Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog
Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog
Posted by ma403
18 March 2025
We know that the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better the clinical outcomes are. Patients generally first present to General Practice with symptoms of undiagnosed cancer. However, in recent years there has been an expansion of clinical responsibility in other healthcare settings, and there has been a focus shift towards providing care to people closer to their homes. Hence potential cancer symptoms may be assessed more often by other healthcare providers.
Community pharmacies are well embedded in the community, and they are often first port of calls for many. Pharmacies are accessible, free to use and there is generally no need to make an appointment to seek advice about health conditions.
There are differences in healthcare statistics between deprived and affluent areas. In the above context, cancer outcomes are poorer, and access to GPs is perceived as more difficult, while geographically it is quicker to access community pharmacies compared to GP surgeries in areas of deprivation.
In the last two years, we have been working on a project that was funded by the School for Primary Care Research. The first work package includes a systematic review that aims to describe the range of interventions that exist or have been trialled in pharmacies to aid early cancer detection. We summarise the reported outcomes, participant experiences, barriers and facilitators to the delivery of the interventions, and explore if there is difference between deprived and affluent areas in any of the above domains.
The second work package includes an online survey of community pharmacy staff members. We explore the current practices of customer-facing staff when they seek to purchase over-the-counter medication to treat symptoms that could potentially be related to undiagnosed cancer. Again, we explore if practices differ in deprived areas compared to affluent regions.
It has been an exciting journey with important learnings from both work packages. We are looking forward to sharing the results and consider the implications for informing policy and shaping research.