Abstract
BackgroundAtopic eczema (AE) is a common skin disease with an increasing worldwide prevalence, which has almost doubled over the last decade in South Africa. Many patients commonly explore complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) for AE and often initially seek advice from their local pharmacists.AimTo explore the knowledge, attitude and practices amongst community pharmacists regarding CAM.SettingThe study was conducted amongst pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Durban, South Africa.MethodsDuring 2016, a cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 158 randomly selected pharmacists, of which 82 responded. Respondents were sent an email with a link to the questionnaire. Where logistically possible, questionnaires were hand-delivered.ResultsThe majority of respondents were male (n = 46; 56%), aged between 31 and 40 years. Despite most pharmacists not being familiar with various CAMs for AE, many (43%) recommend them, and 50% were amenable to referring patients to CAM practitioners. Despite 51% reporting that patients do ask about CAM for AE, 54% are not confident discussing or initiating discussions with patients. More than half of the pharmacists (55%) had no CAM training but believed it is essential for inclusion in the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum. Most were interested in broadening their knowledge on CAM and felt it would better prepare them in counselling their patients.ConclusionsThe study demonstrated poor knowledge and communication about CAM for AE between pharmacists and patients, although pharmacists exhibited strong interests in learning more about CAM. There is a continuing need for education programmes and inclusion into undergraduate curricula that would assist pharmacists to advise patients on different types of CAMs.
Highlights
Atopic eczema (AE) is a common skin disease with an increasing prevalence in many parts of the world, including Asia, Europe and Africa
A recent South African study showed that 66% of patients had reportedly used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for AE (Thandar et al 2017)
The Health Products Association of South Africa estimated that 50% of turnover in complementary medicines occurred in pharmacies, 20% in health food stores and the balance in supermarkets, chain stores and toiletry discount outlets (Gqaleni et al 2007)
Summary
Atopic eczema (AE) is a common skin disease with an increasing prevalence in many parts of the world, including Asia, Europe and Africa. Its prevalence has almost doubled over the last decade in South Africa (Deckers et al 2012). The chronic nature of the disease and its clinical incurability, despite an array of effective mainstream treatment options available, drive AE patients to explore complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with the hope of relief. Pharmacies are the major stockists of CAM products, and it is where many patients seek guidance on their use. Atopic eczema (AE) is a common skin disease with an increasing worldwide prevalence, which has almost doubled over the last decade in South Africa. Many patients commonly explore complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) for AE and often initially seek advice from their local pharmacists
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