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“If novel health services are to be implemented and sustained in practice, the perceptions and views of patients form a critical part of their evaluation. The aims of this study were to explore patient’s perceptions and experiences with a pharmacy asthma service and to investigate

if there was a change over time. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with patients participating in the asthma service at three time points. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using a framework approach. The service led to an enhanced awareness and understanding of asthma, changes in participants’ beliefs and attitudes towards asthma management, changes in asthma-related health behaviours see more and improved self-efficacy. Participants were very positive about the service and the role of the pharmacist in asthma management. There was a shift in participant perceptions and views, from being at an abstract level in those who had completed just one visit of the service to a more experiential level in those who had experienced the entire comprehensive asthma service. A sustained experience/multiple visits in a service may lead to more concrete changes in patient perceptions of severity, beliefs, health behaviours and

enhanced self-efficacy and control. The study highlights a need for such asthma services in the community. “
“Objective The objective is to evaluate the scope of medicines wastage in the phosphatase inhibitor library UK, assigning a value to the costs at both a national and individual patient level to assess the cost-effectiveness of the Carbachol pharmacy interventions that have been introduced to curb wastage. Methods Publicly available information was assessed in a desk-based

systematic review using online search engines and publication databases. Data on community prescribing trends and costs in England from 1997 to 2008 from the Department of Health, and published reports from Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) comprise the core information that has been analysed. Key findings The commonly used upper wastage estimate of 10% is likely to be overstated, because it pre-dates major measures to curb wastage and over-prescribing. In pilot programmes, medicines use reviews have achieved cost savings of up to 20%. Awareness campaigns aimed at patients appear to be effective. Twenty-eight-day repeat prescribing has resulted in year-on-year reductions on the quantity of medication issued per prescription item to reach an average prescription length of 40 days in 2008. The increasing availability of generic medications has seen significant reductions in net ingredient costs. Nearly two-thirds of prescriptions are now issued as generics, with an average net ingredient cost of £3.83. Pharmacy charges to dispense a prescription item in 2008 averaged £1.81, so that pharmacy charges make up around one-third of the cost of most prescription items dispensed. If all 842.