Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the perceptions, expectations, and experiences of physicians regarding hospital-based pharmacists in some Iraqi government hospitals. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at four government hospitals in Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq from March to July 2012. A validated, self-administered questionnaire was hand-delivered to a random sample of 200 physicians. The questionnaire comprised four sections that probed the physicians' demographic characteristics as well as their perceptions of, expectations of, and experiences with hospital pharmacists. Results: Most participants (69.4 %) reported rarely interacting with pharmacists and that enquiring about the availability of medications was the main purpose (74.9 %) of any interactions. Physicians reported being comfortable with pharmacists preventing prescription error, treating minor illness, and suggesting prescription medication to physicians of 74, 75 and 67 %, respectively, but only 47 % were comfortable with pharmacists providing patient education. The perspective of physicians in Erbil differed from that of physicians in Baghdad (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Interactions between Iraqi physicians and pharmacists are still not optimal. Physicians are much more comfortable with traditional pharmacist functions than with the extended, patient-oriented pharmacy services currently being promoted. Great efforts are needed to enhance the Iraqi physician's attitude regarding the clinical services provided by pharmacists which in turn would result in more collaboration among healthcare professionals.
Highlights
The traditional relationship between the physician as a prescriber and the pharmacist as a dispenser can no longer suffice to ensure the safety effectiveness and adherence to therapy.Pharmacists must pay more attention to patientcentered, outcome-focused care to optimize the safe and effective use of drugs.Pharmacy as a profession has changed from the traditional role in a product-oriented pharmacy to a more clinical role in the patient-oriented pharmacy with outcome-focused care that involves pharmaceuticals [1,2]
The future of the hospital pharmacist's role in healthcare depends on the willingness and initiative of pharmacists to become more active member of the healthcare team as well as on the perception of and acceptance by physicians of the new patient-oriented roles of pharmacists
The findings of the current study indicate that a lack of communication between physicians and pharmacists in Iraqi hospitals remains, and the pharmacist is still viewed by the physician merely as a dispenser of medicines
Summary
The traditional relationship between the physician as a prescriber and the pharmacist as a dispenser can no longer suffice to ensure the safety effectiveness and adherence to therapy.Pharmacists must pay more attention to patientcentered, outcome-focused care to optimize the safe and effective use of drugs.Pharmacy as a profession has changed from the traditional role in a product-oriented pharmacy to a more clinical role in the patient-oriented pharmacy with outcome-focused care that involves pharmaceuticals [1,2]. The traditional relationship between the physician as a prescriber and the pharmacist as a dispenser can no longer suffice to ensure the safety effectiveness and adherence to therapy. Pharmacists must pay more attention to patientcentered, outcome-focused care to optimize the safe and effective use of drugs. Pharmacists recognize the need to promote the safe use of medicines and are willing to accept this responsibility to ensure maximum therapeutic benefit [3]. Physicians and pharmacists in the developed world enjoy a good professional relationship, resulting in safer, more effective, and less costly drug therapy [4]. Many studies report that physicians are receptive to several clinical services provided by the pharmacist [5,6,7]. The pharmacy profession in developing countries continues to face many barriers, including an acute shortage of qualified pharmacists and a lack of standard practice guidelines [11]
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