Knowledge, attitude, and practice of medication therapy management: a national survey among pharmacists in Indonesia

Abstract

IntroductionThe use of medication therapy management (MTM) is a proven method for reducing medication errors. MTM services rely heavily on pharmacists as service providers, particularly in community health centers (CHCs). Thus, understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of MTM among pharmacists in CHCs is crucial to the strategy for the implementation of MTM program in Indonesia. This study aimed to assess the level of KAP regarding MTM among pharmacists working at CHCs and its associated factors and investigate pharmacists’ perceptions of the barriers and facilitators of MTM provision in the future.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted. The respondents were pharmacists working at CHCs in 28 provinces in Indonesia. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the responses. Demographic differences were determined using Chi-square and Kruskal–Wallis tests, and associations were identified using multivariable ordinal regression for knowledge and multivariable logistic regression for attitude and practice. Barriers and facilitators were determined from codes and categories of frequency derived from pharmacists’ responses to the open-ended questions.ResultsOf the 1,132 pharmacists, 74.9% had a high level of knowledge, 53.6% had a positive attitude, and 57.9% had a positive practice toward MTM. Gender, practice settings, province of CHCs, years of practice, and experience in MTM services were factors associated with the KAP level. Respondents perceived that the chronic disease conditions in Indonesia, MTM service features, and current practices were facilitators of MTM provision. The lack of interprofessional collaboration, staff, pharmacist knowledge, patient cooperation, facilities/drug supply/documentation systems, stakeholder support, and patient compliance were the most common barriers to MTM implementation in the future.ConclusionMost of the pharmacists had high knowledge of MTM; however, only half had positive attitudes and practices toward MTM. Information about factors associated with the KAP level suggests that direct involvement is essential to improve pharmacists’ understanding and view of MTM. Pharmacists also perceived barriers to the MTM provision in the future, such as interprofessional and pharmacist-patient relationships. A training program is needed to improve the KAP of MTM and develop skills for collaborating with other healthcare professionals and communicating with patients.

Comparing knowledge, attitudes, and practices in cardiovascular disease prevention and health promotion between community and hospital pharmacists in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

“…In addition, the positive attitude observed in our study is higher than the study conducted in Nigeria ( Adje et al, 2017 ) and relatively lower than the study conducted among community pharmacies from China ( Chen et al, 2022 ). Additionally, gender was also one of the variables influencing the attitudes and practices towards CVD prevention among the pharmacists across both settings, as demonstrated in earlier studies that gender was closely associated with the attitudes of community pharmacists toward medication management and primary care for chronic diseases such as CVD ( Muijrers et al, 2004 , Rendrayani et al, 2023 ).…”

A call to strengthen medication therapy management training in the Kenyan pharmacy undergraduate curriculum: Feedback from a snapshot of the knowledge and practices among pharmacists in diverse disciplines

“…While the benefits of MTM are obvious, challenges abound in effectively integrating and implementing the service in pharmaceutical care. A lack of recognition of pharmacists' MTM services by prescribing physicians and patients is a frequent obstacle that limits the reach of the service (Rendrayani et al, 2023). Additionally, time constraints have limited the extensive implementation of MTM by pharmacists as they grapple with high client traffic.…”

“…By leveraging their knowledge of medications, pharmacists can help their patients achieve better outcomes (Ferreri et al, 2020). (Rendrayani et al, 2023). On the African continent, Nigerian pharmacists have reported a lack of staff, time, adequate training and resources as barriers to the implementation of MTM services (Akonoghrere et al, 2020).…”