Abstract
Community pharmacy professionals are being widely accepted as sources of treatment and advice for managing minor ailments, largely owing to their location at the heart of the community. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to document the involvement of community pharmacy professionals in the management of minor ailments and perceived barriers that limit their provision of such services. Simulated patient (SP) visits combined with a qualitative study using in-depth interviews was conducted among community pharmacy professionals in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. Scenarios of three different minor ailments (uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection, back pain and acute diarrhea) were selected and results were reported as percentages. Pharmacy professionals were also interviewed about the barriers in the management of minor ailments. Out of 66 simulated visits, 61 cases (92.4%) provided one or more medications to the SPs. Pharmacy professionals in 16 visits asked SPs information on details of symptoms and past medical and medication history. Ibuprofen alone or in combination with paracetamol was the most commonly dispensed analgesics for back pain. Oral rehydration fluid (ORS) with zinc was the most frequently dispensed medication (33.3%) for the management of acute diarrhea followed by mebendazole (23.9%). Moreover, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid capsule (35%) followed by Amoxicillin (25%) were the most commonly dispensed antibiotics for uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection. Lack of clinical training and poor community awareness towards the role of community pharmacists in the management of minor ailments were the main barriers for the provision of minor ailment management by community pharmacy professionals. Overall, community pharmacists provided inadequate therapy for the simulated minor ailments. Lack of access to clinical training and poor community awareness were the most commonly cited barriers for providing such services. So as to improve community pharmacists’ involvement in managing minor ailments and optimize the contribution of pharmacists, interventions should focus on overcoming the identified barriers.
Highlights
Community pharmacy professionals, being one of the most reachable healthcare professionals among the community, have great potential as a setting in primary health care services
Out of 66 simulated visits (22 each for the three scenarios) presented to community drug retail outlets (CDROs), 61 cases (92.4%) were provided with one or more medications
9.8% of community pharmacy professionals asked about possible drug allergies and 36.1% of them informed the Simulated patient (SP) about the potential side effects of the dispensed medications
Summary
Community pharmacy professionals, being one of the most reachable healthcare professionals among the community, have great potential as a setting in primary health care services This characteristic feature of community pharmacies provide a platform for more proactive contribution in self-care and managing a range of minor ailments [1,2,3]. Australian community pharmacy professionals are the most accessible health care professionals for health advice and provision of primary health care services including management of minor ailments [7]. This is in contrast to community pharmacies in developing countries like Ethiopia, where pharmacists’ role is largely confined to the traditional medication dispensing practices and seldom provides such public health services [8, 9]. The aim of the present study was, to document the involvement of community pharmacists in the management of minor ailments and explore potential barriers and gaps that hindered the provision of such services
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