Knowledge Of Pharmacists Research Articles

Problems Associated with the Use of Enteric Coated Tablets, Extended Release Tablets and the Storage of Paediatric Antibiotics at Devdaha Municipality in Nepal

Background Enteric coated tablets and extended release tablets are such kinds of tablets that should not be taken in crushed form. Pharmacists may advise to break or crush such tablets to manage the dose form that may lead therapeutic failure and increase the side effects of it. Further, they may not advise patients for the storage of paediatric antibiotics at 2-8° C. The first objective of our study is to find the knowledge among pharmacists about dispensing enteric coated and extended release tablets. The second objective is to explore the knowledge and practice of pharmacists about the storage of paediatric antibiotics after its reconstitution. Methods This study was community based cross-sectional descriptive study which was carried out in 11 pharmacies of Devdaha Municipality from September 2021 to March 2022. The questionnaire was self-administered and interviewed by the investigator. The collected data were entered in excel and expressed in frequencies. Results Almost all (10) pharmacists did not have knowledge regarding the storage of antibiotic in refrigerator (at 2-8° C) after reconstitution. Very few (4/11) pharmacists have knowledge about not consuming enteric coated tablets and extended release tablets in the crushed form. All pharmacists (11/11) have knowledge that psychiatric drugs must not be sold as OTC (Over The Counter) drugs. Conclusion There is lack of knowledge among pharmacists about the importance of storage of paediatric antibiotics after reconstitution. Further there is lack of knowledge and practice about the proper dispensing of enteric coated and extended release tablets to the patients. However, the positive aspect is that they have knowledge of not selling antibiotics and psychiatric drugs as OTC drugs.

Drug abuse and misuse: Core knowledge, attitudes and opinions of pharmacy students and community pharmacists in Republic of North Macedonia

Drug abuse and misuse: Core knowledge, attitudes and opinions of pharmacy students and community pharmacists in Republic of North Macedonia

Implementation of Drug Administration with High Awareness (LASA/ Look Alike Sound Alike and High Alert) for Patient Safety at Pharmacies in Surakarta

LASA (Look Alike Sound Alike) are drugs that have similar names, looks and speech and need to be watched out for to prevent no errors in taking medication (dispensing error) by pharmacists. High-alert (HA) medication is a drug that must be watched out for because it often causes errors or serious errors (sentinel events) and drugs that have a high risk of causing Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR). One of the pharmacist duties at a pharmacy is to organize LASA and HA drugs properly to prevent medication errors. The purpose of this study is to determine the knowledge of pharmacist in the city of Surakarta on the process of good and safe drug storage and able to implement safe and high alert drug storage for patient/consumer safety. The type of research is experimental research. The study was conducted from September 1, 2021 to January 20, 2022. The number of samples were 117 pharmacists who worked in different pharmacy locations. The data obtained were scored and analyzed using the SPPS 25 test, the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, followed by the Paired sample T-Test. The results of this study indicate that there is an effect of socialization intervention using the HA and LASA flyer, namely an increase in knowledge and implementation of the arrangement of HA and LASA drugs. Data showed that the results of pre-test 17.52% and post-test 89.74% (p=0.000; p0.05). From this study, it was found that there was a significant change in the level of implementation of the LASA and HA drug arrangement from pharmacists after the intervention using the LASA/HA drug arrangement flyer.

Evaluation of community pharmacist knowledge towards chronic obstructive pulmonary disease management

Evaluation of community pharmacist knowledge towards chronic obstructive pulmonary disease management

Training on the use of digital media for implementation digital pharmacy for pharmacist at Salatiga in supporting the industrial revolution 4.0

Today, the health sector has begun to adopt digital information technology, one of which is telemedicine. Utilization of digital media can be used for business interests and support pharmaceutical care activities. However, pharmacists in Salatiga city have not been able to make optimal use of digital media. This activity was carried out in the form of training on the use of digital media for the implementation of digital pharmacy for IAI PC Pharmacists in Salatiga City in facing the era of the industrial revolution 4.0. Activities carried out are training and providing information about digital pharmacy and medication therapy management. This program has proven successful in increasing pharmacist knowledge regarding digital pharmacy and medication therapy management with a p-value of 0.0000. Furthermore, 69 pharmacists experienced an increase in knowledge, 5 pharmacists experienced a decrease, and 7 pharmacists did not experience an increase in knowledge.

Pharmacist’s Knowledge and Behaviors Toward Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reactions Reporting Process in Türkiye

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) increase patient-related morbidity and mortality. Additionally, it is an important public health problem associated with prolonged hospital stay and increasing economic burden. Pharmacovigilance is central to reducing ADRs, so the development and growth of this science is critical to effective and safe clinical practice. The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge and behaviors of pharmacists toward pharmacovigilance and spontaneous ADR notifications in Türkiye. The online questionnaire method was used with the pharmacists, whose prior consent was obtained to participate in the study. The survey was uploaded onto Google form. The survey link was distributed electronically to the eligible participants via social media channels. The knowledge of pharmacovigilance practice, ADR reporting compliance rates, reasons for not reporting ADR, and perceptions of the Turkish pharmacists on pharmacovigilance practice were evaluated. Four hundred six pharmacists (45%) agreed to participate in the study, 81.8% of whose correctly defined correctly defined the term pharmacovigilance. 91.6% knew the name of the Turkish Pharmacovigilance Center. Clinical and hospital pharmacists were found to have a more adequate knowledge than community pharmacists (p<0.05). 18.7% of pharmacists stated that they had previously reported ADRs. Most of the pharmacists stated that the most important reason for not reporting ADRs was not knowing how and where spontaneous reporting should be done, a single spontaneous reporting would not make a difference and the report would generate extra work. These results showed that Turkish pharmacists had adequate knowledge about the concept of pharmacovigilance and the spontaneous ADR reporting system. However, they had little experience in reporting. Training programs should continue to increase the knowledge and reporting experience of pharmacists about the reporting process and requirements.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of community pharmacists towards household pharmaceutical waste disposal.

To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of community pharmacists (CP) towards household pharmaceutical waste disposal. All pharmacists attending the Malaysian Community Pharmacy Guild event held in-person were invited to self-administer a web-based survey. The response rate was 61% (168/276). Overall, community pharmacists have mixed knowledge (mean ± SD: 5.89 ± 1.38) and positive attitude (mean ± SD: 9.58 ± 0.81) towards household pharmaceutical waste disposal. However, few community pharmacists (18/168, 10.7%) have promotional materials encouraging safe medication disposal in their pharmacies. Community pharmacists do not proactively promote safe household pharmaceutical waste disposal to mitigate pharmaceutical pollutants entering the environment although they have satisfactory knowledge and attitude.

852: IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE WITH BETA-LACTAM THERAPEUTIC DRUG MONITORING IN THE ICU

Introduction: Beta-lactam antibiotics are the backbone of sepsis treatment, but a ‘one-size-fits-all’ dosing strategy leads to unpredictable effects. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM; i.e., drug level testing) can personalize treatment and improve outcomes. Pharmacists are the key operational stakeholders for beta-lactam TDM in the ICU, but evidence suggests they have low knowledge and confidence with the practice. We hypothesized that delivery of bundled education intervention would increase pharmacist knowledge and confidence about beta-lactam TDM without jeopardizing the proportion that feel such a program is worthwhile. Methods: A questionnaire was developed and distributed to critical care and infectious diseases pharmacists at a large academic medical center before and after delivery of a bundled educational intervention on beta-lactam TDM. Component parts of the education included a web-based asynchronous learning module on beta-lactam TDM, an electronically available pharmacokinetic calculator, infographics of key content and workflow processes, a frequently asked questions document, and practice champion training. Questionnaire items were based on the ADKAR framework (awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement). Results were summarized descriptively and the Chi-square test was used for two-way binary comparisons. Results: Of 66 available pharmacists, 55 (83%) and 35 (53%) responded to the baseline and follow-up (after the educational intervention) questionnaires. Significantly more respondents felt comfortable recommending beta-lactam TDM for infected critically ill patients after the educational intervention (29% vs 97%; P < 0.001). Familiarity with operational considerations were similarly improved including with patient selection, number and timing of samples, and application of results. The proportion of respondents who felt beta-lactam TDM was worthwhile increased from 60% to 80% after education (P = 0.002). Conclusions: A bundled education intervention can increase knowledge, comfortability, and confidence with beta-lactam TDM in the critically ill among pharmacists, the key operational stakeholders.

1302. Interactive Case-based Antimicrobial Stewardship Education Program to Pharmacists at a Large Community Health System

Abstract Background Education on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is one of the several elements outlined by the Center for Disease Control for hospital antibiotic stewardship programs. However, the Infectious Diseases Society of America guideline on implementing antimicrobial stewardship notes that passive education should not be a sole method for training as the effects are often short lived. AMS education strategies beyond didactic lectures and written material distribution are needed. We sought to describe the implementation of an interactive, case-based AMS educational program targeting pharmacists across a multi-hospital community health system licensed for over 1,500 beds. Methods Each month, a custom patient case was drafted by an infectious diseases trained pharmacist to highlight a common AMS principle encountered in practice. These topics were broadly categorized into appropriate empiric antibiotic selection, treatment plan modification, and identification of non-infectious clinical syndromes. A specific question with multiple choice answers was drafted. The case was disseminated to all hospital pharmacists via email using Microsoft Outlook. Pharmacists were prompted to use the voting buttons to select the correct answer (Figure 1). After a week, results of the survey was shared with the entire pharmacist staff along with information on the primary teaching point and detailed explanations for why each answer was correct or incorrect. Example Voting Buttons for Case-Based Education Results A total of eleven AMS cases were disseminated to 88 hospital pharmacists involved with direct patient care. Average number of responses per case was 27 (31%), range 17-41 (19%-47%). Average number of correct responses for each case was 74%, range 26%-100%. The highest rates of correct responses came from cases focusing on empiric antibiotic selection (87%), followed by identification of non-infectious clinical syndromes (73%). The lowest rate of correct responses were found with treatment plan modification cases (65%). Conclusion This case-based AMS education program leveraged existing technology to provide engagement across a large and geographically diverse pharmacist staff, provide opportunity to apply stewardship concepts, and assess staff pharmacist knowledge on general AMS principles. Disclosures Matthew Song, PharmD, BCIDP, Merck: Stocks/Bonds|ObsEva: Stocks/Bonds.

Comparison of knowledge, attitude, and practice of physicians and pharmacists about migraine management

Migraine is a complicated genetically influenced disorder characterized by episodes of moderate-to-severe headache. It has a prevalence rate of 10% per year worldwide and accounts for 7% of all neurological disorders worldwide. This prevalence is 6% among males and 18% among females. Despite the high prevalence of the illness, it is misdiagnosed and mistreated by healthcare professionals. Therefore, this study aimed to compare physicians' and pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding migraine management. This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in major public healthcare facilities and well-established community pharmacy chains in Lahore. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed by calculating descriptive statistics and a chi-square test. The results showed that 61.67% of physicians were males and 60.00% of pharmacists were females with five years or less of working experience. Most healthcare professionals were well aware of the episode duration, definition of chronic migraine, and its types (physicians = 70.00%, 72.78%, 78.33%; pharmacists = 75.71%, 67.14%, 71.43%, respectively) and provided patients with information regarding migraine triggers, drugs causing migraine, side effects of drugs, and guidance to prevent side effects. Moreover, most healthcare providers considered prevention and acute treatments as a part of a broader approach to managing chronic migraine and considered prescribing preventive medicines at lower doses to minimize potential side effects. The knowledge of physicians and pharmacists was significantly different regarding migraine-associated symptoms, preference for nonpharmacological interventions to alleviate symptoms of chronic migraine, and consideration of prevention and acute treatments as part of the broader approaches to managing chronic migraine (p &lt; 0.05). The study concluded that the physicians' and pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices were good. However, healthcare professionals' knowledge significantly differs regarding migraine-associated symptoms, preference for nonpharmacological interventions to alleviate symptoms of chronic migraine, and consideration of prevention and acute treatments as part of the broader approaches to managing chronic migraine.

Potentially inappropriate medication use in the elderly: physicians' and hospital pharmacists knowledge, practice, confidence, and barriers.

Inappropriate medication prescribing and dispensing by physicians and pharmacists is a preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Signifying the importance of healthcare professionals' knowledge of potentially inappropriate prescribing tools/ guidelines which would improve overall health outcomes. Beers Criteria is one of the most used guidelines that list specific potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). This study aimed to investigate physicians' and hospital pharmacists' awareness, knowledge, practice, confidence, and barriers to the use of Beers criteria. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 66 hospital pharmacists and 31 family medicine physicians working in a teaching hospital in Nigeria, between May and September 2021 using a self-administered questionnaire. Knowledge of PIMs was assessed using 11 clinical vignettes based on the 2019 Beers Criteria. Practice behavior towards elderly patients was assessed using a 5-item statement with a 5-point Likert scale. Perceived barriers to the appropriate use of Beers Criteria were assessed using a 15-item statement. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. A total of 66 hospital pharmacists and 31 family medicine physicians participated in the study. Only (24; 36.4%) pharmacists and (4; 12.9%) physicians knew guidelines that listed specific PIMs. In all (21; 31.8%) pharmacists and (11; 35.4%) physicians demonstrated good knowledge of Beers Criteria, while most pharmacists (55; 83.3%) and physicians (29; 93.5%) reported good practice when dealing with elderly patients in terms of asking relevant questions and considering their ages while dispensing medications. Knowledge scores were not significantly associated with hospital pharmacists' socio-demographics. Most of the physicians and pharmacists were confident in the care provided for geriatric patients. The majority (66; 100.0%) pharmacists and (28; 93.5%) physicians suggested training through seminar presentations as a measure to improve the use of Beers' criteria. Lack of time to counsel patients was a major barrier recounted by both physicians and pharmacists. Healthcare professionals that participated in this study had satisfactory practice, although a gap in the knowledge of hospital pharmacists and family medicine physicians was noted. In addition to creating awareness among healthcare professionals and training on PIMs and Beers' criteria, a multidisciplinary approach to reduce potentially inappropriate prescribing and dispensing would greatly help reduce the incidence of potentially inappropriate medication use among elderly patients.

Student perceptions of PrEP in an advanced HIV elective

Background: The United States (U.S.) Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that over one million U.S. adults could benefit from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), but only 90,000 PrEP prescriptions are being filled annually. Pharmacists are well-positioned to offer PrEP, but a lack of awareness and knowledge about HIV PrEP has been a limitation. This study was designed to evaluate the knowledge, confidence, and perceptions of pharmacy students towards the use of HIV PrEP in high-risk populations before and after receiving a PrEP and PEP module in a two-credit hour Advanced HIV Elective course. Methods: Faculty in an Advanced HIV Elective course implemented a PrEP module and evaluated the impact on pharmacy student knowledge, confidence, and attitudes in 2020. Results: Participation led to a significant increase in student pharmacist confidence in offering patient education regarding the use of PrEP, risk mitigation counselling, accurately ordering labs, monitoring patients taking PrEP, and HIV medication therapy management. Additionally, HIV education shows decreased stigma and negative attitudes towards high-risk individuals. Conclusion: Integration of a PrEP module increased student pharmacist knowledge and confidence in providing PrEP services while reducing stigma towards those with HIV.

Current views of community and hospital pharmacists on pharmaceutical care services in the United Arab Emirates: A mixed methodological study.

Background: The profession of pharmacy has evolved significantly in recent years in terms of professional service delivery. The aim of this study was to explore the current views of pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on pharmaceutical care services and the nature of barriers encountered in practice using qualitative and quantitative assessment methods. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among hospital and community pharmacists (n = 305) between March and May 2021, using qualitative and quantitative assessment methods. In the qualitative phase, 15 interviews were conducted to explore five main criteria: patient information, inadequate patient counseling, prescribing errors prevention and identifying drug-related problems, lack of participation in health awareness programs, and barriers to pharmaceutical care implementation. In the quantitative phase, 305 consenting pharmacists completed a questionnaire on seven criteria: demographic profile, pharmacist-physician interaction, patient counseling assessment, patient reports of adverse drug events, pharmacist participation in health awareness programs, perceptions of reducing prescribing errors and identifying drug-related problems, and barriers to appropriate pharmaceutical care implementation. Results: The results of both the qualitative and quantitative phases of the study revealed that pharmacists' influence on practice in the UAE is limited due to many factors, mainly lack of time and patients' ignorance of the pharmacist's role in the medical field. The mean responses regarding pharmacists' approach to patient counseling and patients' knowledge of pharmacists' role in managing adverse drug reactions were 77.1% and 59.7%, respectively. Active participation in health awareness programs was 64.8%. The mean positive response of participants in reducing prescribing errors and recognizing drug-related problems was 9.2%. Pharmacists' age and number of years in practice were the most important factors influencing the pharmaceutical care services implementation. Conclusion: The study has shown the need to shed light on the proper implementation of pharmaceutical care while maintaining a trusting relationship with physicians.

Knowledge and attitude regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among hospital pharmacists in Qatar.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) gained global attention because of its high transmissibility and the devastating impact on both clinical and economic outcomes. Pharmacists are among the front-line healthcare workers who contributed widely to COVID-19 pandemic control. We aim to evaluate knowledge and attitude of hospital pharmacists in Qatar about COVID-19. A descriptive cross-sectional web-based survey was distributed over a 2-months period. The study included pharmacists who are working in 10 different hospitals under Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). The survey was developed based on information available at World Health Organization (WHO) website, Qatar Ministry of Health, and COVID-19 guideline created by HMC. The study was approved by HMC's institutional review board (MRC-01-20-1009). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 22. A total of 187 pharmacists were included (response rate 33%). The overall level of knowledge was not affected by the participants' demographics (p-value ≥0.05). Pharmacists provided more correct answers to questions related to general knowledge about COVID-19 compared to questions specificto treatment aspects of the disease. More than 50% of pharmacists were using national resources as main source of information related to COVID-19. Good health practices and attitudes regarding disease control was reported by pharmacists, including preventive measures implementation and self-isolation when needed. Around 80% of pharmacists are in favor of taking influenza vaccine and COVID-19 vaccine. Overall, hospital pharmacists' knowledge about COVID-19 is good in relation to the disease nature and transmission. Knowledge about treatment aspects including medications needs further enhancement. Providing continuing professional development activities regarding latest information about COVID-19 and its management, and serial newsletters updates, and encouraging journal club activities for recently published research can help improve hospital pharmacist knowledge.

Assessing the knowledge, attitudes and barriers regarding health promotion of breast cancer among community pharmacists.

This study aimed to identify the perspective knowledge, attitudes, and barriers of community pharmacists in promoting breast cancer health. An internet-based self-administrated questionnaire was distributed using social media groups to the community pharmacists in Jordan. A 76.7% of the pharmacists had insufficient knowledge score of breast cancer and 92.7% had positive attitude. Access to breast cancer educational materials was the major barrier to pharmacists. A significant association was found between pharmacists' knowledge and breast cancer educational materials being given to patients (p<0.001). Despite the low breast cancer knowledge score and stated barriers that could prevent actualizing community pharmacists' role, they had positive attitude toward educating patients about breast cancer health.

HSD60 TRENDSTM Knowledge and Attitudes of Pharmacists Regarding Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance in Hungary: Questionnaire-Development, Validation and a Quantitative, Cross-Sectional Study

HSD60 TRENDSTM Knowledge and Attitudes of Pharmacists Regarding Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance in Hungary: Questionnaire-Development, Validation and a Quantitative, Cross-Sectional Study

Challenges Associated with Addressing Counterfeit Medicines in Nigeria: An Exploration of Pharmacists' Knowledge, Practices, and Perceptions.

Counterfeit medicines are substandard pharmaceutical products that are produced and sold with the intent to deceptively represent their authenticity, origin, or effectiveness. The risk of the existence of such products in healthcare provision remains a significant threat to public health. Pharmacists represent the most critical stakeholders in the supply, manufacture, purchase, and dispensing of pharmaceutical products, and as such can play critical roles in detecting and reducing the circulation of fake medicines. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of pharmacists in Nigeria in relation to counterfeit medicines as well as the challenges associated with preventing and mitigating this menace in the country. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to administer questionnaires to pharmacists across various sectors of practice in Nigeria. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. A total of 390 valid responses were received. The respondents indicated that online drug commerce (72.68%), inadequate inspection (90.93%), inadequate legislation (88.83%), poor collaboration (89.94%), and poor cross-border enforcement (90.43%) were primary challenges to the mitigation of fake medicines circulation in the country. Whilst pharmacists were knowledgeable about counterfeit drugs, gaps were observed in their practices towards detection of these products, as about one-third (30.7%) of the sample indicated that their current knowledge and skills were inadequate to detect counterfeit medicines. Age, years of practice, and area of practice significantly influenced the abilities of the participants to detect counterfeit medicines. Evidence from the study revealed that pharmacists had good knowledge of medicine counterfeiting in Nigeria. However, factors such as poor collaboration among regulatory agencies, inadequate inspection and legislation on the regulation of the pharmaceutical sector and online sales of medicines have contributed to the circulation of counterfeit medicines, and this has in turn affected healthcare services in the country.

A highly specialist mental health prescribing pharmacist in a virtual GP practice - experience from a large London general practice

Abstract Introduction Historically, the career path for highly specialist pharmacists has been focussed on secondary and tertiary services. Recent developments to ensure high quality medication optimisation and improvement of patient access to appropriate medication has seen many pharmacists join GP practices. Alongside this is the drive by the NHS to improve the quality of mental health care in the primary care setting. Digitalisation and providing virtual platforms also improves access to health care for many individuals who are less able to commute and provides an option when there is disruption to face to face services. Aims To identify the number of appointments completed in an 8-week period, and evaluate the types of referrals, prescription details and the feedback from consultations with the Highly Specialist Mental Health Pharmacist. Methods Anonymised details from consultations carried out in an 8-week period were collected, which included details of appointments, the referral process, prescription details and feedback. The data underwent descriptive statistical analysis. Ethical review was not required as the study was a service evaluation. Results The reviewed patient journey for those newly identified with a mental illness, those who self identify as having a mental illness and those with a complex mental illness is presented. Post holder experience is shared. In a 7 clinical session week, with 30 minute consultations a total of 445 patients were scheduled an appointment, 393 patients completed their consultation. 61% of patients were referred for psychotherapy, 18% referred to secondary services. In 43% of patients’ medication was prescribed by the pharmacist, 32% had no medication prescribed while 23% of patients had medication deprescribed (stopped or reduced) Patient feedback was available for 50 patients, 47 left 5 star reviews, 3 left 1 star reviews as they could not get the platform link to work to attend the consultation. Discussion/Conclusion Although a small study, the preliminary data shows a high rate of patient attendance and feedback from patients was higher than expected. There is a single point of contact for the practice to risk assess, screen and follow up patients with a mental illness (including serious mental illness). Working in isolation, virtually and making pharmacist interventions after prescribing has occurred are very different ways of working compared to secondary care. With the correct infrastructure, improved referral rates and understanding of specialist pharmacist knowledge and experience - pharmacists can look to joining GP practices as a career option in a highly specialist role.

A cross-sectional survey exploring the knowledge, experiences and attitudes of Australian pharmacists toward medicinal cannabis

BackgroundAustralian pharmacists currently dispense a wide range of prescription-only cannabis-based medicines. Recent regulatory changes will expand the role of pharmacists, allowing certain low-dose cannabidiol products to be supplied without a prescription in pharmacies. This harmonises Australia with many other countries where cannabidiol products are readily available to consumers.AimTo examine Australian pharmacists’ experience, knowledge and attitudes towards medicinal cannabis and their preparedness to supply over-the-counter low-dose cannabidiol products.MethodWe conducted a cross-sectional study using a 51-item on-line questionnaire that was informed by previous surveys of health professionals and assessed for face validity. Australian pharmacists were recruited to complete the survey between May and December 2021, primarily through professional pharmacy organisations. Pharmacists were included in the final dataset if they completed the demographic characteristics section and at least one additional section of the questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive and relational statistical tests.ResultsThere were 272 attempts to complete this survey and 217 responses included in the final dataset. Over half of the respondents (60.0%, 130/217) had dispensed at least one medicinal cannabis prescription during their career and 58.5% (127/217) had received at least one medicinal cannabis enquiry in the last fortnight. Only around half (53.9%, 117/217) felt comfortable supplying medicinal cannabis products and fewer (39.3%, 79/201) were confident discussing cannabis-related enquiries. More than half of the respondents (58.7%, 118/201) supported the provision of low-dose cannabidiol products through pharmacies. Two-thirds (67.8%, 80/118) of respondents achieved relatively low scores (< 60%) in the knowledge component of the survey. Most respondents (94.2%, 178/189) endorsed a need for further training in this area.ConclusionAustralian pharmacists tended to support medicinal cannabis availability and improved access to low-dose cannabidiol products via pharmacies. However, results highlight a need for improved training and education of pharmacists around cannabis-based medicines.

Improving access to quality contraceptive counselling in community pharmacy: examining the knowledge, attitudes and practices of community pharmacists in Australia

BackgroundAcross most of Australia, the role of community pharmacists in contraceptive care has been unchanged since 2004. To understand their current scope of practice and potential for practice advancements, we...