Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 70 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Chu J, Maharajan MK, Rajiah K
    Int J Pharm Pract, 2024 Mar 06;32(2):146-155.
    PMID: 38071745 DOI: 10.1093/ijpp/riad087
    OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate patterns of extended pharmacy services (EPS) provided by Malaysian community pharmacists and their willingness to provide value-added services (VAS) in addition to EPS. Additionally, this study examined the barriers to the effective implementation of these two services.

    METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire among community pharmacists in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. Convenience sampling was done, and descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were performed.

    RESULTS: Two hundred and thirty-six pharmacists participated. The most rendered EPS were nutritional supplements, hypertension management, and diabetic management, while chronic kidney disease management, smoking cessation, and mental health services were the least rendered. Pharmacists were willing to provide medication waste management and vaccination as VAS but were less inclined towards therapeutic drug monitoring and sterile compounding. Barriers included limited access to medical records of patients, lack of designated counselling areas, and concerns about remuneration. High sales pressure and busy workloads were additional barriers to providing VAS. Continuous professional development (CPD) positively influenced pharmacists' engagement in EPS and VAS.

    CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights service provision trends and areas for improvement. Addressing identified barriers, such as enhancing access to patient records and establishing designated counselling areas, can improve service delivery. Remuneration models and workload management strategies should be considered to alleviate barriers related to sales pressure and time constraints. Promoting CPD opportunities is crucial for enhancing pharmacist engagement and optimizing EPS and VAS.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  2. El-Dahiyat F, Jairoun AA, Al-Hemyari SS, Shahwan M, Hassan N, Jairoun S, et al.
    Int J Pharm Pract, 2023 Jun 30;31(4):387-395.
    PMID: 37116892 DOI: 10.1093/ijpp/riad027
    OBJECTIVES: Deprescribing is a novel strategy whereby medical professionals aim to optimize a patient's prescription program by removing redundant medications. Few studies have looked at the viewpoints of community pharmacists and other healthcare professionals on deprescribing in daily practice. This study's objectives included evaluating community pharmacists' deprescribing knowledge, attitudes and practices, as well as identifying the obstacles to and enablers of deprescribing in daily practice.

    METHODS: Five pharmacy students in the last year of their studies polled employees of neighbourhood pharmacies in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and the Northern Emirates from April 2022 to July 2022. The study's questionnaire was divided into two sections: questions that inquired about the respondents' demographic data and questions that evaluated the respondents' understanding and usage of the deprescribing of potentially harmful medications for patients. The original Bloom's cutoff points were revised and modified to assess the general knowledge and deprescribing practices of United Arab Emirates (UAE) community pharmacists. Multivariate logistic regression identified the variables influencing respondents' deprescribing knowledge and practice.

    KEY FINDINGS: The average age of the participants was 30.8 ± 6.4 SD. Of the total, 255 (37.7%) were male and 422 (62.3%) were female. Pharmacists from independent pharmacies constituted 52.9% of the study sample and 47.1% were from Chain pharmacies. Among the participants, 58.8% (n = 398) had 1-5 years of experience and 41.2% (n = 279) had more than 5 years. Nearly three-quarters of the pharmacists (72.1%, 488) graduated from local universities and 27.9% (n = 189) graduated from regional/international universities. The vast majority of the study sample (84.8%, 574) were bachelor's degree holders and 88.3% (n = 598) were pharmacists in charge. Of the total, 69.3% (n = 469) received deprescribing training to treat patients with multimorbid diseases. The knowledge and practice score was 71.3% with a 95% confidence interval [70.2%, 72.4%]. Of the total participants, 113 (16.7%) had poor knowledge and practice about deprescribing, 393 (58.1%) had moderate knowledge and practice and 171 (25.3%) had good knowledge and practice.

    CONCLUSION: This study highlights the level of understanding of community pharmacists about deprescribing in the UAE. Although most of the respondents in this study received training on deprescribing, less than half of the community pharmacists were unaware of certain classes (long-acting sulfonylureas, anti-diabetic, antihyperlipidemic and psychotropic drugs) of drugs that are candidates for potential deprescribing. This finding indicates that their knowledge about deprescribing was insufficient. Several barriers community pharmacists face in deprescribing were also identified, with patients' resistance and insufficience being the most prevalent. Therefore, there is a need for improved deprescribing practices to ensure drug safety.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  3. Loh P, Lee JW, Karuppannan M, Chua SS
    BMC Health Serv Res, 2023 Jun 20;23(1):657.
    PMID: 37340333 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-09642-x
    BACKGROUND: Community pharmacy practice worldwide has been shifting from product-focused to patient-oriented. However, due to the absence of separation between prescribing and dispensing in Malaysia, community pharmacists may have limited roles in the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients with chronic diseases. Therefore, the main functions of community pharmacists in Malaysia are related to self-medication requests for minor ailments and the supply of non-prescription medications. The objective of this study was to determine the practice of pharmaceutical care by community pharmacists within the Klang Valley, Malaysia in response to self-medication requests for a cough.

    METHODS: This study utilised a simulated client method. A research assistant, acting as a simulated client, visited community pharmacies in the Klang Valley, Malaysia to consult the pharmacists on the treatment of a cough experienced by his father. Upon leaving the pharmacy premise, the simulated client entered the pharmacist's responses in a data collection form which was structured based on pharmacy mnemonics for the response to symptoms, OBRA'90 on counselling elements, the five practice principles of pharmaceutical care by the American Pharmacists Association and literature review. Visits to the community pharmacies were conducted from September to October 2018.

    RESULTS: The simulated client visited a total of 100 community pharmacies. None of these community pharmacists practised adequate patients' data collection, with only a low proportion who practised all the components studied under medication information evaluation (13%), formulating a drug therapy plan (15%) and monitoring and modifying the plan (3%). Of the 100 community pharmacists, 98 recommended treatment but none of them provided all the counselling elements studied in implementing the drug therapy plan.

    CONCLUSION: The present study showed that community pharmacists within the Klang Valley, Malaysia were not providing adequate pharmaceutical care services to patients seeking self-medication for a cough. Such practice may compromise patient safety if inappropriate medicines or advice are given.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  4. Nathan AD, Shankar PR, Sreeramareddy CT
    BMC Prim Care, 2023 May 25;24(1):119.
    PMID: 37231354 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-023-02071-z
    BACKGROUND: Topical corticosteroids (TCS) are commonly available in community pharmacies and are used in skin conditions like atopic dermatitis and psoriasis among others. Problems such as overuse, use of potent steroids and steroid phobia have been identified in the use of TCS in the literature. The aim of the study was to obtain community pharmacists (CPs) views regarding factors influencing their counselling of patients about TCS; challenges associated, important problems, the counselling process, shared care with other healthcare professionals, and explore further the findings from the questionnaire-based study.

    METHODS: Seven licensed practicing community pharmacists (from the Klang Valley, Malaysia) were interviewed between 23rd September to 14th November 2021. These were CPs participating in the questionnaire study who agreed to be interviewed. NVIVO 11 software was used for data analysis. Codes and themes were generated and agreed on by the researchers.

    RESULTS: The major themes identified related to the process mentioned of providing information to patients, the issues addressed by CPs during the counselling (including steroid phobia, overuse of TCS, patients asking for a specific preparation by name), less counselling support material, language barriers, lesser knowledge about certain conditions, information sources used by CPs (material provided by Ministry of Health and Malaysian Pharmacists Association, MIMS) and suggestions to strengthen the quality of counselling (specialization in skin diseases, webinars, shared care models). For patients requesting a particular preparation by name, the pharmacist will decide whether the preparation requested is suitable or suggest an alternative. Steroid phobia was seen more commonly among parents of young children and young patients. MIMS was available as a smartphone application making it easier to use. Advanced training for CPs in the management of skin conditions like that provided for diabetes mellitus can be considered.

    CONCLUSIONS: Counselling was conducted while dispensing TCS in the open area of the pharmacy. Challenges to counselling were lack of time, limited counselling materials, and language barriers. Steroid phobia requires attention. Initiatives to strengthen counselling were mentioned by respondents and appear feasible. Further research covering the entire country is required.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  5. Low BY, Ting KN, Lee MK
    Int J Pharm Pract, 2023 Apr 10;31(2):261-265.
    PMID: 36534990 DOI: 10.1093/ijpp/riac101
    OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of community pharmacists (CP) towards household pharmaceutical waste disposal.

    METHODS: All pharmacists attending the Malaysian Community Pharmacy Guild event held in-person were invited to self-administer a web-based survey.

    KEY FINDINGS: 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.

    CONCLUSIONS: 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.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  6. Wong YJ, Thum CC, Ng KY, Lee SWH
    Prim Health Care Res Dev, 2023 Mar 22;24:e21.
    PMID: 36946302 DOI: 10.1017/S1463423623000105
    AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of implementing community pharmacy-based tuberculosis-directly observed treatment (TB-DOT) in Malaysia.

    BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) eradication is one of the top priorities in the public health agenda in Malaysia. While public-private mix (PPM) initiatives have been launched, community pharmacists remain undervalued assets in TB management.

    METHODS: A two-phase mixed-methods study targeting community pharmacists was conducted in Malaysia between March and October 2021. The first phase was an online self-administered survey developed according to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The second phase was a semi-structured interview to allow deeper understanding on the quantitative results. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive analysis while qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis with a semi-inductive approach. The data were triangulated to enhance comprehensiveness and credibility of the findings.

    FINDINGS: The survey was completed by 388 community pharmacists, and 23 pharmacists participated in the interview. Most community pharmacists indicated their willingness to serve as TB-DOT supervisors (70.1%). Qualitative results supported the findings. Community pharmacy-based TB-DOT service was perceived as an avenue to improve TB management and outcomes and to enhance the professional role of pharmacists in TB service at primary care settings. This was also perceived as a feasible intervention with the potential to strengthen the National TB Control programme. This initiative needs be reinforced with adequate support from the public healthcare sector for a strong partnership in ensuring success.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  7. Ismail FF, Md Redzuan A, Chong WW, Ahmad Nizaruddin M
    PLoS One, 2023;18(9):e0290883.
    PMID: 37768930 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290883
    BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, imposing a significant burden on patients and healthcare systems. The role of pharmacists in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) is pivotal as they play an essential part in the healthcare team, particularly in medication management and patient education. Pharmacists are well-positioned to contribute to the prevention and control of CVD through various roles, including medication management and patient education. This study aims to investigate the current involvement of community pharmacists in Malaysia, specifically in cardiovascular diseases-related health promotion activities and dyslipidemia management, including their perceived barriers.

    METHOD: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among community pharmacists in all 14 states of Malaysia between November 2021 and July 2022. The self-administered survey was shared to relevant groups through various social media platforms.

    RESULTS: A total of 312 community pharmacists were involved in the survey. Majority of the respondents were females (66%), with a mean age (SD) of 32.9 (8.4) years. Most of the respondents showed satisfactory practice for patient counselling, but improvements are needed particularly in risk assessment and collaborative care aspect. Most of them expressed their interest for dyslipidemia management training (89.4%). Lack of access to medical records (71.2%) and lack of CVD-related educational materials (70.8%) were the two main perceived barriers identified.

    CONCLUSION: Community pharmacists in Malaysia provide a satisfactory role in the provision of cardiovascular disease-related health promotion activities, especially in providing patient counselling. Strengthening collaborative care is essential for providing comprehensive and patient-centered intervention in dyslipidemia management. This requires ongoing efforts to address and overcome existing barriers for effective teamwork and coordination among healthcare professionals.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  8. Ababneh BF, Ong SC, Hussain R
    PLoS One, 2023;18(3):e0282991.
    PMID: 36897873 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282991
    INTRODUCTION: There is a lack of attention to drive-thru services in the community pharmacy setting, particularly during the COVID-19 period in Malaysia. The main objective of this study was to assess the public awareness, attitudes, and perceptions towards drive-thru community pharmacy services among during COVID-19 in Malaysia.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administrated, web-based survey (Google form) among the public in Malaysia between May and June 2022. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants. Associations between the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants and the use of drive-thru community pharmacy services were assessed using a chi-square test. Regression analyses were carried out to determine whether the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants were associated with perceptions towards drive-thru community pharmacy services.

    RESULTS: A total of 565 (70.6%) of the general public completed the survey instrument. The median age of study participants was 40.0 (IQR = 36.0) and about half of them were males (50.6%, n = 286). Although 18.6% (n = 105) of the participants reported the presence of DTCPS in their cities, only 9.0% (n = 51) reported having used this service. Most of the participants were supportive to establish drive-thru services at community pharmacies in the country. Most of the believed advantages among participants were that DTCPS are helpful during COVID-19 and quarantine time 48.0% (n = 271) by enhancing social distancing and reducing the spread of the COVID-19 virus 48.5% (n = 274). Among sociodemographic factors, non-Malaysian nationality (p<0.001), and age above 55 years (p = 0.01) were found to negatively affect participants' perceptions towards drive-thru community pharmacy services.

    CONCLUSION: This study showed positive awareness, attitudes, and perceptions toward drive-thru community pharmacy services during COVID-19 in Malaysia among the public. The participants believed that those services were helpful during COVID-19 to enhance social distancing and to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  9. Ababneh BF, Ong SC, Alsaloumi L, Hussain R
    Front Public Health, 2023;11:1144466.
    PMID: 37601205 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1144466
    INTRODUCTION: Community pharmacists' roles have expanded and undergone a significant transition over the last few years. Consequently, new and different pharmacy services, such as drive-thru pharmacy services, have emerged. Drive-thru pharmacy services began three decades ago and continued even during outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients' perceptions are essential to the successful implementation and satisfaction with any new service. This study examines the reliability and validity of the assessment tool of public perceptions toward drive-thru community pharmacy services in Malaysia during COVID-19.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. The developed tool consists of 28 items to evaluate believed advantages toward drive-thru community pharmacy services, believed disadvantages toward drive-thru community pharmacy services, differences between drive-thru community pharmacy services and instore drug refill services, perceptions toward drive-thru community pharmacy services and feelings regarding how the introduction of drive-thru pharmacy services may affect the image of community pharmacists. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to identify the factors of the developed tool, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) evaluated the model fitness.

    RESULTS: The EFA identified five elements and 25 items for the tool, and through CFA results, the observed model of the 25 items structure of the tool was verified as an excellent fit for the data [χ2 (265, N = 565) = 819.586, p < 0.001, IFI = 0.931, CFI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.064]. The results of the CFA indicated a good model fit between the observed model and the proposed model. The internal reliability of the entire tool and each factor was very satisfactory as Cronbach's Alpha for the whole structured tool was 0.843 and for each factor was as follows, first factor (believed advantages) = 0.909, second factor (believed disadvantages) = 0.921, third factor (differences between drive-thru and instore refill) = 0.647, fourth factor (perceptions) = 0.926, and fifth factor (feelings) = 0.681.

    CONCLUSION: The developed and validated tool would be valuable for assessing the public's perceptions of the drive-thru community pharmacy service during COVID-19 and future pandemics.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  10. Shrestha R, Palaian S, Sapkota B, Shrestha S, Khatiwada AP, Shankar PR
    Sci Rep, 2022 Oct 05;12(1):16590.
    PMID: 36198682 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16653-x
    Pharmaceutical care (PC) services reduce medication errors, improve the use of medicines, and optimize the cost of treatment. It can detect medication-related problems and improve patient medication adherence. However, PC services are not commonly provided in hospital pharmacies in Nepal. Therefore, the present study was done to determine the situation of PC in hospital pharmacies and explore the perception, practice, and barriers (and their determinants) encountered by hospital pharmacists while providing PC. A descriptive online cross-sectional study was conducted from 25th March to 25th October 2021 among pharmacists with a bachelor's degree and above working in hospital pharmacies using non-probability quota sampling. The questionnaire in English addressed perception and practice regarding PC, and barriers encountered and were validated by experts and pre-tested among 23 pharmacists. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data. Kendall's correlation was used to explore the correlations among various perception and practice constructs. The scores were also compared among subgroups of respondents using the Mann-Whitney test for subgroups with two categories and Kruskal-Wallis test for greater than two categories. A total of 144 pharmacists participated in the study. Majority of the participants were male, between 22 and 31 years of age, and had work experience between 10 and 20 years. Over 50% had received no training in PC. The perception scores were higher among those with more work experience and the practice scores among those who had received PC training. Participants agreed that there were significant barriers to providing PC, including lack of support from other professionals, lack of demand from patients, absence of guidelines, inadequate training, lack of skills in communication, lack of compensation, problems with access to the patient medical record, lack of remuneration, and problems with accessing objective medicine information sources. A correlation was noted between certain perceptions and practice-related constructs. Hospital pharmacists who participated had a positive perception and practice providing PC. However, PC was not commonly practised in hospital pharmacies. Significant barriers were identified in providing PC. Further studies, especially in the eastern and western provinces, are required. Similar studies may be considered in community pharmacies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  11. Wahab MSA, Jalani MM, Goh KW, Ming LC, Faller EM
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Sep 02;19(17).
    PMID: 36078707 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191710994
    Herbal and dietary supplements (HDSs) are frequently obtained from community pharmacies, but community pharmacists (CPs) have been underutilized for information regarding them. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of, factors behind, and reasons for consultation with CPs among HDS consumers in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted among conveniently sampled individuals in Malaysia. Reasons for consultation or non-consultation with CPs about HDSs were sought from the respondents. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of consultation with CPs. Overall, 40.3% (239/593) of participants consulted CPs about the HDSs that they purchased. The participants were predominantly unmarried (362/588, 61.6%) and belonged to the 18-29 age group (332/593, 56%). The multivariate analysis showed that a suburban residential setting was the only significant predictor for consultation with CPs (adjusted odds ratio = 0.390, 95% CI = 0.260-0.583). Respondents who consulted CPs generally agreed that the CPs were the right people to consult on HDSs (mean = 4.37, SD = 0.73). However, their discussion with CPs regarding HDSs mostly revolved around the benefits and directions for use, but little on the potential risks. Meanwhile, most respondents who did not consult CPs agreed that they had never thought of consulting CPs about their HDS use (mean = 3.45, SD = 1.02). The majority of them referred to the Internet (61.3%, 217/354) and social media (59.9%, 212/354) for information about HDSs. The findings from this study show that more efforts are warranted in encouraging consumers to consult CPs about their HDS use and to enhance their awareness of the roles of CPs in ensuring the safe use of HDSs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  12. Collins JC, Chong WW, de Almeida Neto AC, Moles RJ, Schneider CR
    Res Social Adm Pharm, 2021 12;17(12):2108-2115.
    PMID: 33972178 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.04.021
    The simulated patient method is becoming increasingly popular in health services research to observe the behaviour of healthcare practitioners in a naturalistic setting. This method involves sending a trained individual (simulated patient among other names), who is indistinguishable from a regular consumer, into a healthcare setting with a standardised scripted request. This paper provides an overview of the method, a brief history of its use in health services research, comparisons with other methods, ethical considerations, and considerations for the development of studies using the simulated patient method in health services research, with examples from pharmacy and other fields. Methods of analysis, mixed-methods, and the use of simulated patients with feedback are also discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  13. Rajiah K, Lim WK, Madeline Teoh PL, Binti Mas'od MA, Lim WY, Poh Chou LL, et al.
    Int J Clin Pract, 2021 Sep;75(9):e14096.
    PMID: 33619786 DOI: 10.1111/ijcp.14096
    BACKGROUND: Community pharmacists play a significant part in providing oral healthcare advice as there are significant connections between oral healthcare and body system healthcare.

    OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the literature regarding the knowledge, attitudes and practice of community pharmacists in managing oral healthcare problems.

    METHODS: A systematic review was conducted through Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Studies regarding knowledge, attitudes and practice of management of dental care by community pharmacists between 1990 and 2019 were included.

    RESULTS: Forest plot was performed to access knowledge, attitudes and practice of community pharmacist on oral healthcare. The results showed there were 44% of community pharmacists have a lack of knowledge on oral healthcare to provide an appropriate recommendation to patients with dental problems. Eighty-eight per cent of community pharmacists were willing to improve their knowledge of oral healthcare. There were 86% of them recognised that their role was significant in oral health. However, there were 59% of community pharmacists who had poor attitude in providing oral health information.

    CONCLUSIONS: Community pharmacists were lacking knowledge on oral health mainly because of paucity in providing appropriate training courses. This has led to poor practices towards oral healthcare as they were unable to provide suitable products recommendations to the patients. This has led the community pharmacists into lack of attitudes in providing oral health information. However, most of the community pharmacists were conscious of their role in the oral healthcare system and were willing to improve their knowledge of oral healthcare.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  14. Loh P, Chua SS, Karuppannan M
    BMC Health Serv Res, 2021 Aug 16;21(1):822.
    PMID: 34399749 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06820-7
    BACKGROUND: Since the introduction of pharmaceutical care concept by Hepler and Strand in 1990, community pharmacists worldwide have been realigning their roles from being product-focused to patient-orientated to improve patient's quality of life. The objectives of this study were to determine the type of services, with emphasis on the extent of pharmaceutical care services provided by community pharmacists and the barriers in providing such services in Malaysia.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using an online questionnaire. Community pharmacists in Malaysia were invited to participate in the study via emails. The questionnaire was structured based on the Malaysian Community Pharmacy Benchmarking Guidelines, the five practice principles of pharmaceutical care by the American Pharmacists Association and other studies. The online questionnaire was opened for 6 months, from April to September 2018. A reminder to participate was sent via email to the community pharmacists every fortnight.

    RESULTS: A total of 420 community pharmacists responded to the online questionnaire. Besides essential services such as treatment for minor illness, medicine dispensing and counselling, most of the respondents were providing health screening and monitoring (99.5%), selection and recommendation of health supplements (90.5%), patient medication review (68.8%), weight management (52.4%) and counselling on smoking cessation (51.0%). More than half (53.3%) of the respondents reported that they were providing pharmaceutical care services to patients with chronic diseases. Based on the practice principles of pharmaceutical care, the respondents were involved in patients' data collection (23.3%), medical information evaluation (18.6%), formulating a drug therapy plan (9.3%), implementing a drug therapy plan (4.5%), and monitoring and modifying the plan (18.3%). Lack of separation between prescribing and dispensing was perceived as the main barrier to the implementation of pharmaceutical care services by a majority of the respondents (84.0%).

    CONCLUSIONS: The present study found that pharmaceutical care services provided by community pharmacists in Malaysia were inadequate compared to international practice principles. Areas that need improvement included collaboration with patients' other health care providers; more proactive management of patient's medicine regimen; having proper patient monitoring and follow-up mechanisms, and documentation.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  15. Hamidi N, Tan YR, Jawahir S, Tan EH
    BMC Health Serv Res, 2021 Jul 04;21(1):649.
    PMID: 34217293 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06656-1
    BACKGROUND: Community pharmacies provide alternatives for medication procurement and other basic and minor health-related services in addition to mainstream hospitals and primary healthcare services. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of community pharmacy users and associated factors for community pharmacy utilisation in Malaysia.

    METHODS: Secondary data analysis was performed using data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019, a nationwide cross-sectional household survey that used a two-stage stratified random sampling design. Adults aged 18 years and over were included in the analysis. Respondents who reported visiting the community pharmacy for health purposes two weeks prior to the study were considered as users. Complex sample descriptive statistics were used to describe the respondents' characteristics. Logistic regression analyses were employed to determine factors associated with community pharmacy utilisation.

    RESULTS: Of the 11,155 respondents interviewed, 10.3 % reported community pharmacy utilisation for health purposes. Females (OR = 1.41, 95 % CI = 1.14, 1.73), those with tertiary education (OR = 2.03, 95 % CI = 1.26, 3.29), urban dwellers (OR = 1.42, 95 % CI = 1.13, 1.79), and those with self-reported health problems (OR = 7.62, 95 % CI = 6.05, 9.59) were more likely to utilise the community pharmacy.

    CONCLUSIONS: Demographic and socioeconomic factors were important determinants of community pharmacy utilisation in Malaysia with sex, age, education level, locality, and self-reported health problems as the associated factors. These findings serve as evidence for policy interventions, crucial for improvements in accessibility to healthcare services.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  16. Tew MM, Hatah E, Arif F, Abdul Wahid MA, Makmor-Bakry M, Abdul Maulad KN
    J Pharm Policy Pract, 2021 Feb 24;14(1):24.
    PMID: 33627199 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-021-00308-9
    BACKGROUND: Minor ailments are defined as common, self-limiting, or uncomplicated conditions that may be diagnosed and managed without a medical intervention. Previous studies reported that pharmacists were able to help patients self-manage minor ailments that led to a reduction of health care burden in other facilities. Nevertheless, public access to community pharmacy and other health care facilities offering services for minor ailments has not yet been explored in Malaysia. Hence, this study aims to determine population access to the above-mentioned services.

    METHOD: According to the reported practice address in 2018, the spatial distribution of health care facilities was mapped and explored using the GIS mapping techniques. The density of health care facilities was analyzed using thematic maps with hot spot analysis. Population to facility ratio was calculated using the projection of the population growth based on 2010 census data, which was the latest available in the year of analysis.

    RESULTS: The study included geographical mapping of 7051 general practitioner clinics (GPC), 3084 community pharmacies (CP), 139 public general hospitals (GHs) and 990 public primary health clinics (PHC). The health care facilities were found to be highly dense in urban areas than in the rural ones. There were six districts that had no CP, 2 had no GPC, and 11 did not have both. The overall ratio of GPC, CP, GH, and PHC to the population was 1:4228, 1:10,200, 1:223,619 and 1:31,397, respectively. Should the coverage for minor ailment services in public health care clinics be extended to community pharmacies, the ratio of facilities to population for each district would be better with 1:4000-8000.

    CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of health care facilities for minor ailment management in Malaysia is relatively good. However, if the scheme for minor ailments were available to community pharmacies, then the patients' access to minor ailments services would be further improved.

    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services
  17. Hussain R, Dawoud DM, Babar ZU
    Res Social Adm Pharm, 2021 01;17(1):1920-1924.
    PMID: 32792322 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.07.015
    Countries around the globe have responded to pandemic preparedness and developed strategies to cope with the COVID-19 crisis. In this context, the role of healthcare professionals is of paramount importance. Pharmacists are playing a vital role in dealing, preparedness, prevention, protection, promoting access to medicines and to improve health outcomes during this crisis. In this context, "Drive-thru" pharmacy services improve access to medicines while ensuring the preventive measures suggested by the World Health Organization. This commentary provides an overview of opportunities and challenges related to the implementation of "drive-thru pharmacy services" and their role in improving public health during this crisis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services/organization & administration*
  18. Verma RK, Chong WW, Taha NA, Paraidathathu T
    Front Public Health, 2021;9:720928.
    PMID: 34540789 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.720928
    Objective: To qualitatively explore the perspectives of community pharmacists in Malaysia on their roles in weight management, and the barriers and facilitators in the expansion of these roles. Methods: A purposive sampling method was used to recruit community pharmacists in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with community pharmacists, with an interview guide, from May 2018 to January 2019. The interviews were conducted in person (face-to-face). All interviews were audio-recorded with consent and transcribed verbatim. The interview transcripts were analyzed thematically, whereby emerging themes were coded and grouped into categories. Results: Twenty-four community pharmacists were recruited, with years of experience in pharmacy practice ranging from 2 to 40 years. Participants described their perceptions on the different weight management interventions where they emphasized the importance of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention and viewed that it should be the first-line intervention. Participants regarded their weight management service as easily accessible or approachable since community pharmacies are often the first point of call for patients seeking advice for their conditions before consulting doctors. Barriers identified by community pharmacists were mainly organizational in nature, which included lack of private consultation rooms, lack of time, and lack of qualified staff. Participants also described the need for training in weight management. Conclusion: Community pharmacists in Malaysia believed that they can positively contribute to the area of weight management. They cited multiple roles that they could play in weight management interventions and services. The roles cited include provision of education and advice, including on lifestyle modifications, drug therapy, weight loss products and supplements, and monitoring and providing referrals to other healthcare professionals. However, barriers would need to be addressed, including through pharmacist training, to strengthen and improve community pharmacists' roles and contributions in weight management service.
    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
  19. Verma RK, Chong WW, Taha NA, Paraidathathu T
    Front Public Health, 2021;9:720939.
    PMID: 34540790 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.720939
    Objective: To evaluate the impact of an educational training program on the knowledge, attitude and perceived barriers of community pharmacists (CPs) towards obesity and overweight management. Methods: This interventional study, which consisted of an educational training program, was conducted on a single cohort of Malaysian CPs. Thirty CPs attended the educational training program. The educational training program was delivered through didactic lectures, case studies and small group discussions, and consisted of various sessions covering different topics related to weight management. A validated questionnaire was used to assess the impact of the intervention on the CPs' knowledge, attitude, and perceived barriers. Results: The overall mean knowledge score increased both immediately after (14.93 ± 1.62) and 30 days following the intervention (17.04 ± 2.51), and the increment was statistically significant 30 days following the intervention (p = 0.001) compared to both pre-intervention and immediate-post intervention stages. After the intervention, the participants had a more positive attitude towards the provision of weight management service (WMS) in community pharmacies. They had significantly stronger perceptions about the importance of their role to manage overweight and obesity and their professional competence to treat obese patients. In addition, the barrier of not having space in pharmacy to perform proper counselling for weight management and the barrier of not having training sessions in the area of obesity management were perceived to be significantly less important post-intervention. Conclusion: This study showed the potential positive impact of an educational training program on CPs knowledge, attitudes and perceived barriers towards WMS.
    Matched MeSH terms: Community Pharmacy Services*
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links