Pharmacists’ Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges of Electronic Product Information System Implementation in Hong Kong: Mixed-Method Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunice Wing To Fung ◽  
Gordon Tsz Fung Au-Yeung ◽  
Lo Mei Tsoi ◽  
Lili Qu ◽  
Tommy Kwan Wa Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Specific Situation ◽  
Electronic Product

BACKGROUND With the advancement of technology, more countries are now adopting the use of electronic product information (ePI), which refer to an electronic version of physical product inserts in a semistructured format optimized for electronic manipulation. The successful implementation of ePI has led to advantages and convenience to patients, health care professionals, and pharmaceutical companies in many regions and countries. In the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), there is currently no citywide implementation of ePI. The SAR exhibits conditions that would favor the implementation of an ePI system, as well as existing barriers hindering its implementation. However, no study has been performed to examine the specific situation in Hong Kong. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to explore working pharmacists’ overall perception of ePI and to identify potential challenges to the implementation of an ePI system in Hong Kong. METHODS This mixed-method study involved a structured survey and interview with practicing pharmacists in Hong Kong. Pharmacists were eligible if they were licensed to practice in Hong Kong, and currently working locally in any pharmacy-related sectors and institutions. Respondents completed a survey to indicate their level of agreement with statements regarding the potential advantages of ePI over paper PI. A structured interview was conducted to gather respondents’ perceived advantages of ePI over paper PI in different aspects, such as professionalism, usability, presentation, and environment, as well as challenges of citywide ePI implementation in Hong Kong. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyze the qualitative data. Grounded theory was used to generate themes and identify specific outcomes. RESULTS A total of 16 pharmacists were recruited, comprising 4 community pharmacists, 5 hospital pharmacists, and 7 industrial pharmacists. All of them used electronic platforms at least once per month on average. Respondents identified many flaws in physical package inserts that can potentially be mitigated using ePI. The speed with which drug information can be retrieved and the degree to which the drug information can be readily updated and disseminated were considered the greatest strengths of ePI. The clarity with which ePI present drug information to patients was considered as the weakest aspect of ePI. Many respondents highlighted concerns about the security risks and high cost associated with system maintenance and that certain subpopulations may not be sufficiently computer literate to navigate the ePI system. Respondents also voiced many concerns about the implementation and maintenance of a local ePI system. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that an ePI system is generally supported by pharmacists but concerns about implementation process and maintenance of the system has been raised. The perceived benefits of ePI gathered from this study, as well as collective evidence from other countries with mature ePI systems, confirm that more efforts should be made to promote optimized development and implementation of an ePI system in Hong Kong.

scholarly journals Pharmacists’ Perceptions of the Benefits and Challenges of Electronic Product Information System Implementation in Hong Kong: Mixed-Method Study

10.2196/20765 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. e20765
Author(s):  
Eunice Wing To Fung ◽  
Gordon Tsz Fung Au-Yeung ◽  
Lo Mei Tsoi ◽  
Lili Qu ◽  
Tommy Kwan Wa Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Specific Situation ◽  
Electronic Product

Background With the advancement of technology, more countries are now adopting the use of electronic product information (ePI), which refer to an electronic version of physical product inserts in a semistructured format optimized for electronic manipulation. The successful implementation of ePI has led to advantages and convenience to patients, health care professionals, and pharmaceutical companies in many regions and countries. In the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), there is currently no citywide implementation of ePI. The SAR exhibits conditions that would favor the implementation of an ePI system, as well as existing barriers hindering its implementation. However, no study has been performed to examine the specific situation in Hong Kong. Objective The objective of this study is to explore working pharmacists’ overall perception of ePI and to identify potential challenges to the implementation of an ePI system in Hong Kong. Methods This mixed-method study involved a structured survey and interview with practicing pharmacists in Hong Kong. Pharmacists were eligible if they were licensed to practice in Hong Kong, and currently working locally in any pharmacy-related sectors and institutions. Respondents completed a survey to indicate their level of agreement with statements regarding the potential advantages of ePI over paper PI. A structured interview was conducted to gather respondents’ perceived advantages of ePI over paper PI in different aspects, such as professionalism, usability, presentation, and environment, as well as challenges of citywide ePI implementation in Hong Kong. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyze the qualitative data. Grounded theory was used to generate themes and identify specific outcomes. Results A total of 16 pharmacists were recruited, comprising 4 community pharmacists, 5 hospital pharmacists, and 7 industrial pharmacists. All of them used electronic platforms at least once per month on average. Respondents identified many flaws in physical package inserts that can potentially be mitigated using ePI. The speed with which drug information can be retrieved and the degree to which the drug information can be readily updated and disseminated were considered the greatest strengths of ePI. The clarity with which ePI present drug information to patients was considered as the weakest aspect of ePI. Many respondents highlighted concerns about the security risks and high cost associated with system maintenance and that certain subpopulations may not be sufficiently computer literate to navigate the ePI system. Respondents also voiced many concerns about the implementation and maintenance of a local ePI system. Conclusions We conclude that an ePI system is generally supported by pharmacists but concerns about implementation process and maintenance of the system has been raised. The perceived benefits of ePI gathered from this study, as well as collective evidence from other countries with mature ePI systems, confirm that more efforts should be made to promote optimized development and implementation of an ePI system in Hong Kong.

Improving the quality of self-management support in ambulatory cancer care: a mixed-method study of organisational and clinician readiness, barriers and enablers for tailoring of implementation strategies to multisites

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjqs-2020-012051
Author(s):  
Doris Howell ◽  
Melanie Powis ◽  
Ryan Kirkby ◽  
Heidi Amernic ◽  
Lesley Moody ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Cancer Care ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Normalisation Process Theory ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Specific Implementation

IntroductionImproving the quality of self-management support (SMS) for treatment-related toxicities is a priority in cancer care. Successful implementation of SMS programmes depends on tailoring implementation strategies to organisational readiness factors and barriers/enablers, however, a systematic process for this is lacking. In this formative phase of our implementation-effectiveness trial, Self-Management and Activation to Reduce Treatment-Related Toxicities, we evaluated readiness based on constructs in the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) and developed a process for mapping implementation strategies to local contexts.MethodsIn this convergent mixed-method study, surveys and interviews were used to assess readiness and barriers/enablers for SMS among stakeholders in 3 disease site groups at 3 regional cancer centres (RCCs) in Ontario, Canada. Median survey responses were classified as a barrier, enabler or neutral based on a priori cut-off values. Barriers/enablers at each centre were mapped to CFIR and then inputted into the CFIR-Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change Strategy Matching Tool V.1.0 (CFIR-ERIC) to identify centre-specific implementation strategies. Qualitative data were separately analysed and themes mapped to CFIR constructs to provide a deeper understanding of barriers/enablers.ResultsSMS in most of the RCCs was not systematically delivered, yet most stakeholders (n=78; respondent rate=50%) valued SMS. For centre 1, 7 barriers/12 enablers were identified, 14 barriers/9 enablers for centre 2 and 11 barriers/5 enablers for centre 3. Of the total 46 strategies identified, 30 (65%) were common across centres as core implementation strategies and 5 tailored implementation recommendations were identified for centres 1 and 3, and 4 for centre 2.ConclusionsThe CFIR and CFIR-ERIC were valuable tools for tailoring SMS implementation to readiness and barriers/enablers, whereas NPT helped to clarify the clinical work of implementation. Our approach to tailoring of implementation strategies may have relevance for other studies.

Facemask wearing among Chinese international students from Hong Kong studying in United Kingdom Universities during COVID-19: A mixed method study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Yuen-Kwan Lai ◽  
Shirley Man-Man Sit ◽  
Theresa Tze-Kwan Lai ◽  
Man-Ping Wang ◽  
Cecilia Hoi-Mei Kong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
International Students ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Personal Beliefs ◽  
The Uk

BACKGROUND The mental health of international students studying abroad has been neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE This mixed-method study examined perceived public attitudes, personal beliefs, practice and stress toward facemask wearing as a preventive measure against COVID-19 among international university students from Hong Kong studying in the United Kingdom (UK) in the early stage (January – March 2020) of the pandemic. METHODS Our study included 2 parts: (i) an exponential, non-discriminative snowball sampling strategy was used to recruit 91 Chinese students studying in the UK to complete an online questionnaire survey, and (ii) online Zoom focus group interviews were conducted with 16 students to gain an in-depth understanding on their experiences and coping methods during the pandemic. RESULTS Of the 91 students, 92.3% reported the UK public did not view facemask wearing as a preventive measure. 98.9% believed facemask wearing was an effective preventive measure, but 56% wore facemasks more than half of the time when out in public. 50.5% of them had internal conflicts of feeling stressed both when wearing facemasks and not wearing facemasks, which was more common in females than males [(62.5% versus 31.5%, P=0.004, Relative Risk (RR): 1.99 (1.17, 3.38)]. 61.5% reported public prejudiced attitudes against facemask wearing, also more females than males (71.4% versus 45.7%, P=0.02, RR: 1.56 (1.05, 2.32). Qualitative findings showed feeling of conflicts between personal beliefs and social norms, feeling stressed about wearing facemasks as a preventive measure, and experience of prejudice. Peer and family support helped students face such difficulties. Positive thinking and being adaptable were effective methods of stress management. Qualitative findings corroborated the quantitative results. CONCLUSIONS Prejudiced attitudes and behaviours from others, and differences in public attitudes toward facemask wearing resulted in much stress in students’ stress. Clear and accurate public health messaging regarding facemask wearing is needed to change public attitudes and mitigate prejudice. Owing to the ongoing pandemic and rising xenophobia, specifically Sinophobia, academic institutions and public health professionals should take initiative in reaching out to urgently address the needs of international students and provide support in managing their ongoing stress and enhance mental wellbeing. CLINICALTRIAL Ethics approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board of The University of Hong Kong / Hospital Authority Hong Kong West Cluster (reference number: UW20-298). The study was registered with the National Institutes of Health (identifier number: NCT04365361).

scholarly journals Facemask Wearing Among Chinese International Students From Hong Kong Studying in United Kingdom Universities During COVID-19: A Mixed Method Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Yuen-kwan Lai ◽  
Shirley Man-man Sit ◽  
Theresa Tze-kwan Lai ◽  
Man-ping Wang ◽  
Cecilia Hoi-mei Kong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
International Students ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
The Uk

Background: The mental health of international students studying abroad has been neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic.Objective: This mixed-method study examined perceived public attitudes, personal beliefs, practice and stress toward facemask wearing as a preventive measure against COVID-19 among international University students from Hong Kong studying in the United Kingdom (UK) in the early stage (January–March 2020) of the pandemic.Methods: Our study included 2 parts: (i) an exponential, non-discriminative snowball sampling strategy was used to recruit 91 Chinese students studying in the UK to complete an online questionnaire survey, and (ii) online Zoom focus group interviews were conducted with 16 students who completed the online survey to gain an in-depth understanding of their experiences and coping methods during the pandemic.Results: Of the 91 students, 92.3% reported the UK public did not view facemask wearing as a preventive measure. 98.9% believed facemask wearing was an effective preventive measure, but 56% wore facemasks more than half of the time when out in public. 50.5% had internal conflicts of stress both when wearing and not wearing facemasks, which was more common in females than males [(62.5 vs. 31.5%), P = 0.004, Relative Risk (RR): 1.99 (1.17, 3.38)]. 61.5% reported public prejudiced attitudes against facemask wearing, also more common in females than males (71.4 vs. 45.7%), P = 0.02, RR: 1.56 (1.05, 2.32). The qualitative findings corroborated with the quantitative findings and reported that peer and family support were important for them to face such difficulties, and positive thinking and adaptability were effective methods on stress management.Conclusions: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Chinese international students have been faced with a difficult, confusing, and sensitive situation. Owing to the ongoing pandemic, rising xenophobia and racist behaviors and the resumption of students' studies studies in the U.K., support from global communities are needed in their pursuit of quality education overseas. Our findings have significant implications on the proactive roles that governments should have, and the need for clear and accurate public health messaging to change public attitudes and mitigate prejudice. Academic institutions and mental health professionals need to proactively provide additional support to Chinese international students.

scholarly journals Comparison of drug information in package inserts with standard medical textbook of pharmacology

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1002
Author(s):  
Amit Jain ◽  
Amita Jindal ◽  
Nagma Bansal ◽  
Hobinder Arora
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Drug Product ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
P Value ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Package Inserts ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Medical Textbook

Background: Accurate and reliable drug product information is important for the safe and effective use of medicines. But there are variations in the quantity and quality of information mentioned in different drug information sources and a single credible benchmark is lacking. This study was carried out to compare the presentation and completeness of clinical information in package inserts (PIs) marketed by pharmaceutical companies in India with standard medical textbook of pharmacology.Methods: Out of eighty five PIs of different drugs, only 55 were found eligible to be included in this study after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. These PIs and medical textbook were analysed for quantitative and qualitative drug information and were compared using Chi square test of two proportions. The p value of 0.05 was used as cut off to evaluate statistical significance.Results: Quantitatively medical textbook was significantly better statistically in context of treatment of overdose and references. No statistically significant difference was observed in relation to information related to mechanism of action (MOA) and pharmacokinetics (Pk). After qualitative analysis, medical textbook was significantly better statistically in context of size and readability, references related to adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and indications and pictures. No statistically significant difference was observed in context of dosing interval, frequency of doses and pharmacokinetic parameters.Conclusions: PIs can be used as a reliable source of drug information by health care professionals in addition to other sources like medical textbooks.

scholarly journals Mixed method survey to assess the problems and propose solutions for implementation of CME/CPD in Sindh, Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nighat Ali Shah ◽  
Marium Soomro ◽  
Mehjabeen Musharraf ◽  
Shiraz Shaikh
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Original Work ◽  
Career Progression ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Creative Commons ◽  
Qualitative Component ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Open Access Article

Objectives: To determine the type of CME/CPD sessions attended by doctors, identify the problems with implementation of CME/CPD program and propose possible solutions for successful implementation of CME/CPD Program. Methods: This was a concurrent triangulation mixed method study. Quantitative questionnaires were filled by faculty and physicians from different specialties. The qualitative component had both focus groups and in depth interviews conducted with different professional bodies (PMA), faculty JSMU, College of Family Physicians. This study was done in 2016-2017. Results: More than half of the participants (53.6%) reported that CPD/CME should be mandatory. Doctors who had graduated from outside Karachi were significantly less likely to report CPD/CME to be mandatory as compared to graduates from Karachi (p=0.004).Top three factors which influenced HCP’s to attend CPD/CME included career progression (65.1%), interest (54.7%) and knowledge gap (50.5%). The most common perceived barriers were lack of study leave, cost and work-life imbalance. The implementation issues expressed by different stakeholders included lack of doctor’s interest, busy clinical schedule and poor accessibility. Conclusion: Mostly medical practioners believe that CPD program is an important step toward enabling physicians to demonstrate their competency and professionalism to themselves and others. The PM&DC has to take practical steps to evaluate the cognitive, clinical, and humanistic attributes of certified doctors. How to cite this:Shah N, Soomro M, Musharraf M, Shaikh S. Mixed method survey to assess the problems and propose solutions for implementation of CME/CPD in Sindh, Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(2):555-560.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.2.243 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Use and Status of New Drug Information Centers in a Developing Country, Ethiopia: The Case of Public University Hospital Drug Information Centers

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayenew Ashenef ◽  
Elham Reshid ◽  
Zewdu Yilma ◽  
Tadesse Melaku ◽  
Tesfahun Chane
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Drug Interaction ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Drug Information ◽  
Therapeutic Use ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional

Introduction. Drug information center (DIC), in most cases, is part and parcel of pharmacy service established as a unit that deals with offering recent, balanced, truthful facts about drugs to the public, patients, and health care professionals. Objective. To assess the query receiving and response trends by the drug information centers (DICs) found in main university affiliated teaching health care institutes in Ethiopia. Settings. The drug information centers located in Mekelle, Gondar, Jimma, Tikur Anbessa Specialized University Hospitals, and St. Peter Public Hospital, Ethiopia. Methods. It employed analytical, descriptive (cross-sectional), and retrospective methods. The study was performed from June to August, 2015. All the available documented data were gathered with the help of checklist and questionnaire (self-administered). Results. A total of 439 queries submitted to the DICs during their active service period were included in this study of which 407 were found to be suitable for this assessment. The highest inquiries had come from public hospitals (60 %) from health care workers (95.1 %), out of which pharmacists were the highest (63.57 %) submitters, followed by health care students (12.7 %). The major purposes of query submission were to improve treatment outcome of patients (33.9 %) and then to update the knowledge (25.1 %) although 39.3 % of the queries did not document it. The most common requests concern drug interaction (19.7 %) followed by therapeutic use (17.8 %) and the major pharmacological group is about antimicrobials (23.3 %) followed by antihypertensives (11.4 %). Web sites (31.4 %) were the most highly used references followed by Micromedex (19.0 %). Conclusion. The assessment of the DICs had shown that it is feasible to establish and develop DIC services in a developing country setting, Ethiopia. The study found that most of the common queries deal with drug interaction, therapeutic use, and general product information (most commonly about antimicrobials).

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