Introduction Pharmaceutical Public Health (PPH) is defined as “the application of pharmaceutical knowledge, skills and resources to the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, promoting, protecting and improving health for all through organised efforts of society”.1 In the UK (and globally) pharmacy professionals (PPs) contribute to the delivery of local and national public/population health (PH) interventions.2,3 However, little is known to what extent PPs have specialist/advanced roles within PH practice. Aim The mixed methods review, commissioned by the UK Chief Pharmaceutical Officers in 2020, aimed to explore PPs’ specialist PH contributions including barriers and opportunities. Methods Databases available through PubMed were searched to retrieve articles published in English (2011- 2021) on seven topics including: emergency preparedness resilience and response (EPRR); integrating pharmacy to better support public health protection and improvement goals; public health skills and mitigating health inequalities. Two independent electronic surveys were developed, piloted and deployed for pharmacy and public health specialists via email cascade and social media. The surveys explored the extent to which PPs are involved in PH roles including the barriers and opportunities. Descriptive statistics summarised the data, and open-ended responses were themed. The NHS Health Research Authority tool identified this project did not require ethical approval as the surveys were service evaluation. Results Rapid Evidence reviews: Following assessment of 2,542 articles, 448 evidence statements were extracted from 135 relevant articles. They were predominantly from USA (39%) and UK (29%), with fewer high-quality reviews (17) or guidance (12), than moderate/low-quality reviews (42), single studies (33), or quantitative research (33). Common themes of PPs’ contributions included: surveillance and intelligence gathering; advocacy for their communities; signposting; delivery of health improvement and protection services; supporting people with long-term-conditions; and EPRR. Barriers identified included: limited public and professional awareness of pharmacy’s contribution to public health and under-resourced PH training. Pharmacy and PH professionals Surveys: There were UK-wide responses from 128 PPs and 37 PH specialists. Opportunities identified by PPs included: PH areas they directly contribute to (45%); qualifications, knowledge and skills (27%); strategic position in the community (19%), recent changing health landscape (4%). Barriers included lack of defined career pathway (20%); poor professional recognition (18%); limited resources (16%); lack of training and support (15%) and organisational and structural barriers (10%). PH specialists identified at least 12 areas from the Faculty of PH’s functions and standards, they believed additional benefits would be realised by PPs working directly within PH teams. Although only 40% PH specialists had PPs working within their teams, 83% stated that it would be beneficial or very beneficial to have PPs specialising in PH. Discussion/Conclusion Dedicated PPH training and system-wide leadership are required to fully realise population-level benefits. Low responses to the surveys present a study limitation, however, there was consensus from the themes emerging from both surveys and rapid evidence reviews findings. Pharmacy professionals make specialist contributions to PH despite barriers. Further investigation is required to identify how best to deploy advanced PPH resources. Future qualitative studies should be considered. References 1. Walker, R. Pharmaceutical public health: the end of pharmaceutical care? The Pharmaceutical Journal 2000;264:340–1. 2. PHE (2017). Pharmacy: A Way Forward for Public Health https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-pharmacy-public-health-interventions (accessed 31 July 2021) 3. Thomson K, Hillier-Brown F, Walton N, Bilaj M, Bambra C, Todd A. The effects of community pharmacy-delivered public health interventions on population health and health inequalities: A review of reviews. Prev Med. 2019 Jul;124:98-109.
Cross-border human trafficking remains a significant challenge to effective fight against illicit trans-border movements through Seme-Idiroko borders. The purpose of this paper was to assess how drivers of cross-border human trafficking have undermined safety of individuals and compromised effective protection of Seme-Idiroko borders in order to mitigate the increasing spate of cross-border sex and labour trafficking in the border communities. The study was built around the structural conflict theory by Karl Marx in order to clearly understand the class character of the drivers of human trafficking. Using the Rakash sample size formula, a sample of 397 was determined from a population of 46,105 respondents comprising a target population from NAPTIP, NCS, and NIS in both Ogun and Lagos States; ONSA, Abuja and residents of Idiroko, Seme, Kpodji-Ague and Igolo border communities. Also, 15 respondents were selected from the sample size of the study using purposive sampling method. Data were collected using structured and open-ended questions as well as in-depth interview. Data were also collected from secondary source. Data from questionnaire were analysed using weighted average, while data from in-depth interview were analysed using narrative technique. Data from secondary source were analysed using relational-content analysis. Findings from the study revealed, among other things, that poverty, craving for better life and porous nature of Seme-Idirko borders are among drivers of cross-border human trafficking undermining security in Seme-Idiroko border communities. Among other things, it was recommended that the government should urgently embark on poverty alleviation programmes in Seme-Idiroko border communities with a view to mitigating drivers of cross-border human trafficking undermining security in the border communities.
Cross-border human trafficking has increased in dangerous proportion resulting in large number of Nigeria women, boys and girls that are recruited forcefully from villages and transported through Seme-Idiroko borders to other countries for exploitation. The purpose of the paper was to examine the remarkable ways cross-border human trafficking through Idiroko and Seme borders affect safety of individuals in Seme-Idiroko border communities and border protection in the border posts. The study was built around the deterrence theory by classical scholars in order to clearly understand how severity, certainty and celerity of punishment can deter potential offenders from indulging in the crime of compromising border security. Using the Rakash sample size formula, a sample of 397 was determined from a population of 46,105 respondents drawn from NAPTIP, NCS, and NIS in both Ogun and Lagos States; ONSA, Abuja and residents of Idiroko, Seme, Kpodji-Ague and Igolo border communities. Also, 15 respondents were tentatively selected for the sample size of the study using purposive sampling method. Data were collected using structured and open-ended questions as well as in-depth interview. Data were also collected from secondary source. Data from questionnaire were analyzed using weighted average, while data from in-depth interview were analyzed using narrative-analytic technique. Data from secondary source were analyzed using relational-content analysis. Findings showed, among other things, that the higher the level of cross-border human trafficking through Idiroko and Seme borders, the poorer the state of border security in Lagos and Ogun States. Among other things, it was recommended that the government should make punishment of offenders of cross-border human trafficking severe enough to discourage potential offenders from indulging in the crime.
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