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.

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In the framework of the linguistic approach to understanding the impact of globalization on the humanity, this paper aims to consider the role of the English language in globalization processes. Given the history of English becoming the world's most widely spoken language, the authors consider possible implications of this fact and overview the current debates and concerns about the role of English and the state of other world languages under conditions of globalization.