Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy最新文献

{"title":"Through the lens of rural patients and pharmacies: A content analysis of state level pharmacy benefit manager regulations and policies","authors":"Tyler C. Melton ,&nbsp;MaryKathleen Ryan ,&nbsp;Andrew M. Stallings ,&nbsp;Sang H. Park ,&nbsp;Cameron Lanier ,&nbsp;Jordan Marie Ballou ,&nbsp;Meagen Rosenthal","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100595","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100595","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) are responsible for establishing community pharmacy reimbursement practices and prices to varying degrees. Understanding PBMs' reimbursement practices is necessary for the continued viability of community pharmacies located in underserved and rural patient communities. Currently, there is a gap in literature exploring PBM reform and the impact this legislation has on rural pharmacy practice.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This content analysis reviews the legislation complied by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and determines its benefits to pharmacies and patients in rural areas.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The NCPA PBM Reform legislation document included bills from 48 states and the District of Columbia, that were introduced between November 30, 2018, through December 7, 2021. Bills were classified as enacted (<em>n</em> = 81), in debate (<em>n</em> = 186), or as having failed to be enacted (<em>n</em> = 120). Eighty-one enacted bills were reviewed to assess if it benefited patients, pharmacies, or both. Bills not benefiting either pharmacies or patients were excluded.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Fifty-seven bills were included in the content analysis, where six categories were identified using thematic analysis and classified as: PBM Operations, Drug Pricing, Transparency, Reimbursements, Cost Sharing, and Prior Authorization. Only twenty-two bills were identified as potentially benefitting both rural pharmacies and rural patients through inclusion of legislation managing PBM practices involving patient steering, network adequacy, pricing transparency, reforming cost-sharing structures, and streamlining prior authorization processes.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study identifies multiple PBM legislation categories having the potential to impact rural pharmacy operations and patient outcomes. However, further research is needed to understand the specific financial and clinical impact of these PBM legislation categories on rural communities and rural pharmacy practice, as well as their alignment with enabling pharmacists to combat unique health disparities and challenges facing rural communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 100595"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143760556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vitamin D testing in pharmacies: Results of a federal screening campaign","authors":"Olaf Rose ,&nbsp;Stefanie Eppacher ,&nbsp;Johanna Pachmayr ,&nbsp;Stephanie Clemens","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100596","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100596","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The convenient accessibility of pharmacies positions them as optimal venues for screening initiatives. There is growing public concern regarding vitamin D levels, particularly during the winter months in middle-and northern latitudes. This study aimed to assess vitamin D levels in early spring and to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a large-scale screening campaign within pharmacies.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This investigation was structured as a cross-sectional multicenter survey conducted in a routine care setting. Data collection was performed in a fully anonymized manner. An automatic fluorescent immunoassay system was utilized for point-of-care-testing, and both patient and provider questionnaires were developed. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively. Both parametric- and nonparametric statistical tests were performed to analyze the data, ensuring robust results across different assumptions. A resulting maturity matrix for implementation was conceptualized.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Over a two-week campaign, 62 community pharmacies conducted a total of 2770 vitamin D tests. All participants completed the questionnaire, and 45 pharmacists participated in a retrospective survey. Vitamin D deficiency was identified in 56.2 % of participants, while 25.2 % exhibited levels of insufficiency. A higher BMI was associated with lower vitamin D levels, whereas daily supplementation correlated with higher levels compared to intermittent or weekly dosing regimens. The vast majority of patients expressed high satisfaction with the services provided. Pharmacists valued the positive feedback from patients and expressed enthusiasm for further testing and the advancement of clinical pharmacy services. The resulting maturity matrix facilitates corporate implementation.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The implementation of a large-scale federal vitamin D screening campaign proved to be feasible and resulted in high levels of satisfaction among both patients and providers. The findings indicated significantly low vitamin D levels among participants. Pharmacists expressed a desire for an expansion of clinical pharmacy services in the future.</div><div>Vitamin D testing in pharmacies: results of a federal screening campaign.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 100596"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Streamlining and improving controlled drug dispensary workload in a London teaching hospital following the implementation of automated dispensing cabinets on wards: A quality improvement project","authors":"Áine Walsh,&nbsp;Emma Jeffrey,&nbsp;Kit Lai","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100594","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100594","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;An efficiently run pharmacy dispensary has the potential to positively impact patients stay in hospital. Pharmacy dispensary providers work in a fast-paced, hectic environment and are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with workload demands. In order to meet the increasing demand on resources, pharmacy teams are incorporating Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives to improve efficiencies within systems for the purpose of freeing up nursing and pharmacy staff time, improve patient flow and improve patient safety. This QI project sought to develop a standardised inventory control formula for controlled drugs (CDs) stocked in ADCs in clinical locations in order to reduce the frequency of CD stock orders, minimise the requirement for manual nurse generated orders and in doing so streamline workload for dispensaries whilst ensuring sufficient CD stock holding levels in clinical locations. The introduction of ADCs corresponded with an increase in dispensary workload at the main hospital site at King's College Hospital (KCH). Retrospective time series analysis of the monthly CD dispensing data was analysed for Surgical and Trauma wards over a 27-month period using the Statistical Control Process (SPC) tool. Volume of stock CD dispensing transactions, volume of stock Vs non-stock CD dispensing transactions, volume of weekday vs weekend, morning, afternoon and out of hours CD stock workload were measured. Two interventions were implemented: (i) stock optimisation informed by the utilisation of CD dispensing data issued from the ADC in central pharmacy; (ii) stocklist rationalisation to ensure the most commonly used CDs were added to CD stocklists and the least commonly used CDs were removed from stocklists in addition to the development of a standardised inventory management formula. The main outcome measure was the volume of stock CD dispensing transactions processed by central pharmacy. Secondary outcome measures included the volume of stock CD dispensing transactions at weekends Vs weekdays in addition to the split in workload between mornings, afternoons and out of hours. A reduction in stock CD workload for Surgical and Trauma wards was demonstrated following the stock optimisation review whereas this was not significantly impacted by the stock rationalisation or application of the standardised inventory management formula. Weekend workload reduced by 30 % in comparison to pre-ADC baseline period. Morning, afternoon and out of hours CD stock workload demonstrated a sustained improvement following stock optimisation, stock rationalisation and following the application of the standardised inventory management formula. The only exception to this sustained improvement was in October 2023 following the implementation of a new Trust wide EMPA system. The perfect formula to determine CD stock inventory levels remains elusive, however, as nurses are still required to order stock manually via CD requisition books for stock CD requests. Conti","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 100594"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143725745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding pharmacists' engagement in sport and exercise medicine, including pharmacist-physiotherapist collaboration: A qualitative study and COM-B analysis.","authors":"Alison D. Hooper ,&nbsp;Jodie Marquez ,&nbsp;Beata Bajorek ,&nbsp;Joyce Cooper ,&nbsp;David Newby","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100593","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100593","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Sport and exercise medicine (SEM) is a multidisciplinary field that integrates expertise from various healthcare professionals to optimise athletic performance and promote physical activity for chronic disease prevention and management. Australian pharmacists are well-positioned to contribute to SEM, yet their roles remain undefined beyond niche areas like anti-doping. Interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly with physiotherapists, is also underexplored. This study investigates pharmacists' engagement in SEM and pharmacist-physiotherapist collaboration, using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation–Behaviour (COM<img>B) model to explore behavioural components.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 14 Australian pharmacists practicing across diverse settings. Data were thematically analysed and mapped to the COM-B framework.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Five key themes emerged: (1) Broad scope of pharmacy practice in SEM incorporating both pharmacological and non-pharmacological advice; (2) Opportunities and challenges in inter-professional collaboration, constrained by informal referral pathways and limited interdisciplinary communication (3) Gaps in SEM-related training and education, with pharmacists expressing interest in targeted professional development; (4) Perceived barriers to engagement, including time constraints, remuneration issues and lack of professional recognition; and (5) Future opportunities for pharmacists in SEM, such as integration into multidisciplinary SEM teams and supporting physiotherapist prescribing.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Pharmacists are well-placed to play a broader role in SEM but face systemic and educational barriers. Enhancing training, establishing formal referral and interdisciplinary communication pathways and addressing structural challenges could improve engagement. This study lays the groundwork for future interventions to enhance pharmacists' contributions to SEM and strengthen pharmacist-physiotherapist collaboration, ultimately improving consumer care and health outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 100593"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143682362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Employing bibliometrics and natural language processing (NLP) to analyse real-world applications of adverse drug reaction","authors":"Viola Savy Dsouza ,&nbsp;Lada Leyens ,&nbsp;Angela Brand","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100592","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100592","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) pose significant health and economic burdens, yet underreporting and inconsistent standards persist. Digital health innovations, particularly mobile and web-based ADR reporting applications, offer potential to enhance pharmacovigilance by improving data accuracy and patient-reported outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>The study provides a comprehensive mapping of ADR mobile and web application literature, analysing publication trends, key contributors, and core themes through bibliometric and NLP-based content analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A systematic two-stage approach was applied to 289 Web of Science articles on ADR reporting applications. Bibliometric analysis explored publication trends, co-authorship networks, and keyword occurrences, while NLP-based topic modelling identified prevalent themes, ensuring thematic coherence and interpretability.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Bibliometric analysis showed a rise in ADR application-related publications, primarily from the United Kingdom, United States of America, and Switzerland. Content analysis identified ten key themes, including pharmacovigilance, chemotherapy adherence, and psychiatry research. A distinct focus on digital tools in ADR reporting and management was evident, with keywords such as “mobile,” “application,” and “patient” becoming increasingly prominent in recent years. Co-authorship and collaboration networks, however, showed limited cross-national research partnerships.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>The study highlights the transformative role of digital solutions in pharmacovigilance, demonstrating the potential of ADR applications to enhance reporting accuracy and improve patient safety. However, adoption remains early-stage and fragmented by regional affiliations. Future research should focus on patient-centric app development, effectiveness assessment, and fostering global collaboration. Strengthening digital literacy and robust investment in ADR reporting applications is crucial for optimizing their impact in healthcare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 100592"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143682361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The prevalence of clinically relevant herb-drug interactions between herbal products and anti-cancer therapy in older adults with cancer – A cross-sectional study","authors":"Edwin J. Brokaar ,&nbsp;Frederiek van den Bos ,&nbsp;Johanneke E.A. Portielje ,&nbsp;Loes E. Visser","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100585","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100585","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The use of herbal supplements is highly prevalent amongst people with cancer and may lead to clinically relevant herb-drug interactions (HDIs) with their anti-cancer treatment. As the number of older adults with cancer increases, the numbers of older adults with cancer that are at risk of a HDI with anti-cancer treatment increases as well.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The goal of this study was to establish the prevalence of potentially relevant HDIs in older adults who undergo anti-cancer treatment. Also, the overall use of herbal products in this population and possible associations with patient characteristics were investigated.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>In this single center cross-sectional study patients aged ≥65 years were invited to participate if they underwent systemic anticancer treatment for a solid or hematological cancer. A questionnaire was developed to investigate the use of a selected set of frequently used herbs with known HDIs with regular medications. If a selected herb was used, the herb and oncological medication were assessed for potentially relevant HDIs. All potentially relevant HDIs were independently evaluated by two pharmacists on clinical relevance.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 202 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 74 years and 54 % was male. The prevalence of potentially relevant HDIs was 4 % and overall herb use was 12 %. Thirteen potentially relevant HDIs were identified, of which 6 were judged to be clinically relevant. The clinically relevant HDIs concerned red yeast rice, red coneflower, turmeric, and cannabis. None of the patient characteristics were associated with overall herb use.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Potentially relevant HDIs between herbal supplements and oncological treatment occur in 4 % of older adults with cancer and half of these are clinically relevant. Healthcare providers should question patients with cancer on the use of herbal supplements and monitor for relevant HDI with the treatment given.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 100585"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143682360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antibiotic dispensing without a prescription across community pharmacies: A simulated patient study","authors":"Thu Anh Do ,&nbsp;Phuong Bao Quan ,&nbsp;Thy Tran-Bao Le ,&nbsp;Tuyen Thanh Du ,&nbsp;Suong Thi-Thanh Duong ,&nbsp;Kim Thai-Thien Nguyen ,&nbsp;Khoi Ngoc Nguyen ,&nbsp;Hoa Quoc Nguyen","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100590","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100590","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study aimed to investigate the proportion of antibiotics dispensed, counseling content, and factors associated with antibiotic dispensing for patients with common cold symptoms among community pharmacists (CPs) in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2023 using a simulated patient (SP) method. A total of 352 community pharmacies across 24 districts in HCMC were randomly selected. The SP provided complaints including having fever, sore throat, cough, swallowing difficulty, stuffy nose and asked for treatment. Bayesian Model Averaging was undertaken to determine the factors associated with antibiotic dispensing practices.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of 352 enrolled pharmacies, the proportions of antibiotics suggested and eventually dispensed by CPs were 86.4 % and 83.0 %, respectively. Antipyretics, corticosteroids, and cough medicines were also frequently dispensed (94.9 %, 90.1 %, and 85.8 %, respectively). Only 1.7 % of the CPs provided reasons to take antibiotics, and 8.8 % advised to take the full course of antibiotics. While 80.1 % of CPs counseled on the dosage of medications dispensed, 1.7 % provided information regarding potential drug adverse reactions. CPs at chain pharmacies and in urban areas were less likely to dispense antibiotics without a prescription than their peers at independent pharmacies (OR = 0.32; 95 % CI: 0.17–0.59) and in rural areas (OR = 0.53, 95 % CI: 0.29–0.97).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>A high proportion of CPs dispensing antibiotics without a prescription along with inadequate counseling content, especially at independent pharmacies and in rural areas was recorded. These issues hightlight the need to improve CPs' knowledge regarding antibiotic resistance and appropriate antibiotic use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 100590"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143644436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing personas to examine older adult engagement with televised direct-to-consumer advertisements: A theory based approach","authors":"Emily L. Hoffins MS ,&nbsp;Taylor L. Watterson PharmD, PhD ,&nbsp;Michelle A. Chui PharmD, PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100589","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100589","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The average adult in the United States views up to 16 h of direct-to-consumer television advertisements (DTCA) per year, far exceeding time they spend with their primary care team. DTCAs present a unique opportunity to extend medical education beyond traditional medical settings and into the daily lives of patients. This is particularly valuable for populations with changing healthcare needs, such as older adults. As pharmaceutical companies invest in DTCAs, there is a growing need to identify what characteristics make viewers more likely to retain and act on medication information presented in DTCAs.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This paper presents a theory based approach to developing personas of older adult DTCA viewers that categorize characteristics influencing their approach to healthcare engagement.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In 2023, 25 older adult participants watched a one minute DTCA followed by a semi-structured interview. The interview guide applied concepts from the human factors engineering Communication-Human Information Processing model (C-HIP). C-HIP provided structure for both identifying personal characteristics that influence cognition and examining how these factors influence older adult's ability and desire to retain information from DTCAs. Personas were iteratively developed using qualitative analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The study yielded three main older adult DTCA viewing personas. These include: 1) medication averse older adults who actively avoid taking medications, 2) information seeking older adults who independently research health information to participate in shared-decision making, and 3) medication adhering older adults who prefer their provider to control decisions.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Constructing older adult personas provides insights into the heterogeneity among older adult approaches to engaging with health information. Each persona represents unique information priorities and personal characteristics of older adults when viewing advertisements, thus presenting a need for tailored patient-centered messaging in commercials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 100589"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143644435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the pharmacist's role in regional, rural, and remote kidney transplant care: Perspectives of health professionals and transplant recipients","authors":"Tara K. Watters ,&nbsp;Nicole J. Scholes-Robertson ,&nbsp;Andrew J. Mallett ,&nbsp;Beverley D. Glass","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100587","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Role clarification amongst health professionals is necessary for successful interprofessional collaboration. Despite a demonstrated need for pharmacists in the provision of care to regional, rural, and remote kidney transplant recipients, this role is not well defined.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study explored health professionals' and kidney transplant recipients' perceptions around the role of the pharmacist in the provision of care to kidney transplant recipients from regional, rural, and remote areas of Australia.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with Australian kidney transplant health professionals and kidney transplant recipients respectively. Transcripts were analysed thematically and deductively coded using a simplified framework of role theory constructs.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Participants consisted of a multidisciplinary cross section of transplant health professionals (<em>n</em> = 26) and both deceased and living donor kidney transplant recipients (<em>n</em> = 30). Six role theory constructs were identified from the data with regards to the pharmacist's role: role identity, role ambiguity, role overload, role overqualification, role underqualification, and role insufficiency. Core role expectations centred around provision of ongoing education and support with medication management and supply (role identity), however pharmacists remain underutilised for delivery of medication education (role overqualification). A transdisciplinary model of care was suggested to overcome current shortfalls (role overload, role insufficiency). There was hesitancy around pharmacist-led immunosuppressant monitoring and titration (role ambiguity, role underqualification).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Kidney transplant recipients in regional, rural, and remote areas experience unique barriers and challenges associated with medication management, necessitating an increased level of involvement and support from the pharmacist.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 100587"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143642852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review of recommendations, efficacy, and patient safety for over-the-counter norgestrel for daily contraception","authors":"Gia Tran ,&nbsp;Joshua Wollen ,&nbsp;Shantera Davis ,&nbsp;Elisabeth M. Wang ,&nbsp;Julia Arriazola ,&nbsp;Natalie Rosario","doi":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100591","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100591","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>This narrative review examines the implications of norgestrel, a progestin-only oral contraceptive, becoming newly available over-the-counter (OTC) in the United States. The objectives are to explore the pharmacotherapy,mechanism of action, efficacy, safety, and implications to clinical practice of OTC progestin-only pills (POPs), and how this may impact contraceptive access and public health.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The review synthesizes data from clinical studies, public health reports, global perspectives, and recent policy changes to assess the potential impact of OTC access to norgestrel in the United States. The analysis includes the evaluation of the pharmacodynamics of norgestrel 0.075 mg on ovarian activity, the effectiveness of POPs, and benefits and barriers to contraceptive access.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>The evidence indicates that POPs thickens cervical mucus, providing effective contraception within 48 h of use. While ovulation inhibition may take up to 28 days and occurs in approximately half of users, the availability of POPs OTC is anticipated to significantly reduce barriers to contraceptive access. This could lead to a broader use of effective contraception and potentially reduce unintended pregnancies. Additionally, the review highlights that the introduction of OTC contraceptives could increase access among populations historically facing difficulties in obtaining prescriptions.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Making norgestrel available OTC represents a critical advancement in contraceptive access with the potential to enhance public health by reducing unintended pregnancies. However, the extent of its impact will depend on widespread education and adherence to proper use. The review underscores the need for further research to monitor outcomes post-OTC availability and to assess the broader implications for reproductive health and equity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":73003,"journal":{"name":"Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy","volume":"18 ","pages":"Article 100591"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143628764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}