Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 among pharmacists partnering with community residents: A national survey in Japan

Abstract

Background Community pharmacists play an important role in reducing COVID-19-related secondary health problems. However, the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 among pharmacists in Japan have not yet been elucidated. Methods We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey among 1,137 pharmacists working in health support pharmacies (HSPs) in Japan. These pharmacists are responsible for providing health consultations to community residents. We assessed COVID-19-related KAP among pharmacists and compared the results for two age groups: ≤49 years and ≥50 years. We used multiple regression analysis to examine which factors influence KAP scores regarding COVID-19. Results From among the 2,141 HSPs in Japan, a total of 1,137 pharmacists, each representing a different HSP, responded to the survey. The results indicated that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists have been providing consultations about COVID-19 to local residents, covering topics such as “Effective infection prevention methods” (60.6%) and “What the COVID-19 pandemic would be” (48.8%). Importantly, 73.5% of the pharmacists felt they “did not have enough information about COVID-19.” The main information resources about COVID-19 were Internet (91.2%) and television (78.9%). Across all respondents, the mean knowledge score (4.17/10) was lower than the mean scores for attitudes (7.26/10) and practices (5.79/10). Multiple regression analysis showed that having enough information about COVID-19 was a factor strongly associated with total KAP scores (p<0.001; 95% confidence interval, −1.344 to −0.540). Conclusions Pharmacists working in community pharmacies provide residents with information related to COVID-19. In this role as a health partner, these pharmacists need a way to strengthen and expand their knowledge, and moreover, their ability to support community residents. Learning more about the available academic and scientific information, as well as having access to accurate epidemiological information, can offer a means of reaching these goals.

Survey of Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) concerning COVID-19 Infection Control after Being Involved in Vaccine Preparation: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Previous KAP surveys of COVID-19 infection control among Japanese pharmacists reported lower KAP scores [ 23 ]. It has also been reported that the KAP scores of pharmacists were lower than those of doctors and nurses abroad [ 32 , 33 ].…”

“…As a result of extracting the related factors of KAP using stepwise logistic regression analysis, the related factors for knowledge and attitudes scores were extracted. Regarding knowledge scores, age was extracted as in previous studies [ 23 ], with the lowest knowledge scores for the respondents in their 20s. It may be conceivable that people in their 20s have a lower risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19, and it is thought that the percentage of pharmacy managers who manage pharmacies is small.…”

“…This is probably because medical students are not yet directly involved in COVID-19 infection control as healthcare workers. Similarly, a KAP survey conducted with Japanese pharmacists during the period prior to vaccine preparation engagement, i.e., when they were not directly involved in COVID-19 infection control, showed a significant association between gender and knowledge scores [ 23 ]. From the above, we suggest that factors related to the KAP survey of COVID-19 were influenced by the practical environment of the study participants.…”

“…Awareness toward countermeasures is important for COVID-19 infection control, and a survey of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) related to COVID-19 according to KAP theory [ 18 ] has been conducted on healthcare professionals in many countries [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. In addition, a KAP survey for pharmacists has been reported [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. However, these survey findings were conducted prior to COVID-19 vaccine development, and pharmacists’ KAP information has not been reported.…”

“We face the same risk as the other health workers”: Perceptions and experiences of community pharmacists in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Guidelines were also developed at the national level by, for example, the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom [9] and by professional pharmacy organisations in Pakistan [2], Malaysia [10], South Africa [11], and the Philippines [12], to name a few. Despite these initiatives, however, several surveys have reported a general lack of access to information and training among pharmacists during the COVID-19 crisis [4,[13][14][15][16]. Furthermore, the experiences of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians during the pandemic have only been documented in a few studies.…”