This page provides resources for specific areas of pharmacy including important subjects such as evidence-based healthcare, and how best to locate quality evidence-based information to inform practice, as well as topics such as clinical governance and concordance which many pharmacists wish to know more about. Also, if you are seeking support and information about topics such as the new pharmacy contract or how to best undertake CPD and what resources are available to you, then this is the page for you. If you would like to see other areas covered here please contact the Library with your suggestion.
Evidence–based healthcare is the conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients or the delivery of health services. Often also described as evidence-based medicine (EBM), or evidence-based practice (EBP).
Cochrane Library
About: a collection of databases that contain high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making, Cochrane reviews represent the highest level of evidence on which to base clinical treatment decisions. Includes the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, a source of reliable and up-to-date information on the effects of interventions in health care, that promotes the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other studies of interventions.
Use it to: locate up-to-date evidence-based information to inform best practice.
How: search by keyword in title or browse reviews by topic or A-Z list. The advanced search allows you to limit or combine your search terms and the MeSH search to search by the US National Library of Medicine's - Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms and thesaurus.
How to use the Cochrane Library (NICS Guide)
About: a short and informative guide to searching the Cochrane Library produced by the National Institute of Clinical Studies (NICS), Australia.
Use it to: get the most from the Cochrane Library.
How: work your way through the guide or skip to the section that interests you.
Clinical Evidence
About: a concise account of the current state of knowledge about the prevention and treatment of a wide range of clinical conditions based on thorough searches of the literature. Produced by a team affiliated to the British Medical Journal the site aims to promote better treatment decisions by providing a summary of what is known about the benefits and harms of health interventions.
Use it to: locate systematic reviews of over 200 conditions.
How: search by keyword or view conditions from the list. View key points, interventions, locate relevant guidelines and more. (Free registration is required). For further information on recommended EBM resources see http://www.clinicalevidence.com/ceweb/resources/index.jsp.
TRIP Database
About:described as the internet's leading resource for evidence-based practice and medicine (EBM), the TRIP (Turning Research Into Practice) database allows 'users to easily and rapidly identify the highest quality evidence from a wide range of sources'.
Use it to: locate evidence-based resources including articles, patient information leaflets, medical images, online guidance from PRODIGY, SIGN, etc. and other useful websites. The site also provides links to other evidence-based resources and an introduction to evidence-based medicine and practice.
How: search two to three terms at once for best results and then choose to filter further by specialisation (including pharmacology and pharmacy), Medline articles, guidelines or systematic reviews.
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine
About: its broad aim is to promote evidence-based healthcare and provide support and resources to anyone who wants to make use of them. CEBM runs workshops aimed at clinicians and other health care professionals who wish to gain knowledge of critical appraisal and experience in the practice of evidence-based healthcare. Includes sections on learning EBM, doing EBM, teaching EBM and the EBM toolbox.
Use it to: view the EBM toolbox. This provides links to an assortment of materials which are very useful for practitioners of EBM, including generic resources and specific tools and data providing information on pre-test probabilities, likelihood ratios and NNTs (numbers needed to treat). You can also access the CATbank, a storage and retrieval facility for a collection of CATs (Critically Appraised Topics) and download software to create your own CAT. (A CAT is a document you create yourself in response to a clinical question. It summarises an individual item of evidence you have found and presents the results in an easily digestible format.) Also see information and guidance on how to judge levels of evidence.
National Primary Care Research and Development Centre
About: delivers high quality, policy-relevant research to inform the development of primary healthcare and communicates research findings to promote the development of evidence-based primary healthcare.
Use it to: search or browse research publications some of which are available online.
Netting the Evidence - Introduction to Evidence Based Practice
About: a ScHARR Introduction to evidence based practice on the internet. Netting the Evidence is intended to facilitate evidence-based healthcare by providing support and access to helpful organisations and useful learning resources, such as an evidence-based virtual library, software and journals.
Use it to: find organisations and resources, software, journals and databases that support EBP.
How: browse or search to find useful links and information. A set of self-assessment articles is also available on the site to test and record your knowledge.
The concept of concordance is that of shared decision-making as an approach to help patients to get the most from their medicines. Pharmacists have an important role to play in the development of concordance and compliance.
Medicines Partnership
About: an organisation that promotes concordance. Now part of the National Prescribing Centre (NPC) their programme will focus on developing and delivering training and support to healthcare professionals to help them engage in shared decision-making with patients about medicines.
Use it to: find research evidence on compliance and concordance. The site also has a section on medication review.
How: all reports and research evidence are listed under Medicines Partnership Publications.
The new pharmacy contract, in place since 2005, provides a national contractual framework for community pharmacy that establishes minimum standards and promotes and rewards high quality services, not just the volume of prescriptions. The contract consists of three different levels of services: Essential, Advanced (including Medicines Use Reviews) and Enhanced Services.
Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) - Pharmacy Contract pages
About: part of the PSNC site, this section contains details of the new community pharmacy contract which was agreed between PSNC, the Department of Health (DH) and the NHS Confederation. An in-depth resource providing information on all aspects of the three levels of service.
Use it to: find information leaflets, guidance and service specifications for all the different services.
How: use the navigation bar to the left to see all resources available. Read the FAQs section for basic information.
Society Contract Resources Factsheet
About: a factsheet produced by the Society on national resources available to support the community pharmacy contract (England and Wales).
Use it to: locate resources and further information for specific sections of the new contract services.
PJ Online - Community Pharmacy Contract section
About: webpage collating all The Pharmaceutical Journal articles and resources about the new pharmacy contract.
Use it to: locate all articles on the subject of the pharmacy contract that have appeared in The Pharmaceutical Journal, as well as links to other useful sites. Series of articles on, eg, implementing the contract are grouped together.
Ask About Medicines Information Directory
About: 'Health and Medicines Information Guide and Directory' produced by Ask About Medicines, the independent campaign to increase people's involvement in decisions about their use of medicines. The directory offers guidance on finding health information and links to further resources to meet your information needs.
Use it to: fulfill essential service 5: the signposting service by providing information on support groups, charities and organisations.
How: the entire directory can be downloaded in a .pdf file, browsed by organisation name or alternatively searched via the search box.
Patient Support Information from Patient UK
About: details of over 2,000 UK patient support organisations, self-help groups, health and disease information providers, etc.
Use it to: fulfill essential service 5: the signposting service by providing information on support groups, charities and organisations.
How: browse by A-Z, by subject category, or search using the search box.
Self Help UK
About: a searchable database of over 1,000 self-help organisations and support groups across the UK.
Use it to: fulfill essential service 5: the signposting service by providing information on support groups, charities and organisations.
How: search by organisation description and/or location.
Skills for the Future MUR accreditation programme (Chemist and Druggist)
About: case studies and resources produced for the PSNC-endorsed 'Skills for the Future' programme to gain a Certificate in Medicines Use Review (MUR), which will allow you to provide Advanced Services under the new pharmacy contract. The programme is delivered in association with PSNC and the Medway School of Pharmacy.
Use it to: find out more about different aspects of MURs (including MURs in older people, epilepsy, MURs in practice). Work through case studies to help you to identify potential drug therapy problems (DTPs) and see suggested answers.
How: see the individual modules for information about particular aspects. Remember that you will need to register with the Medway School of Pharmacy for assessment purposes. Please note that paper and CD-ROM copies of previous programmes are available to borrow from the Society's Library if you wish to borrow them before purchasing your own or registering for the course.
CPPE new pharmacy contract (England)
About: the CPPE supports practically all aspects of the new pharmacy contractual framework.
Use it to: find out more about specific CPPE open learning programmes and how they relate to the Essential and Enhanced Services.
NHS Education for Scotland (supporting the new pharmacy contract)
About: the National UK Centre for Continuing Pharmaceutical Education in Scotland. NES (Pharmacy) provides a number of education and training programmes which support the new contract.
Use it to: get full details and book online for distance and e-learning programmes and obtain information specific to the NHS community pharmacy contract in Scotland, for example, details of the Minor Ailment Service (MAS).
WCPPE new pharmacy contract (Wales)
About: the WCPPE information on the new contract.
Use it to: obtain details of courses and order your distance learning packs and videos online.
Library factsheet: Medicines Use Reviews
About: factsheet produced by the Society's Library listing some resources we recommend in response to enquiries about MURs.
Use it to: locate books held by the library, journal articles and websites about MURs.
CPD stands for continuing professional development. Pharmacists must keep up-to-date with changes in pharmacy practice, the law relating to pharmacy and the knowledge, science and technology applicable to pharmacy, and must maintain competence and effectiveness as a practitioner. This responsibility is recognised in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Code of Ethics.
The Society recommends that pharmacists fulfil this responsibility by adopting the concept of CPD. This will include regular participation in continuing education (CE) and other activities and learning, both work-based and self-directed, for example, professional audit, reflecting on professional reading etc.
The following are resources to help you structure, record and develop your CPD.
CPD website of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
About: 'Up-to-date', the website for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Great Britain undertaking CPD produced by the Society.
Use it to: register and electronically record your CPD. Access introductory documents including Continuing Professional Development, a Guide to Getting Started. Read CPD case studies based on CPD records submitted to the Society for review and feedback. These consist of background information about the pharmacist, the entry submitted and a reviewer's commentary.
How: if you are having any difficulties registering or logging in please call the CPD helpdesk on 01225 383663 or email helpdesk@coacs.com.
Society CPD webpage
About: a webpage providing the Society's information and guidance on CPD.
Use it to: find out general information and details of the Society's CPD programme. (See 'CPD website of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain' above).
Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE)
About: provider of educational solutions for the NHS pharmacy workforce across England.
Use it to: select, order or book open-learning programmes or workshops. You will need to register to order learning materials, make workshop bookings and complete post-learning assessments online; otherwise you are free just to browse the site.
How: choose your sector from hospital pharmacy, community pharmacy, prison pharmacy, primary care pharmacy, pharmacy technicians, specialist pharmacists and preregistration pharmacists and see which open-learning programmes, assessments and workshops are available to you. Alternatively, view the full learning portfolio by theme e.g. child health, palliative care or sports and fitness. To register online with the CPPE you will need to provide your Society number, surname, date of birth, postcode and email address.
NHS Education for Scotland (Pharmacy)
About: the National UK Centre for Continuing Pharmaceutical Education in Scotland. NES (Pharmacy) provides an education and training programme, which includes face-to-face courses, distance-learning, video-conferencing, open-learning opportunities and specially commissioned courses for hospital and community pharmacists working within the NHS in Scotland, by a number of different methods to allow maximum flexibility and contact.
Use it to: get full details and book online for distance and e-learning programmes and obtain information specific to the NHS community pharmacy contract in Scotland, for example, details of the Minor Ailment Service (MAS).
How: register and log-in for course information and assessment.
Welsh Centre for Post-Graduate Pharmaceutical Education
About: aims to provide an all-embracing continuing professional development service to all pharmacists and their support staff in Wales. They offer a wide range of different types of educational material, to suit different needs and learning styles including face-to-face courses, online courses, distance-learning packs and videos that you can study in your own time, in your own home.
Use it to: obtain details of courses and order your distance-learning packs and videos online.
How: contact the WCPPE to register for their service.
Northern Ireland Centre for Postgraduate Pharmaceutical Education and Training (NICPPET)
About: NICPPET provides learning opportunities in a range of formats to pharmacists and other healthcare professionals in Northern Ireland.
Use it to: obtain details of courses and order your distance-learning packs and videos online. Also, view a list of education articles from various journals chosen for their CPD relevance. Links are provided for those journals free of charge on the internet and you can search the articles list by keyword or topic.
How: sign-in for full access to course and workshop information.
PJ Online - CPD Section
About: the section of The Pharmaceutical Journal's website dedicated to CPD.
Use it to: locate CPD articles and series that have appeared in The Pharmaceutical Journal since 1999.
How: choose from the A-Z list or browse by category - clinical, practice or workplace.
Hospital Pharmacist Life-long Learning series
About: a continuing professional development (CPD) series launched in the November 2004 issue of Hospital Pharmacist. It is designed to help readers use the monthly special features to contribute towards their CPD. The College of Pharmacy Practice provides accreditation of the questions which means that college members can make completion part of their compulsory continuing education requirement.
Use it to: read articles aimed at hospital pharmacists and fill knowledge gaps.
How: question and answer papers can also be downloaded if you wish to send them to be marked.
Pharmacy update
About: the accredited distance-learning continuing education programme for pharmacists from Chemist & Druggist. 2006 topics include modules on pending POM to P switches, new approaches to cancer treatment, sleep disorders and much more.
Use it to: gain over 30 hours of College of Pharmacy Practice accredited learning each year, which can be included in your Society ‘Plan & Record’ CPD portfolio.
How: use the self-test question paper and telephone marking service for registering your answers and checking your results.
The College of Pharmacy Practice (CPP)
About: aims to promote excellence in pharmacy practice along with continuing education and training. Membership is open to all pharmacists and preregistration trainees in the UK. They can join the College as associates and proceed to full membership by submitting a portfolio.
Use it to: find out about CPP-accredited courses and workshops and see guidance on turning CE into CPD.
Library factsheet: CPD
About: factsheet produced by the Society Library listing some resources we recommend in response to enquiries about CPD.
Use it to: locate books held by the Library, journal articles and websites about CPD.
Library factsheet: Courses: Continuing Education (CE)
About: factsheet produced by the Society Library listing some resources we recommend in response to enquiries about courses and continuing education.
Use it to: locate books held by the Library, journal articles and websites about courses and continuing education.
Society online 'Introduction to clinical governance for community pharmacists'
About: this programme has been developed in partnership between the Society and the NHS Clinical Governance Support Team (NCGST). It is intended to provide a basic level introduction to clinical governance and the components within it as they relate to community pharmacy and the new community pharmacy contract. The programme consists of seven interactive modules which cover the range of requirements placed on pharmacy contractors through the new contract in England and Wales, as well as a number of issues highlighted through recent public inquiries, for example, Shipman. You can pick and choose the modules most appropriate to your learning needs.
Use it to: work your way through the interactive modules including audit and patient safety. This work can then be recorded as as CPD.
How: register and log in to access the modules.
Clinical governance: Department of Health health and social care topic
About: provides links to clinical governance publications, general information and other useful resources.
Use it to: find out the history of clinical governance and further information as well as locating articles published by the Department of Health.
World Health Organization (WHO) - Essential Medicines
About: essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority healthcare needs of the population. They are selected with due regard to public health relevance, evidence on efficacy and safety, and comparative cost-effectiveness. This page provides links to descriptions of activities, reports, news and events, as well as contacts and co-operating partners in the various WHO programmes and offices working on this topic. Also shown are links to related websites and topics.
Use it to: view WHO publications including the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.
G.B. Department for International Development (DFID)
About: DFID is the part of the UK Government that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty. One area of their work covers essential medicines.
Use it to: see their publications including 'Increasing access to essential medicines in the developing world: UK Government policy and plans'
UK
The websites below provide access to UK legislation and patent information. You may wish to locate legislation on a particular Act of Parliament or see a recent amendment by a Statutory Instrument. The recent Health Act 2006 and Drugs Act 2005 both have relevance to pharmacists as have Statutory Instruments which have amended The Medicines for Human Use Regulations and The Veterinary Medicines Regulations. Patents may well be of interest to those involved in R&D. Also, included in this section is information about the MHRA which regulates medicines and medical devices in the UK.
Office of Public Sector Information
About: this site provides free online access to UK legislation. All legislation published on the website is published as enacted or made. Users should therefore verify for themselves whether legislation is in force or whether it has been amended or repealed by subsequent legislation.
Use it to: search for the complete text of Acts and Statutory Instruments (SIs) from 1988 onwards. (Later legislation is also available from Scotland, Ireland and Wales). Explanatory notes are normally available for Acts and some SIs.
How: search by keyword or browse through alphabetical and numerical lists of Acts and Explanatory Notes and numerical lists of Statutory Instruments.
Note that the Fitness to Practise and Legal Affairs Directorate provides advice to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians on matters relating to the Codes of Ethics and the Society's interpretation of medicines legislation. Telephone 020 7572 2308, or email ftp@rpsgb.org
UK Patent Office (patent search)
About: patents are legal titles protecting inventions. They offer a temporary private right to the holder of the invention who can prevent others from using his patented invention. Such an exclusive position is often necessary to recoup the R&D investments that were necessary to develop the invention. The patent system therefore promotes innovation by financially rewarding inventors.
Use it to: find out more information about patents and intellectual property and search for existing patents worldwide.
How: follow the link from the sidebar to the patents section and then choose to search either the free patent search service developed by the European Patent Office (EPO) or by patent or SPC number.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
About: the MHRA is the government agency which is responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. The MHRA regulates a wide range of materials from medicines and medical devices to blood and therapeutic products/services that are derived from tissue engineering.
Use it to: read MHRA publications and find out more information about the safety and regulation of medicines and medical information, safety information, details of adverse drug reactions and how to report adverse reactions and incidents. You can also access the 'Using medical devices safely [MHRA interactive training programme]' online.
How: interactive educational programmes are located in the 'Conferences and Learning Centre' section.
International
If you wish to locate legislation or patent information from outside the UK the sites below offer search facilities for Europe and the United States.
EMEA - European Medicines Evaluation Agency
About: the EMEA's main responsibility is the protection and promotion of public and animal health, through the evaluation and supervision of medicines for human and veterinary use. The EMEA coordinates the evaluation and supervision of medicinal products throughout the European Union.
Use it to: find out more information on human and veterinary medicines and European legislation affecting them.
EUR-Lex the portal to European Union Law
About: the EUR-Lex mission is to publish the whole body of European Union law, and in particular the legislation and the case law, as well as the decisional procedures between the Commission and the other institutions. The website provides a single entry point to the complete collections of EU legal texts in all the official languages, as well as direct access to the official document repositories managed by the institutions or by the Publications Office.
Use it to: find case law, treaties and legislation and read the official journal of the European Union.
How: search by keyword or use the advanced search to target year, country etc.
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
About: website of the USPTO giving information on US Patents, Trademarks and Copyright.
Use it to: search for US patents and trademarks, see issued patents and published applications.
How: brainstorm keywords related to the purpose, use and composition of the invention to access fulltext patents and published applications.