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"Community pharmacists"
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Perception of Community Pharmacists in Malaysia About Mental Healthcare and Barriers to Providing Pharmaceutical Care Services to Patients with Mental Disorders
The aim of this study was to assess community pharmacists’ (CPs) perceptions toward mental healthcare, and the barriers faced in providing pharmaceutical care (PC) services to these patients. A 40-item survey was posted to CPs. Ninety-six pharmacists participated. The majority (84.2%) agreed there is a role for CPs to play in mental health care, while approximately 60% agreed it is their responsibility to provide PC to these patients. The biggest barrier to providing this service is the lack of knowledge, cited by close to 50% of respondents. This corresponds with the revelation that close to 60% believe that they have a poor or fair understanding of mental disorders. About 30% of respondents said they do not stock psychotropic drugs at all, mainly due to medico-legal reasons, and low prescription requests. Our findings highlight the need for more training of CPs in managing patients with mental disorders.
Journal Article
New Medicine Service by Community Pharmacists: An Opportunity to Enhance Universal Health Coverage at a Primary Health Level in South Africa
The implementation of universal health coverage (UHC) in South Africa has focused on promoting equitable health care services to all citizens. In this regard, pharmacists are expected to expand their professional capabilities to promote primary healthcare system functionality. The new medicine service (NMS) has proven to be beneficial in medicine optimization and adherence. The aim of the NMS is to assist and advise patients on their newly diagnosed conditions and to promote the safe and rational use of medicines. This study explores the provision of NMS within the UHC primary healthcare service package and the opportunity for enhancing pharmacist practice. This pilot reports on the implementation of NMS in a low-middle income country. Data was obtained using convenience sampling and an interview-based approach. Findings were evaluated, analyzed, and reported using qualitative techniques. This study was conducted at an independent community pharmacy in Durban, South Africa. Fifty-four patients were successfully enrolled into the program based on the eligibility criteria; 19 patients exited the program before completion. From those that completed the program, 65.71% had no problems detected; rather the program served as a platform to provide information and ensure proper adherence practices, 34.29% of patients experienced problems and were referred back to the prescriber, or pharmacist. After the completion of the program, 54.29% where found to be adherent to their medication, however, 45.71% were found to be non-adherent and were counseled accordingly or referred back to the medical practitioner. This paper highlighted that the implementation of a pharmacist’s full scope of practice and services such as the NMS is essential in improving therapeutic outcomes, recognize medicine related problems, and avert unnecessary use of medicines.
Journal Article
Factors associated with assertiveness among Japanese community pharmacists: a cross-sectional study
Background
Community pharmacists play a crucial role in promoting medication safety within the community healthcare team. Effective communication by community pharmacists with other health professionals is essential to facilitate the sharing of patient healthcare information. In the context of information sharing between physicians and community pharmacists, assertive self-expression (defined as ‘a style of openly expressing one's needs and feelings while respecting others’) is beneficial. The aim of this study is to identify factors associated with assertive self-expression among community pharmacists.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted by surveying 3,446 Japanese community pharmacists working at pharmacies across 10 prefectures. Participants were invited to complete a survey form by email and assessed for assertive self-expression using the Interprofessional Assertiveness Scale. Characteristics of participants and pharmacies were compared using univariate analysis. A generalized linear model was used to explore the factors associated with assertive self-expression.
Results
A total of 961 responses by community pharmacists were included in the analysis. Univariate analysis identified significant differences in assertive self-expression scores based on age, employment status, education, years of working experience as a pharmacist, pharmacist home visit service, and participation in joint regional workshops or conferences. After adjustment, participation in joint regional workshops or conferences was significantly associated with assertive self-expression (odds ratio, 1.037; 95% confidence interval, 1.005–1.070;
p
= 0.023).
Conclusions
This study showed that assertive self-expression among community pharmacists was associated with participation in joint regional workshops and conferences. Further research is needed to examine whether enhancing assertive self-expression facilitates pharmacists' interprofessional communication skills and improves medication safety.
Journal Article
The Mighty Healer
Verity Holloway's nineteenth-century cousin Thomas Holloway's patent medicine empire was so ubiquitous, Charles Dickens commented that if you'd murdered someone with the name Holloway, you'd think their spirit had come back to torment you.
eBook
Description of Patients Medications Needs and the Community Pharmacist’s Role in Puerto Rico Following a Natural Disaster
Background: In September 2017, Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria, a natural disaster that caused devastation. Initial reports of disruption to the health care system were later followed by increases in the death toll in Puerto Rico. Objective: This project assessed patient medications needs, level of satisfaction with community pharmacy services, and perceptions about the role of the pharmacist during the emergency following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Methodology: The investigation utilized a descriptive, cross-sectional design. Data were collected at 3 community pharmacies located in San Juan, Puerto Rico: Walgreens (Specialty Pharmacy and Store 891) and Farmacia Caridad #9. Patients receiving care at these locations were invited to complete a 10-item questionnaire. These were provided with an information sheet describing details of the study prior to participation. Results: Sixty-five patients participated in the study, with an average age of 59 years. The majority (77%) of the respondents reported problems related to their medications and nearly half (47.7%) reported having trouble either contacting or getting to their pharmacy following the hurricane. Regarding the role of pharmacists following a natural disaster, 94% of respondents reported the pharmacist was available to help them and 95% reported the information provided by the pharmacist was “trustworthy/very trustworthy.” Conclusion: Although the challenges reported in Puerto Rico with regard to medications following Hurricane Maria were significant, patients reported a high level of confidence in the ability of community pharmacists to help them.
Journal Article
Consumers’ Perceptions About Pharmaceutical Care Provided by Community Pharmacists in China in Relation to Over-the-Counter Drugs
While patient-centered care is highly anticipated nowadays, investigation of consumers’ perceptions and expectations about pharmacist’s pharmaceutical care when providing over-the-counter (OTC) drugs is sparse. This article aimed to explore consumers’ perceptions regarding the pharmaceutical care that community pharmacists provide in relation to OTC drugs. Semistructured interviews were conducted with consumers recruited (N = 97) in Yinchuan City, China. The 4 main themes that emerged were expectations on pharmaceutical care, attitude toward pharmacist’s competence, experience of self-medication, and suggestions for improving pharmaceutical care. Most participants had high expectations on community pharmacists to recommend the right medicines, to advise them about the effective use of drug, to advise them about the safe use of drug, and to recommend economic drugs. However, their previous experiences at community pharmacy were far from satisfaction reportedly, leading to a general distrust in pharmacist’s certification and qualification, knowledge, communication skills, and attitude. As a result, the participants turned to self-medication based on their personal experiences, their relatives’ experiences, the information on drug label, and the information distributed in the mass media. Realizing the need to improve pharmaceutical care, the participants also made improvement suggestions specific to community pharmacist, community pharmacy, and the government.
Journal Article
Community Pharmacy Response in the Aftermath of Natural Disasters: Time-Sensitive Opportunity for Research and Evaluation
One year ago, Hurricane Maria passed over the archipelago of Puerto Rico, leaving widespread disruption of nearly all human services, including the health care sector. In the aftermath of the hurricane, limited access to medical care and prescription medications presented a serious challenge to maintaining control of preexisting chronic diseases. Many patients did not have access to refrigeration for heat-sensitive medications. Significant dietary changes due to the limited availability of shelf-stable foods further exacerbated chronic conditions such as heart failure and diabetes. The role of community pharmacists following a natural disaster has previously been documented, and may include the triage of evacuees, assessment of immunization needs, and provision of prescription medications under a collaborative practice agreement. However, our experience in Puerto Rico demonstrated a variety of barriers limited pharmacists’ ability to adequately respond to the magnitude of this disaster. These included medication shortages, extended loss of power, and limited telecommunications for contacting prescribers, disaster relief agencies, and third-party payers. Ultimately, the lack of preexisting emergency protocols made overcoming such barriers difficult. As the first and sometimes only accessible health care provider to many patients following a natural disaster, we must build a solid evidence base and better understanding of the individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors that contribute to the community pharmacist response. To date, however, a paucity of data exists on both the pharmacist and patient factors, which may contribute to an effective immediate response to patient needs at the community pharmacy following a natural disaster. Future research must focus on these multi-level factors to better inform public policy and effective disaster planning. Ultimately, such research and planning will lead to increased resiliency in our primary health care systems in the face of future disasters.
Journal Article
Usefulness of a Drug Information Resources Website (SAGASU-DI) Created Based on Inquiries to Clinical Pharmacists
The use of drug information is increasing as the role of pharmacists expands. However, pharmacists spend a huge amount of time collecting drug information, and there has not been any drug information resource website that aims to improve the efficiency of community pharmacists with regard to drug information operations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a drug information resources website (SAGASU-DI). SAGASU-DI articles were created based on inquiries to clinical pharmacists. The usage statistics of the SAGASU-DI were monitored using Google Analytics between May and July 2021. In addition, a pop-up questionnaire was used to evaluate the usefulness of the SAGASU-DI in answering the questions of viewers. Statistics showed that our website had 25,447 users and 33,000 page views, with a browsing time of 29 s on average. Visitors accessed the website through desktop (51.9%) and mobile (44.3%) systems. Community pharmacists accounted for 40.2% of the visitors. The pop-up questionnaire showed that 23.2% of the viewers were satisfied with our website, and 1.5% of the viewers were not. Although 65.1% of the viewers refused to answer the questionnaire, the average percentage of the viewers who were satisfied with the site was 94.1%. The SAGASU-DI was found to be a valuable resource website for drug information services, mainly for community pharmacists.
Journal Article
A Conceptual Framework of the Way Forward to a Community Pharmacist–General Practitioner Collaborative Medication Therapy Management Model for Chronic Diseases in Malaysian Primary Care: A Qualitative Study
There is a growing global interest in formulating such policies and strategic plans that help devise collaborative working models for community pharmacists (CPs) and general practitioners (GPs) in primary care settings.
To conceptualize a stakeholder-driven framework to improve collaboration between CPs and GPs in Malaysian primary care to effectively manage medicines in chronic diseases.
A qualitative study that involved individual semi-structured interviews of the leadership of various associations, guilds, and societies representing CPs, GPs, and Nurses in Malaysia.
This study collected and reported data in accordance with the guidelines of the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting of Qualitative Studies. Key informants were recruited based on purposive (expert) sampling. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were coded based on the principles of thematic analysis in NVivo.
A total of 12 interviews (5 CPs, 5 GPs, and 2 nurses) were conducted. Five themes emerged: Theme 1 highlighted a comparison of community pharmacy practice in Malaysia and developed countries; Theme 2 involved current practices in Malaysian primary care; Theme 3 encompassed the advantages of CP-GP collaboration in chronic diseases; Theme 4 highlighted the barriers which impede collaboration in Malaysian primary care; and Theme 5 delineated the way forward for CP-GP collaboration in Malaysia.
The actionable insights obtained from the Malaysian stakeholders offered an outline of a framework to enhance collaboration between CPs and GPs in primary care. Generally, stakeholders were interested in CP-GP collaboration in primary care and identified many positive roles performed by CPs, including prescription review, adherence support, and patient education. The framework of the way forward includes: separation of CP and GP roles through a holistic revision of relevant legislation to grant an active role to CPs in chronic care; definition of protocols for collaborative practices; incentivization of both stakeholders (CPs and GPs); and design and implementation of an effective regulatory mechanism whereby the Malaysian Ministry of Health may take a leading role.
Journal Article