Pharmacy practice research
Our pharmacy practice research aims to improve patient-centred healthcare delivery by finding evidence-based solutions to the demands of patients. Our researchers also highlight the importance of pharmacy services in improving sustainable selection, use and disposal of pharmaceuticals to lessen the impact pharmaceutical use has on the environment.
We're researching medicine optimisation – the process of ensuring the right patients get the right choice of medicine at the right time. We're exploring best practices for using computerised personal health records to support medicines optimisation.
We're researching service innovation in the National Health Service (NHS) to develop better pathways and outcomes for NHS patients that involve pharmacists. We’re also exploring the role of self-monitoring in the prevention of cardiovascular risk. Our research can help the NHS save money by improving how pharmacies help patients take medicines safely and effectively.
And we're examining the skills and knowledge pharmacy workers need to deliver better care. We're using this information to shape how we teach the next generation of pharmacy professionals in our School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. We’re also working on ways to instil professional values, identity and accountability in graduates to ensure they make effective practitioners, and developing new assessment methodologies to better test a student’s competence in a safe environment.
Our pharmacy practice research covers the following topics
- Medicines optimisation and deprescribing
- Polypharmacy
- Clinical reasoning and diagnosis
- Pharmaceuticals and the environment
- Health service re-design
- Professionalism
Collaborations
We're researching new models of care in partnership with NHS hospitals, local pharmacy organisations and others bodies like the Drug Safety Research Unit
Projects
Our projects have been funded by institutions such as Pharmacy Research UK, NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) and Health Education England.
Our work is regularly featured in high quality journals, including BMJ Open, British Journal of General Practice, International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, Journal of Evaluative and Clinical Practice, International Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacy Education.
Publication highlights
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Hives, L., Georgiou, R. F., Spencer, J., Benedetto, V., Clegg, A., Rutter, P., Watkins, C., Williams, N., and Bray, E. P. (2023) "Risk reduction intervention for raised blood pressure (REVERSE): protocol for a mixed-methods feasibility study", BMJ Open
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Lin, S. X., Phillips, T., Culliford, D., Edwards, C., Holroyd, C., Ibrahim, K., Barrett, R., Howard, C., Johnson, R., Adams, J., Stammers, M., Rischin, A., Rutter, P., Barnes, N., Roderick, P., and Fraser, S. D. (2022) "Characterising risk of non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drug related acute kidney injury: a retrospective cohort study", BJGP Open
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Ortiz De Zarate, M., Mentazakis, E., Fraser, S. D. S., Roderick, P., Rutter, P., and Ornaghi, C. (2022) "Price versus clinical guidelines in primary care statin prescribing: a retrospective cohort study and cost simulation model", Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
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Murewanhema, G., Dzinamarira, T., Chingombe, I., Mapingure, M. P., Mukwenha, S., Chitungo, I., Herrera, H., Madziva, R., Ngwenya, S., and Musuka, G. N. (2022), "Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, inequitable vaccine distribution, and implications for COVID-19 control in sub-Saharan Africa", COVID
Project highlights
An opportunity for community pharmacy’s sustained participation in tackling health inequalities: Zachariah Nazar, Jane Portlock, Paul Rutter, David Brown
Research group
Pharmacy Practice Research Group
We're researching projects centred around two main areas – undergraduate education and pharmacy practice.
Interested in a PhD in Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences?
Browse our postgraduate research degrees – including PhDs and MPhils – at our Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences postgraduate research degrees page.