted by an SOS sent from the sinking ship, arrives and saves the day. This is a rescue. Asthma is characterised by episodes of acutely worsening airflow, secondary to bronchospasm. An asthmatic, when exposed to a trigger, m...

BACKGROUND The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries is increasing. Where patients are expected to make increased out-of-pocket payments this can lead to treatment interruptions or non-adherence. Swaziland is no exception in this regard. AIM The aim of the study was to investigate the availability of medicines for NCDs in a hospital and the impact of o...

BACKGROUND In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the 'make medicines child size' (MMCS) campaign by urging countries to prioritize procurement of medicines with appropriate strengths for children's age and weight and, in child-friendly formulations of rectal and flexible oral solid formulations. This study examined policy provisions for MMCS recommendations in Uganda. METHODS ...

Respiratory tract disorder is a very common problem faced by pediatric population, asthma being one of the most common chronic disorders in young children. Many preschool children regularly wheeze, especially during common cold infection and cold seasons. Some children wheeze after a simple exercise or some after the introduction of medication like aspirin or after introduction to allergens. An...

Recent studies have demonstrated a high prevalence of non-adherence with anti-inflammatory medication in patients referred for specialist assessment with difficult-to-control asthma. As well as poor asthma outcome and increased healthcare cost, failure to detect non-adherence makes identification of true treatment-resistant/refractory asthma challenging. This is because guideline definitions of...

Anaphylaxis is a serious, systemic, hypersensitivity reaction that can be lifethreatening.1 Understanding the clinical characteristics and triggers associated to it could lead to early recognition and better management. Although the anaphylaxis in western countries is well studied, the clinical features of this condition in Asia started to be investigated just 10 years ago. Recent epidemiologic...

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate how different types of prescriptions using different illness labels may influence lay views about the use of generic or brand medicines. The participants were 882 Portuguese (both sexes) recruited from the general population, who completed a self-administered questionnaire. A vignette methodology was used in which different prescriptions ...

BACKGROUND Little is known about use of herbal medicines by older Mexican Americans. The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics among older Mexican Americans that correlate with use of herbal medicines. METHODS We administered a cross-sectional regional sample survey, the 1993-1994 Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly of Mexican Ame...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use for pediatric asthma is increasing. The authors of previous studies linked CAM use with decreased adherence to conventional asthma medicines; however, these studies were limited by cross-sectional design. Our objective was to assess the effect of starting CAM on pediatric adherence with daily asthma medications. METHODS...