Provision Of Pharmaceutical Care Research Articles

A survey of pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes and barriers in pharmaceutical care concept in Poland

BackgroundThe major goals of pharmaceutical care (PC) are to improve the patient’s quality of life and ensure safety of pharmacotherapy. Inclusion of a pharmacist in the multidisciplinary team caring for the patient and integration of state-of-the-art pharmaceutical services with medical care and nursing are some of the most important challenges that the health care system in Poland is facing.ObjectivesTo evaluate the pharmacists attitudes towards practice in, and knowledge of PC in Poland and to identify the barriers in PC provision.MethodsThe study was designed as a multicenter study, conducted among Polish pharmacists. Random sampling technique was employed to select the study group. Face-to-face questionnaire method was used to interview the pharmacists, upon obtaining their prior verbal consent to participate in the study. The study was conducted between January 2017 and September 2019.ResultsOnly 15% of the pharmacists have ever attended a training on PC. 72% believed PC provision was necessary to ensure pharmacotherapy safety. Only 63% of the pharmacists believed that preventing and solving health-related and drug therapy problems for patients were their responsibilities. The main reason for non-provision of PC by the pharmacists was the lack of time for such activities, lack of legal regulations, lack of organizational facilities.ConclusionThis study indicates that implementation of PC is expected in Poland. Educational programs in this respect are urgently needed. PC provision should be included in the curricula of academic pharmaceutical courses.

Bulgarian community pharmacists’ attitudes and barriers towards pharmaceutical care provision for pregnant women

The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes and perceived barriers towards pharmaceutical care provision for pregnant women in Bulgarian community pharmacies. A cross-sectional web-based study was carried out among community pharmacists in Plovdiv region, Bulgaria. The survey instrument was a self-administered questionnaire including 18 statements based on a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics were applied to respondents’ characteristics and opinion regarding attitudes and barriers towards pharmaceutical care provision for pregnant women. A total of 122 community pharmacists completed the survey. The majority of respondents (90%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that providing pharmaceutical care will improve health and awareness of pregnant women. The statement that providing pharmaceutical care brings professional satisfaction, obtained the highest mean score of 4.61. Half of the respondents (50.8%) were worried about taking risks associated with assuming responsibility for the treatment outcomes of pregnant women. One of the main barriers for providing pharmaceutical care was the lack of time (mean score = 4.10). Other major barriers were the lack of additional training (83.9%) and electronic medical record of the pregnant women (68.9%). Overall Bulgarian community pharmacists have positive attitudes towards providing pharmaceutical care to pregnant women. Conducting additional training courses and workshops will help for the active involvement of the pharmacist in the care of pregnant women.

Moving towards collaborative care in combating the burgeoning burden of tuberculosis and diabetes: key findings from a pharmaceutical care study

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common comorbidities in tuberculosis patients with prevalence as high as 15-30% in Malaysia. The convergence of these two diseases is linked to poorer tuberculosis treatment outcomes, increased chances of relapse and recurrence within two years, increased risk of multi drug resistant-tuberculosis, reactivation of latent tuberculosis infection and higher risk of death during tuberculosis treatment. It is imperative to have a collaborative effort from all stakeholders including pharmacists in order to establish a coordinated response to both diseases. This paper reports key findings of a mixed-method pharmaceutical care study that tackled many medication-related problems in patients with both tuberculosis and diabetes. Despite the need to address the barriers and challenges encountered during the provision of pharmaceutical care, pharmacists played an important role in promoting diabetes management in a tuberculosis clinic, and the integration of pharmacists within a multidisciplinary health care team was indeed feasible.

Comparative analysis of indicators that determine the effectiveness of the implementation of socio-economic determinants of health in Europe and Ukraine

The introduction of national strategies aimed at improving the well-being of the population of the country is one of the current approaches to reforming the public policies of the countries of the world. It is the socioeconomic determinants of health that determine the conditions in which people are born, grow, live and getting old, as well as the spheres of influence on these conditions, such as public policy, state of economic development, demographic trends, etc.
 The aim. In this way, our research has focused on a comparative analysis of macroeconomic indicators that determine the effectiveness of socioeconomic determinants of healthсare in Europe and Ukraine, that are used to provide scientific justification for the construction of humanistic models for the provision of pharmaceutical care to the population in the context of the rapid stratification of Ukrainian society according to socioeconomic indicators.
 Materials and methods. The research methodology is based on the principles of systems analysis and an interdisciplinary scientific and systemic approach. The study used the empirical method, the method of comparative analysis and synthesis of statistical data, the graphical method.
 Results. A comparative analysis of the socioeconomic determinants of health in the countries of the European region and in Ukraine was carried out on three levels of indicators: the level of health-care expenditure, the structure of health-care expenditure and expenditure on medicines.
 The analysis revealed that in 2019, the average health expenditure of the countries analyzed was 8.2 % of GDP. Only two of the 34 countries - Ukraine and Turkey - have a rate below the 5 % that recommended by WHO.
 Public health financing schemes and compulsory health insurance are the main funding mechanisms in all countries, with the exception of Cyprus. Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Latvia and Bulgaria have the largest share of direct costs to patients as a source of health care financing.
 The results of the analysis of the medicine expenditure indicator as a proportion of total health expenditure showed that the highest level was in Bulgaria (35.4 %), the lowest in Denmark (6.4 %). Overall, five countries have high levels of pharmaceutical expenditures.
 In most European countries, the cost of purchasing medicines has been found to range from 346 to 619 USD per person per year. The highest value of this indicator from the European region is in Switzerland (894 USD per person), and the lowest is in Ukraine (73 USD).
 Based on the results of the comparative analysis, the countries were grouped according to key indicators into three categories - high, medium and low.
 Conclusions. A comparative analysis of key indicators of the socio-economic determinants of health in the country of the European region has been carried out

Pharmacists' experiences serving culturally and linguistically diverse patients in the Australian community pharmacy setting.

Background There has been no in depth published study to date reporting on community pharmacists' current experiences and their future practice needs relating to providing culturally competent pharmaceutical care to Australian culturally and linguistically diverse patients with low English proficiency. Objective To explore community pharmacists' experiences serving culturally and linguistically diverse patients who have low English proficiency. Setting Community pharmacists in Australia. Method Focus group discussions with practising community pharmacists were conducted. Participants were recruited from metropolitan Sydney. Discussion centred around their current experiences and practice changes needed to enhance the provision of culturally competent pharmaceutical care. Thematic analysis using the constant comparison method within a grounded theory approach was performed on the data collected. Main outcome measure Participants' experiences in providing culturally competent care to culturally and linguistically diverse patients with low English proficiency. Results Thirty community pharmacists participated in six focus group discussions. Inadequate provision of culturally competent care was found to be primarily due to the issue of language incongruence between pharmacist and patient. Participants proposed various means with which such care may be provided to ensure patient safety. Conclusion Pharmacist participants expressed being inadequately equipped to provide culturally competent care in the community setting and identified potential means by which such care may be delivered. Addressing identified barriers that hinder community pharmacists' capacity to engage in culturally competent practice can potentially improve provision of pharmaceutical care to culturally and linguistically diverse patients with low English proficiency.

PHARMACEUTICAL CARE AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH CUSTOMERS

Nowadays, the provision of pharmaceutical care and effective communication with customers are being discussed more often. A pharmacist is a specialist in his field with specific knowledge in the field of pharmacy. Therefore, the trust from the customer’s side and a kind, informative, and professional approach from the pharmacist’s side are very important in this case. Objective: To clarify what knowledge do the pharmacy customers have about pharmaceutical care and how satisfied they are with the pharmaceutical care services. The research was conducted using a quantitative survey, the statistical analysis of the obtained data was carried out using data processing software Microsoft Office Excel 2010, 267 respondents from various regions of Latvia were surveyed. Only 37% of respondents understand meaning of pharmaceutical care. This means that most of the customers are unaware of the duties and responsibilities of a pharmacist. Most of the respondents associate pharmaceutical care with medication dispense, consultation and good customer service. It would be necessary to inform society about pharmaceutical care and its importance in healthcare. Conclusions: The hypothesis put forward in the thesis confirms that society needs to be informed about pharmaceutical care, and pharmacist duties and responsibilities.

The Role of the Pharmacist in the Care of Patients with Chronic Pain.

Pharmacists across the healthcare continuum are well positioned to collaborate with patients to effectively manage their chronic pain. Evidence supports positive outcomes when pharmacists undertake these roles; however, there are barriers preventing uptake across the profession. This paper aims to expand awareness of the breadth of these roles, including pharmaceutical care provision, interprofessional collaboration, pain and medication education, support for patients in self-management and acceptance of responsibility to be culturally responsive and decrease stigma. Pharmacists are accessible healthcare professionals and can improve the care of patients with chronic pain.

Delivery of the Dementia Friends programme on the MPharm degree course: a qualitative exploration of pharmacy students’ perspectives

Abstract Introduction A person-centred approach to dementia care has been advocated1, but limited literature exists on integration of this into pharmacist undergraduate education. The Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friends programme was developed to change peoples’ perceptions and promote understanding of living with dementia. In 2019, the School piloted provision of Dementia Friends training; Level 3 MPharm students (n=102) were invited by email to participate as an optional part of a Clinical Therapeutics module. Sixty-three students (61.8%) attended the workshop, which combined Dementia Friends training with an interactive session facilitated by a person living with dementia (PLWD). Aim To explore undergraduate pharmacy students’ views and experiences of the Dementia Friends pilot. Methods All students who had attended the workshop were invited by email to participate in a focus group during February 2020. Participants provided written informed consent. The topic guide focused on students’ views of workshop delivery, improvements that could be made, their understanding of person-centred care, and the impact of the workshop on their clinical practice. The focus group was audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis. Results One focus group was conducted with eight students. Three overarching themes were identified: learning from an expert patient; importance of person-centred care; and dementia education during MPharm degree. Students valued the opportunity to learn from a PLWD and felt it allowed them to relate the condition to a real person: “it felt more personal so you could really connect with them [PLWD] and understand their experience”. Hearing about the ‘lived experience’ helped to contextualise learning from other methods of delivery, e.g. lectures: “you don’t know what’s going on in someone else’s life, and sometimes we’re all a bit quick to judge, I think [the workshop] put that into perspective”. Students described having greater understanding of person-centred care and taking a holistic approach to pharmaceutical care provision for PLWD: “it’s very important to take into account their quality of life…we can focus on the clinical but looking at the person as a whole actually helps their treatment” and “one of the things I found most interesting was that they might not remember the interaction but they will [retain] the feeling or emotion”. Students reported feeling more confident in engaging with PLWD following the workshop, which is something they would not have had the opportunity to learn from lectures alone: “If we hadn’t had that dementia training, I feel like I would still have no confidence chatting to dementia patients”. Students suggested that future Dementia Friends training should be delivered earlier in the MPharm degree course. Conclusion This study has shown that Dementia Friends training complemented students’ existing knowledge of dementia and increased their confidence to communicate with PLWD. The use of an expert patient was an effective way of supporting MPharm students to develop a person-centred approach to their professional practice. The study was limited to one university so findings may not be generalisable. However, these data provide a good basis for future development and evaluation of Dementia Friends training provision to MPharm students.

The state regulation of the economic activities in domestic pharmacy: regulatory aspect

In modern working conditions, a pharmacist has insufficient knowledge of regulatory documents regulating the activities of the pharmaceutical industry. Thus, there is a need to provide informational assistance to the pharmacist by systematizing the current legal documents.
 Aim. To scientifically generalize legal acts on the state regulation of the business entity in pharmacy in Ukraine.
 Materials and methods. Regulatory legal acts regulating the process of the state regulation of the activity of an economic entity in pharmacy in Ukraine, and such methods as content analysis, generalization were used.
 Results. As a result of the content-analysis it has been found that state supervision (control) of the pharmaceutical market of Ukraine is performed by the following state structures: the State Service of Ukraine for Medicines (Drugs) and Drug Control, the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the State Fiscal Service, the State Labor Service of Ukraine, the State Emergencies Service of Ukraine.
 Conclusions. When conducting the content-analysis it has been found that the legal documents regulating the process of pharmaceutical care provision in Ukraine are the Laws of Ukraine “On licensing of the economic activities”, “On consumer protection”, “On labor protection”. A graphic model of the state regulation of the business entity’s activity in Ukraine has been also created.
 Key words: state regulation; business entity in pharmacy; regulatory legal acts; content-analysis.

Attaining Excellence in Professional Pharmacy Practice-Pharmacists in Academia Must Take the Lead

As societal needs change, so are professions adjusting and adapting their services to meet this new normal. The essence is not just to remain relevant, but to live up to their professional expectation and be impactful to their environment. In the constantly changing societal healthcare needs, Pharmacists as medicine experts and frontline contributors towards health care delivery, have crucial roles to play. From sound medical information dissemination to drug manufacture; from dispensing and therapeutic drug control to research and development and from sustaining supply chain of products to provision of total pharmaceutical care, pharmacists stand tall to provide needed healthcare services. Rendering services with professionalism is the desired path. But what does it take to attain professionalism in pharmacy practice? How can pharmacists in the academia harness their potentials to promote the path of service delivery with professional excellence? This piece showcases the role of excellence in the pharmacy profession highlighting the potentials of members in the academia in spearheading excellence in practice, thereby adding to the professional outlook of the pharmacist.

Nationwide survey on attitudes and perceived barriers toward provision of pharmaceutical care among final year undergraduate pharmacy students in the United Arab Emirates.

Pharmaceutical care (PC) practice is still limited in the United Arab Emirates. It is crucial to understand pharmacy students’ attitudes and their perceived barriers towards PC provision, to evaluate the effectiveness of theoretical and practical curricula in creating positive attitudes toward PC. This study aims to assess attitudes of final year undergraduate pharmacy students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the barriers perceived by them to practice PC. A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted in February and March, 2020, involving colleges in UAE offering undergraduate pharmacy programs and having students in their final year. Participants filled a questionnaire covering attitudes’ items, based on the Pharmaceutical Care Attitudes Survey (PCAS), and several perceived barriers. A stratified sample of 193 students participated from six universities, 85% were females, 92.2% and 64.8% completed or engaged in community and hospital pharmacy training respectively, at the time of the study. Attitudes’ items receiving the highest agreement were PC will improve patient health (95.3%), all pharmacists should perform PC (93.3%) and PC would benefit pharmacists (92.7%). However, 44.6% agreed PC is not worth the additional workload. Females showed higher attitudes’ total scores, median (IQR): 55 (51–58) and 52 (49–55.5) for females and males respectively, P = 0.032. Having incomplete courses was also associated with lower scores, median (IQR): 55 (51–58) and 52 (48.5–55.5) for “No” and “Yes” respectively, P = 0.048. Poor image of the pharmacist’s role and lack of private counseling area or inappropriate pharmacy layout were the most perceived barriers, with around 78% agreement. In conclusion, final year undergraduate pharmacy students in the UAE have positive attitudes towards pharmaceutical care. The current curricula may be satisfactory in fostering positive attitudes among students. Poor image of the pharmacist’s role and lack of counseling area or inappropriate pharmacy layout were the main barriers identified, among other barriers.

Effect of Insecurity on the Provision of Pharmaceutical Care in Akwa Ibom State: The Community Pharmacist’s Perspective

Background: Pharmaceutical care is an important aspect of healthcare provided by pharmacists which is associated with good clinical outcomes and improved quality of life. Robberies and insecurities is a common occurrence in community pharmacies and when left unchecked can have economic, financial consequences and also influence the provision of care. The aim of this study was to assess the perceived effect of insecurity on the provision of pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Methods: This study was a cross sectional survey among community pharmacists in community pharmacies in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. All community pharmacies in Uyo metropolis were visited and an informed consent was obtained from the pharmacists before the beginning of the study. A semistructured questionnaire was used in the collection of data in this study. The questionnaire evaluated the perceived effect of the current robberies on pharmaceutical care where the evaluation statements were structured in Likert scale format. Results: A total of 76 pharmacists consented to participate in the study where 56 (73.7%) were males and 20 were females. The mean age of the study participants was 28.25±1.543 years and 82.9% of the participants had 1-10 years’ community pharmacy experience. Majority of the pharmacists agreed that insecurity has hindered history taking (52%), blood pressure checks (84.2%), patient counselling (80.2%) and decreased sales (52.6%). Conclusion: There is a negative perceived effect of recent insecurities on the provision of pharmaceutical care services and sales. This aspect should be explored in further studies and research.

Impact of Structured Diabetes Pharmaceutical Care Training on Practices of Community Pharmacist

Objectives: The diabetes epidemic in India has placed it in the second position in having the largest number (77 million) of adults with diabetes, worldwide. Diabetes is a chronic progressive disease that can be effectively controlled by medication adherence, monitoring and managing well on regular basis. A well-trained pharmacist can help the patients to achieve good glycaemic control by providing them pharmaceutical care. This study aims to evaluate the effect of tailored diabetes pharmaceutical-care training on the practices of pharmacists and the subsequent impact on patients’ clinical outcomes. Methods: A prospective interventional quantitative study was conducted to assess the impact on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) levels of community pharmacists after providing diabetes pharmaceutical care training. The selected trained pharmacists enrolled type-2 diabetes patients to assess the practice component further, by observing patients’ outcomes in terms of knowledge, attitude, practices along with clinical outcomes in terms of glycemic control, post pharmaceutical care provision. A descriptive analysis and statistical evaluation, using SPSS Version 21. Key Findings: Significantly improved outcomes were observed across all the pharmacist participants in terms of KAP levels, from baseline to post-interventional training (p<0.0001). Also, a considerable impact on patients' knowledge, awareness, practices and clinical outcomes was noted in the intervention group. Clinically there was a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose levels, postprandial blood glucose levels, HbA1c and control in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p<0.05) was also observed. Conclusion: Community pharmacists who had completed structured training in diabetes care could practice pharmaceutical- care well and help patients with type-2 diabetes in achieving good glycemic control.

Turkish community pharmacists' behavioral determinants in provision of pharmaceutical care to elderly patients.

Background It is crucial to develop and implement community pharmacist-led pharmaceutical care services in primary care that could prevent and detect potentially inappropriate prescribing and promote medication adherence in older patients. Objective The aim of this study was to determine community pharmacists' perceived barriers and facilitators face during the provision of pharmaceutical care to older patients by using a theoretical domains framework. Method A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among community pharmacists in Turkey. A Turkish version of the 50-item Determinants of Implementation Behavior Questionnaire was developed to evaluate behavioral determinants of community pharmacists on delivering pharmaceutical care to older patients. Main outcome measures The behavioral determinants of community pharmacists. Results A total of 354 community pharmacists answered the questionnaire. The mean age was 43.2 (standard deviation = 11.1), and 227 (64%) of the pharmacists were female. Community pharmacists' positive opinions on pharmaceutical care service outcomes in older patients and feedback were regarded as facilitators. Community pharmacists' motivational level and emotions were additional determinant facilitators in delivering pharmaceutical care to older patients. Their negative opinions on the impact and action of pharmaceutical care in older patients were regarded as barriers. Conclusion In primary health care, a theory-based e-distant training program for community pharmacists and the guidelines for standard pharmaceutical care services led by community pharmacists could be designed by addressing barriers related to the impact and action of pharmaceutical care in older patients.

Pharmacy students’ attitude towards providing pharmaceutical care to patients with anxiety and their knowledge of psychotropic medicines in Jordan

To describe pharmacy students' attitude towards providing pharmaceutical care (PC) to patients with anxiety and their knowledge of psychotropic medicines (PM). A cross-sectional emailed survey was sent to all 200 pharmacy students (fourth and fifth year) in one Jordanian university. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and chi-square test. A total of 134 responses were received (response rate 67%). About two-thirds of students (87, 64.9%) would like to give enough time to patients with anxiety to discuss their medications. Only half of students knew correctly that alprazolam (53.7%) and diazepam (50.0%) are categorized as anxiolytics. Undertaking a course in psychiatry was significantly associated with better students' knowledge in PM (P < 0.05). Despite positive attitudes towards providing PC to patients with anxiety, policy makers should include courses on psychiatric pharmacotherapy in pharmacy curricula to improve pharmacy students' knowledge of PM.

Video-based teleconsultations in pharmaceutical care - A systematic review.

In recent years, telemedicine has gained increasing importance in the delivery of pharmaceutical care. The use of video technologies for remote communication between different parties offers the potential to meet the future challenges which arise from the increase in elderly and chronically ill patients. However, the influence of these technologies on patient-related outcomes in pharmaceutical care is not yet sufficiently known. In December 2018 a systematic literature search was conducted in the databases Medline, Cochrane Library and PubPharm. Randomized controlled trials were considered, which investigate real-time video conferencing between pharmacists on the one hand and patients or other healthcare providers on the other hand. The influence on patient related outcomes compared to standard care was assessed. The bias potential was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias instrument. A total of 4 randomized controlled trials could be included. The studies describe partly complex intervention settings with adults and adolescents suffering from asthma, chronic renal failure, HIV infection, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and/or diabetes. None of the studies considers the interprofessional communication of pharmacists with other service providers. No influence on clinical or psychological endpoints was found. In some cases, an increase in adherence and correct medication use is evident. Healthcare utilization is not influenced. In all studies there is an increased risk of systematic bias. Teleconsultations with pharmacists can rather be used to ensure the general provision of pharmaceutical care than to improve patient-related outcomes. Further studies are necessary to fully depict the influence of telemedical interventions in pharmaceutical care.

Intern Pharmacists’ Job Satisfaction, Perception of the Profession and Preparedness to Provide Pharmaceutical Care Services in Southeastern Nigeria

Purpose of study: To determine job satisfaction, perception towards pharmacists, and preparedness to provide pharmaceutical care (PC) among intern pharmacists.&#x0D; Methodology: A prospective survey of all intern pharmacists in South - Eastern Nigeria was done. A questionnaire with five sections measuring work characteristics, job satisfaction, perception towards pharmacists, and preparedness to provide PC was administered. Descriptive analysis and chi-square tests for differences in proportions were calculated.&#x0D; Results: It took interns an average of 10 months to get an internship position after graduation. The interns were barely satisfied with their workplaces and conditions (2.83 of 4.0). They held moderately positive perceptions about pharmacist's clinical roles in the hospital (3.79 of 5.0) and felt marginally prepared to provide PC on graduation (3.38 of 5.0). The interns’ age, gender, future career aspirations influenced their perception of pharmacists’ clinical roles and preparedness to provide PC (p&lt;0.05 for all).&#x0D; Conclusion: It takes a very long time to get a place for an internship in Nigeria. Interns were marginally satisfied with their jobs, held favorable perceptions about the profession, and didn’t feel adequately prepared to provide PC in all items assessed.

The role of the State Drug Formulary of Ukraine in providing rational pharmacotherapy for elderly patients

Applying the Classification for Drug-Related Problems (DRPs) of the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (V 9.00, 2019) allowed to systematize the information on the use of drugs in elderly patients given in the Annex of the State Drug Formulary of Ukraine. As a result of this work, special warnings and recommendations of the State Drug Formulary were presented together with the possible causes for potential DRPs, which they allow to prevent. The lists of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) for the elderly (n = 98), drugs the dosage of which in patients of this age group should be adjusted (n = 127), and drugs that need monitoring (n = 108) were formed. The obtained results can serve as a basis for the development of a specialized geriatric tool to ensure rational pharmacotherapy, in particular in the provision of pharmaceutical care.

Determination of social and economic accessibility of drugs for treatment of Parkinson’s disease on the basis of modern approaches

In the context of the economic crisis, the availability of medicines for the population is one of the key issues facing pharmaceutical sector of healthcare system. Due to the fact of that, the purpose of the work was to study the social and economic accessibility of medicines, since such studies in the future may provide an opportunity for effective input of medicines costs reimbursement system, which will increase their availability, especially for socially vulnerable groups of population. The data analysis of the clinical protocols of Great Britain, Kazakhstan and Ukraine was conducted, and the indicators of social and economic availability within 2014–2018 were calculated. The obtained results indicate an adequate level of availability of medicines for the able-bodied population and, unfortunately, a low level of accessibility of medicines for people of retirement age with a tendency to further descension. These results point the necessity of the further research and development of government control systems and provision of pharmaceutical care for the population.

Southern Yemeni Pharmacy Dispensers ' Understanding, Attitudes and Perceived Barriers Related to Pharmaceutical Care

Background: Pharmaceutical care (PC) is the value of a practice that includes recognizing and solving medication therapy issues to improve patient outcomes. Studies regarding this issue in Yemen are very limited.&#x0D; Objectives: The study aims to assess the perception of community pharmacists to the concept of Pharmaceutical care and the obstacles that limit the provision of pharmaceutical care.&#x0D; Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study of community pharmacy dispensers (CPDs) was conducted among pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in community pharmacies in different areas of South Yemen from September 2019 until December 2019. The structured self-administered questionnaires consist of four sections dealing with the demographics of participants and their understanding of the concept of pharmaceutical care and their attitudes and obstacles to the implementation of pharmaceutical care in Yemen. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0&#x0D; Results: A total of Two-hundred pharmacists were included in this study. The result revealed that there were a reasonable number of experts (over 5 years' experience) and educated pharmacists( Diploma and bachelor’s degree) available for counseling patients about specific issues in the community pharmacies. Interestingly, all the respondents had good knowledge of pharmaceutical care and the majority of the pharmacists (87.5%) had a favorable attitude toward pharmaceutical care and their role in the health care system. The overall results relating to the perceived frequency of community pharmacy services provision was lower than (50%) in most statements. The result indicated a gap in the community pharmacists' communication with the patients. There are several barriers impedes the active and effective involvement of community pharmacists such as; insufficient communication with physicians, lack of physical space for pharmaceutical care, the slow introduction of pharmacists’ law, and others.&#x0D; Conclusion: The results revealed that pharmacists' understanding of the pharmaceutical care concept is good despite that there was no real implementation of pharmaceutical care. Even though they had positive attitudes towards the concept but there were many barriers to the effective application.&#x0D; Keywords: Pharmaceutical Care Concept; Community Pharmacists; South Yemen