HPE 102 – Dec 2022 | Page 32

and this emphasises the role of the community pharmacy team both in controlling medicines access and in performing a social , holistic and clinical role .
Worldwide , a number of pharmacists are working in the area of suicide prevention . The majority of the work comes from Canada , Australia , USA and Japan , although 77 % of reported suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries ( LMICs ) and this remains a challenge , said Dr Gorton . Currently , a member of her team is investigating the situation in Nigeria .
Health literacy “ Health literacy impacts self-care and outcomes much more than we think , according to Parisa Aslani ( Professor of Medicines Use Optimisation , University of Sydney , Australia ). It is informed by individual skills and ability but also by the complexity of the environment , she continued .
It is estimated that some 60 % of Australians have poor health literacy and would have difficulty going in to a pharmacy and finding a box of paracetamol . Improving health literacy improves the ability to undertake self-care and self-management of minor ailments . “ It is more than just knowledge ” said Professor Aslani .
Health literacy has been defined as “ The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain , process , and understand basic health
People with poor health literacy have poor understanding of what to do and where to obtain medicines and services information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions .” Without some proficiency in health literacy , it is difficult to undertake effective self-care .
People with poor health literacy have poor understanding of what to do and where to obtain medicines and services ; communications are generally poor and interactions with health care professionals tend to be largely passive . “ They ask few questions . They have difficulties with self-management with medicines and devices . One of the biggest issues is inability to participate in preventive measures . They also have poor adherence . Of course , people with high health literacy also have poor adherence sometimes but this is intentional ”, said Professor Aslani
The effective use of over-the-counter ( OTC ) medicines depends on recognition of symptoms and then making the decision to self-manage rather than consulting a doctor . The next steps – that is , selecting treatment , evaluating safety and duration of treatment – are all impacted by the individual ’ s health literacy and there are a number of steps at which a pharmacist can intervene and support the patient , she explained . Both spoken and written information should be provided but it is important to take patient-centred approach and tailor the information to match the level of health literacy of the individual so that they are able to understand and apply it .
Behavioural science Behavioural science offers a wide range of tools that can help
pharmacists to have more effective interactions with patients , Rob Horne ( Professor of Behavioural Science , University College , London ) told the audience . Taking pain management as an example , he said that understanding the individual was critical – and many patients would have a fear of addiction at the back of their minds . Asking the question , “ What would you like to get from this [ treatment ]?” was a remarkably effective way to establish good communication , he said . Another simple measure is to change the way you introduce yourself – “ Hi I am your pharmacist – I ’ m looking after your medicines …. Instead of “ Have you had these before ?”, he said .
Thorrun Govind ( community pharmacist , UK ) emphasised the potential problems in this area . For many patients there is a stigma regarding use of pain medications – especially if they do not work . Patients often do not want the prescriber to know , she said . The problems for community pharmacists can be compounded by the lack of suitable referral pathways and the fact that patients do not always understand why the pharmacist is asking questions . From the professional point of view , “ we want pharmacists to be out front , independently prescribing ”, she said . Community pharmacists also need access to the full medical record both to read and to enter data such as records of flu vaccination , she added .
References 1 International Pharmaceutical Federation ( FIP ). Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance : The Contribution of Pharmacists . The Hague : International Pharmaceutical Federation ; 2015 . 2 St . Claire Jones A et al . Strengthening
antimicrobial stewardship capacity of healthcare workers using a hub and spoke model : a pilot at two public tertiary hospitals in Zambia . Poster 008 presented at FIP Congress , Seville 2022 . 3 Gorton HC et al . Current and potential contributions of community pharmacy
teams to self-harm and suicide prevention : A qualitative interview study . PLoS One 2019 ; 14 ( 9 ): e0222132 . 4 Gorton HC et al . Experience and attitudes of pharmacy teams towards suicide prevention : A cross-sectional survey . Research in Social and
Administrative Pharmacy , 2022 ; In press . 5 NICE . Self-harm : assessment , management and preventing recurrence . NICE guideline NG225 . 07 September 2022 . www . nice . org . uk / guidance / ng225 ( accessed November 2022 ).
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