Story 1: Nice publishes first menopause guidance

Healthcare professionals should diagnose menopause based on a patient's symptoms, rather than using laboratory tests, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has said in its first guidance on the condition published last week (November 12).

Nice also used its guidance to advise that women with cardiovascular risk factors should not be "automatically excluded” from taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Patients and healthcare professionals need to be aware that HRT does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in women under 60 years, it said.

Nice stressed that oestrogen-only HRT results in “little or no increase in the incidence of breast cancer”. “HRT with oestrogen and progestogen can be associated with an increase in the incidence of breast cancer, but any increased risk reduces after stopping HRT,” it added.

Story 2: Pharmacists dominate antibiotic guardians

EXCLUSIVE

Pharmacists make up the largest group of antibiotic guardians, Public Health England (PHE) has told C+D.

Almost 3,900 guardians – 22% of the total number registered with PHE – are pharmacists, it said on Monday, the first day of World Antibiotic Awareness Week (November 16-22).

PHE – which launched the antibiotic guardian initiative last year – also asked the public to reduce antibiotic use this winter by “making the most” of community pharmacists and their teams.

“Pharmacists can play a vital role in helping manage patients' expectations, explaining the normal duration of winter illnesses caused by viruses, what warning signs to look out for, and providing effective over-the-counter treatments to help relieve symptoms,” said PHE’s antibiotic guardian campaign lead Diane Ashiru-Oredope.

Story 3: Almost half of pharmacists have no system to cut antibiotic use

Forty-six per cent of pharmacists do not have any measures in place to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics, according to a survey commissioned by Reckitt Benckiser.

In a survey of 214 pharmacists – conducted by CIG Research from September 28 to October 6 – 83% said they wanted more training to help them act as "antibiotic stewards" for patients, the manufacturer said earlier this month (November 5).

Almost 70% of pharmacists cited patient pressure as the biggest contributor to unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, while 13% blamed time constraints on GPs, Reckitt Benckiser said.

Almost 80% of respondents agreed that pharmacists could play a greater role in advising patients about why antibiotics are not effective for treating most respiratory tract infections (RTIs), it said.

Of the 65 GPs surveyed, 40% said the RTIs that patients most commonly request an antibiotic for are sore throats, pharyngitis and tonsillitis, the manufacturer said. This compared with 30% who cited acute coughs and bronchitis, and 22% who named acute otitis media, it added.

How do you try to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use?

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