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Introduction: Community pharmacists are often the first point of contact for the public, especially during pandemics. As outlined by the International Pharmaceutical Federation, community pharmacists have an important public health role during this Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency. We therefore investigated the current practices, response preparedness and professional development needs of community pharmacists in Qatar. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional online 38-item questionnaire-based survey constructed on evidence-based public health roles of pharmacists was conducted between 28 May and 18 June 2020. Questions related to current practices required responses on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from “always” to “never”. The questionnaire was evaluated for validity and the reliability analysis showed a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.921. Results: The response (n = 311) rate for the survey was 34.2%. More than 75% of pharmacists “always” encouraged and practiced hygiene and social distancing measures. On the other hand, the proportion of pharmacists “always” involved in patient assessment, education or providing information related to COVID-19 and application of evidence-based protocol ranged from 32 to 73%. The vast majority (87-96%) of pharmacists indicated that they needed professional development related to COVID-19. Overall, 77% of pharmacists either “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that they have all the necessary COVID-19 related emergency response preparedness and training. Country from which pharmacists obtained their first degree, and the type of pharmacy where they practice influenced their overall perception toward emergency response preparedness. Conclusions: Community pharmacists in Qatar are willing to receive additional training related to COVID-19 public health crisis despite being prepared to engage with patients.

BackgroundThe life span of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) is shorter compared to the general population. This excess mortality is mainly due to physical illness. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence rates of different physical illnesses in individuals with SMI and to examine how these are being managed.MethodsThe study was a cross-sectional retrospective chart review of a cohort of patients with SMI. A comprehensive electronic data extraction tool using SurveyMonkey® was used to collect patient demographics, psychiatric and medical comorbidities, medications and all relevant physical assessments. Data were then first extrapolated into an Excel® spreadsheet and later to SPSS® for data analysis. A descriptive statistical approach was used to analyze the demographic and clinical data. Chi-square test for categorical variables and t-test for continuous variables were used to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of the cohort.ResultsA total of 336 patients with SMI were included for the retrospective chart review. The majority of these patients had a diagnosis of depression (50.3%), followed by schizophrenia (33.0%) and bipolar disorder (19.6%). Diabetes was the most frequent medical comorbidity, diagnosed in 16.1% of SMI patients, followed by hypertension (9.2%) and dyslipidemia (9.8%). Monitoring of comorbidity-associated risk factors and other relevant physical assessment parameters (such as blood pressure, weight, hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], blood glucose and lipids) were documented in less than 50% of patients, and some parameters, such as smoking status, were not documented at all.ConclusionBoth, the literature and our cohort provide evidence that individuals with SMI are less likely to receive standard levels of care for their medical comorbidities.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is highly prevalent in the Middle East and the burden associated with it is dramatically increasing. Pharmacists working in collaborative healthcare teams have an important role to improve outcomes in the primary care of diabetes. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a collaborative pharmaceutical care service (CPCS) on improving outcomes among patients with diabetes in a primary care setting. Methods: This was a retrospective, multiple time series study involving patients attending an ambulatory diabetes clinic at Qatar Petroleum Healthcare Center in Dukhan, Qatar. Patients' glycated hemoglobin A 1c , fasting plasma glucose, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and lipid profile were obtained at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months of receiving CPCS through a retrospective chart review. A repeatedmeasures analysis of variance test was used to determine the impact of the intervention on clinical outcomes. Results: Ninety-six patients with diabetes were included in the analyses. There was a statistically significant reduction (ie, improvement) in glycated hemoglobin A 1c by 1.4%, fasting plasma glucose by 41.3 mg/dL, body mass index by 1 kg/m 2 , systolic blood pressure by 14.9 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure by 8.7 mm Hg from baseline to 12 months (P<.001 for all). Nevertheless, no significant reductions were observed in the lipid profile. Conclusions: CPCS provision improves clinical outcomes in patients with diabetes over a 12-month follow-up period in a primary healthcare setting. Future studies should determine the long-term impact of a collaborative care model in this setting.

Background Diabetes mellitus is highly prevalent and associated with huge economic burden globally. The conventional care and management of diabetes mellitus is highly fragmented and complex, warranting the need for a comprehensive Collaborative Care Model (CCM). Little is known about the perception of patients with diabetes and their healthcare providers about CCM, its barriers and facilitators. This study aimed to explore the value of CCM in diabetes care at a primary healthcare (PHC) setting from the perspective of patients with diabetes and healthcare professionals (HCPs), in an effort to expand our current knowledge on collaborative care in diabetes at primary care level for the purpose of quality improvement and service expansion. Methods Using an exploratory case study approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted among patients and HCPs who encountered CCM in Qatar during 2019 and 2020. The semi-structured interviews were transcribed verbatim and the data were analysed and interpreted using a deductive-inductive thematic analysis approach. Results Twelve patients and 12 HCPs at a diabetes clinic participated in one-to-one interviews. The interviews resulted in five different themes: the process and components of collaborative care model (four subthemes), current organizational support and resources (three subthemes), impact of collaborative care model on diabetes outcomes (three subthemes), enablers of collaborative care model (three subthemes), and barriers to collaborative care model (three subthemes). The participants indicated easy access to and communication with competent and pleasant HCPs. The patients appreciated the extra time spent with HCPs, frequent follow-up visits, and health education, which empowered them to self-manage diabetes. HCPs believed that successful CCM provision relied on their interest and commitment to care for patients with diabetes. Generally, participants identified barriers and facilitators that are related to patients, HCPs, and healthcare system. Conclusions The providers and users of CCM had an overall positive perception and appreciation of this model in PHC settings. Barriers to CCM such as undesirable attributes of HCPs and patients, unsupportive hospital system, and high workload must be addressed before implementing the model in other PHC settings.

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Purpose To determine the prevalence of inadequate health literacy and its associated risk factors among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and/or heart failure (HF) in Qatar. Patients and Methods This cross-sectional observational study was conducted among patients with ACS and/or HF attending the national Heart Hospital in Qatar. Health literacy was assessed using the abbreviated version of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA) and the Three-item Brief Health Literacy Screen (3-item BHLS). Results Three hundred patients with ACS and/or HF, majority male (88%) and non-Qatari (94%), participated in the study. The median (IQR) age of the participants was 55 (11) years. The prevalence of inadequate to marginal health literacy ranged between 36% and 54%. There were statistically significant differences in health literacy level between patients based on their marital status (p=0.010), education (p≤0.001), ability to speak any of Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, or other languages (p-values ≤0.001 to 0.035), country of origin (p≤0.001), occupation (p≤0.001), and receiving information from a pharmacist (p=0.008), a physiotherapist (p≤0.001), or a nurse (p=0.004). Conclusion Inadequate health literacy is common among patients with ACS and/or HF. This study suggests a need for developing strategies to assist healthcare professionals in improving health literacy skills among patients with ACS and HF. A combination of interventions may be needed to improve patients’ understanding of their disease and medications, and ultimately overall health outcomes.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the top health priorities in Qatar due to its high prevalence of 15.5%, which is projected to increase to 29.7% by 2035. DM management is still challenging despite healthcare advancement, warranting the need for a comprehensive Collaborative Care Model (CCM). Therefore, we aim to evaluate the value of CCM in DM care at a primary healthcare (PHC) setting in Qatar. Methodology: This study was a qualitative exploration of healthcare professionals’ (HCPs’) and patients’ perspectives on the value of CCM provided at the center. Twelve patients and twelve HCPs participated in semi-structured one-toone interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed and interpreted using a deductive coding thematic analysis process. Results: The interviews resulted in 14 different themes under the predefined domains: components of CCM (five themes), the impact of CCM (three themes), facilitators of CCM provision (three themes), and barriers of CCM provision (three themes). The majority of the participants indicated easy access to and communication with HCPs at QPDC. Participants appreciated the extra time spent with HCPs, frequent follow-up visits, and health education, which empowered them to self-manage DM. Generally, participants identified barriers and facilitators related to patients, HCPs, and healthcare system. Conclusion: The providers and users of CCM had an overall positive perception and appreciation of this model in PHC settings. Barriers to CCM such as unpleasant attitude and undesirable attributes of HCPs and patients, unsupportive hospital system, and high workload must be addressed before implementing the model in other PHC settings.