Perceptions, use and attitudes of pharmacy customers on complementary medicines and pharmacy practice
Lesley Braun,Lesley Braun,Evelyn Tiralongo,Jenny M. Wilkinson,Ondine Spitzer,Michael Bailey,Susan Poole,Michael J. Dooley +7 more
TLDR
CMs are widely used by pharmacy customers of all ages who want pharmacists to be more involved in providing advice about these products and most customers thought pharmacists should provide safety information about CMs.Abstract:
Background: Complementary medicines (CMs) are popular amongst Australians and community pharmacy is a major supplier of these products. This study explores pharmacy customer use, attitudes and perceptions of complementary medicines, and their expectations of pharmacists as they relate to these products. Methods: Pharmacy customers randomly selected from sixty large and small, metropolitan and rural pharmacies in three Australian states completed an anonymous, self administered questionnaire that had been pre-tested and validated. Results: 1,121 customers participated (response rate 62%). 72% had used CMs within the previous 12 months, 61% used prescription medicines daily and 43% had used both concomitantly. Multivitamins, fish oils, vitamin C, glucosamine and probiotics were the five most popular CMs. 72% of people using CMs rated their products as ‘very effective’ or ‘effective enough’. CMs were as frequently used by customers aged 60 years or older as younger customers (69% vs. 72%) although the pattern of use shifted with older age. Most customers (92%) thought pharmacists should provide safety information about CMs, 90% thought they should routinely check for interactions, 87% thought they should recommend effective CMs, 78% thought CMs should be recorded in customer’s medication profile and 58% thought pharmacies stocking CMs should also employ a complementary medicine practitioner. Of those using CMs, 93% thought it important for pharmacists to be knowledgeable about CMs and 48% felt their pharmacist provides useful information about CMs.read more
Citations
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The growing use of herbal medicines: issues relating to adverse reactions and challenges in monitoring safety
TL;DR: Safety continues to be a major issue with the use of herbal remedies and it becomes imperative, therefore, that relevant regulatory authorities put in place appropriate measures to protect public health by ensuring that all herbal medicines are safe and of suitable quality.
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Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for mood disorders
Gin S Malhi,Darryl Bassett,Philip Boyce,Richard A. Bryant,Paul B. Fitzgerald,Kristina Fritz,Malcolm Hopwood,Bill Lyndon,Roger T. Mulder,Greg Murray,Richard J Porter,Ajeet B. Singh +11 more
TL;DR: The Mood Disorder CPG is the first Clinical Practice Guideline to address both depressive and bipolar disorders and provides up-to-date recommendations and guidance within an evidence-based framework, supplemented by expert clinical consensus.
The growing use of herbal medicines: issues relating to adverse reactions and challenges in monitoring safety
Luisa Pistelli,Susan Semple +1 more
TL;DR: Safety continues to be a major issue with the use of herbal remedies and it becomes imperative, therefore, that relevant regulatory authorities put in place appropriate measures to protect public health by ensuring that all herbal medicines are safe and of suitable quality.
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Buyer beware? Does the information provided with herbal products available over the counter enable safe use?
David K. Raynor,Rebecca Dickinson,Peter Knapp,Andrew F. Long,Donald J Nicolson,Donald J Nicolson +5 more
TL;DR: Most of the herbal medicine products studied did not provide key safety information which consumers need for their safe use, and new European Union legislation should ensure that St John's wort and echinacea products will include the previously missing information in due course.
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Current Status and Major Challenges to the Safety and Efficacy Presented by Chinese Herbal Medicine.
TL;DR: There is a need to better understand the mechanisms behind the efficacy of CHM, and develop proper quality standards and regulations to ensure a similar safety standard as Western drugs.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Australia: A National Population-Based Survey
TL;DR: CAM use nationally in Australia appears to be considerably higher than estimated from previous Australian studies, which may reflect an increasing popularity of CAM; however, regional variations in CAM use and the broader range of CAM included in the current study may contribute to the difference.
Journal ArticleDOI
Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Diseases
TL;DR: The evidence from retrospective epidemiologic studies and from large randomized controlled trials showing the benefits of omega-3 PUFA, specifically EPA and DHA, in primary and secondary CV prevention and insight into potential mechanisms of these observed benefits are discussed.
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TL;DR: The public appears to have ambivalent standards for alternative therapies but wishes to be empowered with accurate information to facilitate self-prescription, and expenditure on alternative therapies was nearly four times the public contribution to all pharmaceuticals.
Journal ArticleDOI
The continuing use of complementary and alternative medicine in South Australia: costs and beliefs in 2004
TL;DR: This survey aims to survey the use, cost, beliefs and quality of life of users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).