Dataset Information

Stretching the Boundaries: Tanzanian Pharmacy Workers' Views and Experiences of Providing STI Services for Men Who Have Sex with Men.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To explore the views and experiences of providing assistance and treatment of sexually transmitted infections to same-sex practicing male clients among service providers at pharmacies and drugstores in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Previous research suggests that sexually transmitted infections are an increasing concern for this population. Due to stigma and discrimination, men who have sex with men face limited access to treatment, which might contribute to increased self-medication. However, limited research has been conducted on the role of the pharmaceutical service provider with regards to this population in sub-Saharan Africa.

Method

In January 2016, 16 service providers at private pharmacies and drugstores with previous experience of providing services to this population were purposively selected for open-ended face-to-face interviews. The analysis was guided by the grounded theory approach.

Results

The process that emerged was labelled "Stretching Boundaries for Pharmaceutical Responsibilities". This reflected informants' perceptions of themselves as being involved in a transition from having limited engagement in the care of same-sex practicing male clients to becoming regular service-providers to this group. Findings further revealed that the emotional commitment they developed for clients through this process led to a transgression of provider-client boundaries, which undermined objective decision-making when clients lacked prescription. Financial interests also emerged as an underlying motivation for providing incomplete or inaccurate drug dosages.

Conclusions

Further studies are required to better address incentives related to unregulated sale of drugs. Inter-professional networks between pharmacy and healthcare workers could support the development of targeted treatment for men who have sex with men and other key populations.

SUBMITTER: Larsson M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5094583 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Stretching the Boundaries: Tanzanian Pharmacy Workers' Views and Experiences of Providing STI Services for Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Larsson Markus M Odberg Pettersson Karen K Kashiha John J Ross Michael W MW Agardh Anette A

PloS one 20161103 11

<h4>Objective</h4>To explore the views and experiences of providing assistance and treatment of sexually transmitted infections to same-sex practicing male clients among service providers at pharmacies and drugstores in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Previous research suggests that sexually transmitted infections are an increasing concern for this population. Due to stigma and discrimination, men who have sex with men face limited access to treatment, which might contribute to increased self-medicatio ...[more]

PMID: 27812206

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Project description:Pharmacy practice has evolved to include direct patient care and interprofessional team models. Proper documentation of training and certification is required to verify eligibility for providing specialized services and for reimbursement. The objectives of this study were to assess pharmacists' views and perceptions on credentialing with respect to (1) familiarity and perceived importance of credentialing; (2) satisfaction with current credentialing tracking systems; and (3) challenges in adopting a centralized credentialing platform. This study used a cross-sectional, survey design to examine pharmacist perceptions of credentialing. The survey, distributed by the American Pharmacists Association from November 18, 2017 to December 2, 2017, consisted of 11 demographic items and 22 items about familiarity, importance, satisfaction and current systems of credentialing in pharmacy practice. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and outcome variables. Content analysis was conducted on freeform responses. Data were analyzed from 446 (7.3%) completed surveys of the 6,144 distributed. Respondents were primarily represented by pharmacists from chain stores (29.6%), outpatient clinics (16.6%), and academic settings (15.2%). Job titles included staff pharmacist (33.9%), clinical pharmacist (21.3%), and manager positions (18.3%). Nine of 10 pharmacists reported familiarity with credentialing and considered credentialing as important to the pharmacy profession. Majority agreed with the importance of having a centralized online platform to store credentialing information (96.1%) and to obtain reimbursement (97.1%). Poor integration of data among different platforms (16%) was a common reason for dissatisfaction with current tracking systems. Most respondents (96.5%) were willing to provide information necessary for credentialing; however, over half were concerned about security of the information. This study was among the first to examine pharmacist perceptions of credentialing. Pharmacists in this study were familiar with and responsive to participating in credentialing process. They were also supportive of having a centralized credentialing system, but held reservations about security of information.

Dataset Information

Stretching the Boundaries: Tanzanian Pharmacy Workers' Views and Experiences of Providing STI Services for Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Stretching the Boundaries: Tanzanian Pharmacy Workers' Views and Experiences of Providing STI Services for Men Who Have Sex with Men.

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