No abstract

This study shows that a systematic intervention by community pharmacists in discharged patients, or their proxies, is able to reveal a high number of DRPs that might be relevant for patient health outcomes. There should be more initiatives to insure continuity of care, since DRPs after discharge from hospital seem to be very common.

Objective To describe pharmaceutical care interventions provided to hypertensive patients in a Nigerian community pharmacy setting, and to assess the impact of the practice on selected patient outcomes. Method A non‐randomised, single‐site study was conducted using community‐dwelling patients with hypertension. A pharmaceutical care intervention, which consisted mainly of verbal counselling, provision of an information leaflet, and subsequent monitoring with reinforcement, was provided. Parameters assessed at baseline and end of investigation included blood pressure control, body mass index determination, level of medication adherence, patient knowledge of the disease, and patient satisfaction. Key findings Forty‐two (42) patients were recruited and 36 completed the study, 26 (73%) were males, and 33 (92%) were married. Twenty (20, 58%) had post‐secondary education. About three‐quarters (27, 81%) were either overweight or obese (BMI >25). There was a significant difference between mean systolic blood pressure at baseline (187.67 ± 29.46 mmHg) and at the end of the study (137.22 ± 21.65 mmHg), P< 0.0001. Changes in mean diastolic blood pressure at baseline (117.56 ± 21.65) and end of study (89 ± 17.23), were also significant (P< 0.0001). Some 27 (75%) reached systolic blood pressure goals while 25 (69%) attained diastolic blood pressure goals. Prior to the pharmaceutical care intervention, 27 (75%) were not aware that salt intake was a risk factor in hypertension, and a similar proportion thought that hypertension was curable. The pharmaceutical care intervention produced a significantly higher patient‐reported satisfaction rating than baseline: 3.48 ± 0.83 (49%) versus 3.92 ± 0.62 (74%); t = 2.548; P=0.013 and 3.30 ± 0.72 (41%) versus 4.27 ± 0.56 (87%); t= 6.381, P< 0.0001 on the subscales respectively. Conclusion Pharmaceutical care provided to hypertensive patients in a Nigerian community pharmacy setting improved blood pressure control and overall patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical services.

Managing medical complications in pregnancy is a challenge to clinicians.ObjectivesThis study profiled some disease and prescription patterns for pregnant women attending antenatal clinics (ANCs) in Nigeria. A risk classification of the medicines was also determined.MethodsMedical case files of 1,200 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics of 3 health facilities in Benin City, Nigeria were investigated. Disease pattern was determined from their diagnoses. The prescription pattern was assessed using WHO indicators, and the United States Food and Drug Administration classification of medicines according to risk to the foetus.ResultsA total of 1,897 prescriptions of the 1,200 pregnant women attendees during the period under review were evaluated. Results indicated that malaria 554 (38%) was the most prevalent disease, followed by upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs, 13%) and gastrointestinal disturbances (GIT, 12%). The average number of drugs prescribed per encounter was found to be 3.0, and 2,434 (43%) of medicines were prescribed by generic name. Minerals/ Vitamins 2,396 (42%) were the most frequently prescribed medicines, and antibiotics occurred in 502 (8.8%) of the total medicines. Of all medicines prescribed, 984 (17%) were included in the foetal risk category C and 286 (5%) in category D.ConclusionThe study concluded that malaria fever occurred most frequently followed by URTIs and GIT disturbances among the pregnant women. Minerals, vitamins and to a less extent antimalarials topped the list of the prescribed medicines. The average number of medicines per encounter was much higher than WHO standards. The occurrence of contraindicated medicines was low.

Objective To assess patients' satisfaction with pharmaceutical services using an“ideal referent” model, and to further explore the validity of an existing patient satisfaction instrument. Method A cross‐sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 500 outpatients recruited consecutively at the University of Benin teaching hospital, Nigeria. A self‐completion questionnaire that employed a Likert‐type scale was used. Data were used to calculate scores on a scale that ranged from 20 to 100, with an assumed midpoint of 60. Descriptive statistics on the sample characteristics and questionnaire items were computed including means, standard deviations and frequency distributions. Varimax rotation with Kaiser normalisation was employed in principal factor analysis. Student's t‐test and one‐way ANOVA were used for inferential statistics. Key findings The instrument reliability was determined to be 0.9641 and was comparable to the reference study. Nearly half of the patients (46%) rated the amount of time the pharmacist offered to spend with them as poor. About one‐third rated promptness of prescription service as poor. Only 49% felt satisfied with the pharmaceutical services. Overall, pharmacy services received a satisfaction rating of 56.04±24.49, below the midpoint. Perceived satisfaction was significantly higher in “friendly explanation” than in “managing therapy” (t=3.916; P<0.0001). Conclusion The study provides evidence that patients experience low satisfaction with current pharmaceutical services at the study hospital. The sociodemographic characteristics of patients were not associated with their level of satisfaction. We further confirm the validity of the patient satisfaction questionnaire in a Nigerian practice setting.