A scoping review of non-professional medication practices and medication safety outcomes during public health emergencies

Kelly, Dervla; Koay, Aaron; Mineva, Gabriela; Volz, Monika; McCool, Aoibhin; McLoughlin, Eavan; Conluain, Ruán Ó; Sharma, Manuj; Kerr, Aisling; Franklin, Bryony Dean; Grimes, Tamasine

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2022.10.026

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 125 publications

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“…There is evidence from a recent scoping review that during public health emergencies, such as pandemics or natural disasters, individuals without medical training self-alter their prescribed medication regimen as a means of coping with challenges related to the availability and accessibility of healthcare services. 40 Two studies included within the scoping review reported adaptive medication practices that included sharing of prescription medications such as insulin and buprenorphine for non-recreational purposes following Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina. 41 , 42 Furthermore, a recent UK-based qualitative study indicated that rapid digitalisation of primary care in response to the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities regarding access to care for some groups of the population through a lack of availability or knowledge of technology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Comparison With Existing Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding non-recreational prescription medication-sharing behaviours: a systematic review

Dawson,

Johnson,

Huntley

et al. 2023

Br J Gen Pract

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Background: Prescription medication sharing refers to the lending or borrowing of prescription medications where the recipient is someone other than the person for whom the prescription is intended. Sharing prescription medication can cause significant harm. Adverse consequences include an increased risk of side effects, delayed health seeking and severity of disease. Prevalence estimates vary across different populations and peoples’ reasons for and perceptions of risks from sharing, are poorly understood. Aim: To better understand prescription medication sharing behaviours and practices, specifically, the prevalence, types of medications, reasons, perceived benefits and risks, and factors associated with medication sharing. Design and Setting: A systematic review. Method: Electronic databases were searched from inception of databases to February 2023. Results: 19 studies were included. Prevalence ranged from 13-78%. All 19 studies reported that analgesics were the most shared, followed by antibiotics (n=12) and allergy medication (n=9). Common reasons for sharing were running out of medication (n=7), cost (n=7) and emergency (n=6). Perceived benefits included resolution of the problem and convenience. Perceived risks included adverse drug reactions and misdiagnosis. Characteristics associated with sharing included age, female sex, having asthma and unused medicines stored at home. Conclusions: Findings suggest that medication sharing behaviour is common and involves a range of medicines for a variety of reasons. Data on the prevalence and predictors of prescription medication sharing are inconsistent. A better understanding of non-modifiable and potentially modifiable behavioural factors which contribute to sharing is needed to support development of effective interventions aimed at mitigating unsafe sharing practices.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Comparison With Existing Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding non-recreational prescription medication-sharing behaviours: a systematic review

Dawson,

Johnson,

Huntley

et al. 2023

Br J Gen Pract

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“…In comparison to the general population, marginalised people experience health inequity, often associated with their use of medication. This causes an increased risk of adverse outcomes including mortality, morbidity burden, quality of life deficit and patient safety issues [4,[15][16][17][18]. Such inequities in medication-related experiences and outcomes can occur in any stage of the medication use process, such as the prescription, dispensing and administration of medication, and a sample of these issues is presented in Table 2.…”

Section: Do Marginalised Groups Experience the Same Medication-relate...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tackling health inequity is a current global priority, with the WHO and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals driving efforts to reduce inequalities [2]. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought this issue to the fore as evidence emerges to show that the pandemic has widened existing health disparities, further highlighting the imperative need to address the social, structural and biological determinants of health [3,4]. The achievement of health equity is interdependent on social inclusivity.…”

Section: Introduction To Marginalisation and Pharmaceutical Carementioning

confidence: 99%

Medication-Related Outcomes and Health Equity: Evidence for Pharmaceutical Care

et al. 2023

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Marginalised people experience diminished access to pharmaceutical care and worse medication-related outcomes than the general population. Health equity is a global priority. This article explores the key evidence of health inequity and medication use, structures the causes and contributory factors and suggests opportunities that can be taken to advance the pharmaceutical care agenda so as to achieve health equity. The causes of, and contributors to, this inequity are multi-fold, with patient- and person-related factors being the most commonly reported. Limited evidence is available to identify risk factors related to other aspects of a personal medication use system, such as technology, tasks, tools and the internal and the external environments. Multiple opportunities exist to enhance equity in medication-related outcomes through pharmaceutical care research and practice. To optimise the effects and the sustainable implementation of these opportunities, it is important to (1) ensure the meaningful inclusion and engagement of members of marginalised groups, (2) use a person-centred approach and (3) apply a systems-based approach to address all of the necessary components of a system that interact and form a network as work processes that produce system outcomes.

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“…Jimmez-Mangual found that 77% of people in their study of Hurricane Maria survivors reported problems with medications, and 47.7% reported difficulty getting to the pharmacy [ 30 ]. In addition to problems with obtaining medications, there are also gender, age, ethnicity, and educational and socio-economic status factors that play a role in inequalities that may exacerbate the universal problem across all disaster types of maintaining medication for chronic conditions [ 31 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthcare Impacts Associated with Federally Declared Disasters—Hurricanes Gustave and Ike

Lavin

Couig

Kelley

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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People impacted by disasters may have adverse non-communicable disease health effects associated with the disaster. This research examined the independent and joint impacts of federally declared disasters on the diagnosis of hypertension (HTN), diabetes (DM), anxiety, and medication changes 6 months before and after a disaster. Patients seen in zip codes that received a federal disaster declaration for Hurricanes Gustave or Ike in 2008 and who had electronic health records captured by MarketScan® were analyzed. The analysis included patients seen 6 months before or after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008 and who were diagnosed with HTN, DM, or anxiety. There was a statistically significant association between post-disaster and diagnosis of hypertension, X2 (1, n = 19,328) = 3.985, p = 0.04. There was no association post-disaster and diabetes X2 (1, n = 19,328) = 0.778, p = 0.378 or anxiety, X2 (1, n = 19,328) = 0.017, p = 0.898. The research showed that there was a change in the diagnosis of HTN after a disaster. Changes in HTN are an additional important consideration for clinicians in disaster-prone areas. Data about non-communicable diseases help healthcare disaster planners to include primary care needs and providers in the plans to prevent the long-term health impacts of disasters and expedite recovery efforts.

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A scoping review of non-professional medication practices and medication safety outcomes during public health emergencies

Cited by 7 publications

References 125 publications

Understanding non-recreational prescription medication-sharing behaviours: a systematic review

Understanding non-recreational prescription medication-sharing behaviours: a systematic review

Medication-Related Outcomes and Health Equity: Evidence for Pharmaceutical Care

Healthcare Impacts Associated with Federally Declared Disasters—Hurricanes Gustave and Ike

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