The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
-
Most patients obtain medications from pharmacies by prescription, but rural general practices can dispense medications. The clinical implications of this difference in drug delivery are unknown. This study hypothesised that dispensing status may be associated with better medication adherence. This could impact intermediate clinical outcomes dependent on medication adherence in, for example, hypertension or diabetes. ⋯ Dispensing practices may achieve better clinical outcomes than prescribing practices. Further work is required to explore underlying mechanisms for these observations and to directly study medication adherence rates.
-
Acne is a common skin condition, affecting most adolescents at some point. While guidelines recommend topical treatments first-line, long courses of oral antibiotics are commonly prescribed. ⋯ GPs expressed uncertainty about the use of topical treatments for acne and either felt that treatments were of low effectiveness or perceived pressure from patients to prescribe oral antibiotics.