ABSTRACT
This study aims to demonstrate the improvements in clinical symptoms in patients with post-COVID syndrome after a community pharmacy-based intervention in Serbia. The Pharmaceutical Chamber of Serbia ("Chamber") invited pharmacists to deliver post-COVID patient care counselling, supported by the SMART Pharmacist Program, offering education and guidance. Present symptoms, duration and patient self-reported severity of symptoms on a scale of 1-5 on the first visit were recorded. After the counselling and proposed self-medication treatment, the time of the follow-up visit and the severity of the recorded symptoms were also recorded. The prospective data collection lasted from December 2021 to September 2022. In total, 871 patients with post-COVID symptoms were included in the study, served by 53 pharmacists. The most frequently reported post-COVID symptoms coincided with the literature, mostly related to the respiratory system (51.2%), immunity status (32.2%), fatigue and exhaustion (30.7%), skin, hair and nails (27.4%) and cognitive functions (27.9%). A total of 26.5% of patients were referred to their family physician (general practitioner), and 69.5% returned to the pharmacist for a follow-up visit. On the first visit, the median severity of patients' symptoms was three, while on the second visit it dropped to one. The pharmacists' intervention led to a significant improvement in the post-COVID patients' condition.
ABSTRACT
The COST CARES project aims to support healthcare cost containment and improve healthcare quality across Europe by developing the research and development necessary for person-centred care (PCC) and health promotion. This paper presents an overview evaluation strategy for testing 'Exploratory Health Laboratories' to deliver these aims. Our strategy is theory driven and evidence based, and developed through a multi-disciplinary and European-wide team. Specifically, we define the key approach and essential criteria necessary to evaluate initial testing, and on-going large-scale implementation with a core set of accompanying methods (metrics, models, and measurements). This paper also outlines the enabling mechanisms that support the development of the "Health Labs" towards innovative models of ethically grounded and evidenced-based PCC.