ArticleBMJ open2015
A cohort study of influences, health outcomes and costs of patients' health-seeking behaviour for minor ailments from primary and emergency care settings.
Article in BMJ open, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05247333 (Implementation, Integration and Sustainability of a Minor Ailment Service in Usual Practice of Community Pharmacy), which is not on this map. Cited by 63 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Implementation, Integration and Sustainability of a Minor Ailment Service in Usual Practice of Community Pharmacy
Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 116 citations in OpenAlex.
- Self-care with non-prescription medicines to improve health care access and quality of life in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review and methodological approach.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Methodological considerations in clinical outcomes assessment of pharmacy-based minor ailments management: A systematic review.PloS one · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- Trial
- A cost utility analysis alongside a cluster-randomised trial evaluating a minor ailment service compared to usual care in community pharmacy.BMC health services research · 2021Trial
- Article
- Evolution of community pharmacy services in the European Union and beyond: a cross-country survey of 33 national pharmacy organisations.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2026Article
- Evaluating the Clinical and Humanistic Impact of a Self-Care and Minor Ailment Service (MAS).Communications medicine · 2026Article
- Community Pharmacists' Management of Minor Ailments in Tripoli, Libya: An Exploratory Study of Practices, Prevalence, and Challenges.Farmaceuticos comunitarios · 2026Article
- The 2023 Garrod Lecture: Antimicrobial use and stewardship in primary care: what works, and what next?The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2025Article
- Exploring medicine classification and accessibility: a qualitative study.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2025Article
- General Practice Community Pharmacist Consultation Service: an exploratory patient survey.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Perspectives of pharmacy staff on provision of self-care and minor ailment education in primary schools: a qualitative study.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2024Article
- Pilot and quantitative evaluation of the TARGET acne toolkit by UK pharmacy professionals working in general practice.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Recruitment and retention of staff in rural dispensing primary care practice: a qualitative inquiry.BJGP open · 2024Article
- The landscape of self-care in Australia: A pharmacy perspective.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2024Article
- An online cross-sectional survey of community pharmacists to assess information needs for evidence-based self-medication counselling.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2023Article
- Perceived current and future roles of UK-based community pharmacy professionals in the long-term management of acne.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2023Article
- How to write a successful grant application: guidance provided by the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2023Article
- Article
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo compare health-related and cost-related outcomes of consultations for symptoms suggestive of minor ailments in emergency departments (EDs), general practices and community pharmacies.
designObservational study; prospective cohort design.
settingEDs (n=2), general practices (n=6) and community pharmacies (n=10) in a mix of rural/urban and deprived/affluent areas across North East Scotland and East Anglia. Participants Adults (≥18 years) presenting between 09:00 and 18:00 (Monday-Friday) in general practices and 09:00-18:00 (Monday-Saturday) in pharmacies and EDs with ≥1 of the following: musculoskeletal pain; eye discomfort; gastrointestinal disturbance; or upper respiratory tract-related symptoms.
interventionsParticipants completed three questionnaires: baseline (prior to index consultation); satisfaction with index consultation and follow-up (2 weeks after index consultation).
main outcome measuresSymptom resolution, quality of life, costs, satisfaction and influences on care-seeking behaviour.
results377 patients participated, recruited from EDs (81), general practices (162) and community pharmacies (134). The 2-week response rate was 70% (264/377). Symptom resolution was similar across all three settings: ED (37.3%), general practice (35.7%) and pharmacy (44.3%). Mean overall costs per consultation were significantly lower for pharmacy (£29.30 (95% CI £21.60 to £37.00)) compared with general practice (£82.34 (95% CI £63.10 to £101.58)) and ED (£147.09 (95% CI £125.32 to £168.85)). Satisfaction varied across settings and by measure used. Compared with pharmacy and general practice use, ED use was significantly (p<0.001) associated with first episode and short duration of symptom(s), as well as higher levels of perceived seriousness and urgency for seeking care. Convenience of location was the most common reason for choice of consultation setting.
conclusionsThese results suggest similar health-related outcomes and substantially lower costs with pharmacy consultations for minor ailments. Effective strategies are now needed to shift demand for minor ailment management away from EDs and general practices to the community pharmacy setting.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.