Role Of Community Pharmacists Research Articles

Community pharmacists as antimicrobial guardians and gatekeepers – A qualitative study of the perspectives of pharmacy sector stakeholders

BackgroundCommunity pharmacists, as primary care providers, are an underutilised resource in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). Primary care plays an important role in tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as the principle of balancing access to antimicrobials while ensuring optimal use is agnostic to health setting. Understanding the sector's perceptions and practices towards AMS involvement is a continuing focus area of research. However, there is an opportunity to understand the sociological factors which influence the profession's contribution to stewardship practice, particularly across a broader spectrum of sector stakeholders at the individual, practice, system, and policy levels. ObjectiveTo explore stakeholders' perceptions of the Australian community pharmacy sector's AMS involvement. MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen key informants from the Australian community pharmacy sector. Participants' insights were invited across three broad areas: (1) understanding of AMR and AMS; and the (2) current and (3) future state of community pharmacy's AMS involvement. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a combined method of inductive (informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework) and deductive thematic analysis. ResultsPerceptions on promoting community pharmacists' AMS involvement within their existing role in promoting the quality use of medicines were heard. Adopting an antimicrobial guardian or gatekeeper role was perceived as influenced by the timing of their interaction with a patient either prior to, or post-consultation with a general practitioner (GP). Suggestions that the profession's potential and actual role in AMS could be challenged or even delimited due to lack of access to completeness of clinical information, and perceived consequences from a clinical and professional engagement perspective were also heard. ConclusionCollaborative partnerships between GPs and community pharmacists, framing stewardship within a quality use of medicines agenda, and highlighting connections between pharmacists' professional services such as minor ailments are key elements enabling community pharmacist's antimicrobial gatekeeper and guardian role.

Oncological patient management on the territory: the results of a survey in the north-west of Italy.

To investigate the role of community pharmacists in the therapeutic process of oncological patients and to assess these patients' state of acceptance of their disease and their relationship with their therapies, we performed a survey in some oncological clinics in Turin (north-west of Italy). The survey was carried out in a three months' period by means of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered on paper to oncological patients that attended 5 oncological clinics in Turin. The questionnaire was self-administered. 266 patients filled out the questionnaire. More than half of patients reported that their cancer diagnosis interfered with normal life very much or extremely and almost 70% of patients reported that they were accepting of what happened and were trying to fight back. 65% of patients answered that it is important or very important that pharmacists are aware of their health status. About 3 out of 4 patients thought that pharmacists giving information on medicines purchased and on how to use them is important or very important and that it is important to receive information concerning health and the effects of medication taken. Our study underlines the role of territorial health units in the management of oncological patients. It can be said that the community pharmacy is certainly a channel of election, not only in cancer prevention but also in the management of those patients who have already been diagnosed with cancer. More comprehensive and specific pharmacist training is necessary for the management of this type of patient. Furthermore, it is necessary to improve the awareness of this issue in community pharmacists at the local and national levels by creating a network of qualified pharmacies developed in collaboration with oncologists, GPs, dermatologists, psychologists and cosmetics companies.

Older people, medication safety, and the role of the community pharmacist: a longitudinal ethnographic study

AbstractBackgroundOlder people with frailty and multimorbidity are at high risk of problematic polypharmacy. Community pharmacists have a key role in medication safety for older people.AimThe aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of older people with frailty, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy, and their family caregivers or whānau on the role of community pharmacists, including in situ pharmacist care practices.MethodThis study was part of a larger video reflexive ethnography (VRE) study to explore medication safety and wellbeing for older people with frailty across care transitions including hospital, home, aged residential care, primary care, and outpatient care. This paper reports data from the interview, participant observation, and filming phases of the study.ResultsCommunity pharmacists play a significant role in the medication safety of older people with frailty and polypharmacy. Analysis resulted in three main themes: (1) the older person–determined role of the pharmacist, (2) the ‘taken for granted’ safety work of the pharmacist, and (3) collective agency and medication safety.ConclusionIn circumstances where older people and their family caregivers or whānau had a trusted relationship with a community pharmacist, the pharmacist played a key role as mediator of medication safety and was central to older people's care. This key role as a member of the multidisciplinary team in the care of older people with frailty and multimorbidity should be better recognised and legitimised by clinicians and policy makers and resourced accordingly.

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...

Preparing pharmacists for the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service: a questionnaire survey.

The Community Pharmacist Consultation Service launched in England in 2019. Patients requiring urgent care were referred from National Health Service-based telephone/digital triage or general practice to a community pharmacist, who provided a consultation, which could include a physical examination. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a learning programme to prepare community pharmacists for the service. Learning programme participants were invited to complete an online survey shortly after the workshop and another survey 3 months later. The survey collected opinions on aspects of the programme, including Likert-type statements and free text questions. The 3-month follow-up survey explored how the programme had helped pharmacists change their practice. Data were analysed in SPSS (v.25; IBM) with inferential statistics used to compare subgroups. Open comments were analysed qualitatively. The learning programme addressed participants' learning needs including history-taking, clinically observing the patient, performing physical examinations, structuring a consultation, safety-netting, and documenting consultations. Barriers to using skills acquired included low service uptake and a lack of equipment to perform physical examinations. While many participants recognised the importance of skills to provide person-centred care, some participants did not appear to recognise the shift in policy to a more clinical role. The learning programme resulted in increased confidence and a recognition of a shift in the policy vision for community pharmacist roles. Although some pharmacists appeared to embrace this, others have yet to fully appreciate the need to adapt to be ready for the opportunities that this service can provide.

Role of primary care pharmacists in the post-hospital discharge care of patients: a scoping review protocol

BackgroundEvidence has shown that there is a significant problem with medication safety when patients are transferred between settings. The role of community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists in facilitating transition of care has been well-researched. However, with the developing role of pharmacists in general practice as part of a multi-disciplinary team, little is known about their role in improving transition of care when patients move from secondary to primary care. The key objective of this scoping review is to understand the nature and extent of the role of primary care pharmacists for patients recently discharged from secondary care.MethodsThis scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping review underpinned by the Arksey and O’Malley methodology and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. The following electronic databases will be systematically searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science and NICE Evidence. Reference lists of included full texts will be searched for relevant papers, in addition to grey literature which includes websites of relevant professional organisations. Primary studies, published in the English language that involved a primary care pharmacist-led intervention post-hospital discharge will be included. Two independent reviewers will screen studies against eligibility criteria and use a piloted data extraction form to extract data related to the review questions. The data will be presented in tabular form and assessed for key themes to identify gaps and inform future research.DiscussionThis scoping review will map current evidence surrounding the role of primary care pharmacists in the post-hospital discharge care of patients. Findings will inform ongoing research to support safer transfer-of-care post-hospital discharge and identify ways in which collaboration between healthcare professionals can be improved. This review anticipates guiding the inclusion of patient and public involvement (PPI) at the consultation stage to validate and build on the findings.

Nature and perceived benefits of patient-initiated consultations in community pharmacies: A population survey

BackgroundThe role of community pharmacists in enhancing patient care has received increased attention. However, there is a paucity of literature on the nature, frequency, and perceived impacts of patient-initiated consultations in community pharmacies. ObjectivesWe aim to describe the profile of patients seeking advice from community pharmacists as well as the nature and impact of those consultations. MethodsA survey was conducted with Quebec adults who had consulted a pharmacist in the previous four weeks. Data was collected in 2017 and 1104 agreed to participate (25.3%). Of those, 93 were withdrawn due to incomplete data and 98 failed to meet the inclusion criteria. Sample representativeness was ensured by quota sampling (gender, age) after stratification by region. ResultsAmong the 913 respondents, 46% had consulted a pharmacist more than once during the four weeks prior to the survey. Individuals with a university degree consulted less often than those without (1.97 vs. 2.17 times; t = 2.0; p < .05) and participants with one or several chronic diseases consulted more frequently than those having no chronic disease (2.18 vs. 1.94 times; t = 5.7; p < .05). Older adults (55+) consulted more often for themselves compared to younger (18–34) and middle-aged (35–54) adults (1.53 vs. 1.31 vs. 1.44 times; F = 4.0; p < .05). Concerning the consultations, 58% were related to medications and 33% to health problems. In terms of impacts, 81% of consultations were perceived to have prevented the use of other healthcare resources. Patient satisfaction with their consultations was high with an average score of 8.75 on a 10-point scale (SD = 1.63). ConclusionsFindings reveal that the reasons for consulting a community pharmacist are diverse, most being related to medications or health issues. Patients reported that pharmacists were able to manage most consultations without referring them to other health care resources or professionals, and their satisfaction with their consultation was high. MeSH termsCommunity pharmacy; counselling; patient satisfaction; primary health care; surveys and questionnaires.

Roles of Community Pharmacists in Cancer Management.

Community pharmacists are among the most easily accessible healthcare practitioners and are usually the first point of contact with the public or community. This is often due to their accessibility, credibility, and widespread within the public sector making them essential members of the healthcare team with significant contributions to the delivery of public health care. Community pharmacists, in addition to their known educational and awareness-raising roles, may play an essential role in risk assessment and screening of patients, detection of symptoms of probable malignancy, and cancer treatments. The pharmacy profession has been evolving from dispensing roles into more patient-oriented outcomes and pharmacists are now participating in more clinical interventions. This places community pharmacists in the best position to provide the necessary knowledge and healthcare to benefit populations at risk of cancer. Active involvement of community pharmacists in the care and management of cancer will significantly contribute to screening and risk assessment, early detection, treatment and eradication of breast, cervical, lung, ovarian and other forms of cancer. As a result, the community pharmacy setting must the developed to maximize its full potential in cancer care.

The Role of Community Pharmacists in Drug Information Services in Lamongan During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Information about drugs has spread widely across social media platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in drug panic buying. However, public awareness and understanding about how to use drugs properly remains low. This phenomenon may lead to medication errors. Community pharmacists can provide information about the rational use of drugs though a differential diagnosis approach by comparing clinical symptoms of similar minor illnesses to increase patient safety in taking medication. This research aimed to investigate drug information services and the ideal components of counselling, information, and education (KIE) carried out by community pharmacists in drugstores during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was observational research conducted in 12 drugstores in Lamongan from April 2021 to July 2021. The data were gathered by checklists of 8 criteria of ideal KIE based on pharmacy service standards in the drugstores. The results indicated that there was an appropriate adjustment in providing drug information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Appropriate pharmacist activity in giving KIE was 68.6%, patient response to drug information services was 61.6%, and patient ability to repeat the information was 64.9%. The pharmacists are expected to have comprehensive knowledge and ability to provide drug information services. Also, they should be more communicative to increase awareness, willingness, and ability to promote a healthy life during the pandemic.&#x0D; Keywords: community pharmacy, drug information, COVID-19

Promising practices and pockets of excellence: Community pharmacists supporting wellness for reproductive-age women.

Promising practices and pockets of excellence: Community pharmacists supporting wellness for reproductive-age women.

Suicide Prevention in Nigeria: Can Community Pharmacists Have a Role?

Suicide is a global public health problem and is among the leading causes of death worldwide. Over 700,000 people die by suicide globally each year, affecting all ages, genders, and regions. Community pharmacists are easily accessible and trusted frontline healthcare professionals. They provide pharmaceutical care to the community, yet their role is still yet to be fully optimised. With the expanding role of community pharmacists and their constant accessibility to the local population, they could have a potential role in suicide prevention and awareness in Nigeria through restriction of means, signposting to services, and conversations with patients built on trusting relationships. In this commentary, we review the literature on the involvement of community pharmacists in suicide prevention. In addition, we discuss the potential role of community pharmacists in Nigeria through establishing trusting relationships with patients, clinical counselling, and medication gatekeeping, given the existing gaps in knowledge and awareness of suicide prevention within community settings. This commentary also outlines potential barriers and solutions, making suggestions for future research.

The views and experiences of people with type 2 diabetes being cared for by their community pharmacist: a cross-sectional patient survey

PurposeCommunity pharmacists are highly accessible healthcare providers and studies in several countries have demonstrated a role for community pharmacists in delivering enhanced care to people with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the views and experiences of people with type 2 diabetes attending community pharmacies in Ireland.MethodsA 13-item questionnaire, anchored on a 5-point Likert scale, was used. The study took place in seven pharmacies in the Munster region of Ireland. Participants were people attending a participating pharmacy who had type 2 diabetes and were aged ≥ 18 years.ResultsThe questionnaire was answered by 125 people with type 2 diabetes. Mean age of participants was 65.7 ± 12.4 years and 59.2% were male. The statement “I am totally satisfied with my visit to this pharmacist”, was the item that participants most frequently agreed with (agree/strongly agree = 99.2%, mean score 4.9 ± 0.4). Over 80% of participants agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “It is easier to get to see the pharmacist than the doctor”, (mean score 4.3 ± 1.1).ConclusionIn this population, people with type 2 diabetes were highly satisfied with the care provided to them by their community pharmacist. These data support the implementation of enhanced community pharmacy services for people with type 2 diabetes in Ireland.

Role of Community Pharmacist in Public Health Services, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background and Aims: Currently, the scope of practice has allowed pharmacists to engage in the clinical aspects of direct patient care and public health services to the patient. This study's main objective is to investigate community pharmacists' involvement in public health services and the barriers in the health system that hinder the integration of community pharmacy professionals into the public health task in the local context of Saudi Arabia.&#x0D; Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in community pharmacies in a different region of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (June and July 2019). A sample was calculated to include 431 pharmacists working in different community pharmacies proportionally randomly selected from the five areas in Riyadh city. A multistage, stratified, random sample method was used. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. A P value &lt; 0.05 considered as statistically significant.&#x0D; Results: The 431 participants showed the dominance of male pharmacists (97.2%), non-Saudi (84.9%), and Bachelor’s pharmacy degrees (81.2%). Most of the participants were involved in smoking cessation (83.1%) as public health services, weight management (62.4%), but less involvement in activities related to physical activities or dietary intake (33.0%, 31.8%, respectively). More likely the involvement of the Saudi pharmacist in lifestyle activities in comparison to non-Saudi (AOR:1.932; 95% CI: 1.125 - 3.320). Moreover, the perceived barrier in the involvement level was more associated with years of experience.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study showed that community pharmacists should play an important role in health promotion and prevention; they recognize a wide gap between ideal and actual levels of participation. The researcher presents the main barriers to the role of the pharmacist to improve the level of the individual and society because many obstacles limit the role of the pharmacist in public health.

Public awareness, expectations, and views on community pharmacist's roles and practices in the Philippines

Public awareness, expectations, and views on community pharmacist's roles and practices in the Philippines

Public awareness, expectations, and views on community pharmacist’s roles and practices in the Philippines

Community pharmacists have been identified as an accessible source of drug information for both patients and other healthcare professionals. Over the years, the role and practices of community pharmacists have developed from drug-based activities to patient-centered healthcare. Although most patients have considered community pharmacists the initial point of contact for their medication-related concerns, they remain underutilized healthcare professionals who have become almost invisible to the public despite their efforts. This study was conducted to ascertain the public's awareness, expectations, and views of the roles and practices of community pharmacists in the Philippines. A descriptive quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional research design was employed; a self-made questionnaire was utilized among the 315 respondents selected through non-probability convenience sampling. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and the Chi-square approach were employed. Significant associations were defined as those with p &lt; 0.05. Most of the respondents visit a community pharmacy 2-3 times a month (39.58%) to buy prescription medicines (73.02%) due to its reasonable price (74.60%). The majority (x̅=3.765) agreed that they had considered community pharmacists as an integral part of the healthcare system and expected them to respond to drug-related questions (x̅ =3.686) and view them to be knowledgeable enough to attend to their concerns (x̅ =3.613). The educational attainment of the respondents and their expectations on the roles and practices of community pharmacists were found to be significantly associated with the study (p=0.026). The public has presented an overall positive awareness, expectations, and views toward the roles and practices of community pharmacists.

Emergency Preparedness for the COVID-19 Pandemic: Social Determinants Predicting the Community Pharmacists' Preparedness and Perceived Response in Malaysia.

Background: Pandemic preparedness of healthcare providers helps to mitigate future threats such as spread and fatality rates, as well as the management of the disease. Pharmacists are key partners with public health agencies, and the role of community pharmacists is becoming increasingly recognised in this COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to explore the emergency preparedness of community pharmacists (CPs) for COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among community pharmacists using cluster sampling followed by convenient sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was formulated using references from the previous literature and the WHO preparedness checklist. Descriptive analysis was undertaken for the participants’ socio-demographic characteristics. All the data collected were entered into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 24 (SPSS V.24), (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 24.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) for analysis. Results: Most of the CPs had five or fewer years of practice experience, and they had all the mandatory information relating to the needs of their communities regarding the disease. The participants knew where to acquire these resources whenever needed. They were able to recognise the signs and symptoms of the disease. Most participants felt that they were confident to provide patient education and carry out their duties during these challenging times. There was a strong position correlation between preparedness and the perceived response of the participants. Conclusion: The community pharmacists in Malaysia are prepared enough for COVID-19 pandemic management and perceive that they can respond during any unprecedented situations, such as COVID-19. Community pharmacists were aware of the challenges that they need to face in their community regarding COVID-19.

Access to community pharmacies: A nationwide geographic information systems cross-sectional analysis

BackgroundPharmacy accessibility is key for the emerging role of community pharmacists as providers of patient-centered, medication management services in addition to traditional dispensing roles. ObjectiveTo quantify population access to community pharmacies across the United States. MethodsWe obtained addresses for pharmacy locations in the United States from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs and geocoded each. For a 1% sample of a U.S. synthetic population, we calculated the driving distance to the closest pharmacy using ArcGIS. We estimated the proportion of population living within 1, 2, 5, and 10 miles of a community pharmacy. We quantified the role of chain vs regional franchises or independently owned pharmacies in providing access across degrees of urbanicity. ResultsWe identified 61,715 pharmacies, including 37,954 (61.5%) chains, 23,521 (38.1%) regional franchises or independently owned pharmacies, and 240 (0.4%) government pharmacies. In large metropolitan areas, 62.8% of the pharmacies were chains; however, in rural areas, 76.5% of pharmacies were franchises or independent pharmacies. Across the overall U.S. population, 48.1% lived within 1 mile of any pharmacy, 73.1% within 2 miles, 88.9% within 5 miles, and 96.5% within 10 miles. Across the United States, 8.3% of counties had at least 50% of residents with a distance greater than 10 miles. These low-access counties were concentrated in Alaska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. ConclusionsCommunity pharmacies may serve as accessible locations for patient-centered, medication management services that enhance the health and wellness of communities. Although chain pharmacies represent the majority of pharmacy locations across the country, access to community pharmacies in rural areas predominantly relies on regional franchises and independently owned pharmacies.

What has changed in the pharmaceutical care after COVID-19: Pharmacists' perspective.

Objectives:The study aimed to investigate the impact of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the roles of hospital and community pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to assess how COVID-19 has affected their roles concerning medication dispensing and review, patient education, and telepharmacy services.Methods:This was a face-to-face questionnaire-based study. A convenient sampling technique was used to collect responses from 428 licensed community and hospital pharmacists across the UAE. The study tool is a structured questionnaire. Data were cleaned and analysed through SPSS Version 26.Results:In terms of medication dispensing practice, 314 (73.4%) and 210 (49.1%) of pharmacists reported an increase in the dispensing of over the counter (OTC) medicines and antibiotics after COVID-19, respectively. Of the pharmacists included in the study, 380 (88.8%) and 328 (76.6%) reported an elevation in the engagement in patient education and medication review after COVID-19, respectively. On the other hand, 247 (57.7%) and 179 (41.8%) of pharmacists reported that the frequency of their pharmaceutical interventions and physicians’ acceptance of those interventions increased after COVID-19, which was significantly associated (p=0.01) with pharmacists’ ability to intervene on the dosage regimen of COVID-19 patient.Conclusion:Pharmaceutical care in the UAE has evolved after COVID-19, particularly in the aspects of medications dispensing, telepharmacy, and patient-centered services..

Attitudes of Community Pharmacists towards Expanding their Prescribing Role: A Cross-sectional study

Background: There is a growing international development in community pharmacists’ and authority prescribing role. Objective: The study assess the attitudes of community pharmacists toward expanding their prescribing role and to identify any contributing factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Jordan. A validated self-administered questionnaire addressing participants’ attitudes toward expanding the prescribing role of community pharmacists, the preferred model, barriers and training need was used. Results: In general, 62.3% of community pharmacists exhibited neutral attitudes toward expanding their prescribing role, and 79.4% favored the supplementary prescribing model. The key drivers for expanding prescribing were a better use of community pharmacists’ skills (88.7%) and drug knowledge (79.4%). However, the most perceived barriers were inadequate training in patient assessment and monitoring (75%) and diagnosis of disease (73%). Female respondents had higher mean attitude scores (65.5± 6.79) than males (63.1± 7.89),(p= 0.021, t=2.321). Respondents with a Pharm .D degree had higher mean attitude scores (68.0 ±9.19) than those with a postgraduate degree (66.3±7.59) or those with bachelor of pharmacy (63.6±6.88, p= 0.010, F=4.709). Conclusion: Although overall attitudes of community pharmacists toward prescribing role were neutral, there were some gaps in their knowledge and skills. Community pharmacists, therefore, require further and urgent training in certain areas together with addressing the identified barriers.

Community pharmacists’ opinions on their palliative care education needs and preferences of delivery of an educational programme: A qualitative study

Background: The provision of medication and pharmaceutical care is an essential component of palliative care (PC). Lack of education in PC is a barrier to some community pharmacists providing care to PC patients. Objective: To explore community pharmacists’ understanding of PC, their opinions of their PC education needs and to determine their preferences regarding delivery of a PC education programme. Method: This study used a qualitative approach by means of semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Convenience and snowball sampling were used to select the sample population. Results: Three main themes were identified when exploring PC education needs; (i) lack of knowledge about palliative care, (ii) role of community pharmacists in palliative care, and (iii) perceived barriers to accessing further education. Community pharmacists’ preferences for the delivery of an education programme were influenced by perceived barriers to accessing further education. Conclusion: Community pharmacists’ understanding of PC highlighted a knowledge deficit which may be improved with further education.