Perception of community pharmacists about the work process of drug dispensing: a cross-sectional survey study

Santos, Sabrina Cerqueira; Rocha, Kérilin Stancine Santos; Araújo, Dyego Carlos Souza Anacleto de; Souza, Elindayane Vieira de; Vieira, Lara Joana Santos Caxico; Santos, Sylmara Nayara Pereira dos; Júnior, Divaldo Pereira de Lyra

doi:10.1186/s12913-022-07528-y

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 47 publications

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“…Pharmacies and chemical shops in low-and middle-income countries play a key part in how medications and medical advice are accessed and serve as gatekeepers of medications [15]. Few studies globally [16][17][18][19][20][21] and fewer within Ghana [22][23][24][25] have studied the challenges in community pharmacy for antimicrobials. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the context-specific attitudes and challenges faced by medicine distributors in Accra, Ghana, in their sales of antibiotic and antimalarial medications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges in the distribution of antimicrobial medications in community dispensaries in Accra, Ghana

Greene

Makovi

Abdul-Mumin³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Introduction Community distribution of medications in low- and middle-income countries has been shown to accelerate the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. The distribution of medications is often carried out by private vendors operating under constrained conditions. Yet patterns in medicine distribution—and their consequences—are not well understood. The aim of this study was to illuminate the challenges reported by employees of chemical shops and pharmacies throughout Accra. Our objectives are twofold: to 1) assess obstacles and challenges faced by medicine vendors during their sales of antibiotic and antimalarial medications, and 2) identify opportunities for improving community-level stewardship of antimicrobials. Methods Responses to open-ended questions from a survey of 80 shopkeepers in pharmacies and chemical shops throughout Accra were analyzed using the socioecological model of public health. Results Overall, shopkeepers most often reported constraints at the interpersonal and community levels of the socioecological model of public health. These included the prohibitive costs of medicines, customer attitudes, and customers’ attempts at self-medication and uninformed antimicrobial use. Other challenges included a lack of diagnostic testing, supply chain issues, and the larger economic and healthcare situation of the community. Discussion The safe and effective distribution of medications was truncated by three main sources of obstacles: financial insecurity among customers, challenges directly in the treatment of illnesses, and broader issues with the fragmented healthcare infrastructure affecting shopkeepers’ roles as health educators and gatekeepers of medicines. Conclusion These context-specific findings identify tractable challenges faced by medicine vendors in Ghana, with relevance to antimicrobial stewardship across resource-poor settings globally. Addressing barriers faced by shopkeepers would provide an opportunity for significantly improving the provision of medications, and ultimately healthcare, at the community level. Such efforts will likely expand access to populations who may otherwise be unable to access services in formal institutions of care.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges in the distribution of antimicrobial medications in community dispensaries in Accra, Ghana

Greene

Makovi

Abdul-Mumin³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“Reigns but does not govern": A reflection on professionalism and the autonomy of the pharmacist

Dosea

Araújo-Neto

Fonseca

et al. 2023

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy

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Factors influencing pharmacists' participation in continuing education activities in the United Arab Emirates: insights and implications from a cross-sectional study

Al-Kubaisi,

Elnour,

Sadeq

2023

J of Pharm Policy and Pract

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Background Continuing professional development (CPD) is essential for pharmacists to maintain and enhance their knowledge and skills. The purpose of this research was to collect data about the perception of pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) towards CPD and identify factors that motivate or hinder their participation in different types of CPD activities. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 322 pharmacists who completed a self-administered questionnaire that assessed their demographic characteristics, CPD preferences, motivators and obstacles to attending CPD programs, and perceived learning outcomes. Results Participants’ average age was 33 years (mean = 30.6, SD = 5.97), and the range of years, since they graduated from a pharmacy degree program was 18 years (mean = 10.9, SD = 4.8). More than half of the participants were female; 198 (61.5%) and 193 (59.9%) of them were married. The study found that married pharmacists (AOR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.266–0.939, P value = 0.031), older participants (AOR = 0.232, 95% CI 0.266–0.939, P value = 0.04), and those who graduated longer than 16 years ago were less likely to attend live CPD events (AOR = 0.454, 95% CI 0.22–0.924). However, participants who worked up to 15 h had higher odds of attending live CPD events (AOR = 3.511, 95% CI 1.117–11.039, P value: 0.026). In addition, female pharmacists were less likely to participate in computer/internet-based continuing education than male pharmacists (AOR = 0.038, 95% CI 0.293–0.965, P value = 0.038). It also revealed that pharmacists who were not motivated by the topic of the CPD activity had a higher chance of attending computer/internet-based format (AOR = 2.289, 95% CI 1.198–4.371, P value = 0.012). In contrast, those who did not report the long distance to the CPD site as a hindrance had a lower likelihood of attending online internet-based CPD (AOR = 0.548, 95% CI 0.319–0.941, P value = 0.029). Conclusions This study is the first to explore pharmacists’ predictors of attending different CPD activities. These predictors are gender, age, marital status, experience since graduation, working hours, family barriers, work responsibilities, interest in the presentation topic, and the long travel distance to the site. These findings suggest that pharmacists have unique challenges and motivations regarding continuing education and that tailored approaches may be necessary to encourage participation.

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Perception of community pharmacists about the work process of drug dispensing: a cross-sectional survey study

Cited by 4 publications

References 47 publications

Challenges in the distribution of antimicrobial medications in community dispensaries in Accra, Ghana

Challenges in the distribution of antimicrobial medications in community dispensaries in Accra, Ghana

“Reigns but does not govern": A reflection on professionalism and the autonomy of the pharmacist

Factors influencing pharmacists' participation in continuing education activities in the United Arab Emirates: insights and implications from a cross-sectional study

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