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Background: Medicines management in care homes requires significant improvement. CHIPPS was a cluster randomised controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of integrating pharmacist independent prescribers into care homes to assume central responsibility for medicines management. This paper reports the parallel mixed-methods process evaluation.Method: Intervention arm consisted of 25 triads: Care homes (staff and up to 24 residents), General Practitioner (GP) and Pharmacist Independent Prescriber (PIP). Data sources were pharmaceutical care plans (PCPs), pharmacist activity logs, online questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. Results were mapped to the process evaluation objectives following the Medical Research Council framework.Results: PCPs and activity logs were available from 22 PIPs. Questionnaires were returned by 16 PIPs, eight GPs, and two care home managers. Interviews were completed with 14 PIPs, eight GPs, nine care home managers, six care home staff, and one resident. All stakeholders reported some benefits from PIPs having responsibility for medicine management and identified no safety concerns. PIPs reported an increase in their knowledge and identified the value of having time to engage with care home staff and residents during reviews. The research paperwork was identified as least useful by many PIPs. PIPs conducted medication reviews on residents, recording 566 clinical interventions, many involving deprescribing; 93.8% of changes were sustained at 6 months. For 284 (50.2%) residents a medicine was stopped, and for a quarter of residents, changes involved a medicine linked to increased falls risk. Qualitative data indicated participants noted increased medication safety and improved resident quality of life. Contextual barriers to implementation were apparent in the few triads where PIP was not known previously to the GP and care home before the trial. In three triads, PIPs did not deliver the intervention.Conclusions: The intervention was generally implemented as intended, and well-received by most stakeholders. Whilst there was widespread deprescribing, contextual factors effected opportunity for PIP engagement in care homes. Implementation was most effective when communication pathways between PIP and GP had been previously well-established.Trial Registration: The definitive RCT was registered with the ISRCTN registry (registration number  ISRCTN 17847169 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The UK pharmacists with independent prescribing rights (pharmacist independent prescribers [PIPs]) are authorised to prescribe within their areas of competence. To enable PIPs to provide pharmaceutical care to residents in care homes and assume responsibility for medicines management, a process for development and assessment of competence is required. The aim of this research was to develop a training and accreditation process (training programme) to enable PIPs to operate safely and effectively within care homes. Methods: Located in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland across four sites and based on a systematic review, it consisted of four phases: (1) initial stakeholder engagement, (2) uni-professional focus groups and interviews, (3) expert panel consensus and (4) feasibility testing. Four PIPs were trained each to provide pharmaceutical care to 10 care home residents. An expert panel synthesised the evidence at each stage to develop each iteration of the training programme. Content analysis was used throughout. Results Differences in baseline knowledge of PIPs required inclusion of a Personal Development Framework and the provision of a mentor. Face-to-face training focussed on managing medicines for a complex older person, minimising prescribing costs and supporting people without capacity. Provision of time to understand local context and develop relationships with care homes and general practitioners was identified as a central requirement. PIPs were assessed for competency via viva. Feasibility testing demonstrated that the derived training programme was acceptable, practical and effective. Discussion The model seemed to work, but due to small numbers, larger-scale testing of the training programme is now required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Self-administered questionnaires are becoming increasingly common in general practice. Much research has explored methods to increase response rates but comparatively few studies have explored the effect of questionnaire administration on reported answers. Methods The aim of this study was to determine the effect on responses of returning patient questionnaires to the respondents' medical practice or an independent researcher to questions relating to adherence and satisfaction with a GP consultation. One medical practice in Waveney primary care trust, Suffolk, England participated in this randomised trial. Patients over 18 years initiated on a new long-term medication during a consultation with a GP were randomly allocated to return a survey from their medical practice to either their medical practice or an independent researcher. The main outcome measures were self reported adherence, satisfaction with information about the newly prescribed medicine, the consultation and involvement in discussions. Results 274 (47%) patients responded to the questionnaire (45% medical practice, 48% independent researcher (95% CI -5 to 11%, p = 0.46)) and the groups appeared demographically comparable, although the high level of non-response limits the ability to assess this. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to total adherence or any of the satisfaction scales. Five (4%) patients reported altering doses of medication in the medical practice group compared with 18 (13%) in the researcher group (P = 0.009, Fisher's exact test). More patients in the medical practice group reported difficulties using their medication compared to the researcher group (46 (35%) v 30 (21%); p = 0.015, Fisher's exact test). Conclusion Postal satisfaction questionnaires do not appear to be affected by whether they are returned to the patient's own medical practice or an independent researcher. However, returning postal questionnaires relating to detailed patient behaviours may be subject to response biases and further work is needed to explore this phenomena.

Aims and methods: The aim of the study was to determine the current models of supervised consumption of methadone/buprenorphine practised, and to establish the extent to which contingency management is used, and in what forms. A postal questionnaire was sent to all lead specialist clinicians in the field of substance misuse in England in 2010 ( n = 194). Results: The response rate was 66% ( n = 129). Clinicians generally supervised patients for a period of 3 months, although considerable flexibility was used depending on individual circumstances. The majority of patients consumed their methadone/buprenorphine on pharmacy premises 6 d per week. Supervised consumption arrangements were believed by respondents to cause a minority of patients to drop out of treatment and prevent a minority from starting treatment. Contingency management is widely used throughout England, with the most common forms relating to changes in supervision or dispensing arrangements. Conclusion: There is marked heterogeneity in clinicians' practice of supervised consumption, suggesting uncertainty regarding the optimal approach. Further research, such as an RCT, is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DengueInfo (http://www.dengueinfo.org) is a web portal and database that brings clarity to dengue research by integrating the growing number of complete genome sequences of dengue virus with relevant literature and curated epidemiological information. Additionally, it represents a repository of on-going prospective and retrospective studies of dengue disease severity. We intend the database to be a flagship resource for the dengue community, providing standardized and high quality information and facilitating research into key aspects of dengue biology and assisting in its control. To aid this process we also introduce a standard nomenclature for dengue isolates inspired by globally accepted system used for influenza virus.