The role of pharmacists in complementary and alternative medicine in Lebanon: users’ perspectives

Abstract

Background Customers’ expectations and satisfaction are critical to ensure a more effective role of the community pharmacists in promoting the safe use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). The aim of this study is to examine the perceptions and practices of customers buying their CAM products from pharmacies and explore their satisfaction with CAM-related services offered by the community pharmacists in Lebanon. Methods A national cross-sectional study was conducted among users of CAM (age > =18 years) who obtained their CAM from community pharmacies in Lebanon (n = 832). Within the proximity of the pharmacy, subjects were invited to complete a multi-component questionnaire. The latter consisted of four sections related to CAM: general beliefs, perception of pharmacists’ role, practices, satisfaction with services offered by the pharmacists. In addition, the questionnaire included questions about sociodemographic characteristics of participants. Results The majority of participants agreed to an active role of the pharmacists’ in guiding CAM use, however over half of the participants (61.3%) did not agree that the pharmacist is more knowledgeable in this field than other healthcare providers. As for practices, one in two surveyed customers (47%) did not always give feedback to their pharmacists about the outcomes after using CAM, 20% did not often ask the pharmacists about the safe and effective mode of use of the products and 28.1% did not discuss their medical history. For services offered by the pharmacist, the majority of participants reported receiving good education about the CAM product (87.1%), its side effects (87.1%) and mode of use (93.4%), while significant proportions of participants reported that pharmacists were not asking questions about their medical history before dispensing CAM products (22%) nor were they providing information on CAM-drug interactions (30%). Conclusions The results of this study highlighted important gaps between the perceptions of customers and the services they received from the pharmacists about CAM use. These findings could be used by concerned stakeholders, including public health authorities and educational bodies, to develop evidence-based interventions aimed at promoting the role of pharmacists in ensuring a safe and effective CAM use Lebanon.

Knowledge, use and practices of licensed dietitians related to dietary supplements in Lebanon

“…Furthermore, our results pointed out that NS use was associated with attending campaigns and relying on pharmacists for DS information. This result was similar to that of a recent study (36) highlighting…”

Why Did I Consult My Pharmacist about Herbal and Dietary Supplements? An Online Survey Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia

“…For example, in the study by Kwan et al, participants believed that some pharmacists were not knowledgeable about HDSs and expressed concerns about their ability as gatekeepers to consumer safety [ 41 ]. In a study in Lebanon, Hijazi et al, reported that the majority of consumers (61.3%) did not regard CPs as more knowledgeable about HDSs than other HCPs [ 46 ]. Furthermore, in previous studies involving pharmacists in various countries such as the U.S., Australia, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, many pharmacists have been reported to have inadequate knowledge about HDSs [ 34 , 40 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ].…”

“…The survey instrument was developed based on an extensive literature review. Research articles discussing the reasons for consultation with pharmacists around HDS use [ 40 , 41 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ], pharmacist- or HCP-patient communication and relationship [ 48 , 49 ], and complementary medicine disclosure to HCPs [ 50 , 51 , 52 ] were used. Based on the literature review, the consultation and non-consultation with CPs about HDSs can be influenced by the consumers’ perceptions of the consultative roles of CPs with respect to HDSs, facilitators (e.g., having a good relationship with CPs, having adequate time to consult CPs, willingness of CPs to spend time providing consultation, etc.…”

“…), and barriers to consult CPs (e.g., feeling uncomfortable discussing HDSs with CPs, not being asked by CPs about HDS use, not having time to consult CPs, etc. ), the health concerns, beliefs of the outcomes of the consultation, and perceived-need of the consultation [ 40 , 41 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ].…”

Public views of community pharmacy services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national survey

“…In Kuwait, people still have negative perceptions regarding community pharmacists [ 11 ]. In Lebanon, two studies [ 12 , 13 ] revealed that the public perception towards the role of the community pharmacists is still poor, despite the presence of registered pharmacists.…”