Health Authority Pharmacists’ Perceptions of Independent Pharmacist Prescribing

ABSTRACT Background: In many jurisdictions, the pharmacist’s role continues to evolve from drug distribution–based service delivery to expanded scopes of practice, including independent prescribing of medications. Objectives: To assess health authority–based pharmacists’ attitudes, be-liefs, and perceptions about independent prescribing, to determine how independent prescribing may affect their behaviour, and to identify perceived barriers and enablers to incorporating it into their practice. Methods: An anonymous, cross-sectional online survey of 677 health authority–based pharmacists employed by Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services in British Columbia collected information in the following domains: demographic characteristics; attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions regarding pharmacist prescribing; anticipated effect of pharmacist prescribing on behaviour; likelihood of applying for this authority, if granted; and barriers and enablers to applying for prescribing authority and incorporating prescribing into their practice. A multivariate regression analysis was performed.Results: A total of 266 pharmacists (39.3%) responded to the survey. Most respondents agreed that prescribing is important to the profession and relevant to their practice, and that it might enhance job satisfaction. Additionally, respondents agreed that they had the expertise to prescribe. Respondents perceived prescribing as having the potential to positively affect behaviour, including deprescribing, prescribing at time of discharge or transfer, and renewing medications. Enablers to applying for pharma-cist prescribing authority included perceived positive impact on patient care and the profession, level of support from management and coworkers, and personal ability. No barriers were identified. About two-thirds of phar-macists indicated they would likely apply for prescribing authority if it were granted through legislation. Pharmacists with a clinical practice or research role were significantly more likely to apply to be a prescriber, whereas those with more than 10 years of experience were less likely to apply. Conclusions: In this study, health authority–based pharmacists held positive attitudes and beliefs about the value and impact of independent prescribing of medications on their practice and the profession. There were no perceived barriers to applying for prescribing authority or to incorporating prescribing into practice.RÉSUMÉ Contexte : Dans bien des provinces, le rôle du pharmacien ne cesse d’évoluer, depuis la prestation de services fondée sur la distribution de médicaments à des champs de pratique élargis, comprenant le droit de prescription autonome des médicaments. Objectifs : Évaluer les attitudes, les croyances et les opinions des pharmaciens rattachés à des régies de santé concernant le droit de prescription autonome, déterminer l’influence de ce droit sur leurs habitudes et recenser les éléments qui, selon eux, entravent ou facilitent l’intégration de ce droit dans leur pratique. Méthodes : Une enquête transversale anonyme en ligne s’adressant à 677 pharmaciens rattachés à une régie de santé et employés par les services de pharmacie des basses-terres continentales en Colombie-Britannique a permis de recueillir de l’information sur les domaines suivants : caractéris-tiques démographiques; attitudes, croyances et opinions concernant le droit de prescrire des pharmaciens; effets envisagés sur les habitudes du droit de prescrire accordé aux pharmaciens; probabilité de demander ce droit, s’il existe; et les éléments entravant ou facilitant la demande du droit de prescrire et l’intégration de ce droit dans leur pratique. Une analyse de régression multivariée a été réalisée. Résultats : Au total, 266 pharmaciens (39,3 %) ont répondu au sondage. La plupart d’entre eux ont affirmé que le droit de prescrire est important pour la profession et pertinent dans le cadre de leur pratique et que cet acte pourrait accroître leur satisfaction au travail. De plus, les répondants affirmaient qu’ils possédaient l’expertise requise pour prescrire. Selon eux, le droit de prescrire pouvait influencer positivement leurs habitudes, notamment en ce qui concerne l’interruption de la prescription, la prescription au moment du congé ou d’un transfert et le renouvellement de médicaments. Parmi les éléments incitant les pharmaciens à solliciter le droit de prescrire, on comptait les effets positifs présumés sur les soins offerts aux patients et sur la profession, le soutien de la part de la direction et des collègues et les capacités personnelles. Aucun obstacle n’a été recensé. Environ deux tiers des pharmaciens ont indiqué qu’ils solliciteraient probablement le droit de prescrire s’il était accordé par la loi. Les pharmaciens en pratique clinique et ceux en recherche étaient beaucoup plus enclins à faire la demande pour devenir prescripteurs alors que ceux comptabilisant plus de dix ans d’expérience étaient moins enclins à faire la demande.Conclusions : Dans la présente étude, les pharmaciens rattachés à une régie de santé affichaient une attitude et des croyances positives à propos de la valeur du droit de prescription autonome des médicaments et des effets qu’il aurait sur leur pratique et la profession. On n’a recensé aucun élément perçu comme un obstacle à la formulation d’une demande du droit de prescrire ou à l’inclusion de ce rôle dans la pratique.

Download Full-text

Perceptions of Independent Pharmacist Prescribing among Health Authority- and Community-Based Pharmacists in Northern British Columbia

Pharmacy ◽

10.3390/pharmacy9020092 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 92

Author(s):

Jordan Lewis ◽

Arden R. Barry ◽

Katie Bellefeuille ◽

Robert T. Pammett

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Health Authority ◽

Online Survey ◽

Community Pharmacists ◽

Collaborative Practice ◽

Regulatory Body ◽

Community Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Pharmacist Prescribing ◽

Insight Into

Pharmacists across Canada have varying degrees of ability to prescribe medications depending on their jurisdiction of licensure. The purpose of this study was to the evaluate attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of independent pharmacist prescribing among health authority- and community-based pharmacists. This prospective, cross-sectional online survey assessed the perceptions of independent pharmacist prescribing of health authority and community pharmacists practising in northern British Columbia (BC), which was defined as within the geographical boundaries of Northern Health. Responses were analysed using descriptive statistics and a regression analysis. There were 45 respondents to the survey: 22 community pharmacists and 23 health authority pharmacists. Both community and health authority pharmacists held positive perceptions of independent pharmacist prescribing and did not identify any barriers to incorporating independent pharmacist prescribing into their practice. Respondents were highly likely to apply for independent pharmacist prescribing authority, if available. Pharmacists in BC are currently not able to independently prescribe schedule I medications. The provincial regulatory body has proposed a framework for a Certified Pharmacist Prescriber designation, which if approved would allow pharmacists to prescribe in collaborative practice settings. This study provides some insight into the perception of pharmacists in northern BC in pursuing this designation, which may be valuable for planning purposes in case of adoption of the framework. These results are also likely applicable to other non-urban practice settings in Canada. Pharmacists in northern BC perceived independent pharmacist prescribing positively and a high proportion were likely to apply for this authority if it were permitted via legislation.

Download Full-text

Medical Research Conduct and Publication During Higher Education in Syria: Attitudes, Barriers, Practices, and Possible Solutions

10.21203/rs.3.rs-382753/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ibrahem Hanafi ◽

Luma Haj Kassem ◽

Mouaz Hanafi ◽

Sulafa Ahmad ◽

Ola Abbas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Research ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Public Hospitals ◽

Perceived Barriers ◽

Original Research ◽

Practical Training ◽

Long Distance ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Poor Reading ◽

Postgraduate Students

Abstract Introduction:The huge workload on doctors especially residents, who are the main healthcare providers in public hospitals, in addition to the vanishing incomes and lack of personal safety during the decade-long Syrian crisis, led to further hurdles for the focus on research. Postgraduate students in the medical and paramedical fields must conduct original research projects as part of their graduation requirements. However, that does not reflect on the research publications coming from Syria.Methods:A nation-wide cross-sectional study targeting medical, dental, and pharmacy postgraduate students who are at the phase of planning for their required projects. The questionnaire aimed to capture their attitudes towards research, perceived barriers, and previous research experiences.Results:The sample consisted of 429 residents representing about 21.5% of the target population. Nearly all the participants had positive opinion towards the important role of medical research and the significance of their participation. Agreement was also clear regarding perceived barriers including the lack of adequate training, and research facility. Seventy-one percent of the participants were not involved in any research before the time of their master theses, less than 13% of them had submitted an article for publication, and less than 5% had submitted more than one paper. Poor internet connectivity and poor reading and writing English skills were decisive negative factors in previous research experiences. Active mentors’ support and self-paced education on research skills had a significant positive impact on students’ research contributions with odds ratios of 2.24 [1.34-3.74] (P=0.003) and 2.28 [1.47-3.52] (P<0.001) respectively.Conclusion:The attitudes of postgraduate students towards research were quite positive but hindered by several obstacles. Further integration of research practical training in the curriculums, allowing long-distance mentoring, enhancing collaboration between peers, as well as narrowing the distance between students and mentors may significantly boost research productivity in Syria despite the conflicts.

Download Full-text

Exploring the adoption of Lean principles in medical laboratory industry

International Journal of Lean Six Sigma ◽

10.1108/ijlss-02-2017-0017 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 133-155 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hilma Dhiginina Isack ◽

Michael Mutingi ◽

Hileni Kandjeke ◽

Abhishek Vashishth ◽

Ayon Chakraborty

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Turnaround Time ◽

Medical Laboratory ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Lean Principles ◽

Medical Laboratories ◽

Barriers And Enablers ◽

Lean Tools

Purpose As the demand for efficiency and quality in the health-care industry has increased over the past few years, adoption of Lean principles and tools in the medical laboratory industry has become increasingly crucial. The purpose of this study is to explore the level of adoption, barriers and enablers of Lean principles and tools in the Namibian medical laboratory industry. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to examine the level of usage, barriers and enablers, impact of Lean tools and to suggest appropriate strategies for adopting Lean in the Namibian medical laboratory services. Findings Research findings reveal that Lean tools are moderately implemented in most laboratories. Standard operating procedures, root cause analysis, overall equipment effectiveness and visual management are the important Lean tools used in the industry. Results of the survey also show that Lean tools had a positive impact on operational performance, employee motivation, turnaround time and cost reduction. Furthermore, top management involvement, adequate training and proper planning emerged as important enablers, while lack of support from the management, financial constraint and staff resistant to change are major barriers to the adoption of Lean principles in the Namibian medical laboratory industry. Research limitations/implications The paper has inherent limitations of survey research, which the authors will overcome by using case studies with medical laboratories. Practical implications The findings of the authors’ work will help in widening the application of Lean principles in more medical laboratories in Namibia and in other parts of the world. Originality/value The paper is based on numerous health-care studies on Lean. This is one of the few papers investigating the adoption of Lean principles, specifically in medical laboratories, from an emerging economy such as Namibia.

Download Full-text

Factors Inhibiting Clinical Laboratory Science Directors’ Using Distance Technology for Educational Purposes

Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology ◽

10.9734/cjast/2021/v40i2431496 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Reed Brooks ◽

Jodi Olmsted

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Distance Education ◽

Workforce Development ◽

Online Survey ◽

Clinical Laboratory ◽

Program Directors ◽

Perceived Barriers ◽

Release Time ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Convenience Sample

Problem: Workforce shortages in the diagnostic fields of health care prompted conducting a study about possible barriers or influences about using distance education for didactic delivery. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. A population of 467 program directors was identified. Four hundred-sixty email addresses were functional. A convenience sample of 167 responded to an online survey about perceived barriers to using distance education for program delivery. Results: Program directors responded about perceived barriers to using online, distance education as part of educational delivery for academic programming. Concerns included lack of quality of coursework, and students; along with lack of adequate equipment for offering distance education teaching, faculty workloads and lack of release time. Conclusion: While distance education is a viable solution for offering diagnostic, didactic program content, perceived and real barriers to its use are impacting workforce development, especially in rural, health care and educational deserts.

Download Full-text

The Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 Home Confinement and Physical Activity: A Structural Equation Model Analysis

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.614770 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Xuehui Sang ◽

Rashid Menhas ◽

Zulkaif Ahmed Saqib ◽

Sajid Mahmood ◽

Yu Weng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Negative Influence ◽

Primary Data ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychological Impacts

BackgroundCOVID-19 break out has created panic and fear in society. A strict kind of lockdown was imposed in Wuhan, Hubei province of China. During home confinement due to lockdown, people face multidimensional issues. The present study explored the psychological impacts of COVID-19 home confinement during the lockdown period and Wuhan’s residents’ attitude toward physical activity.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted to collect the primary data according to the study objectives. The population was Wuhan residents (+ 18 years) who were in home confinement. A total of 2280 participant’s reply to the online questionnaire survey and collected data after quantifying the data, about 2200 (96.49%); about (49.8%) female, about (49.4%) male, others about (0.2%), and about (0.6%) were not disclosed their gender participants responses were used for analysis. The collected data were analyzed through appropriate statistical techniques.ResultsAccording to results, H1 is supported with β = −40.793, t = 57.835, p = 0.000, which claimed a negative association between COVID-19 lockdown policy and behavior and attitude. Results for H2 reveals that the COVID-19 lockdown policy have negative influence on emotional control with β = −0.769, t = 46.766, p = 0.000 and it is supported. H3 documented a significant positive relationship between COVID-19 lockdown policy and lockdown period psychological impact, which means lockdown policy, is the main reason to increase the lockdown psychological impact. Further, COVID-19 lockdown policy have negative influence on physical activity (H4) and self-belief (H5) with β = −0.657, t = 32.766, p = 0.000 and β = −0.620, t = −6.766, p = 0.000 respectively. H6 stated that there is a positive impact of behavior and attitude toward physical activity. The results for H6, behavior, and attitude affecting the physical activity with β = 0.401, t = 10, p = 0.000, which is supported.ConclusionCOVID-19 home confinement created various psychological impacts, negatively affecting the emotional state due to depression and anxiety. Physical activity is the best strategy to manage human nature’s psychological issues, and people’s attitudes were positive toward physical activity during home confinement. However, the lockdown policy also affects physical activity participation negatively, and a sedentary lifestyle prevailed during home confinement.

Download Full-text

Pharmacists’ Prescribing in Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study Describing Current Practices and Future Perspectives

Pharmacy ◽

10.3390/pharmacy8030160 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 160

Author(s):

Alyaa M. Ajabnoor ◽

Richard J. Cooper

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Survey Study ◽

Prescribing Practices ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hospital Pharmacists ◽

Pharmacist Prescribing ◽

Independent Prescribing

Pharmacist prescribing is being increasingly undertaken to better use their skills and reduce the workload of existing prescribers such as doctors, often using formal processes to legitimate these activities. In developing countries like Saudi Arabia, however, pharmacists’ prescribing remains informal with no legislation or formal training and there is a lack of research and understanding into such practices. Therefore, we aimed to describe current pharmacist prescribing practices in Saudi Arabia and explore pharmacists’ views about pharmacists’ prescribing. This is a cross-sectional survey study using an online questionnaire of hospital pharmacists in Saudi Arabia about pharmacists’ prescribing, and associated views about prescribing legislation and barriers to implementing pharmacist prescribing. Over a quarter (28.5%) of pharmacists reported themselves as prescribers, 49% were following a collaborative prescribing model, 18% independent prescribing, and 33% were doing both. Ninety percent of prescribers reported confidence in prescribing the appropriate treatment and 92.3% perceived they will benefit from more prescribing training. Healthcare practice culture and pharmacist’s competency were identified as barriers. There is an overall support for pharmacists’ prescribing in Saudi Arabia among this sample of hospital pharmacists, with limitations in resources and the absence of standardized prescribing training being perceived as key barriers to pharmacists’ prescribing.

Download Full-text

Antimicrobial stewardship in Australian hospitals: how does compliance with antimicrobial stewardship standards compare across key hospital classifications?

JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

10.1093/jacamr/dlaa100 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Renee Jones ◽

Kylie Carville ◽

Rodney James

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Perceived Barriers ◽

Programme Implementation ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Major City ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Training And Education ◽

Susceptibility Data ◽

Barriers And Enablers ◽

Survey Results

Abstract Background There is little information on the prevalence and type of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) activities that are currently occurring in Australian hospitals. Objectives To determine what AMS activities are currently occurring in Australian hospitals, identify gaps in compliance with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) standards and determine perceived barriers and enablers for implementing AMS programmes. Methods A cross-sectional survey open to all Australian hospitals, conducted online and available to hospitals between November 2016 and July 2017. Results Responses were received from 254 hospitals. Compliance with ACSQHC AMS essential activities was high, except for essential activity 3 (post-prescription reviews), which was conducted by only 39% of respondent hospitals. Importantly, compliance varied by hospital remoteness classification for all activities except essential activity 1 (availability and endorsement of guidelines) and additional activity 4 (publishing antimicrobial susceptibility data annually), with major city hospitals having the highest compliance across all activities. The three most frequently reported barriers to implementing AMS programmes were a lack of training and education, lack of pharmacy resources and a lack of willingness from medical officers to change. Conclusions Due to low response rates from certain hospital groups, the survey results are not generalizable to all Australia hospitals. This survey has identified that several gaps in compliance still exist and outlines the need to address lower AMS compliance in hospitals located outside major cities. The key barriers and enablers for AMS programme implementation identified should be used to inform future strategies.

Download Full-text

Visual eWOM Usefulness and Credibility: The Antecedents and Consequences

Jurnal Ilmu Manajemen & Ekonomika ◽

10.35384/jime.v9i2.45 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 103

Author(s):

Whony Rofianto ◽

Desta Atasyah Kornelys ◽

Muhammad Rifkhansyah

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Structural Model ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Primary Data ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Communication Framework ◽

Endogenous Variables ◽

Antecedents And Consequences

Nowadays the practice of spreading and utilizing eWOM increasingly prevalent. A lot of examination on eWOM effectiveness has been done, but it is still fragmented and overlook the potential of Visual eWom (VeWOM). Departing from the electronic word-of-mouth communication framework this research attempts to provide empirical evidence on the eWOM credibility-forming aspect and its implications toward eWOM adoption rate in the context of VeWOM video "unboxing". This research was conducted by a descriptive-explanatory approach using primary data, collected through a cross-sectional online survey. The hypothesis testing is performed by analyzing structural model estimation result through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach on 105 sample data of YouTube video-sharing site viewers. The proposed structural model involves three exogenous variables and three endogenous variables. The estimation results of the structural model indicate that VeWOM argument quality has a positive impact on VeWOM usefulness. Meanwhile, communicator expertise and trustworthiness proved to encourage the formation of VeWOM credibility. On the other hand, this study also proved the positive impact of VeWOM credibility on VeWOM adoption, however, the positive effect of VeWOM usefulness on VeWOM adoption was not proven in this study

Download Full-text

The Association Between Risk Perception and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy for Children Among Reproductive Women in China: An Online Survey

Frontiers in Medicine ◽

10.3389/fmed.2021.741298 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Min Du ◽

Liyuan Tao ◽

Jue Liu

Keyword(s):

Risk Perception ◽

Online Survey ◽

Eastern China ◽

Health Belief ◽

Perceived Barriers ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Perceived Susceptibility ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Belief Model

Background: This study aimed to explore the association between risk perception and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy among reproductive women in China to supplement limited studies in this area.Methods: From December 14, 2020, to January 31, 2021, an anonymous cross-sectional online survey was conducted on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for children among reproductive women in China. We assessed risk perception, including perceived susceptibility, severity, barriers, and benefits using the health belief model, and then classified each variable into three groups (low, moderate, and high) based on tertiles. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and knowledge of COVID-19 was also collected. The Pearson χ2-test was used to compare vaccine hesitancy among the above mentioned factors. Logistic regression models were used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of risk perception related to vaccine hesitancy after controlling for the above covariates.Results: Among 3,011 reproductive women, 8.44% (95%CI: 7.44. 9.43) had COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy was observed more in women who lived in eastern China (11.63%), aged >45 years (12.00%), had a lower than high school education level (12.77%), and a low score on knowledge of COVID-19 (12.22%). Vaccine hesitancy was associated with lower perceived susceptibility (moderate: aOR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.17–2.54, P = 0.0061; low: aOR = 2.44, 95%CI: 1.60–3.70, P < 0.0001), high perceived barriers (aOR = 2.86, 95%CI: 1.57–5.22, P < 0.0001), and lower perceived benefit (moderate: aOR = 3.29, 95%CI: 2.30–4.70, P < 0.0001; low: aOR = 4.59, 95%CI: 2.98–7.07, P < 0.0001), but not with perceived severity.Conclusions: Although the proportion of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for children among Chinese reproductive women was <1 out of 10, to improve COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, our findings suggest that tailored public health measures are needed to increase perceived susceptibility and benefit, and decrease perceived barriers among reproductive women.

Download Full-text

MOA Framework and Website Quality as Creator of Attitude and Behavioral Consequences

Jurnal Ilmu Manajemen & Ekonomika ◽

10.35384/jime.v8i2.8 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 81

Author(s):

Whony Rofianto

Keyword(s):

User Satisfaction ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Word Of Mouth ◽

Positive Impact ◽

The Other ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Student Sample ◽

Website Quality ◽

Moa Framework

This study aimed to examine the factors driving the establishment of user satisfaction on the campus website. The study focused on two exogenous constructs, namely website quality as the external aspects and the MOA framework (especially motivation and ability) as the internal aspects for users of the campus website. The study also tried to examine the dual implications of user satisfaction, toward the intention to revisit on one side, also toward attitude and word-of-mouth intention on the campuses itself on the other side. This study was conducted using descriptive research design approach. A total of 210 cross-sectional data collected through an offline and online survey on student sample of state and private universities in the JABODETABEK area. Data analysis and hypothesis testing was executed using Structural Equation Model. The analysis of empirical data indicates a positive impact of website quality on user satisfaction. Furthermore, user satisfaction proven to give positive implications toward revisit intention on the one hand, and the attitude toward the brand on the other side, which in turn encourages word-of-mouth intention. Meanwhile, opposite findings on the effect of the MOA framework on user satisfaction, it gives a new insight that amplify the urgency of the implementation of campus website by higher education providers.

Download Full-text