Community pharmacy–based H. pylori screening for patients with uninvestigated dyspepsia

Abstract

Background: Helicobacter pylori is identified by the World Health Organization as a major risk factor of gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and gastric carcinomas. As point-of-care screening technology becomes more widely available, pharmacists are ideally suited to use this tool to screen patients with H. pylori infection. Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing point-of-care screening technology for H. pylori into community pharmacy practice and to assess the number of patients who are positively identified as a result of testing. Methods: Three pharmacies in Toronto, Ontario, offered H. pylori screening as part of their clinical programs. Pharmacists enrolled patients with symptoms of dyspepsia and/or receiving acid suppressant therapy for >6 weeks. Decision to screen was based on the Canadian Helicobacter Study Group Consensus (CHSG). Patients were screened using the Rapid Response H. pylori test. Results: Seventy-one patients were recruited, with a mean age of 46.3 years. Patients were ethnically diverse, with a significant proportion (59.2%) identified as being born outside of North America, including Asia (26.8%), Africa (9.9%), the Middle East (7%), Europe (9.9%) and South and Central America (5.6%). Overall, the detection rate of H. pylori infection was 21%. North Americans had the lowest incidence of an undiagnosed H. pylori infection (6.9%). Europeans (28.6%), Middle Easterners (20%) and Asians (21.1%) had a moderate incidence, followed by the highest prevalence in those of African descent (71.4%). Conclusion: These results highlight the readiness of community pharmacists to adopt H. pylori screening into practice and to leverage this novel technology to positively identify and treat undiagnosed H. pylori infection. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2020;153:xx-xx.