Objectives The goal of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and perceived barriers among community pharmacists towards breast cancer health promotion. Methods A structured questionnaire was administered to 1000 registered community pharmacists in northern, central and southern regions in Jordan. Key findings Mean score for knowledge of breast cancer among community pharmacists was 8.51 AE 3.04 points out of 15 points, classifying the overall knowledge as acceptable. Five hundred (50%) pharmacists had poor knowledge, while the other half had acceptable level of knowledge for breast cancer. Mean score for pharmacists' knowledge of breast cancer screening was 3.83 AE 1.61 out of 7 points. Six hundred pharmacists (60%) had poor knowledge, while 400 pharmacists (40%) had satisfactory knowledge of screening guidelines. Pharmacists showed favourable attitude towards involvement in breast cancer education with an average score of 19.8 AE 4.35 out of 28 points. Lack of time was perceived by most pharmacists (63.9%) as a major barrier. Other highly recognised barriers were lack of privacy (57.1%) and lack of proper educational skills (56.2%). Age had no relationship with level of knowledge or attitude among pharmacists; however, a significant correlation exists between pharmacists' attitude and knowledge of breast cancer. Conclusions Knowledge of breast cancer and its screening were modest among community pharmacists in Jordan. However, views of community pharmacists towards breast cancer health promotion and awareness were positive. Efforts to improve knowledge of community pharmacists in order to be effective educators of the public about breast cancer are highly advocated.

Context. Despite improvement in pain management and availability of clinical treatment guidelines, patients in Jordan are still suffering from pain. Negative consequences of undertreated pain are being recognized as a reason for further illnesses and poor quality of life. Healthcare providers (HCPs) are responsible for relieving pain of their patients. Objective. To evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of HCPs toward pain management in Jordan. Methods. A 16-item questionnaire with agree or disagree options was given to 662 HCPs in seven hospitals in Jordan who volunteered to participate in the study. Following data collection, the responses were coded and entered into SPSS. Results. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.004) in percentage scores between physicians (36%) and pharmacists (36%) versus nurses (24%). The level of knowledge was the best among physicians, followed by pharmacists specifically in the area of cancer pain management. Nurses scored the lowest for knowledge of pain assessment and management among HCPs. However, HCPs overall scores indicated insufficient knowledge specifically in relation to pain assessment and management among children.

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Objective:This study aims to assess the views and attitudes of the general public towards the current role of pharmacists in Jordan.Methods:This study is a cross-sectional quantitative questionnaire-based study. After a thorough literature review on public perspectives of pharmaceutical care services, a draft questionnaire was designed. This questionnaire was examined and discussed in a focus group of invited public members and was amended accordingly to reach the final draft. The questionnaire was administered using a structured interview technique in which members of the public were asked a series of questions by a trained pharmacist. The study took a place over a period of six months, from January to June 2013. Individuals were recruited from urban and rural areas of Jordan.Results:A total of 1214 respondents were interviewed during the study. Of the respondents, 67.8% were female. Most of the respondent were married (64%) and had a university degree (88.5%). Approximately half of the respondents (55.1%) had no previous knowledge of pharmaceutical care. A relative majority of respondents considered the most important activity performed by pharmacists to be dispensing medications (46.2%), followed by patient counseling (34.6%). The majority of respondents (86.4%) believed that pharmacists have a role in providing healthcare services, and 68% of respondents reported that in order to serve their needs, a pharmacist must consider the patient’s needs and engage patients in determining medication timing and options.Conclusions:The plurality of respondents believed in the importance of pharmacists in providing pharmaceutical care services. However, respondents expected much from pharmacists and felt that their current role was unsatisfying.

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