The effectiveness of en masse withdrawal. An untrusting customer’s run on the bank? A vociferous workers’ union strike? A globally observed ethical boycott? None of the aforementioned attract welcome publicity, but what if your controversial initiative faces virtually unanimous opposition scarcely moments after its unveiling...
With high blood pressure thought to affect as many as one in five people in Northern Ireland, thousands of people throughout the country could be suffering from the condition without realising it. Gordons Chemists have made blood pressure testing a priority for their health promotion strategy, introducing free testing events at ...
But that motto isn’t just for patients. If requests to contribute to community initiatives in health promotion are anything to go by, pharmacy is certainly at the top of most organisations’ lists for those to consult. This month NIPinF has heard about such projects drawing on the expertise of pharmacists from across Northern...
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| Written by Laure James - Editor Pharmacy in Focus | |
| Tuesday, 16 September 2008 11:36 | |
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But that motto isn’t just for patients. If requests to contribute to community initiatives in health promotion are anything to go by, pharmacy is certainly at the top of most organisations’ lists for those to consult. This month NIPinF has heard about such projects drawing on the expertise of pharmacists from across Northern Ireland. Bradleys Pharmacy is among those pharmacy businesses who believe such activities are very worthwhile getting involved with and when approached to participate in the Healthy Omagh Initiative, a region-wide health promotion drive, they couldn’t say no. “We decided to provide a health-screening event on an appointment basis,” explained Jolene O’Kane from Bradleys. “With this we wanted to do the most comprehensive screening we could, so we decided on blood glucose testing, blood pressure testing, cholesterol testing, BMI and body fat measurement.” Bradleys believe that their team of community pharmacists can develop an important role in all these areas particularly in early detection. “As with many long-term conditions that are heavily related to lifestyle, type 2 diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia can develop over a period of time and can remain free from obvious symptoms for many years,” Jolene added. “The critical feature of community pharmacy is that staff see people who do not consider themselves unwell and may not regularly see their doctor. Also the less formal environment lends itself to more casual discussions on health and lifestyle. “The health checks were advertised in the local press and also on leaflets distributed throughout the Omagh area and the demand was much higher than anticipated,” Jolene continued. “All available slots were filled by the second day of advertising. We had booked slots half an hour apart and found that each patient took in the region of twenty minutes to complete. We found this was also an excellent opportunity to promote the smoking cessation scheme. We had ordered support materials from the Health Promotion Agency and had appropriate leaflets to give to our patients for backup advice when needed.” Of the 30 tests the pharmacy completed, 26 were within normal guidelines, two had to be called back for fasting tests and two were referred to the doctor for further investigation. “The patient feedback we received was very positive and with the amount of interest the health checks generated it is something we would definitely like to run on a regular basis,” Jolene concluded. “From our pharmacists’ points of view it was also a very rewarding exercise in patient care.” |