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Patients value skin advice from pharmacists

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Patients value skin advice from pharmacists

Skin conditions account for up to 23 per cent of requests for advice about symptoms in pharmacy and OTC dermatological products account for 17 per cent of pharmacy sales. Yet few studies have examined pharmacy-supported self-care of skin conditions. Until now.

The International Journal of Pharmacy Practice reports results from telephone interviews with 25 patients who presented to community pharmacists in the South Humber PCT for their own or a child’s undiagnosed skin problem. Patients regarded the condition as not serious.

The researchers found that patients valued pharmacy’s convenience – especially given GPs’ reported inaccessibility – and were confident they would be triaged to their GP if appropriate.

High levels of trust in their pharmacists were expressed but concerns included lack of privacy, potential misdiagnosis and inability to access medical records. Nevertheless, “almost all” the interviewees felt positive about pharmacy care, and would consult again about, and recommend pharmacy care for, skin problems. The authors suggest that future studies should evaluate outcomes associated with pharmacy-assisted self-care of skin conditions.

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