scholarly journals Assessment of community pharmacists’ communication and comfort levels when interacting with Deaf and hard of hearing patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 2274
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Y. Chong ◽  
Sabrina A. Jacob ◽  
Amutha Ramadas ◽  
Pei H. Goh ◽  
Uma D. Palanisamy
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Written Information ◽  
Comfort Levels ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Return Envelope ◽  
Communication Methods

Background: Deaf and hard of hearing patients who use sign language face considerable communication barriers while accessing pharmacy services. Low comfort-levels between community pharmacists and Deaf and hard of hearing patients result in poor interactions and increase patient safety risks. Objective: 1) To examine the way community pharmacists interact with Deaf and hard of hearing patients in Malaysia, and their level of comfort in such interactions. 2) To examine how comfort-levels vary by the preferred communication methods, resources and employer support. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among registered community pharmacists practicing in Malaysia. Questionnaire items included comfort-levels of community pharmacists when interacting with Deaf and hard of hearing patients, used and preferred communication methods, necessary resources, and perceived employer’s level of support. Based on the list of registered pharmacies, the questionnaire with a pre-paid return envelope was mailed out while pharmacies close to the university were approached in person. This questionnaire was distributed online using Google Form. Comparisons between comfort-levels and study parameters were analyzed using independent t-tests and ANOVA. Results: A total of 297 community pharmacists responded (response rate 29.2%). Higher comfort-levels were reported in those who had received between 1 to 5 prescriptions as compared to those who did not receive prescriptions from Deaf and hard of hearing patients (MD= -0.257, SD=0.104, p=0.042). More than 80% used written information and only 3.4% had used the services of a qualified sign language interpreter throughout their community pharmacist career. Significantly lower comfort-levels (p=0.0004) were reported in community pharmacists who perceived training in sign language as a necessity to interact with Deaf and hard of hearing patients (M=3.6, SD=0.9) versus those who were not interested in sign language training (M=3.8, SD=0.6). Conclusions: The results suggest that community pharmacists were neither extremely comfortable nor averse when interacting with Deaf and hard of hearing patients. The lack of significant findings in terms of comfort-levels may indicate other potential drivers for their choice of communication method when interacting with Deaf and hard of hearing patients.

scholarly journals Barriers to the use of health services among deaf and hard of hearing adults in Greece: a Cross-Sectional Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dialechti Tsimpida ◽  
Daphne Kaitelidou ◽  
Petros Galanis
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Minority Population ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Use Of Health Services

Rationale, Aims and Objectives: To explore the issues related to the use of health services by deaf and hard of hearing adults in Greece.Method: The study population consisted of 140 adults with hearing loss (86 deaf and 54 hard of hearing). We gathered information about sociodemographic characteristics, use of health services characteristics, satisfaction from health providers and complaints during the use of health services.Results: A considerable percentage of the participants did not make appropriate use of healthcare services, as they made avoidable visits to emergency departments even for minor, short-term conditions (p=0.002) or used to just wait for the symptoms to pass in an illness occurrence (p=0.06). They also experienced major difficulties as part of the health visit (p=0.01) and the quality of communication with health providers (p=0.002). The absence of assistive technology, along with the lack of low availability of Sign Language interpreters, were important barriers for those that communicate in Sign Language. Regarding the engagement with healthcare providers, there were high rates of dissatisfaction from doctors, nurses and receptionists related to issues during the use of health services.Conclusions: Our results underscore the fact that deaf and hard of hearing persons constitute a minority population that experience major barriers during the use of health services and considerable difficulties in the healthcare provider-patient relationship. In light of these findings, a special effort must be made to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing individuals receive appropriate, ethical and person-centered healthcare.

scholarly journals Community Pharmacists’ Practice, Awareness, and Beliefs about Drug Disposal in Saudi Arabia

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 823
Author(s):  
Sultan Alghadeer ◽  
Mohammed N. Al-Arifi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Take Back ◽  
Medication Disposal

The awareness among Saudi people regarding the good and safe practice of drug disposal is fairly low. Community pharmacists’ potential toward drugs disposal directions and practice are not emphasized enough. Therefore, a cross sectional study was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to evaluate the practice, awareness and beliefs of community pharmacists about disposal of unused drugs. Out of 360 subjects who participated in the study, more than 70% returned the unused drugs to the pharmaceutical distributors. Around 80% of the participants confirmed the risk of environmental damage due to the inappropriate disposal of drugs, and 87.5% of them held themselves responsible for preventing such risk. Approximately 85% of surveyed pharmacists believed community pharmacies to be an appropriate location for the collection of unused drugs. There was no significant association between the community pharmacists’ age group and years of practice as community pharmacists with either the awareness of unused medication disposal on environmental hazards, or the beliefs about the appropriate location for collecting unused drugs (p > 0.05). The awareness and proactive accountable responsibility, along with community pharmacists’ belief of appointing pharmacies to collect unused drugs, strongly support the institution of drug take-back programs.

ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY PHARMACIST AWARENESS ON ADVERSE DRUG REACTION (ADR) AND PHARMACOVIGILANCE REPORTING SYSTEM IN KHARTOUM LOCALITY, SUDAN

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Awadallah Saeed ◽  
Osman Umballi ◽  
Namareg Ahmed ◽  
Shaza Ali ◽  
Azza Alfaki
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Adverse Drug Reactions ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Pharmacovigilance Centre ◽  
Drug Reactions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
National University

Introduction: Adverse drug reactions resulting from the use of a medicinal product and were harmful or unpleasant reaction. Pharmacovigilance is related pharmaceuticals product after marketing and associated with collection, detection, assessment, monitoring and prevention of adverse effects. The aim of study is to recognize the awareness of pharmacists regarding pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reactions reporting. Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted to 237 pharmacists working in Khartoum’s locality pharmacies from August 2019 to March 2020 selected by simple randomization. The data were collected by face to face interview using self-administrated Questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS version 23. Results: 57.4% from the total sample size never seen adverse drug reactions reporting form, 76.4% never receive training on how to report it and only 10.5% from the pharmacists in the study report it to pharmacovigilance center. 79% from pharmacists in the study were not aware about existence of pharmacovigilance program in Sudan. 51.5 % from pharmacists have good attitude about adverse drug reactions and pharmacovigilance in Sudan while 48.5% had poor attitude. Difficulty in communicating with pharmacovigilance centre in Sudan and how to write the report were the factors discourage pharmacists from reporting of adverse drug reactions. Conclusion: Community pharmacists have insufficient knowledge about the concept of pharmacovigilance and spontaneous ADRs reporting while they had positive attitudes toward pharmacovigilance, despite their little experience with ADRs reporting, this can be strengthened by educational trainings and workshops.                   Peer Review History: Received: 4 September 2021; Revised: 9 October; Accepted: 29 October, Available online: 15 November 2021 Academic Editor:  Dr. Jennifer Audu-Peter, University of Jos, Nigeria, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency.  Received file:                Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 5.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.0/10 Reviewers: Dr. Neelam H. Zaidi, Fiji National University, Fiji, [email protected] Dr. U. S. Mahadeva Rao, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Terengganu Malaysia, [email protected] Dr. Hayriye Eda Şatana Kara, Gazi University, Turkey, [email protected] Dr. Andrzej Szymański, Poznan University of Technology, Poland, [email protected] Similar Articles: AWARENESS OF PHARMACISTS TOWARDS ASPARTAME SIDE EFFECTS IN KHARTOUM CITY, SUDAN ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS IN MANAGEMENT OF HIV-POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS IN THE SOUTHERN REGION OF NIGERIA

scholarly journals A National Survey of Community Pharmacists on Smoking Cessation Services in Thailand

Pharmacy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surarong Chinwong ◽  
Dujrudee Chinwong
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Postal Questionnaire ◽  
Pharmaceutical Product ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Smoking Cessation Services ◽  
First Time

Providing smoking cessation services is one role of community pharmacists in Thailand. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate activities and barriers related to smoking cessation services provided in community pharmacies in Thailand, as well as to compare these activities and barriers between those pharmacists providing and those not providing smoking cessation services. A postal questionnaire was conducted to collect information from community pharmacists across Thailand. In all, 413 valid responses were received from 5235 questionnaires, giving a 7.9% response rate. Of the 413 respondents, 152 (37%) pharmacists provided smoking cessation services in their pharmacy. The activities of smoking cessation services varied. Time for counseling each smoker varied, a mean of 15.1 ± 10.9 min (range 1–60) per person for the first time, and 8.9 ± 6.7 min (range 1–30) for each follow-up visit. Community pharmacists, providing smoking cessation services, were more likely to have pharmacist assistants, be a member of the Thai Pharmacy Network for Tobacco Control, and have more than 1 pharmacist on duty. The most dispensed pharmaceutical product for smoking cessation was nicotine gum. Their most perceived barriers were being unable to follow-up and inadequate staff. In conclusion, only a minority of community pharmacists in Thailand are engaged in smoking cessation activities, even though some perceived barriers existed.

scholarly journals Knowledge, perceptions and practices of pharmacists regarding generic substitution in China: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e051277
Author(s):  
Jinghan Qu ◽  
Wei Zuo ◽  
Shaohong Wang ◽  
Liping Du ◽  
Xin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Generic Substitution ◽  
Generic Drugs ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
True Value

ObjectiveTo evaluate pharmacists’ knowledge, perceptions and practices towards generic substitution in the 11 pilot locations in China.DesignAn online cross-sectional survey using questionnaires was conducted. A convenience sampling technique was implemented to recruit pharmacists.Setting and participantsThe study took place in medical institutions of 11 pilot locations that participated in the pilot national centralised procurement programme in 2019. Two thousand two hundred and ninety-one pharmacists including hospital pharmacists or community pharmacists based on health-systems or clinics participated in the study.ResultsMost of the participants had the good knowledge of requirements for evaluating the quality and efficacy of generic drugs (n=2118; 92.4%), and the definition of generic drugs (n=2078; 90.7%). In terms of perceptions, 67.3% of respondents were of the opinion that generic drugs are equally as effective as the brand-name drugs, and 69.0% of respondents were of the opinion that generic drugs are as safe as brand equivalents. A high percentage of participants supported the policy of generic substitution (n=1634; 71.4%). A significant positive correlation was demonstrated between total knowledge score and total perception score (ρ=0.267; p<0.001). Efficacy, safety and the direction of national policies and hospital regulations were the main factors affecting pharmacists’ willingness to dispense generic drugs.ConclusionsThe study identified gaps in respondents’ knowledge and perceptions of generic substitution. Pharmacists who are more knowledgeable in generic drugs tend to hold a more supportive attitude towards generic substitution. Although it appeared that pharmacists in China have largely accepted generic substitution, they still have concerns regarding the reliability and quality of generic drugs. The current issues need to be addressed for the realisation of the true value of generic drugs as part of the country’s healthcare cost-containment strategy as well as the implementation of generic substitution policy in China.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitude and practice of Lebanese community pharmacists with regard to self-management of low back pain

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 873-878
Author(s):  
Mariam K. Dabbous ◽  
Sara M. Moustafa ◽  
Fouad R. Sakr ◽  
Marwan G. Akel ◽  
Jihan H. Safwan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Oral Dosage ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Local Patch

Purpose: To determine the knowledge, attitude and reported practice of Lebanese community pharmacists who advise persons who present with low back pain.Methods: This was a multi-center cross-sectional study conducted in over 300 community pharmacies across Lebanon from December 2017 to May 2018. Pharmacists working at a community pharmacy were considered eligible, and those who volunteered to participate completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed for self-completion by the pharmacist and included demographic questions about the respondent, questions that assessed knowledge and attitude toward low back pain, and questions about treatment to reflect and characterize the nature of practice. The primary outcome was to determine the knowledge, attitude and reported practice of the Lebanese pharmacists advising people who presented with low back pain. The secondary outcome was to assess factors that affect knowledge, attitude, and practice.Results: The response of 320 community pharmacists was analysed. The proportion of pharmacists with good knowledge about low back pain (51. 7 %) was slightly higher than those with poor knowledge (48. 3 %). Oral therapy was the most prescribed dosage form for back pain compared to local patch and cream. Among oral dosage forms, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were the most prescribed medications (42 %). Of the patients’ referral to the physician if necessary, 73.1 % of the referrals were by pharmacists.Conclusion: Community pharmacists in Lebanon demonstrate an acceptable level of knowledge of back pain, yet major gaps still exist, particularly in terms of the quality of advice. Hence, more education is needed to provide better quality of advice. Keywords: Attitude, Knowledge, Low back pain, Reported practice, Quality of advice

scholarly journals Community Pharmacists’ Perceptions towards the Misuse and Abuse of Pregabalin: A Cross-Sectional Study from Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1281
Author(s):  
Sultan M. Alshahrani ◽  
Khalid Orayj ◽  
Ali M. Alqahtani ◽  
Mubarak A. Algahtany
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
First Line ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
First Line Therapy ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Pregabalin is a first-line therapy for neuropathic pain and for chronic pain. It has abuse potential. This study was conducted to assess community pharmacists’ perceptions towards pregabalin abuse and misuse in the Aseer region, Saudi Arabia, and identify predictors and associated factors. A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire following a self-administrative study was conducted across community pharmacies in the Aseer region (Abha, Khamis Mushait, Mahayel, Sarat Abeeda, Ahad-Rufaida, and Bishah). A total of 206 respondents from community pharmacists participated in the study. Over the last six months, 136 respondents (66.0%) suspected pregabalin abuse in community pharmacies; male dominance in pregabalin abusers was also recorded (n = 165, 80.1%). Additionally, 40 (19.4%) respondents stated that a prescription was not issued for pregabalin demands. Over half (61.7%) of community pharmacists recorded an increased change in pregabalin abuse compared to the previous year. This is the first study to explore pharmacists’ perceptions in the community of the Aseer region towards customers’ misuse and abuse of pregabalin. Further monitoring and regulations on the prescribing and procurement of pregabalin are needed to avoid abuse.

scholarly journals COVID-19 related misconceptions among older adults in Bangladesh: findings from a cross-sectional study

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 216
Author(s):  
Sabuj Kanti Mistry ◽  
ARM Mehrab Ali ◽  
Uday Narayan Yadav ◽  
Nafis Md. Irfan ◽  
Binod Rayamajhee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Multiple Linear Regression Model ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Message Delivery ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Cumulative Score ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Communication Methods

Background The COVID-19 has been appeared as the most remarkable global calamity of this century. Just as the COVID-19 spread throughout the world, so as the rumour and misconceptions related to it. The present study aimed to explore the prevalence of COVID-19 related misconceptions and its correlates among the older adults in Bangladesh. Methods The study followed a cross-sectional design and was conducted among 1032 participants aged 60 years and above from Bangladesh. Information was collected on 14 different locally relevant misconceptions related to the spread, prevention, and treatment of COVID-19, scored each misconception as one, and obtained a cumulative score, ranging from 0 to 14, with a higher score indicating a higher level of misconceptions. A multiple linear regression model explored the factors associated with misconceptions. Results The most common misconceptions were, all returning migrants carrying COVID-19 (45.5%), wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) in outdoors (80.1%), not going to the funeral of people died of COVID-19 (45.2%), its prevention by nutritious food (57.6%) and drinking water (39.4%), and doctor can cure COVID-19 (49.9%). Misconceptions were higher among the participants who were living alone, whose family members were not responsive to their needs during COVID-19, and who received COVID-19 related information from Radio/TV and health workers. These misconceptions were less likely among those who were aged 70-79 years, who had pre-existing non-communicable chronic conditions, who were overwhelmed by COVID-19, and who felt themselves at highest risk of COVID-19. Conclusion Overall, we found that misconceptions were prevalent among the older adults in Bangladesh. Government and other relevant stakeholders should take immediate actions to address the prevalent misconceptions through using appropriate channels, media, and message delivery systems, and applying evidence-based risk communication methods.

Community Pharmacists’ as Influenza immunizers in a Middle Eastern country: A national web-based cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalal Youssef ◽  
Linda Abou Abbas ◽  
Hamad Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Vaccine ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Influenza Vaccines ◽  
Attitude Score ◽  
Patient Privacy ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Factors Associated

Abstract Background Utilizing community pharmacists (CPs) as immunizers has being adopted in various countries as approach to boost influenza vaccination coverage. Our study aims to explore the Lebanese CPs’ willingness to administer influenza vaccine, and to identify factors associated with this willingness. Methods This is a web-based, cross-sectional study, conducted over 2 months, from the 1st of November to the end of December 2020, among Lebanese CPs. An anonymous, questionnaire using google form was sent electronically to pharmacists. The collected data was analyzed using the statistical software SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine factors associated with the willingness of CPs to administer influenza vaccine. Results A total of 412 CPs participated in this survey of which 76.9% are willing to administer influenza vaccines. More than 90% of them had a good overall knowledge score and 88.8% of CPs showed a positive overall attitude score, particularly towards involvement of CPs in influenza vaccine provision. Their willingness to administer vaccine was positively associated with the younger age (aOR = 3.106 with 95% CI (1.597 to 6.040)), higher education level (aOR = 2.022 with 95% CI (1.093 to 3.741)), previous experience in immunization (aOR = 2.725 with 95% CI (1.320 to 5.627)) and urbanicity of pharmacy (aOR = 1.542 with 95% CI(1.219 to 4.627)). Extensive working hours (aOR = 2.341 with 95% CI (1.131 to 4.845)), working in pharmacies that are operating round-the-clock, showing positive attitude towards immunization (aOR = 3.014 with 95% CI (1.872 to 10.422)) and towards provision of influenza vaccines (aOR = 13.721 with 95% CI (13.721 to 38.507)) were also positively associated to this willingness. Conversely, patient privacy (aOR = 0.553 with 95% CI (0.079 to 0.983)), time and cost for professional development (aOR = 0.551 with 95% CI (0.172 to 0.918)), limited patient’s trust (aOR = 0.339 with 95% CI (0.203 to 0.784)), financial remuneration (aOR = 0.182 with 95% CI (0.088 to 0.377)), and requirement of formal certification in vaccine administration (aOR = 0.182 with 95% CI (0.088 to 0.377)) were negatively associated to this willingness. Conclusion Addressing the unearthed concerns related to utilizing CPs as influenza immunizers through a concerted effort is a key to success in any future implementation of vaccination services in pharmacies.

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