Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25116456›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2014

The positive pharmacy care law: an area-level analysis of the relationship between community pharmacy distribution, urbanity and social deprivation in England.

Adam Todd, Alison Copeland, Andy Husband, Adetayo Kasim, Clare Bambra

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 88 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
88citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

88 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Early cancer diagnosis and community pharmacies: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026
    Pooled it
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  4. Implementing and Delivering Culturally Centred Pharmacy Services Tailored to Ethnically Minoritised Populations: A Qualitative Systematic Review and Meta-Ethnography.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025
    Pooled it
  5. Pharmacy-based management for depression in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019
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28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Adam ToddDivision of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health, Durham University, Stockton-on-Tees, UK Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Durham University, Stockton-on-Tees, UK.
Alison CopelandWolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Durham University, Stockton-on-Tees, UK.
Andy HusbandDivision of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health, Durham University, Stockton-on-Tees, UK Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Durham University, Stockton-on-Tees, UK.
Adetayo KasimWolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Durham University, Stockton-on-Tees, UK.
Clare BambraWolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Durham University, Stockton-on-Tees, UK Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, UK.

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/K02325X/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo: (1) determine the percentage of the population in England that have access to a community pharmacy within 20 min walk; (2) explore any relationship between the walking distance and urbanity; (3) explore any relationship between the walking distance and social deprivation; and (4) explore any interactions between urbanity, social deprivation and community pharmacy access.

designThis area level analysis spatial study used postcodes for all community pharmacies in England. Each postcode was assigned to a population lookup table and lower super output area (LSOA). The LSOA was then matched to urbanity (urban, town and fringe or village, hamlet and isolated dwellings) and deprivation decile (using the Index of Multiple Deprivation score). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Access to a community pharmacy within 20 min walk.

resultsOverall, 89.2% of the population is estimated to have access to a community pharmacy within 20 min walk. For urban areas, that is 98.3% of the population, for town and fringe, 79.9% of the population, while for rural areas, 18.9% of the population. For areas of lowest deprivation (deprivation decile 1) 90.2% of the population have access to a community pharmacy within 20 min walk, compared to 99.8% in areas of highest deprivation (deprivation decile 10), a percentage difference of 9.6% (8.2, 10.9).

conclusionsOur study shows that the majority of the population can access a community pharmacy within 20 min walk and crucially, access is greater in areas of highest deprivation--a positive pharmacy care law. More research is needed to explore the perceptions and experiences of people--from various levels of deprivation--around the accessibility of community pharmacy services.

Indexed as

Community Pharmacy ServicesHealth Services AccessibilityPharmaciesPovertyResidence CharacteristicsRural PopulationUrban PopulationEnglandHumansWalkinghealth services accessibilityPharmaciesPUBLIC HEALTH

Identifiers

PMID25116456
PMCPMC4156797

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.