| Title |
Non-prescription treatment of NSAID induced GORD by Australian pharmacies: a national simulated patient study
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, May 2015
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s11096-015-0129-9 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Brett MacFarlane, Andrew Matthews, Jenny Bergin |
| Abstract |
Background Patients regularly present to community pharmacies for advice about and treatment for reflux symptoms and NSAIDs are a common cause of these symptoms. There is no published literature detailing the approach that pharmacies take to these enquiries, the pharmacotherapy they recommend or whether they contribute to the safe and effective use of reflux medicines. Objectives To assess in an observational study design the clinical history gathering, recommendations for GORD management and counselling provided by community pharmacies in a simulated patient scenario involving suspected NSAID induced reflux symptoms. Setting Australian community pharmacies. Method Simulated patients visited 223 community pharmacies to request treatment for reflux symptoms. The interaction was audiotaped and assessed against guidelines for the treatment of reflux symptoms. Main outcome measures Alignment of community pharmacies with international expert gastroenterologist guidance and national professional practice guidelines for the treatment of reflux symptoms by pharmacists including: consultation with a pharmacist; confirmation of reflux diagnosis based on symptoms; recommendation of short courses proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy; advice on the safe and effective use of reflux medicines and referral to a doctor for further assessment. Results Pharmacists consulted with the simulated patient in 77 % of cases. Symptoms were enquired about in 95 % of cases and a medicines history taken in 69 % of cases. Recommendations for treatment included: PPIs (18 %), histamine H2 antagonists (57 %) and antacids (19 %). Advice on product use was given in 83 % of cases. Referral to a doctor to discuss reflux symptoms was made in 63 % of cases. Conclusion When assessing patients for the symptoms of GORD, Australian pharmacists and non-pharmacist support staff take a comprehensive history including symptomatology, duration of symptoms, concomitant medicines and medical conditions and any GORD treatments previously trialled. They provide comprehensive counselling on the use of antisecretory and antacid medicines. Counselling could involve more comprehensive information on lifestyle approaches for GORD management and side effects of antisecretory and antacid medicines. Further alignment with guidelines for the management of GORD would result in greater referral to a doctor for assessment of recurrent GORD and greater recommendation of PPIs for symptoms. However alignment with guidelines by all pharmacists is unrealistic if the guidelines are not universally available to them. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 4 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2 | 50% |
| United States | 1 | 25% |
| Unknown | 1 | 25% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 3 | 75% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 25% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 41 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 41 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 6 | 15% |
| Student > Bachelor | 5 | 12% |
| Researcher | 4 | 10% |
| Professor > Associate Professor | 3 | 7% |
| Student > Master | 3 | 7% |
| Other | 4 | 10% |
| Unknown | 16 | 39% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 7 | 17% |
| Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 7 | 17% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 4 | 10% |
| Environmental Science | 1 | 2% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 1 | 2% |
| Other | 4 | 10% |
| Unknown | 17 | 41% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 4. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 19 May 2015.
All research outputs
#8,320,111
of 25,037,495 outputs
Outputs from International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
#535
of 1,263 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#93,359
of 269,925 outputs
Outputs of similar age from International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
#15
of 28 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,037,495 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 66th percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,263 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.7. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 57% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 269,925 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 65% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 28 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 46th percentile – i.e., 46% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.