Objective To investigate pharmacists' perspectives about the acceptability of the Pharmacy First Minor Ailments Scheme and barriers to the use of the scheme as well as to determine potential improvements to the scheme.
Method Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 26 pharmacists between November 2004 and March 2005.
Setting Community pharmacies within Nottingham City Primary Care Trust (PCT).
Key findings The study has demonstrated that the Pharmacy First Minor Ailments Scheme was well received by the majority of pharmacists and they were positive about the benefits of the scheme to both patients and healthcare professionals, despite raising some problems. Our findings highlighted a number of important issues that might be barriers to running the minor ailments scheme, including the quantity of paperwork involved, the lack of privacy in a pharmacy, and the restrictive nature of the formulary and protocols of the scheme.
Conclusion The Pharmacy First Minor Ailments Scheme has been developed and implemented as part of Nottingham City PCT's strategy to improve access to primary care. Findings show that the majority of the pharmacists were positive about the scheme. It can be seen as a way of improving patient access to medicines and advice as well as choice in primary care. In other countries, health policy makers may consider such a scheme if it would fit their healthcare system.
It appears that the Nottingham City Primary Care Trust is successful using community pharmacies to improve access to medicines and provide a greater choice in primary care for patients with minor ailments. Thus, the Primary Care Trust should continue the scheme, although there are some important issues (e.g. the restricted formulary, the lack of privacy in some pharmacies) that need to be addressed to improve and develop the service further. The Nottingham City Primary Care Trust should build on this success to further utilise the pharmacy in their primary care service development.
Context: Developing an effective vaccine for HIV/AIDS is a global endeavor requiring the participation of willing volunteers. Aims: To evaluate the willingness of the global population to undergo vaccination and participate in clinical trials. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, relevant studies published from January 2005 to December 2019 that reported quantitative, qualitative, and mixed analyses in peer-reviewed research papers were sought in the major databases. The inclusion criteria were that the studies be related to the willingness of participants to undergo HIV vaccination and submit to subsequent clinical trials, that they are in English, conducted in any geographic location, and published during the target period. The exclusion criteria were grey literature and studies involving the stakeholders, medical students or medical fraternities, seropositive parents with seronegative offspring, the vaccine’s biochemical, immunological, or financial aspects, and participants below the age of 16. Systematic reviews, letters to the editor, and case studies were also excluded. Results: The selected databases initially yielded 334 articles, of which 27 remained after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Demographic data, motivating factors, and the volunteers’ willingness levels were collected and analyzed. Conclusions: This review offers guidance for future research, including a standardized scale to predict the willingness of potential volunteer groups.
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