Research lines

The research of the Pharmaceutical Care Unit is organised in 4 lines of research focussing on the appropriate use of medicines:

1. Patients with chronic conditions
2. Self-treatment with OTC-medication
3. Specific patient populations
4. Pharmacoepidemiology

1. Patients with chronic conditions

This line of research consists of clinical studies carried out in the community pharmacy with respect to the role of the pharmacist in the treatment of chronic conditions. These studies are always oriented towards one specific affliction (e.g. asthma, COPD, diabetes) and can be observational or interventional. The observational studies have the aim of charting the present treatment of a particular pathology and to identify the obstacles. Afterwards recommendations are formulated to improve the pharmaceutical care. The effectiveness of this pharmaceutical care intervention is then evaluated by a randomised, controlled trial. In this way the content of pharmaceutical care for a particular affliction can be elaborated in a rational way.

Below you can find some studies already carried out and the corresponding publications:

Appropriate use of Direct Oral Anticoagulants

• Capiau A., et al. Community pharmacy-based study of adherence to non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants. Heart (2020), 106: 1740-46.
• Capiau A., et al. Appropriateness of direct oral anticoagulant dosing in patients with atrial fibrillation according to the drug labelling and EHRA Practical Guide. Int J Cardiol (2021), 328: 97-103.

Correct use of eye drops

• Mehuys E., el al. Eye drop technique and patient-reported problems in a real-world population of eye drop users. Eye (2020), 34: 1392-1398.

2. Self-treatment with OTC-medication

Self-medication of pain

• Mehuys E., et al. Self-medication with Over-the-Counter Analgesics: a survey of patient characteristics and concerns about pain medication. J Pain (2019), 20(2):215-23.

Self-medication of rhinitis

• Mehuys E., et al. Self-medication in persistent rhinitis: overuse of decongestants in half of the patients. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract (2014), 2(3): 313-9.

3. Specific patient populations

Older patients

Many older patients take multiple medicines at the same time. This polypharmacy can, however, cause problems, which may lead to hospitalisation. Several international studies showed that 5 to 20% of hospitalisations are drug-related, and about half of these are considered preventable.

Prevention and early detection of drug-related problems in older patients is of increasing importance. Community pharmacists may be ideally placed to engage in this process because of their medication-specific knowledge and because of the availability of an electronic dispensing record in the pharmacy. However, this engagement would require an evidence-based and feasible screening tool specifically suitable for use in the typical community pharmacy practice (ie, no access to patients' clinical data). Such a tool, to the best of our knowledge, has not yet been developed. Therefore, a multidisciplinary team of Ghent University has developed the GheOP³S-tool: the Ghent Older People’s Prescriptions community Pharmacy Screening tool.

More information on the GheOP3S tool.

4. Pharmacoepidemiology

This research line combines clinical pharmacology with epidemiology to promote rational drug use in the society. The impact of drugs on public health is evaluated in terms of use, (cost)effectiveness and safety. Focused areas are therapy adherence, personalized medicine, and multimorbidity. Evidence therefrom supports the quality of pharmaceutical care.

Below you can find some examples of studies within this research line:

Personalized medicine:

• Lahousse L, Loth DW, Joos GF, Hofman A, Leufkens HG, Brusselle GG, Stricker BH. Statins, systemic inflammation and risk of death in COPD: the Rotterdam Study. Pulm Pharmacol Ther. 2013 Apr;26(2):212-7.
• de Roos EW, In 't Veen JC, Braunstahl GJ, Lahousse L, Brusselle GG. Targeted Therapy for Older Patients with Uncontrolled Severe Asthma: Current and Future Prospects. Drugs& Aging. 2016 Sep;33(9):619-28.
• Andreas S, Janson C, van den Berge M, Lahousse L. Cardiac impact of inhaled therapy in the largest randomised placebo-controlled trial in COPD history: have we reached the SUMMIT? ERJ Open Res. 2016 May 26;2(2).

Side effects:

• Lahousse L, Verhamme KM, Stricker BH, Brusselle GG. Cardiac effects of current treatments of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lancet Respir Med. 2016 Feb;4(2):149-64.
• Loth DW, Brusselle GG, Lahousse L, Hofman A, Leufkens HG, Stricker BH. Beta-blockers and pulmonary function in the general population: the Rotterdam Study. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2014 Jan; 77(1): 190–200. 

Adherence:

• Labor M, Braido F, Bikov A, Lahousse L, Rogliani P, Baiardini I. LABA/LAMA Fixed Dose Combination in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: The Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life. Respiration. 2018 Sep 18:1-12.

Multimorbidity:

• Lahousse L. Amazing pleiotropic effects of azithromycin. Breathe 2018; 14: 1–2.
• Grymonprez M, Vakaet V, Kavousi M, Stricker BH, Ikram MA, Heeringa J, Franco OH, Brusselle GG, Lahousse L. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the development of atrial fibrillation. Int J Cardiol. 2018 Sep 15.
• Campos-Obando N, Lahousse L, Brusselle G, Stricker BH, Hofman A, Franco OH, Uitterlinden AG, Zillikens MC. Serum phosphate levels are related to all-cause, cardiovascular and COPD mortality in men. Eur J Epidemiol. 2018 May 15.
• de Roos EW, Lahousse L, Verhamme KMC, Braunstahl GJ, Ikram MA, In 't Veen JCCM, Stricker BHC, Brusselle GGO. Asthma and its comorbidities in middle-aged and older adults; the Rotterdam Study. Respir Med. 2018 Jun;139:6-12.