Gordon Becket | University of Central Lancashire (original) (raw)

Papers by Gordon Becket

International Journal of …, 2008

The aim of this interdisciplinary study was three-fold: to identify students' perceptions of... more The aim of this interdisciplinary study was three-fold: to identify students' perceptions of professionalism, to analyse the literature for core concepts in professionalism and to examine the implications of the findings for pharmacy practice and pharmacy education ...

Rheumatology International, Jan 4, 2014

various population groups. Data from all community pharmacy dispensing databases in a new Zealand... more various population groups. Data from all community pharmacy dispensing databases in a new Zealand region were collected for a year covering 2005/2006 giving a near complete picture of dispensings to area residents. Prevalence of allopurinol use in the region by age, sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic position was calculated. adherence was assessed using the medication possession ratio (MPR), with a MPR of 0.80 indicative of suboptimal adherence. Multiple logistic regression was used to explore variations in suboptimal adherence across population groups. a total of 953 people received allopurinol in the study year (prevalence 3 %). Prevalence was higher in males (6 %) than in females (1 %) and Māori (5 %) than non-Māori (3 %). the overall MPR during the study was 0.88, with 161 (22 %) of patients using allopurinol having suboptimal adherence. non-Māori were 54 % less likely to have suboptimal allopurinol adherence compared to Māori (95 % cI 0.30-0.72, p = 0.001). these findings are consistent with those from other studies nationally and internationally and point to the important role for health professionals in improving patient adherence to an effective gout treatment.

Clinical Toxicology, Apr 1, 2009

Water hemlock, which encompasses a range of species divided across two genera (Cicuta and Oenanth... more Water hemlock, which encompasses a range of species divided across two genera (Cicuta and Oenanthe), are regarded as being among the most poisonous plants both in North America and in the United Kingdom. Despite their toxicity, the literature consists almost entirely of case reports. The aim of this review is to summarize this literature by covering all aspects of taxonomy and botanical characterization, principal toxins, basic pharmacology including mechanisms of toxicity, and the clinical features, diagnosis, and management of poisoning. The principal toxins, cicutoxin and oenanthotoxin, belong to a group of C17 conjugated polyacetylenes. They act as (noncompetitive) gamma-aminobutyric acid antagonists in the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in unabated neuronal depolarization that can lead to seizures. Ingestion of even a small amount of plant matter may result in severe intoxication. After ingestion, the patient is most likely to experience CNS stimulatory effects including seizures that, in the absence of aggressive supportive care, can result in death. Other features include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tachycardia, mydriasis, rhabdomyolysis, renal failure, coma, respiratory impairment, and cardiac dysrhythmias. Treatment consists mainly of prompt airway management and seizure control, plus decontamination if achieved early and after stabilization. In the event of renal failure, the use of hemodialysis has been employed successfully. The ingestion of water hemlock can lead to serious complications that may be fatal. Prognosis is good, however, if prompt supportive care is provided.

Journal of Primary Health Care, 2014

INTRODUCTION: Preventive medications such as statins are used to reduce cardiovascular risk. Ther... more INTRODUCTION: Preventive medications such as statins are used to reduce cardiovascular risk. There is some evidence to suggest that people of lower socioeconomic position are less likely to be prescribed statins. In New Zealand, Maori have higher rates of cardiovascular disease.AIM: This study aimed to investigate statin utilisation by socioeconomic position and ethnicity in a region of New Zealand.METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which data were collected on all prescriptions dispensed from all pharmacies in one city during 2005/6. Linkage with national datasets provided information on patients' age, gender and ethnicity. Socioeconomic position was identified using the New Zealand Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation 2006.RESULTS: Statin use increased with age until around 75 years. Below age 65 years, those in the most deprived socioeconomic areas were most likely to receive statins. In the 55-64 age group, 22.3% of the most deprived population received a statin prescription (compared with 17.5% of the mid and 18.6% of the least deprived group). At ages up to 75 years, use was higher amongst Maori than non-Maori, particularly in middle age, where Maori have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. In the 45-54 age group, 11.6% of Maori received a statin prescription, compared with 8.7% of non-Maori.DISCUSSION: Statin use approximately matched the pattern of need, in contrast to other studies which found under-treatment of people of low socioeconomic position. A PHARMAC campaign to increase statin use may have increased use in high-risk groups in New Zealand.

The New Zealand Medical Journal, Apr 1, 2005

To describe the use of antibiotics in one New Zealand town, and to investigate relationships betw... more To describe the use of antibiotics in one New Zealand town, and to investigate relationships between antibiotic use and gender, age, and socioeconomic status. Data from dispensing computers in all community pharmacies in the town were extracted. All dispensings of antibiotics to residents in the town were identified. Discrete individuals were identified and, where possible, linked with data on gender, age and the socioeconomic status (NZDep) of the area in which they lived. 42% of residents in the town received one or more dispensing of antibiotics in 2002. These people, on average, received 2.1 dispensings. Children received antibiotics more often than adults, females more than males and there was a strong relationship between socioeconomic status and antibiotic dispensings. Rates of antibiotic use in the community are strongly influenced by age, gender and socioeconomic status.

Journal of Biomedical Informatics, Dec 1, 2010

Purpose: Pharmacy dispensing databases provide a comprehensive source of data on medicines use fr... more Purpose: Pharmacy dispensing databases provide a comprehensive source of data on medicines use free from many of the biases inherent in administrative databases. There are challenges associated with using pharmacy databases however. This paper describes the methods we used, and their performance, so that other researchers considering using pharmacy databases may benefit from our experiences. Methods: Data were collected from all nine pharmacy dispensing databases in an isolated New Zealand town for the period October 2005-September 2006. Probabilistic record matching was used to link individuals across pharmacies. Patient addresses from the pharmacy data were geo-located to small areas so an area measure of socioeconomic deprivation could be assigned. Medicines were coded according to the ATC-DDD drug classification system. Results: Data on 619,264 dispensings were collected. Record matching reduced an initial pool of individuals from 54,484 to 38,027. Socioeconomic deprivation ranks were assigned for 30,972 (93%) of the 33,375 unique addresses identified, or 36,048 (95%) of individuals. ATC codes were assigned to 613,490 (99%) of the dispensings, with DDDs assigned to 561,223 (91%). Overall, 93% of dispensing records had complete demographic and drug information. Conclusions: The methods described in this paper generated a rich dataset for medicines use research. These methods, while initially resource-intensive, can to a great extent be automated and applied to other locations, and will hopefully prove useful to other researchers facing similar challenges with using pharmacy databases. However, it is difficult to envisage these methods being viable on a long-term or national scale.

Stp Pharma Sciences, 2003

Health Sociology Review, Jun 1, 2011

The increased use of information technology in health care allows researchers to generate data on... more The increased use of information technology in health care allows researchers to generate data on rates of medication use among population groups, raising questions as to whether these rates are too high or too low. This paper presents fi ndings from a study of records of all prescription medication dispensed in one New Zealand region (Te Ta¯irawhiti) over a one year period. The study examined patterns of psychotropic medication use amongst older people, by age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic position. It concludes that the chances of being defi ned as needing psychotropic medication, that is, of being 'medicalised', are not evenly spread through the elderly population. Gender, age and ethnicity impacted signifi cantly on whether prescriptions were received. Our results suggest the need for a nuanced understanding of the medicalisation of unhappiness and deviant behaviour amongst the elderly which takes into account barriers to treatment for some social groups.

Health and Social Care Education, Mar 27, 2014

The New Zealand medical journal

American journal of hospital pharmacy

The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health

The apparent partition coefficients (Papp.) of eight 4-aminoquinolines in 1-octanol/pH 7.4 buffer... more The apparent partition coefficients (Papp.) of eight 4-aminoquinolines in 1-octanol/pH 7.4 buffered solutions have been determined and correlated with their reported antifilarial activities. Antifilarial activity appears to be present only in those 4-aminoquinolines which have log Papp. values falling within a narrow range of 2.8 to 3.2.

Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology

ABSTRACT