Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35999571›Full record

ArticleBMC rheumatology2022

The potential role of community pharmacy staff in reducing patient delay in consulting with symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: a qualitative study.

Gwenda Simons, Nour Ismail, Karanbir Sandhu, Christian D Mallen, Rebecca J Stack, Sarah Pontefract, Karim Raza, Marie Falahee

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC rheumatology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 33% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. 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

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Gwenda Simons *Rheumatology Research Group, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing (IIA), College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. g.simons@bham.ac.uk.
Nour Ismail *School of Pharmacy, College of Medical and Dental Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Karanbir SandhuMedical School, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Christian D MallenSchool of Medicine, Keele University, Keele, UK.
Rebecca J StackInstitute of Clinical Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Sarah PontefractSchool of Pharmacy, College of Medical and Dental Science, Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Karim Raza *Rheumatology Research Group, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing (IIA), College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Marie Falahee *Rheumatology Research Group, Institute of Inflammation and Ageing (IIA), College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
University of Birmingham · GBKeele University · GB

Funding

AbbVie unrestricted grant
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis which can cause joint damage and reduced quality of life. Early treatment of RA within 3 months of symptom onset is associated with improved clinical outcomes. However, this window of opportunity is often missed. One important contributing factor is patients with symptoms of RA delaying consulting their general practitioner (GP). Previous research indicates that patients with inflammatory arthritis are likely to visit pharmacies for advice before consulting their GP. Therefore, pharmacists are well positioned to identify patients with symptoms of early inflammatory arthritis and signpost them appropriately. This research examines community pharmacy staff's knowledge, perceptions, and approaches to management of patients presenting with symptoms of RA in order to identify training needs and other opportunities for intervention to enhance the role of pharmacy staff in the pathway to care.

methodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 community pharmacy staff in the West Midlands (UK), during a 12-month period (2017-2018). The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis facilitated by NVivo 12.

resultsThere was considerable variation in knowledge and perceptions of RA and the need for early treatment amongst pharmacists and other pharmacy staff. The potential role of pharmacists and other pharmacy staff in reducing delay in help-seeking was also discussed. Four themes emerged from thematic analysis: (1) Variations in perceptions and knowledge about RA. (2) The role of the pharmacy in increasing public awareness about RA. (3) The role of the pharmacy staff in facilitating access to the GP. (4) Practical considerations for pharmacy-based interventions.

conclusionVariability in knowledge and perceptions of RA amongst pharmacists, and amongst other pharmacy staff will affect effective signposting of suspected RA cases. This study identifies opportunities for enhanced training of community pharmacists and other pharmacy staff in relation to inflammatory arthritis as well as other pharmacy-based interventions, such as public awareness campaigns about RA and other musculoskeletal conditions. Together with existing referral services and other pharmacy-based initiatives this could result in enhanced signposting to GP consultation or other appropriate NHS services for inflammatory symptoms and reduced treatment delay.

Indexed as

Community pharmacyEarly treatmentHelp seekingPharmacistsRheumatoid arthritisTreatment delay

Identifiers

PMID35999571
PMCPMC9400304
OpenAlexW4293261957

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.