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Perceptions and current practices of community pharmacists regarding antimicrobial stewardship in Tasmania.

ABSTRACT: Background Despite increasing interest in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), little is known about the related practices and perceptions of community pharmacists. Objective To develop and validate a questionnaire to measure the current practices of, and barriers to community pharmacists' participation in AMS. Setting Community pharmacists in Tasmania, Australia. Method A questionnaire to explore AMS knowledge, current practices and perceptions of community pharmacists was developed. It was designed after rigorous literature review, expert opinion, and feedback from a group of community pharmacists. A convenience sample of 140 Tasmanian community pharmacists was used for this study. Cronbach's alpha and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were used for reliability and validity. The questionnaire was hosted online, a link to which was sent by invitation e-mails, fax and post to community pharmacists in Tasmania, Australia. Main outcome measure Current AMS practices, perceived importance, barriers and facilitators of AMS. Results Eighty-five pharmacists responded to the survey yielding a response rate of 61%. EFA identified one factor solution for each of three perceptions scales and showed acceptable reliability. The Cronbach's alpha of perceived importance-understanding was 0.699, perceived importance-motivating was 0.734, perceived support from GPs was 0.890, operational barriers was 0.585, general facilitators was 0.615. Most pharmacists reported that they counselled patients on adverse effects (86%), drug interactions (94%), and allergies (96%). In contrast, less than half (43%) intervened with prescribers regarding antibiotic selection. Lack of training, lack of access to patients' records, limited interactions with general practitioners and absence of a reimbursement model were major barriers limiting community pharmacists' participation in AMS. Conclusion The questionnaire was of acceptable reliability and validity; a larger study will further contribute in its reliability and validity. Future studies utilising the questionnaire at national and international level may provide further insights into the determinants of community pharmacist's involvement in AMS.

SUBMITTER: Rizvi T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6208572 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Perceptions and current practices of community pharmacists regarding antimicrobial stewardship in Tasmania.

Rizvi Tasneem T Thompson Angus A Williams Mackenzie M Zaidi Syed Tabish Razi STR

International journal of clinical pharmacy 20180802 5

Background Despite increasing interest in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), little is known about the related practices and perceptions of community pharmacists. Objective To develop and validate a questionnaire to measure the current practices of, and barriers to community pharmacists' participation in AMS. Setting Community pharmacists in Tasmania, Australia. Method A questionnaire to explore AMS knowledge, current practices and perceptions of community pharmacists was developed. It was designe ...[more]

PMID: 30069668

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Project description:BackgroundIncreasing antimicrobial resistance is one of the pressing concerns globally. Injudicious use of antibiotics is one of the modifiable factors responsible for antimicrobial resistance. Given the widespread use of antimicrobials in community settings, pharmacists have an important role in ensuring appropriate use of antibiotics. The objective of this study was to assess the perception and self-reported practices of community pharmacists towards antimicrobial stewardship.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists between March-April, 2015, using a self-administered, pre-tested questionnaire in the State of Selangor, Malaysia. A simple random sampling approach was used to select pharmacy sites. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used to analyse the data.ResultsA total of 188 pharmacists responded to the survey, giving a response rate of 83.5%. The majority of participants (n = 182, 96.8%) believed that antimicrobial stewardship program helps healthcare professionals to improve the quality of patient care. However, more than half of pharmacists were neutral in their opinion about the incorporation of antimicrobial stewardship programs in community pharmacies (n = 102, 54.2%). Though collaboration was often done by pharmacists with other health professionals over the use of antibiotics (n = 104, 55.3%), a significant proportion of participants (n = 102, 54.2%) rarely/occasionally participate in antimicrobial awareness campaigns. Pharmacists having postgraduate qualification were more likely to held positive perceptions of, and were engaged in, antimicrobial stewardship than their non-postgraduate counterpart (p<0.05). Similarly, more experienced pharmacists (> 10 years) held positive perceptions towards antimicrobial stewardship (p<0.05).ConclusionThe study highlighted some gaps in the perception and practices of community pharmacist towards antimicrobial stewardship. Development of customized interventions would be critical to bridging these gaps and improve their perception and practices towards antimicrobial stewardship.

Project description:ObjectivesThis study aimed to identify barriers to the proper use of antibiotics by healthcare professionals and to help the hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship develop suitable actions for the staff.MethodsIn a Belgian teaching hospital, a survey was conducted among physicians, pharmacists, and nurses involved in antibiotherapy. Questions from the 2019 European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) survey were analyzed based on components of the COM-B model (capabilities, opportunities, and motivations). First, collected data were reviewed with the Ethnos software to analyze the different COM-B model components. For statistical analyses, responses were grouped into three clear-cut answers in a Fisher's exact test.ResultsOverall, 400 staff members were included. We found that our professions, combined, have a good perception of antibiotic resistance (97.8%). For capabilities, however, only 77.2% state that they have sufficient knowledge, with 91.3%, 71.5%, and 63.0% for physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, respectively. For opportunities (access to resources, information, and training), it is observed that 72.2% report having easy access to the guidelines they need to manage infections. In comparison, for 64.2% of the respondents, this information changed their opinion on the useless or inappropriate prescription, administration, and delivery of antibiotics. For 55.0%, this information has enabled them to change their practices. Finally, for motivations, 92.8% of respondents state that they know about the link between their practices and the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. However, only 65.0% of participants say they have a role in managing antibiotic resistance. We found that 5 out of 8 questions are significantly dependent on the profession: 2 inquiries related to capability, 1 to opportunity, and 2 to motivation.ConclusionWe found that responses to the ECDC questionnaire are related to the profession. While some topics are universal/cross-functional, others must be explicitly tailored to each professional category. Information is useless if not accessible. Communication and provision of documents are thus paramount.

Project description:BackgroundReports of regulatory and evidentiary gaps have raised concerns about the marketing and use of natural health products (NHPs). The majority of NHPs offered for sale are purchased at a community pharmacy and pharmacists are "front-line" health professionals involved in the marketing and provision of NHPs. To date, the involvement of pharmacists in pharmacy care involving NHPs and the degree to which concerns over the safety, efficacy, marketing and regulation of NHPs are addressed in pharmacy care in Canada have not been studied.MethodsUsing Qualtrics, a web-based data collection and analysis software, and a study instrument made up of fifteen (15) open-ended, closed and rating scale questions, we surveyed the attitudes and practices of 403 community pharmacists in the Canadian province of Alberta regarding NHPs offered for sale in community pharmacies.ResultsThe majority of pharmacists surveyed (276; 68%) recommend NHPs to clients sometimes to very often. Vitamin D, calcium, multivitamins, prenatal vitamins, probiotics and fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids were the most frequently recommended NHPs. The most common indications for which NHPs are recommended include bone and musculoskeletal disorders, maintenance of general health, gastrointestinal disorders and pregnancy. Review articles published in the Pharmacist's Letter and Canadian Pharmacists Journal were the primary basis for recommending NHPs. The majority of pharmacists surveyed (339; 84%) recommend the use of NHPs concurrently with conventional drugs, while a significant number and proportion (125; 31%) recommend alternative use. Pharmacists in the study overwhelmingly reported providing counselling on NHPs to clients based on information obtained mainly from the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database.ConclusionsThe study findings indicate a high prevalence of pharmacy care relating to NHPs among study participants. Although pharmacists' practices around NHPs are consistent with the existing licensing framework, we found some involvement in problematic practices that necessitate further research and potential policy scrutiny. The study also uncovered patterns of recommendations, including sources relied on in recommending NHPs and in providing counselling to patients, that raise concerns about the quality and credibility of NHP-related care provided to pharmacy patrons.

Project description: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.

Dataset Information

Perceptions and current practices of community pharmacists regarding antimicrobial stewardship in Tasmania.

Publications

Perceptions and current practices of community pharmacists regarding antimicrobial stewardship in Tasmania.

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