Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33579266›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2021

Pharmacy professionals' views regarding the future of NHS patient medicines helpline services: a multimethod qualitative study.

Matt Williams, Abbie Jordan, Jenny Scott, Matthew D Jones

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 41% of its field
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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Matt WilliamsDepartment of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, University of Bath, 5 West, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY,, Bath, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9122-1858
Abbie JordanDepartment of Psychology & Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath, Bath, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1595-5574
Jenny ScottDepartment of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, University of Bath, 5 West, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY,, Bath, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4920-0914
Matthew D JonesDepartment of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, University of Bath, 5 West, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY,, Bath, UK. m.d.jones@bath.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2617-4098
University of Bath · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatient medicines helpline services (PMHS) have been established at some National Health Service (NHS) hospitals, to provide patients with post-discharge medicines-related support. However, findings suggest that many PMHS are provided sub-optimally due to a lack of resources. This study sought to examine pharmacy professionals' perceptions of the future of PMHS.

methodsParticipants comprised pharmacy professionals from NHS Trusts in England that provided a PMHS. Invitations to participate in a qualitative survey and then an interview were sent to pharmacy services at all NHS Trusts that provided a PMHS. This resulted in 100 survey participants and 34 interview participants. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's inductive reflexive thematic analysis.

resultsTwo themes were generated: Enhancing value for service users and Improving efficiency. Enhancing value for service users identifies pharmacy professionals' suggestions for improving the value of PMHS for service users. These include providing access methods extending beyond the telephone, and providing patients/carers with post-discharge follow-up calls from a pharmacist to offer medicines-related support. Improving efficiency identifies that, in the future, and in line with NHS plans for efficiency and shared resources, PMHS may become centralised or provided by community pharmacies. Centralised services were considered to likely have more resources available to provide a patient medicines information service compared to hospital pharmacies. However, such a change was perceived to only increase efficiency if patient information can be shared between relevant healthcare settings.

conclusionsPMHS are perceived by pharmacy professionals as likely to become centralised in the future (i.e., provided regionally/nationally). However, such change is dependent upon the sharing of patients' information between hospitals and the centralised hub/s or pharmacies. To enhance the value of PMHS for service users, providers should consider establishing other methods of access, such as email and video consultation. Considering the uncertainty around the future of PMHS, research should establish the best way to support all patients and carers regarding medicines following hospital discharge.

Indexed as

Community Pharmacy ServicesPharmaceutical ServicesPharmaciesPharmacyAftercareEnglandHumansPatient DischargePharmacistsState MedicineDrug informationHospital dischargeHospital pharmacyMedicines informationMedicines‐related errorsMultimethodNational Health ServicePatient medicines helplinesQualitativeThematic analysis

Identifiers

PMID33579266
PMCPMC7880211
OpenAlexW3126198523

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.