Abstract:Introduction: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a chronic disease with great social and economic impact that is largely undiagnosed and inadequately self-treated. Healthcare professionals such as pharmacists play a key role in recognizing and assessing the severity of AR, dispensing of OTC drugs, counseling of patients and in severe cases, referring them to health care specialists for further treatment. Objective: This study explores the impact of pharmaceutical care and patient counseling on the self-management of seasonal AR. Methods: The participating pharmacists follow the stepwise algorithm of ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) Pharmacist's Guide. The effectiveness of the specialized pharmaceutical care is assessed by the changes in patients' quality of life (QOL) before and after the provision of patient counseling and pharmacist monitoring on patient self-management. The quality of life is measured with the help of the generic tool 12v2 SF. Results: As a result of the provided pharmaceutical care, the analysis indicates improvement of all assessed aspects of patients' QOL. The analysis shows that the better scores of the indicators Physical functioning, Vitality, Physical health and Mental health are not accidental; rather, they are in a statistically significant correlation with the provided pharmaceutical care. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for professional patient counseling and the education of patients to perform adequate disease management and improve their quality of life.UDC Classification: 615.1; DOI: http://dx

SUMMARYBackground: Depression is the most common mental illness affecting more than 300 million people worldwide and is a significant risk factor for morbidity and mortality. In most cases, it may remain undetected in primary care. Comprehensive screening tools for diagnosing depression might facilitate early detection. As the most accessible health professionals, pharmacists can play an important role in helping to identify individuals at risk.Objective: To differentiate individuals at risk of depression who are seeking a pharmacist consultation and are promptly directed to a psychiatrist.Methods: Depression screening tools The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) and (PHQ-9) were applied to 83 individuals with symptoms such as feeling down, tiredness and sleep disturbances for more than 2 weeks, who seek consultation at a pharmacy. Screening with the PHQ-2 was the first step. Patients who screen positive were further evaluated with the PHQ-9.Results: In 70% of the individuals, the PHQ-2 test was positive. After completing PHQ-9, it was found that approximately 55% out of them had indications of mild to moderate depression and were directed to a psychiatrist for further evaluation. Over 50% of suspected depressive individuals had a concomitant chronic disease.Conclusion: Screening for depression should be a routine part of healthcare. Particular attention should be paid to patients with comorbid chronic illnesses, as depression often remains hidden, thus leading to more difficult diagnosis and treatment. Screening would also increase the recognition of depression in patients who have few emotional symptoms but many somatic ones.

Introduction: Depression is the most common form of mental disorder of great social significance. Antidepressant treatment is a standard approach to treat depressed patients, but in order to be effective, patients need to follow their strictly prescribed treatments. Bad compliances are mostly associated with side effects, poor patient awareness, comorbidity of the disease, and a lack of communication with healthcare professionals. Objectives: The aim is to investigate the level of adherence to the therapy of patients with a diagnosed depressive condition. Methods: In order to achieve this aim, a survey was conducted among 120 patients with diagnosed depression when receiving their prescribed drugs from a pharmacy. Determination of patient`s adherence was done using the Morriski test-as well as a short questionnaire in parallel as a validated tool giving a clear idea of the degree of adherence to therapy. Results: The results show that the patients under study exhibited unsatisfactory adherence to the assigned therapy. The total coefficient for the entire population is 1.68. Compared with the reference values (0-4), patients were found to have 42% adherence. Conclusions: Inadequate adherence to therapy leads to a worsening of the condition of patients with depression while also increasing the cost of health care. A number of approaches are required such as patient education, quality communication between doctors, patients and pharmacists, socio-economic measures to change patient's beliefs and perceptions of treatment, and to improve adherence to the therapy and quality of life of patients suffering from depression.