scholarly journals Study of good pharmacy practice in community pharmacy of three districts of Kathmandu valley, Nepal

Author(s):  
Rajeev Shrestha ◽  
Anish Ghale

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Medicines are an essential component of health-care services. The community pharmacies have great value in terms of providing medicinal services in developing countries. Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) assesses whether the medicines are safe, effective, available, and accessible and are used correctly. The objective of the study is to assess the good pharmacy practice among community pharmacy of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This was a cross-sectional prospective study. A quota sampling approach was adopted to sample 94 community pharmacies. Data on the premises, storage, prescription handling and dispensing, pharmacy services and rational use of drug were collected using pre-tested questionnaire.  </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> The overall compliance with GPP indicators for Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts were found to be 12.81 (55.69%), 11.13 (48.39%) and 12.99 (56.48%). On structure wise study, the GPP compliance was higher in others category (Metropolitan city, Sub-metropolitan city and Municipality) i.e. 13.49 (58.65%) and 11.9 (51.74%) in VDC. The studies showed the declining involvement of pharmacists or pharmacy assistants in community pharmacy for more than eight hours a working day i.e. Lalitpur (65%), Bhaktapur (56%) and Kathmandu (59%). Antibiotic dispensing without prescription was highly practiced in Lalitpur 50% compared to Bhaktapur (44%), Kathmandu (34%).</p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> It was found that all districts miserably failed to comply with the standards set by GPP particularly Bhaktapur. Pharmacies seemed to have established their place in the society more as a business entity rather than healthcare establishment.

2021 ◽  
pp. 875512252110211
Author(s):  
Michael A. Biddle ◽  
Kailyn K. Cleveland ◽  
Shanna K. O’Connor ◽  
Hayli Hruza ◽  
Madeline Foster ◽  
...  

Background: The role of Idaho and Alaska pharmacists in providing health care services has steadily broadened over recent years. With many new pharmacist-provided health care service possibilities, this study assessed the impact of these advancements on community pharmacies. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify current pharmacist-provided health care services and pharmacist-perceived barriers to providing and billing for these services in Idaho and Alaska community pharmacies. Methods: A questionnaire was developed focusing on 2 areas: providing services and billing for services. Pharmacy students on experiential rotations administered the questionnaires to pharmacists at their rotation sites. Pharmacists at community pharmacy practice sites in Idaho and Alaska completed the questionnaire in an interview format conducted by students. Likert-type scale data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Because the study did not include a comparator group, no power calculation was conducted. All open-response answers were analyzed independently by 2 researchers and discrepancies in coding open-ended questions were resolved by discussion with a group of 4 researchers. Results: Most pharmacists reported that they already provide non-dispensing services, desired to implement new services, and had confidence in their team’s ability to handle new services. Time and resources were the most cited barriers to providing new services; compensation, company support, and education were the most cited barriers to billing for services. Conclusions: Community pharmacists already provide non-dispensing services and many are looking to provide more services, but barriers of time, resources, compensation, company support, and education will need to be overcome to move forward.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Amir

Provision of pharmaceutical care services in community pharmacies is a new trend in pharmacy practice worldwide. Published literature from developed countries is available showing benefits of pharmaceutical care services provided in community pharmacies. However, relatively little published literature is available from developing countries in which unique market environments are encountered. This study was conducted to assess the acceptability of community pharmacy based pharmaceutical care services in Karachi. Pharmaceutical care services were developed and offered to pharmacy customers for a period of two months. Acceptability was evaluated with respect to enrollment of participants in the program, discontinuation, and complaints registered. The findings provide a better understanding of pharmaceutical care marketing strategies and are discussed within the context of the health care environment in Karachi.   Type: Idea Paper


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Caminati ◽  
L. Cegolon ◽  
M. Bacchini ◽  
N. Segala ◽  
A. Dama ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Asthma control and monitoring still represents a challenge worldwide. Although the international guidelines suggest the interplay between secondary and primary care services as an effective strategy to control the disease, community pharmacies’ are seldom involved in asthma control assessment. The present cross-sectional study aimed at providing a picture of the relationship between asthma severity and control in community pharmacies within the health district of the city of Verona (Veneto Region, North-Eastern Italy). Methods A call for participation was launched through the Pharmacists’ Association of Verona. Patients referring to the participating pharmacies with an anti-asthmatic drug medical prescription and an asthma exemption code were asked to complete the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and a brief questionnaire collecting information on their age, sex, smoking status, aerobic physical exercise and usual asthma therapy, which also defined asthma severity. A multinomial logistic regression model was fitted to investigate the risk of uncontrolled as well as poorly controlled vs. controlled asthma (base). Results were expressed as relative risk ratios (RRR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Results Fifty-seven community pharmacies accepted to participate and 584 asthmatic patients (54% females; mean-age: 51 ± 19 years) were consecutively recruited from 1st January to 30th June 2018 (6 months). Based upon ACT score 50.5% patients had a controlled asthma, 22.3% a poorly controlled and 27.2% uncontrolled. A variable proportion of patients with uncontrolled asthma were observed for every level of severity, although more frequently with mild persistent form of asthma. Most patients (92%) self-reported regular compliance with therapy. At multinomial regression analysis, patients under regular asthma treatment course (RRR = 0.33; 95%CI: 0.15; 0.77) were less likely to have an ACT< 16 compared to those not taking medications regularly. Conclusions Overall, our findings highlighted an unsatisfactory asthma control in the general population, independently of the severity level of the disease. Community pharmacies could be a useful frontline interface between patients and the health care services, supporting an effective asthma management plan, from disease assessment and monitoring treatment compliance to referral of patients to specialist medical consultancies.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibraheem Khaled Abu Siam ◽  
María Rubio Gómez

Purpose Access to health-care services for refugees are always impacted by many factors and strongly associated with population profile, nature of crisis and capacities of hosing countries. Throughout refugee’s crisis, the Jordanian Government has adopted several healthcare access policies to meet the health needs of Syrian refugees while maintaining the stability of the health-care system. The adopted health-care provision policies ranged from enabling to restricting and from affordable to unaffordable. The purpose of this paper is to identify the influence of restricted level of access to essential health services among Syrian refugees in Jordan. Design/methodology/approach This paper used findings of a cross-sectional surveys conducted over urban Syrian refugees in Jordan in 2017 and 2018 over two different health-care access policies. The first were inclusive and affordable, whereas the other considered very restricting policy owing to high inflation in health-care cost. Access indicators from four main thematic areas were selected including maternal health, family planning, child health and monthly access of household. A comparison between both years’ access indicators was conducted to understand access barriers and its impact. Findings The comparison between findings of both surveys shows a sudden shift in health-care access and utilization behaviors with increased barriers level thus increased health vulnerabilities. Additionally, the finding during implementation of restricted access policy proves the tendency among some refugees groups to adopt negative adaptation strategies to reduce health-care cost. The participants shifted to use a fragmented health-care, reduced or delayed care seeking and use drugs irrationally weather by self-medication or reduce drug intake. Originality/value Understanding access barriers to health services and its negative short-term and long-term impact on refugees’ health status as well as the extended risks to the host communities will help states that hosting refugees building rational access policy to protect whole community and save public health gains during and post crisis. Additionally, it will support donors to better mobilize resources according to the needs while the humanitarian actors and service providers will better contribute to the public health stability during refugee’s crisis.


Author(s):  
Jubina Bency A. T. ◽  
Sarangi . ◽  
Sebastian Roy ◽  
Shalu Sara Mathew ◽  
Shamseena A. ◽  
...  

Background: Hearing loss is a cause of global concern. Percussionists are exposed to greater levels of continuous or intermittent noise than others. Little is known about the relationship between percussion activity and hearing impairment. The early detection of the same and subsequent management makes a significant reduction in the burden of health care services. The objective was to study the proportion of hearing impairment in percussionists in the district of Thrissur using an IOS based mobile application.Methods: A cross sectional study was done on percussionists from Thrissur district who has experience of more than five years and has no congenital or traumatic hearing loss. A predesigned semi structured questionnaire was given and hearing tests were done using a mobile application U hear in a sound proof setting to understand the current state of hearing ability amoung the percussionists.Results: A total of 39 subjects were involved in our study of which all were males. Mean age of our study population was 30.44+12.04. most of them were diagnosed with at least mild degree of hearing loss of one of the ear or both the ears. 15.4% of them had mild degree of hearing loss, 64.1% had moderate degree of hearing loss and 20.5% had severe hearing loss.Conclusions: The study shows percussionists are more exposed to sounds of various frequencies for longer duration, they are more prone to hearing loss. The study brought out that age is directly proportional to hearing loss, music induced hearing loss progress at a rate proportion to the work experience. 


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzana Alves de Moraes ◽  
Daniele Almeida Lopes ◽  
Isabel Cristina Martins de Freitas

Objectives: To identify the access to health care services and associated factors in adults living in the city of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, in 2007. Methods: A cross-sectional population-based epidemiological study with a sample developed in three stages. The variability introduced in the third sampling fraction was corrected by the attribution of weights, resulting in a sample of 2,471 participants. The outcome prevalence was estimated according to socio-demographic, behavioral and health-related variables. In order to identify associated factors, the regression of Poisson was used, obtaining crude and adjusted prevalence ratios. All estimates were calculated taking into account the effect of the sampling design. Results: The outcome prevalence increased according to the age, being higher in female individuals. A different set of variables remained in the final models, considering each gender separately. Among men, the monthly income > R$ 1,400.00; scores > 823.6 to the Economic Indicator of Ribeirão Preto (IERP) and daily average of sitting down time (154.4 - 240 min/day) constituted themselves into protective factors, whereas the increase of age and scholarship, hospitalization, diabetes and hypertension constituted risk factors for the use of the services. Among women, health self-reported as regular, hospitalization, diabetes and hypertension characterized factors positively associated to the outcome at matter. Conclusions: The results indicate the need for planning actions aimed at capturing male individuals, as well as the revaluation of detection and control of diabetes and hypertension programs, aimed at the primary prevention of terminal cardiovascular events.


PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3973 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Balayssac ◽  
Bruno Pereira ◽  
Julie Virot ◽  
Céline Lambert ◽  
Aurore Collin ◽  
...  

Background Like other health professionals, community pharmacists are exposed to stress factors (being efficient, avoiding mistakes and bearing emotional load), but they are also under the pressure of entrepreneurial responsibilities. The main objective was to assess the level of work-related stress in French community pharmacies. The other objectives of the study were to assess the associated comorbidities and causes of work-related stress. Methods This observational cross-sectional study was sent to all French community pharmacies by email. The survey was anonymous and designed to collect the following items: socio-demographic factors, professional status, characteristics of community pharmacy, work-related stress (visual analogic scale—VAS), fatigue (VAS), sleep disturbances (questions), anxiety and depression symptoms (hospital anxiety and depression scale), medical consultation for work-related stress, medication use for work related stress, psychoactive drug-use and causes of work-related stress. Participants were included in the survey if they were pharmacists (owner or assistant) or pharmacy technicians working in a community pharmacy at the time of the survey. Exclusion criteria were defined as follows: pharmacy students or other professionals involved in a community pharmacy (e.g. dietician, beautician) and lack of professional status information. There was no age limitation. Results After three months of data collection, 1,339 participants answered the survey and 1,272 participants were included in conformity with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and to avoid missing data on the primary endpoint. Work-related stress was detected in 32.8% (417/1,272) of individuals (scores ≥70/100). Men were significantly more affected than women and there was no difference between professional statuses and no relation with the age of the participants. Work-related stress was significantly associated with anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbances, medical consultations, medication use, alcohol consumption above the WHO recommendations for men and psychoactive drug use. Three causes of stress were clearly identified and related to stress levels, workload, working atmosphere and deterioration of work quality. However, causes of work-related stress were significantly different among professionals, for example: entrepreneurial burden for pharmacists-in-charge and workload for employees (assistant pharmacists and pharmacy technicians). Discussion Work-related stress has a very strong impact in French community pharmacies. This stress was associated with several comorbidities and induces health resource consumption. Several causes of work-related stress have been identified such as workload, working atmosphere and deterioration of work quality; however, these causes could be detected and managed to improve stress levels. We recommend developing individual and organizational stress management in French community pharmacies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 179-183
Author(s):  
Saria Tasnim ◽  
FH Anamul Hoque ◽  
Summyia Nazmeen

Women’s health is a global concern now a days. Studies on issues relating to menopause is lacking Bangladesh and those been conducted mainly focus on physical and psychological symptoms around the time of menopause. This cross sectional study was done to explore the sociomedical context and nutritional characteristics of a group of women approaching menopause A total 106 women aged 45-60 years attending Gynae outpatient department of a tertiary hospital between March- May, 2013 was interviewed using structured questionnaire after obtaining informed written consent. Height and weight was measured using standardized procedure. Data analysed using SPSS. Mean age was 50.3± 5.3 years, about 75.5% were between 45-50 years, 85.1% had more than 2 children and 72.6% had history of Abortion. Mean age at menopause 44.65 ± 6.4 years, range 32-58 yrs. Mean BMI was 25± 4.2 and 43.4% were overweight or Obese. Chronic illness like hypertension and arthritis was present in (15.09%) and diabetes mellitus in 10.3% . The family relationship with children was good in 78.09%, husband was reported caring in 72.3% and 2.8% receive abusive behavior from husband. Only 8.5% were self earning, 24.5% and & 17.9% were dependent on children and husband respectively. With increasing life expectancy and improvements of health care services there is greater chance of survival for a women beyond menopause. Sociocultural and medical characteristics of midlife women is important to explore their specific health needs. Ensuring quality of life for this special group of women will help to better utilize their potential for development of the country.J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2017; 35(4): 179-183


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