scholarly journals Evaluation of Bexar County community pharmacist attitudes toward harm reduction

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 383-391
Author(s):  
Mikali Shedd ◽  
Anna Bozhkova ◽  
Bethany A. Kalich ◽  
G. Lucy Wilkening
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Community Pharmacist ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Interquartile Range ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Bexar County ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Pharmacist Attitudes

Abstract Introduction Harm reduction is a term for strategies that minimize the negative outcomes of drug use. Given the progressing opioid epidemic, identifying barriers to harm reduction dispensing in community pharmacies is essential. Methods This online, survey-based study assessed community pharmacist attitudes toward harm reduction and perceived dispense rates of both naloxone and needles/syringes to patients without verifiable injectable prescriptions. The online survey was distributed to members of the Bexar County Pharmacist Association and university alumni. The survey collected demographics, perceived dispense rates of naloxone, needles and syringes, availability of pharmacy protocols for dispensing these products, and Likert-scaled attitudinal questions. Responses were collected for 6 weeks. Results Thirty-two survey responses were analyzed. Participants were generally white (n = 14) or Hispanic/Latino (n = 14), had a median age of 37 years (interquartile range, 32-49 years), and had a median graduation year of 2011 (interquartile range, 1988-2016). Most pharmacists agreed or strongly agreed they should be involved in harm reduction (n = 26) and that pharmacies are an appropriate place to access these resources (n = 26). However, most reported never or rarely dispensing both naloxone (n = 19) and needles and syringes (n = 22). Naloxone or needle and syringe protocol use was reported by 66% (n = 21) and 47% (n = 15) of pharmacists, respectively. Pharmacy protocols significantly enhanced the likelihood of naloxone dispensing (P = .007) but not needle and syringe dispensing (P = .24). Conclusion Community pharmacists exhibited positive attitudes toward harm reduction but reported low rates of dispensing both naloxone and needles and syringes. Pharmacy protocols could be enhanced to better support community pharmacists in this area.

Australian pharmacists’ willingness to conduct rapid HIV testing in community pharmacies

Sexual Health ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 292
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Santella ◽  
Timothy E. Schlub ◽  
Damien Fagan ◽  
Richard J. Hillman ◽  
Ines Krass
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Hiv Patients ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Rapid Hiv Testing ◽  
Australian Community

Community pharmacists are expanding their roles in health care, especially as they are distributed over wide geographical areas and are often open long hours. New rapid HIV testing technologies may offer further opportunities to expand their roles. A cross-sectional, online survey of Australian community pharmacists found most prepared to provide treatment to HIV patients, with the majority willing to become involved in rapid HIV testing.

scholarly journals Identifying Gaps in Community Pharmacists’ Competence in Medication Risk Management in Routine Dispensing

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Sonja Kallio ◽  
Tiina Eskola ◽  
Marja Airaksinen ◽  
Marika Pohjanoksa-Mäntylä
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Drug Interactions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Medication Risk ◽  
Medication Counselling

Background: Community pharmacists increasingly contribute to medication risk management while dispensing medicines to outpatients. Their risk management actions are shifting from medication counselling towards reviewing medications and following-up their therapeutic effects and outcomes. Acquiring these more clinical tasks require more patient care-oriented competences.  Objective: To identify gaps in community pharmacists’ competence in medication risk management in routine dispensing.  Setting: All community pharmacies in Finland. Method: A national cross-sectional online survey was conducted through the Association of Finnish Pharmacies (n=574 community pharmacies) and the university pharmacies (n=2) in 2015. One pharmacist from each pharmacy was recommended to report on behalf of their outlet.  Main outcome measure: Community pharmacists’ self-assessed competence to: 1) identify medication-related risks, 2) utilise electronic tools in medication risk management, and 3) identify their perceived needs for developing competence in medication risk management. Results:  Responses were received from 169 community pharmacies (response rate 29%). The highest proportion of good competency estimates were self-assessed in confirming doses (98% of the respondents evaluated their competence to be good) and identifying drug-drug interactions (83%). Competence to identify adverse effects, such as serotonergic load (10%) and anticholinergic load (12%), was most seldomly perceived as good. Of the wide range of electronic databases available, respondents most commonly reported using daily summaries of product characteristics (97% of the respondents), the checklist-type generic medicines information database that supports in medication counselling (85%), and the programme assisting in identifying drug-drug interactions (83%). The most commonly reported training needs were related to the identification of serotonergic load (63%), anticholinergic load (62%), and evaluating the clinical significance of drug-drug interactions (54%).   Conclusion: The results indicate remarkable gaps in community pharmacists’ current competence in medication risk management, particularly in their competence in applied and geriatric pharmacotherapy.

scholarly journals Attitudes of Iraqi society towards the role of community pharmacists

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inas R. Ibrahim ◽  
Haydar F. Al Tukmagi ◽  
Abdulrasoul Wayyes
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Community Pharmacist ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Validated Questionnaire

Objectives: The main aims of this study were to assess society's use of community pharmacies; evaluate attitudes towards the role of the community pharmacist; and describe required pharmacist characteristics and future services. Study design: A cross-sectional survey with a stratified sampling technique. Methods: A self-administered, validated, questionnaire was distributed to 500 consumers in attendance at 50 community pharmacies in Baghdad, Iraq. Data were gathered from January to April 2012. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed to test for statistical differences among the study variables. Further analysis through the Chi-square test and logistic regression was completed to assess the predictors of society's attitudes. Results: Twenty-six percent of respondents visited their community pharmacies at least once per week and an additional 65% reported visiting their pharmacy at least once per month. Fifty-five percent of respondents listed the community pharmacist as the first person they would contact in case of any drug-related problem. However, the pharmacist's role was under-appreciated by the majority of respondents (79.8%). These attitudes varied significantly with regard to the demographic characteristics of respondents. Logistic regression analysis showed that gender and age were the influential predictors of favourable versus non-favourable attitudes towards the role of pharmacist. Conclusions: The use of community pharmacies in Iraq was characterized by frequent visits to purchase medicines. Selection of the pharmacy primarily depended on its location. Overall, an under-appreciation of the professional performance of pharmacists was predominant. Raising public awareness towards the important role of community pharmacists in providing public health is warranted.   Type: Original Research

Pharmacists’ Perceptions of Feasibility and Development of a Weight Management Program for Implementation in Community Pharmacies

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 629-636
Author(s):  
Yiran Rong ◽  
Lori M. Ward ◽  
Seena Haines ◽  
Meagen Rosenthal
Keyword(s):  
Weight Management ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Weight Management Program ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Rural Settings

Background: Community pharmacists-directed weight management programs have demonstrated positive impacts. Objective: To explore the feasibility of developing a community pharmacy-based weight management program by examining pharmacists’ perceptions of the implementation of such a program in their practice setting. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional online survey design. The respondents were registered community pharmacists in the southeastern United States. The survey contained 5 sections including demographics and questions gauging pharmacists interest in the proposed program. Survey findingswere examined using descriptive statistics, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: A total of 426 surveys were completed and returned. Over half (53.3%) of the respondents obtained a BSc in Pharmacy. Several respondents were already providing prescription (44.1%) or over-the-counter (OTC) product (30.4%) recommendations to patients interested in weight management. Approximately 35% of respondents were at least somewhat interested in starting a weight management program. Pharmacists self-identifying as practicing in chain pharmacy or rural settings or as being staff pharmacists were less in favor of implementing a program than the other groups. Conclusions: Community pharmacists’ respondents appeared interested in implementing a weight management program. The information gathered herein will be used to design a weight management program specifically for community pharmacies.

scholarly journals The Implementation of the Professional Role of the Community Pharmacist in the Immunization Practices in Italy to Counteract Vaccine Hesitancy

Pharmacy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Rosagemma Ciliberti ◽  
Nicola Luigi Bragazzi ◽  
Alessandro Bonsignore
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacist ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Professional Role ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Immunization Programs ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Ease Of Access

In Italy, the National Vaccinal Prevention Plan has renewed the commitment of the Italian government to promote a culture of vaccination practices in the general population and especially among healthcare professionals, considering it as a strategic goal. The search for useful tools and techniques to promote a layered and widespread information network capable of restoring a climate of trust and confidence towards vaccination, leads us to reflect on the possibility, already adopted in numerous countries, of enlisting community pharmacies in immunization campaigns also in Italy, positively implementing the professional role of the community pharmacist in immunization. The pharmacist is often the first point of contact with both the patients and the public, both for the relationship of trust and confidence that binds him to the citizens, and for the ease of access in relation to the widespread distribution of community pharmacies in the territory, the availability of prolonged operating hours, the absence of need for appointments and positions near/outside of healthcare facilities. Currently, in Italy the role of the community pharmacist is limited to counseling and providing advice and information regarding the benefits and/or any risks of vaccination practices, but does not imply a direct engagement in immunization programs, rather a collaboration to avoid straining and overwhelming the vaccination centers. Some recent questionnaire-based studies have shown that Italian community pharmacists have attitudes that are favorable to vaccinations, even though their knowledge is rather limited. Together with expanding the engagement of community pharmacists in immunization programs, their educational gap should be addressed in order to significantly improve and enhance the protection of the public health.

scholarly journals 147. Pharmacist Attitudes Towards Using Clinical Decision Support in Community Pharmacies to Promote Antibiotic Stewardship in the Treatment of Uncomplicated UTI

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S84-S84
Author(s):  
Sena Sayood ◽  
Katie Suda ◽  
Michael Durkin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Clinical Decision Support ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infection ◽  
Prescribing Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pharmacist Attitudes

Abstract Background Prior studies of prescribing practices have shown that providers frequently choose non-guideline concordant treatment regimens to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI). It has also been shown that uncomplicated UTI can be treated safely, and in a guideline concordant manner, by non-physician providers using an algorithm over the phone. The purpose of this study was to assess pharmacist attitudes towards using a clinical decision support (CDS) tool that would be used to evaluate and manage patients presenting with complaints of UTI in the community pharmacy setting. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews of community pharmacists (n = 21) from 2019 to 2020 until thematic saturation was reached. Pharmacists were questioned about their attitudes towards stewardship, workflow, interactions with patients and providers, and interest in using a computerized CDS tool. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and de-identified. Coding and analysis of the interviews was performed using NVivo version 12. Results Pharmacists were interviewed with practice experience ranging from 2 to 54 years (median 13, IQR 6, 27). All pharmacists expressed interest in using CDS to assist with patient evaluations and stewardship. They reported that patients routinely use the community pharmacy as a first stop for medical advice and that they have several interactions per day with patients in which they counsel them on a variety of issues, including UTI. Their assessment and management decisions of UTIs were based on personal knowledge and not on any standard of care. Communication difficulties with primary care offices often delayed management of these patients and lack of information sharing made it difficult for pharmacists to engage in stewardship practices. Conclusion Community pharmacies are an important point of contact for patients and represent a significant opportunity to implement outpatient stewardship interventions. Pharmacists had an overwhelmingly favorable response to the prospect of using a CDS tool, both to help in patient evaluation and to promote antimicrobial stewardship. Based on these results we can conclude that it would be feasible to pilot a CDS tool in community pharmacies to further evaluate its safety and efficacy in the treatment of UTI. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals Southern Yemeni Pharmacy Dispensers ' Understanding, Attitudes and Perceived Barriers Related to Pharmaceutical Care

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4-s) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Shuhd Alawi ◽  
Nazeh Al-Abd ◽  
Ali Rageh ◽  
Wafa F.S. Badulla ◽  
Mohammed Alshakka
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Pharmaceutical Care ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medication Therapy ◽  
Positive Attitudes

Background: Pharmaceutical care (PC) is the value of a practice that includes recognizing and solving medication therapy issues to improve patient outcomes. Studies regarding this issue in Yemen are very limited. Objectives: The study aims to assess the perception of community pharmacists to the concept of Pharmaceutical care and the obstacles that limit the provision of pharmaceutical care. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study of community pharmacy dispensers (CPDs) was conducted among pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in community pharmacies in different areas of South Yemen from September 2019 until December 2019. The structured self-administered questionnaires consist of four sections dealing with the demographics of participants and their understanding of the concept of pharmaceutical care and their attitudes and obstacles to the implementation of pharmaceutical care in Yemen. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 Results: A total of Two-hundred pharmacists were included in this study. The result revealed that there were a reasonable number of experts (over 5 years' experience) and educated pharmacists( Diploma and bachelor’s degree) available for counseling patients about specific issues in the community pharmacies. Interestingly, all the respondents had good knowledge of pharmaceutical care and the majority of the pharmacists (87.5%) had a favorable attitude toward pharmaceutical care and their role in the health care system. The overall results relating to the perceived frequency of community pharmacy services provision was lower than (50%) in most statements. The result indicated a gap in the community pharmacists' communication with the patients. There are several barriers impedes the active and effective involvement of community pharmacists such as; insufficient communication with physicians, lack of physical space for pharmaceutical care, the slow introduction of pharmacists’ law, and others. Conclusion: The results revealed that pharmacists' understanding of the pharmaceutical care concept is good despite that there was no real implementation of pharmaceutical care. Even though they had positive attitudes towards the concept but there were many barriers to the effective application. Keywords: Pharmaceutical Care Concept; Community Pharmacists; South Yemen

scholarly journals Medication Risk Management in Routine Dispensing in Community Pharmacies

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (21) ◽  
pp. 8186
Author(s):  
Sonja Kallio ◽  
Tiina Eskola ◽  
Marika Pohjanoksa-Mäntylä ◽  
Marja Airaksinen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Medication Risk

Community pharmacists have a duty to contribute to medication risk management in outpatient care. This study aimed to investigate the actions taken by pharmacists in routine dispensing to manage medication risks. The study was conducted as a national cross-sectional online survey targeted at all community pharmacies in Finland (n = 576) in October 2015. One pharmacist from each pharmacy was recommended to be the spokesperson for the outlet to describe their practices. Responses were received from 169 pharmacies (response rate of 29%). Pharmacists were oriented to solving poor adherence and technical problems in prescriptions, whereas responsibility for therapeutic risks was transferred to the patient to resolve them with the physician. Pharmacists have access to a wide range of electronic medication risk management tools, but they are rarely utilized in daily dispensing. Attention was paid to drug–drug interactions and the frequency of dispensing with regard to high-risk medicines. Pharmacies rarely had local agreements with other healthcare providers to solve medication-related risks. In routine dispensing, more attention needs to be given to the identification and solving of therapeutic risks in medications, especially those of older adults. Better participation of community pharmacists in medication risk management requires stronger integration and an explicit mandate to solve the therapeutic risks.

scholarly journals Pharmacist attitudes and provision of harm reduction services in North Carolina: an exploratory study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Parry ◽  
William A. Zule ◽  
Christopher B. Hurt ◽  
Donna M. Evon ◽  
Sarah K. Rhea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Persons Who Inject Drugs ◽  
Hcv Screening ◽  
Pharmacist Attitudes

Abstract Background Pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare providers in the United States and uniquely positioned to provide harm reduction services. The availability of pharmacy-based harm reduction services and pharmacist attitudes toward delivering these services have been understudied to date. We examine North Carolina (NC) pharmacists’ experiences with and attitudes about harm reduction services and explore differences between rural and urban pharmacists. Methods A convenience sample of NC pharmacists participated in an anonymous, online survey regarding harm reduction services: non-prescription syringe sales; naloxone dispensing; and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening. Urban–rural differences were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests. Open-ended responses were analyzed thematically. Results Three hundred pharmacists responded to the survey; 68 (23%) practiced in rural counties. Dispensing non-prescription syringes and naloxone at least occasionally was reported by 77% (n = 231) and 88% (n = 263) pharmacists, respectively. Pharmacy-delivered HIV or HCV screening was rare. Urban pharmacists dispensed naloxone more frequently than rural pharmacies (p = 0.04). Only 52% of pharmacists agreed that persons who inject drugs should always be allowed to buy non-prescription syringes. Rural pharmacists’ attitudes toward harm reduction services for persons who inject drugs were statistically, though marginally, less supportive when compared to urban pharmacists’ attitudes. The most common barrier to non-prescription syringe access was requiring patients to provide proof of prescription injection medication use, which 21% of pharmacists reported was required by their pharmacy’s policy on non-prescription syringe sales. Conclusions Although most pharmacies distributed naloxone and sold non-prescription syringes, pharmacy store policies and personal beliefs inhibited naloxone and non-prescription syringe dispensing. NC community pharmacies infrequently offer HIV and HCV screening. Paired with disseminating the evidence of the positive impact of harm reduction on individual and public health outcomes to NC pharmacists, institutional and systems changes to practice and policy may be important to promote harm reduction service availability, particularly for rural NC residents. Trial registration: N/A.

scholarly journals Trends in dispensing oral emergency contraceptives and safety issues: a survey of German community pharmacists

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1499-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Said ◽  
Matthias Ganso ◽  
Leonard Freudewald ◽  
Martin Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Community Pharmacies ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
The Past ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Emergency Contraceptives

Abstract Background Oral emergency contraceptives containing levonorgestrel or ulipristal acetate are available without prescription and only in pharmacies in Germany since March 2015. Due to this change community pharmacists are responsible for evaluating whether the product is appropriate and to educate women on proper use. Objective To measure the utilization of emergency contraceptives without a prescription and describe potential concerns and safety issues identified by community pharmacists in Germany. Setting The Drug Commission of German Pharmacists' nationwide network of reference pharmacies which includes 860 community pharmacies. Methods Reference community pharmacies were asked to participate in the eleven-questions online survey. Respondents were asked to recall their experiences with oral emergency contraceptives in the past 3 months. Data were collected between January 8 and February 19, 2018. Main outcome measure The survey focused on the utilization of emergency contraceptives without a prescription in Germany, and on the pharmacists’ experiences with (potential) problems and concerns regarding safe use. Results In total, 555 community pharmacies (64.5%) participated. Overall 38.2% of community pharmacists stated they dispensed six to ten courses of emergency contraceptives within the past 3 months. In addition, 54.3% of the pharmacists estimated they dispensed emergency contraceptives exclusively without prescription and 35.9% dispensed more than 30% of emergency contraceptives during night-time and emergency services. Moreover, 82.8% of pharmacists stated that emergency contraceptives were requested not by the women concerned but a third person and 44.3% identified uncertainties in woman's self-diagnosis. Three out of four pharmacists had concerns about the effective and safe use of emergency contraceptives. In situations suggesting sexually transmitted diseases, or suspicion for use of force, 59.5% and 55.8% of the pharmacists, respectively, dispensed emergency contraceptives. In cases of acute health impairment or chronic disease, or (potentially) relevant drug/drug interaction, the vast majority (91.0% and 90.5%) did not. Here, most pharmacists referred to gynecologists. Conclusion Pharmacists had safety concerns when dispensing emergency contraceptives. Professional expertise in evaluating the need for oral emergency contraceptives and the proper use is needed.

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