Online Pharmacy Training

heartburn treatment timescale If symptoms have not responded to treatment after 1 week the patient should see a doctor. Management The symptoms of heartburn respond well to treatments that are available OTC, and there is also a role for the pharmacist to offer practical advice about measures to prevent recurrence of the problem.

The ward environment is a great learning experience, not just from patients’ notes and drug charts that you read. The other health care staff on the ward are a great source of information and learning too.

Heartburn Symptoms of heartburn are caused when there is reflux of gastric contents, particularly acid, into the oesophagus, which irritate the sensitive mucosal surface (oesophagitis). Patients will often describe the symptoms of heartburn; typically a burning discomfort/pain felt in the stomach passing upwards behind the breastbone (retrosternally). By careful questioning, the pharmacist can distinguish conditions that are potentially more serious.