Dataset Information

Pharmacists' Willingness to Provide Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Services and the Needs to Support COVID-19 Testing, Management, and Prevention.

ABSTRACT: The need for increased testing is pivotal in the response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Recently, through the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act, pharmacists were given the ability to order and administer COVID-19 tests, giving them a better opportunity to engage in the pandemic response across the nation as well as in Idaho. This survey sought to determine Idaho pharmacists' willingness to provide different COVID-19 related services, assess needed resources to provide such services, and identify and prioritize other unmet community needs. We conducted a nine-question, cross-sectional survey distributed to pharmacists with addresses located in Idaho. All questions in the survey were optional and focused on pharmacist's willingness to provide services, what resources and additional training they would need, difficulty with 90-day prescriptions, and solicited additional feedback using an open-ended question. A total of 229 responses were received, representing all areas of pharmacy practice, with approximately half from community settings. The majority of respondents (70%) were willing to provide COVID-19 testing. Adequate staffing, changes to workflow, and the need for billing and clear reimbursement mechanisms were most frequently cited as barriers to contributing to the COVID-19 response. In summary, we found that pharmacists are very willing to help during this crisis, but their involvement may be better facilitated with the removal of barriers.

SUBMITTER: Nguyen E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7645892 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Pharmacists' Willingness to Provide Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Services and the Needs to Support COVID-19 Testing, Management, and Prevention.

Nguyen Elaine E Owens Christopher T CT Daniels Tayler T Boyle Jeremy J Robinson Renee F RF

Journal of community health 20201106 4

The need for increased testing is pivotal in the response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Recently, through the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act, pharmacists were given the ability to order and administer COVID-19 tests, giving them a better opportunity to engage in the pandemic response across the nation as well as in Idaho. This survey sought to determine Idaho pharmacists' willingness to provide different COVID-19 related services, assess needed resources ...[more]

PMID: 33156454

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is considered one of the most important public health crises all over the world and in Egypt. Community pharmacists represent the third largest health care professional group after physicians and nurses. Community pharmacists are expected to be fully prepared at the frontline of defending their community needs by limiting the spread of COVID-19 via different pharmaceutical care services.AimThis study aimed to evaluate the sources of knowledge and readiness of community pharmacists in facing COVID-19 early outbreak in Egypt.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was performed via a self-administered online google form questionnaire during the early period from 14 April to 3 June 2020. The questionnaire focused on; evaluating education level, sources of information, and readiness of Egyptian community pharmacists in the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.ResultsA total of 318 community pharmacists from Egypt participated in this questionnaire. About half of the surveyed pharmacists reported that they were frequently consulted and that their patients were seeking consultation regarding COVID-19 management more than 10 times per day. More than half of the pharmacists reported using social media as a source of information and knew the right social distancing recommendations. Regarding protective measures, only a quarter of pharmacists disclosed the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE). Nevertheless, the majority of pharmacists significantly reported some initial lack of support either inform of recommendations or PPE supply.ConclusionThe study revealed the dependence of community pharmacists on social media as the main source of information and the lack of early awareness of evidence-based practice resources. Community pharmacists were in need of more initial support to achieve better satisfaction, patient counselling and infection control. Corrective measures were promptly undertaken to support and satisfy the Egyptian community pharmacists' initial awareness and readiness facing COVID-19.

Project description:BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in profound health challenges across the globe. Pharmacists' readiness to cope with the pandemic is critical in supporting and sustaining the healthcare workforce to meet the challenges.ObjectiveThis study aims to examine community pharmacists' views on their work environment, policies and preparedness for safe retail patronage to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and assess the variables influencing coping strategies during the pandemic.SettingAn online survey of pharmacists practising in community pharmacy setting in Malaysia.MethodA questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in Malaysia to evaluate coping strategies of community pharmacists and pharmaceutical services provided during COVID-19 pandemic. Between May 1 and July 31, 2020, the questionnaire was distributed to pharmacists working in community setting nationwide utilising a snowball sampling method.Main outcome measureCommunity pharmacists' perceptions on safety, resilience, organisational support, and pharmaceutical services offered during COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsA total of 217 pharmacists participated in the study. The vast majority of community pharmacists reported a positive outlook and were able to balance working with self-care during this period. Most reported to have access to personal protective equipment such as gloves and hand sanitisers. A large proportion of community pharmacies also installed physical barriers in doorways or in front of the counter, put markings on the ground to section areas to ensure physical distancing, and controlled the number of customers who could access the pharmacy during this period. Innovations reported to be implemented included teleconsultations and providing curb-side or drive-through delivery and pickup services.ConclusionThe findings suggest the frontline and essential roles of community pharmacists in delivering pandemic responses, creating the opportunity to determine areas where community pharmacy services can be incorporated to strengthen the public health system and improve patient health outcomes.

Dataset Information

Pharmacists' Willingness to Provide Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Services and the Needs to Support COVID-19 Testing, Management, and Prevention.

Publications

Pharmacists' Willingness to Provide Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Services and the Needs to Support COVID-19 Testing, Management, and Prevention.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets