Optimising medicines use by South Asian and Middle Eastern groups in a primary care setting in the UK: validation of a tool to identify medicine-related problems

Abstract

The ethnic minority groups (EMGs) are perceived to be more prone to medicine-related problems (MRPs) than the general population in United Kingdom. There is, therefore, a need for improved detection and prevention of MRPs in EMGs, such as South Asians (SA) and Middle Eastern (ME) populations, to avoid unnecessary GP visits and potential hospital admissions. In this cross-sectional study, the data were collected in 80 face-to-face semi-structured interviews using Gordon’s MRPs tool from seven pharmacies in London. The study involved patients aged over 18 from SA/ME origins who were prescribed three or more medicines. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using Gordon’s coding frame and Nvivo 10. All issues under each of the main themes were explored and compared in an attempt to systematically adapt the Gordon’s MRPs tool for SA/ME populations. Some modifications were made to the original Gordon’s MRPs questionnaire to capture patients’ views regarding the use of medicines and the access to services. This also helped in identifying MRPs specific to SA/ME populations and proposing recommendations to address them. This included targeted medication use reviews (MURs), and tailored interventions to patients’ needs in improving medication use and access to services.

How to Cite

Alhomoud, F., Dhillon, S., Aslanpour, Z. & Smith, F., (2016) “Optimising medicines use by South Asian and Middle Eastern groups in a primary care setting in the UK: validation of a tool to identify medicine-related problems”, British Journal of Pharmacy 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.5920/bjpharm.2016.13

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Authors

Faten Alhomoud (Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University)
Soraya Dhillon (University of Hertfordshire)
Zoe Aslanpour (University of Hertfordshire)
Felicity Smith (UCL)

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This article has been peer reviewed.

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