/library/oar/handle/123456789/31625 2025-12-23T14:30:14Z 2025-12-23T14:30:14Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/142156 2025-12-12T09:57:14Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Social media and pharmacy Abstract: Social media is fast becoming a force to be reckoned within healthcare, and indeed, pharmacy practice. This study aimed to investigate the use of social media in pharmacy, advantages and impact and the influence of social media on communication between healthcare practitioners and the public, patient education, and pharmacy practice. The increased use of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by pharmaceutical industries, pharmacists, and others to communicate, provide health information, and interact with patients. In spite of that, questions about honesty of information posted and its ethical significance are surfacing. The study focuses the use of social media in pharmacy, the advantages of using it, and the dangers of using it. It also seeks to give guidelines on how to utilize the media effectively and safely in pharmacy practice. The research employs various primary and secondary literature sources of patients and pharmacists, and content analysis of social media that discusses pharmacy. Analysed 237 articles and 68 were directly related to social media and they organised into four main themes. Social media can be used to enhance patient education and access to health information. Pharmacists utilize the media to provide drug updates, advocate healthy lifestyle, and address patient inquiries. The study also establishes that misleading information is rampant and some pharmacists lack skills to utilize social media responsibly. Evidence supports that though social media may be used to improve services in pharmacies, definite rules and guidelines on how to display information correctly and ethically need to be given. Patients appreciate the ease of getting information from the internet but find it difficult to distinguish between authentic sources. Social media is a useful tool for pharmacists but must be handled with care to mitigate risks. This thesis supports more training of pharmacists on using social media and creating standard guidelines to help guarantee patient safety and trust. Description: M.Pharm.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/142155 2025-12-12T09:52:23Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Pharmacy practice in Nigeria Abstract: Pharmacy practice in Nigeria has evolved from a drug-focused approach to patient-centered care, with pharmacists now playing a broader role in health promotion, medication management, and disease prevention, driven by changes in education, training, and regulatory structures. This research explores the evolution of pharmacy practice, education and training, regulatory framework and practice-based research; challenges and future expectations. To understand the current state of pharmacy practice in Nigeria, including its challenges and improvements, a review of existing literature was done, guided by the PRISMA 2020 guidelines (Page et al., 2021). This helps to identify, screen, and select relevant studies. The review highlights the evolution of pharmacy practice and examined the frameworks and standards currently in place. Also, it highlighted the crucial role played by regulatory bodies such as the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), which is responsible for setting professional guidelines, maintaining ethical standards, and ensuring compliance across the sector. To carry out this review, reputable academic databases and platforms were used, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, ProQuest, and ResearchGate. Out of a total of 580 studies initially identified, 57 were analyzed to inform this study’s findings. These selected studies offered insights into the current practices and future prospects for pharmacy in Nigeria. The findings highlight how pharmacy practice in Nigeria has grown and transformed over time, reflecting both progress and persistent challenges. They reveal a profession that is steadily evolving from a primarily drug-dispensing role to one that is more deeply integrated into patient care and public health. However, this progress has not come without obstacles. Regulatory insufficiency, weak enforcement and uneven workforce distribution, outdated curricula and limited clinical exposure, slow technology adoption and inadequate practice-based research continue to hinder the full potential of the pharmacy sector. Despite these challenges, there is a strong sense of optimism about the future. There are increasing opportunities for pharmacists to play a more active role in public health initiatives, such as disease prevention and health education. Additionally, advances in technology; including digital health tools and telepharmacy, present exciting prospects for improving pharmacy services and expanding access to care across Nigeria. Description: M.Pharm.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/142124 2025-12-11T10:00:03Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Design and optimisation of novel benzimidazole hybrid structures capable of simultaneous peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ and angiotensin receptor modulation Abstract: Metabolic syndrome, associated with an increased risk of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, is poorly controlled with polypharmacy, prevalent in current management. Dual PPARγ/ATR modulators have potential in metabolic syndrome management. The aims of this study were to use the binding interactions of the benzimidazole scaffold with PPARγ and ATR to model structures with simultaneous high affinity for both loci using virtual screening and de novo fragment-based drug design. A consensus pharmacophore was generated in LigandScout® v4.4 by superimposing telmisartan and olmesartan from PDB crystallographic depositions 3VN2 and 4ZUD respectively, together with HTR-04. This pharmacophore was read into ZINCPharmer® with Rule of 3 filters applied. Hits were docked into protomols, describing the energetically unsatisfied space, within the PPARγ and ATR to measure affinity of hits to protomols. In de novo fragment-based drug design, two-dimensional topology maps of HTR-04 within the PPARγ and ATR ligand binding pockets guided the generation of seeds derived from HTR-04. Seeds were used for de novo growth at predesignated loci within the PPARγ and ATR ligand binding pockets. The study was conducted at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Malta. 519 Lipinski-Rule compliant hits were identified during the virtual screening phase. After docking into protomols, affinity of the 10 highest-ranking hits, expressed as a total score, ranged from 4.28 to 5.08. Using the de novo design approach, 4132 molecules were generated from 1 successful seed, of which the top 200 structures were further subjected to filtration for Lipinski Rule compliance. The benzimidazole scaffold shows potential in the development of dual PPARγ/ATR modulators for MetS management. The virtual screening and de novo design approaches both identified high-affinity drug candidate molecules suitable for further optimisation. Description: M.Pharm.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/142123 2025-12-11T09:58:10Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Developing guidelines for the implementation of digitalised technology in pharmacy Abstract: The pharmaceutical industry is undergoing rapid digital transformation, driven by technological advancements and the need for improved patient care. This study aimed to identify the key risks and opportunities associated with digitalisation across various pharmaceutical ecosystems, including community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, regulatory affairs, the pharmaceutical industry and clinical practice. The study also aimed to develop guidelines for pharma digitalisation risk reduction. The study involved three main phases. Phase 1 involved a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis conducted via semi-structured interviews with thirty different stakeholders, representing the five previously mentioned sectors. Phase 2 involved a focus group with five different stakeholders, one from each sector, to evaluate identified threats using a 5x5 risk matrix. Threats were rated based on probability and severity and average Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs) were calculated to prioritise risks. Risk mitigation strategies were proposed, which served as basis for phase 3 of the study involving guideline development. Phase 1 identified numerous benefits of digitalisation, including environmental sustainability (n=30), enhanced communication (n=28), optimisation of resources to enhance efficiency (n=22) and error reduction (n=16). Opportunities identified include artificial intelligence introduction (n=25) and automation (n=22) across different pharmaceutical sectors and the development of a centralised digital healthcare system (n=20). Phase 2 identified several risks such as cybersecurity receiving the highest average RPN score (13.8) during the focus group, followed by regulatory challenges (11.6) and time or training burdens (11.4). Risk mitigation strategies proposed by the focus group participants were used during Phase 3 of this study to develop guidelines. Mitigation strategies suggested included improved IT infrastructure, regulatory updates, staff training and utilisation of user-friendly systems. The study concludes that while digitalisation presents several strengths and opportunities for pharmaceutical innovation, effective implementation requires addressing the associated risks and weaknesses through targeted mitigation strategies. The resulting guidelines developed offer evidence-based, sector-specific recommendations to evaluate the need for digital advancement and support the safe and efficient digital introduction. These guidelines are intended to guide stakeholders, policymakers and institutions in decision making regarding digital integration to ensure technological advancements align with patient safety, data security and regulatory compliance. Description: M.Pharm.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z