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An event to educate asthma patients has given ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ Leicester (²ÝÁñÊÓƵ) students the chance to gain invaluable experience in a real-life scenario.

Five third-year Pharmacy MPharm students got the opportunity to go out in the field and put their learnings to practice at an event that was aimed to help asthma sufferers.

Around 50 patients from Markfield Medical Centre were invited to gain a better understanding of their condition and see if they were getting the best out of their medication, in line with the NHS targets of environmental sustainability.

Annabel Hunt, Luke Langley, Saffron Simmons, Abdullah Omotoso and Rufaro Dziva were on hand to offer advice about inhaler techniques and other products that were available to help manage their symptoms.

Students on hand after the event

Rufaro Dziva, said: “It was great to put into practice some of the things that I’d learned through the course and speak to people from within the community.

“Asthma is a long-term chronic condition so helping patients to manage the symptoms and educating them about how to get the best out of their medication is really important.

“I really enjoyed seeing how beneficial our advice was to people and just being able to improve on our communication skills, and being able to speak to people of different ages and backgrounds.”

Prior to the event, the students received additional training to understand what was required of them and guidance on communication and counselling in a GP setting, including a focus on shared-decision making.

Saffron Simmons, is an asthmatic patient herself and wanted an opportunity to empower other people like her.

She said: “If you can educate patients about their condition, it can actually make them feel empowered to spot the triggers and ways to help prevent asthma attacks, which can be extremely serious.

“For me personally, I’ve always liked the idea of being a pharmacist in a GP or a hospital and now I’m at a point where I’m looking for opportunities to explore those pathways.

“We’re really lucky that we have lecturers at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ that all have a background in, or are currently working in practice, so it was really nice to see how that plays out and the rapport you can build with your patients.”

Giving the students to opportunity to develop their skills was Simran Obhi, Teacher Practitioner at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ and LLR Training Hub and Clinical Pharmacist at North West Leicestershire Primary Care Network.

Simran giving a talk to patients 

She said: “The students’ participation and commitment made a significant impact, not only in the success of the event but also in the lives of the patients who attended.

“We received lots of positive feedback which highlighted the invaluable assistance and genuine care that the students were able to demonstrate.

“The students’ professionalism and enthusiasm was truly commendable and I have no doubt that their contributions played an integral role in making the event a success.”