Patient Prefer Adher
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Patient Prefer Adher · Jan 2011
Public's attitudes towards community pharmacy in Qatar: a pilot study.
To assess the public's attitudes towards the community pharmacist's role in Qatar, to investigate the public's use of community pharmacy, and to determine the public's views of and satisfaction with community pharmacy services currently provided in Qatar. ⋯ This pilot study suggested that the public has a poor understanding of the community pharmacist's role in monitoring drug therapy, performing health screening, and providing drug information. Several issues of concern were raised including insufficient pharmacist- patient contact time and unsatisfactory pharmacist knowledge. To advance pharmacy practice in Qatar, efforts may be warranted to address identified issues and to promote the community pharmacist's role in drug therapy monitoring, drug information provision, and health screening.
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Patient Prefer Adher · Jan 2011
Perceived medication benefits and their association with interest in using inhaled insulin in type 2 diabetes: a model of patients' cognitive framework.
To examine predictors of patient perceived relevance of different diabetes medication benefits, and to determine how medication benefit ratings of an inhaled insulin were associated with evaluation of, and interest in that inhaled insulin. ⋯ Relevance of different potential benefits was based on objective and subjective indicators of need. Perceived efficacy of the inhaled insulin described in this study for avoiding postprandial hyperglycemia and discomfort/inconvenience were the benefits most strongly related to the evaluation of and interest in this medication.
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Patient Prefer Adher · Jan 2011
Assessment of antiretroviral therapy knowledge and willingness of persons with HIV to support its uptake in Uganda.
Access to care and treatment services for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are hampered by human resource constraints and knowledge gaps about antiretroviral therapy. Training people with HIV/AIDS (PWA) as educators on antiretroviral therapy may help in the expansion of antiretroviral therapy-related knowledge in Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the antiretroviral therapy-specific knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of PWA as well as their proactive communication with community members and to explore their willingness to serve as support personnel. ⋯ Opinion leaders demonstrated correct knowledge and willingness to provide information on antiretroviral therapy care and treatment issues and were, in turn, consulted more frequently for antiretroviral therapy advice compared with nonopinion leaders. Training opinion leaders to work as community support personnel may increase knowledge about antiretroviral therapy in underserved communities.
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Patient Prefer Adher · Oct 2010
Clinical utility and patient adherence with ebastine for allergic rhinitis.
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a high prevalence disease, affecting 10%-20% of the general population. AR is sustained by an IgE-mediated reaction, and by a complex inflammatory network of cells, mediators, and cytokines, becoming chronic when exposure to allergen persists. A Th2-biased immune response is the basis for the allergic inflammation. ⋯ Several studies have demonstrated its favorable characteristics. In conclusion, ebastine is an effective and well tolerated antihistamine that may be prescribed for the treatment of AR. The fast-dissolving tablet formulation provides a new option which may be particularly convenient for the patient.
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Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex disorder in which interactions between environmental and genetic factors result in the development of insulin resistance (in most cases) and progressive pancreatic β-cell failure. The currently available oral anti-diabetes treatments are effective as monotherapy; however, due to the progressive decline in β-cell function, most patients will require the use of combination therapy and eventually insulin to reach glycemic targets. These therapeutic options are not without undesirable side effects such as weight gain and hypoglycemia. Furthermore, T2DM is associated with impaired quality of life (QOL) and poor compliance with treatment. Hence, there is a need for anti-diabetes agents that result in sustained improvements in glycemic control without hypoglycemia or weight gain and have a positive impact on patients QOL and thereby hopefully improve compliance. Incretin-based therapy is the latest addition to anti-diabetes treatments which addresses some of the shortcomings of older treatments. ⋯ Exenatide once-weekly is effective, well tolerated in patients with T2DM and should be a useful addition to the available range of anti-diabetes treatments.