Pharmacists could contribute to patients' welfare and reduce health care costs by carrying out 'brown bag' medication reviews on behalf of GPs.

Objective — To explore and describe patients' views of the value of brown bag medication reviews. Method — Semi‐structured, tape‐recorded interviews were conducted with 20 patients who had participated in a brown bag medication review scheme. Setting — A health authority area in south‐east inner London. Key findings — Patients perceived the following benefits from brown bag reviews: clinical problems resolved; better understanding of their medications, leading to increased confidence; and appreciation that an interest was being taken in their health care. Reviews had given patients a sense of empowerment, and had made them realise that they had a right to information about their medical treatment and medication. As a result they were likely to be more proactive in seeking information in future. Reviews had made patients realise that pharmacists were knowledgeable about medicines, where previously many had thought that only doctors had sufficient knowledge. Reviews had enhanced relationships between patients and pharmacists. However, some patients still perceived their doctor as the authoritative source of information about medicines. Patients' accounts indicated that much of the information provided by the pharmacist was new, raising the issue of what information was routinely being provided by pharmacists. Conclusions — Brown bag reviews were regarded by patients as beneficial and they wanted them to be available in the future. Patients' perceptions of pharmacists as health professionals and providers of information on medicines were enhanced by brown bag reviews.

PACT (prescribing analysis and cost tabulation) data is a national data set which analyses prescribing data in terms of cost and number of items (volume). At an organizational level, PACT is used to monitor and control prescribing cost and to set prescribing budgets. At individual practitioner level, it is used as an educational and audit tool. The Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA) has sent general practitioners (GPs) quarterly summary reports of their own prescribing since 1988. From 2000 prescriptions written by nurse prescribers have been added to the national PACT data set, and health authorities, practices and trusts will now be analysing both nurse and GP prescribing quality. Because of differences in the way they work, nurse prescribers will not automatically receive individual reports of their own prescribing. However they should be able to access this information on request through their local health authority prescribing advisers and primary care group pharmacists. Based on GP experience, nurse prescribers should find PACT data a useful learning resource for individual and team practice development.

Polypharmacy and poor patient compliance with prescribed medication regimens can result in patients failing to get the maximum benefit from their medicines and suffering adverse effects from them. The elderly are at particular risk in this regard, and problems arising from medication account for a significant proportion of the admissions to hospital for this group. ‘Brown bag’ medication review is a technique developed in the US, through which community pharmacists help to resolve patients’ medication-related problems. This article describes a pilot brown bag scheme run in south-east London. The results demonstrated that schemes based on the US model could be run successfully in the UK, with the potential for providing improved patient care and reducing NHS costs. The project also identified an important role for primary care nurses in the successful operation of brown bag schemes.