Practices and Perceptions of Community Pharmacists in the Management of Atopic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis

Pilot and quantitative evaluation of the TARGET acne toolkit by UK pharmacy professionals working in general practice

BACKGROUND

Acne vulgaris (acne) is a common skin condition sometimes needing topical or oral antibiotic treatment. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians (together known as pharmacy professionals) working in general practice are well placed to ensure their appropriate use.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study are to pilot an evidence-based intervention ('How to…' tool) to review treatments in the management of acne and evaluate the capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour (COM-B) of pharmacy professionals working in general practice before and after the use of this tool.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A quantitative electronic survey was developed asking UK-based pharmacy professionals working in general practice to rate their agreement with 21 predefined statements related to the COM-B model.

INTERVENTION

Participants were sent an initial survey, given time to access and use the 'How to…' acne resources and then sent a follow-up survey 2 weeks later.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Primary outcome was change in 5-point Likert scale responses to statements on capability, opportunity and motivation in the management of acne. Secondary outcome was the perceived usefulness of the toolkit.

RESULTS

141 pharmacy professionals completed the initial survey; 19 completed the follow-up survey. Significant improvement in the 5-point Likert scale means that responses were observed after implementation of the acne 'How to' resource; capability 3.68 (SD 0.40) versus 4.11 (SD 0.29), t(189) =-5.10, p <0.001; opportunity 3.85 (SD 0.24) versus 4.07 (SD 0.29), t(94)=-2.50, p=0.007 and motivation 4.35 (SD 0.47) versus 4.51 (SD 0.32), t(113)=-2.51, p=0.007. The 'How to' resources were rated as being useful (4.06, SD 0.12) and supportive (4.08, SD 0.18) to help pharmacy professionals in all areas of managing acne.

CONCLUSION

The acne 'How to' resources are useful to pharmacy professionals in managing acne in general practice and may improve their capability. Further work is needed with greater numbers of participants to demonstrate generalisability of this outcome.

Pharmacy Students' Lived Experiences With Atopic Dermatitis Inform Perceptions of Learning in the Curriculum

OBJECTIVE

To explore the impact of lived experiences of pharmacy students with atopic dermatitis (AD) on perceptions of learning in pharmacy curriculum.

METHODS

An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with pharmacy students in the United Kingdom to understand how their lived experiences affect their perception of AD in pharmacy curriculum. Semistructured interviews were conducted, and a thematic analysis method was followed. Firstly, codes were created, and then relevant codes were combined to identify themes.

RESULTS

Thirteen pharmacy students were interviewed. Study findings showed pharmacy students support teaching with a holistic approach to management and patient-centered care in AD in pharmacy curriculum. Although students had empathy and moral support for patients, they also described a need for teaching on the mental health effects of AD in pharmacy education.

CONCLUSION

This brief report explores the role of lived experience of pharmacy students in considering the provision of holistic, patient-centered care in AD teaching in pharmacy education. Participants also suggest the need within the pharmacy curriculum for training to provide mental health advice to patients with AD.