Abstract
IntroductionObesity is a major public health burden in Qatar. Pharmacists can play an important role in providing weight management services (WMSs). This study aimed to explore their attitudes, practice, perceived competence, and role in WMSs in Qatar.MethodsA mixed-method explanatory sequential design was applied in the study. A validated online questionnaire was administered followed by qualitative individual and focus group interviews.ResultsTwo-hundred seventy community pharmacists completed the survey (response rate 45%). More than half of them indicated that they often or always explain to patients the risks associated with overweight and obesity (56.2%), recommend weight loss medications, herbs or dietary supplements (52.4%), and counsel about their proper use and/or side effects (56.9%). Conversely, the majority of the pharmacists rarely or never measure patients’ waist circumference (83.8%) or calculate their body mass index (72.1%). Over 80% had very positive attitudes towards their role in weight management. Around three-quarters of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that difficulty in following-up with patients (80.7%), lack of private consultation area (75.7%), and lack of pharmacist’s time (75.2%) are barriers for implementing WMSs. More than 60% stated that they are fully competent in 7 out of 24 WMSs listed. Some themes generated include pharmacist’s role and impact in weight management, need for training about weight management, and impact of social media on patients’ perceptions.ConclusionQatar community pharmacists reported positive attitudes towards the provision of WMSs. However, they identified several barriers against provision of WMSs. Several strategies are proposed to overcome barriers and to improve the provision of WMSs in community pharmacies in Qatar.
Highlights
Obesity is a major public health burden in Qatar
Over 80% of the respondents reported that medica tions, herbs, and dietary supplements for weight loss are available in their pharmacy
Around half of the respondents indicated that one to three times weekly is the average time per week that weight loss medications, herbs or dietary supplements are dispensed (56.0%) and that weight management consultations are offered (58.6%)
Summary
Pharmacists can play an important role in providing weight management services (WMSs). Healthcare providers can play an important role in educating overweight and obese patients about the optimal strategies for weight reduction and about the risks and benefits of weight loss medications.[3,4] Pharmacists are considered as one of the most accessible and reliable healthcare professionals.[5,6] Many patients who are aiming to lose weight visit the community pharmacy to get weight management products or seek health advice. In the provision of these services, the pharmacist could use point-of-care devices, review the patient health history, assess the patient’s readiness to change an undesirable health behavior, offer motivational behavioral counseling, design a pharmacotherapeutic plan, and monitor the safety and efficacy of weight loss medications.[8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16]
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