Abstract
Purpose: To describe the current role played by pharmacists in delivering pharmaceutical care (PC) in community pharmacies in Jordan (current activities and practices undertaken in the community and extent of provision of PC standards), pharmacists’ perspectives on PC implementation and barriers to implementing PC practices.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in 2014 in Amman, the capital of Jordan and Zarqa, the second biggest city in Jordan. The study involved a validated questionnaire administered at random by trained pharmacy students to 180 community pharmacists. The questionnaire was designed to collect demographic data, pharmacy practice features displayed by the pharmacists, dispensing activities undertaken, internationally proposed PC practice standards in community pharmacy settings, inter/intra-professional and public heath activities and barriers that may hinder the implementation of PC practice in Jordan.Results: 163 pharmacists agreed to participate in the study (response rate was 90.5 %). Most dispensing activities (98.1%) in the pharmacies were done under the supervision of pharmacists. All pharmacists were willing to implement PC, and nearly all of them (98.8 %) provided basic information about medication use. Nevertheless, only 31.0 % adapted standard procedures for patient’s data collection, 23.1 % formulated a therapeutic plan to be included within the patient’s permanent record in their pharmacy, 24.2 % documented over-the-counter recommendations, and 29.7 % allocated time to discuss patient’s care plans. Identified barriers preventing the provision of PC practice included lack of training on the concept (44.9 %) and lack of acceptability from the physicians (43.4 %).Conclusion: Although participating pharmacists showed willingness to implement PC practice, their actual application to the practice was found to be limited. Lack of adequate pharmaceutical training and acceptability by the physicians are the major barriers towards the provision of PC practice in the country.Keywords: Community pharmacists, Pharmaceutical care, Barriers, Jordan
Highlights
Pharmaceutical care (PC) is defined as the direct, responsible provision of medicationrelated care for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient’s quality of life [1].Throughout the last two decades, PC practice has been proven to lower healthcare costs, improve patients’ quality of life and save lives of many patients [2,3,4,5,6]
Community pharmacists have become a favourable reference point in medical consultations and medications' inquiries since they give medical advice with no fees [9]. They can be considered as the main contributors to PC practice
The aim of this study was to investigate the current role of pharmacists in delivering pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies in Jordan, and to unveil barriers preventing them from fulfilling this role
Summary
Pharmaceutical care (PC) is defined as the direct, responsible provision of medicationrelated care for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient’s quality of life [1].Throughout the last two decades, PC practice has been proven to lower healthcare costs, improve patients’ quality of life and save lives of many patients [2,3,4,5,6]. In Jordan, the practice of PC was introduced over 10 years ago with the first step of establishing the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. Master degree in clinical pharmacy was introduced in 2004 in many universities in Jordan [7, 8]. The community pharmacist in Jordan is trusted to have medical knowledge, and is considered accessible to patients. Community pharmacists have become a favourable reference point in medical consultations and medications' inquiries since they give medical advice with no fees [9]. They can be considered as the main contributors to PC practice. It is of interest to follow-up on their progress in establishing and delivering PC service and their impact in real practice
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
