PurposeThis study investigated patients’ and pharmacists’ attitudes toward concordance in a pharmacist–patient consultation and how patients’ attitudes toward concordance relate to their involvement and self-efficacy in decision making associated with medication use.Subjects and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with chronic diseases and pharmacists from three public hospitals in Malaysia. The Revised United States Leeds Attitudes toward Concordance (RUS-LATCon) was used to measure attitudes toward concordance in both patients and pharmacists. Patients also rated their perceived level of involvement in decision making and completed the Decision Self-Efficacy scale. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent t-test were used to determine significant differences between different subgroups on attitudes toward concordance, and multiple linear regression was performed to find the predictors of patients’ self-efficacy in decision making.ResultsA total of 389 patients and 93 pharmacists participated in the study. Pharmacists and patients scored M=3.92 (SD=0.37) and M=3.84 (SD=0.46) on the RUS-LATCon scale, respectively. Seven items were found to be significantly different between pharmacists and patients on the subscale level. Patients who felt fully involved in decision making (M=3.94, SD=0.462) scored significantly higher on attitudes toward concordance than those who felt partially involved (M=3.82, SD=0.478) and not involved at all (M=3.68, SD=0.471; p<0.001). Patients had an average score of 76.7% (SD=14.73%) on the Decision Self-Efficacy scale. In multiple linear regression analysis, ethnicity, number of medications taken by patients, patients’ perceived level of involvement, and attitudes toward concordance are significant predictors of patients’ self-efficacy in decision making (p<0.05).ConclusionPatients who felt involved in their consultations had more positive attitudes toward concordance and higher confidence in making an informed decision. Further study is recommended on interventions involving pharmacists in supporting patients’ involvement in medication-related decision making.

Background Community pharmacists have an important role in ensuring safe and effective use of medicines. However, poor job satisfaction and high stress levels may negatively affect job performance. Aim This study evaluated job satisfaction and job stress levels, and associated factors, among community pharmacists in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was conducted to assess job satisfaction and stress among community pharmacists. A sample of 286 respondents was selected using stratified‐random clustered sampling. Levels of and factors affecting job satisfaction and stress, as reported by community pharmacists, were analysed. Results There was a moderate level of job satisfaction among pharmacists (mean (±SD) score 3.39 ± 0.42; range 1–5). Job characteristics that provided the highest satisfaction were work environment and interpersonal relationships with coworkers. Stress levels among pharmacists were below the scale mid‐point (mean (±SD) score 1.86 ± 0.44; range 1–4). Responsibility for patient care was perceived to contribute most to job stress. Ethnicity (p = 0.026) and average number of prescriptions filled daily (p = 0.016) significantly affected job satisfaction, whereas job stress was significantly affected by age (p < 0.001), years of experience (p = 0.003) and number of working hours/week (p = 0.003). Conclusions This study demonstrates the effects of various demographic and job‐related variables on community pharmacists’ job satisfaction and stress. Further research is required to gain a better understanding of factors affecting job satisfaction and stress among pharmacists across Malaysia, and their effects on professional practice and patient care.

Rationale, aims and objectives: Patient-centred care (PCC) has been increasingly recognized as the standard in current health care, especially when it comes to health communication between patients and health care professionals. The evidence suggests that PCC could potentially improve medication-related outcomes such as medication adherence, disease self-management, and patient-provider relationships. Pharmacists are strategically positioned in the health care system to provide medication management to patients. However, there is a paucity of research regarding PCC in pharmacist-patient consultations. This study aimed to explore the views and experiences of pharmacists and patients on the important aspects of a PCC consultation. Methods: A semistructured interview study was conducted among 17 patients and 18 pharmacists in three tertiary hospitals in Malaysia. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Themes were developed using a constant comparison approach and thematic analysis. Results: Five main themes emerged from the data, namely, achieving mutual understanding, recognizing individuality, communication style, information giving, and medication decision making. For both pharmacists and patients, a PCC consultation should promote mutual understanding and non-judgmental discussions. Communication was an important element to bridge the gap between patients' and pharmacists' expectations. Patients emphasized the importance of emotional aspects of the consultation, while pharmacists emphasized the importance of evidence-based information to support patient engagement and information needs. Conclusions: Comparison of pharmacists' and patients' views provided insight towards important aspects of PCC in pharmacist-patient consultations. It was suggested that PCC is not a one-sided approach but rather a patient-provider collaboration to optimize the consultation. Further research can be done to improve the integration of PCC in the local health care context, including pharmacist consultations.

First-year pharmacy students in the private higher education sector are motivated by intrinsic interest when choosing to study pharmacy over other courses, while their choice of private university is influenced primarily by the image of the school and university.

Background Patient-centred care (PCC) has been suggested to provide benefits such as improved patient-healthcare provider communication and better disease self-management to patients. The practice of PCC should involve all healthcare professionals, including pharmacists who are well-positioned in providing pharmaceutical care to patients. However, a better understanding of the factors that can affect the practice of PCC in pharmacists’ consultations is needed. Objective To explore the perceptions of Malaysian hospital pharmacists and patients on the barriers and facilitators of a PCC approach in pharmacist consultations. Design This study employed a qualitative, explorative semi-structured interview design. Setting and participants Interviews were conducted with 17 patients and 18 pharmacists from three tertiary hospitals in Malaysia. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Emerging themes were developed through a constant comparative approach and thematic analysis. Results Three themes were identified in this study: (i) patient-related factors (knowledge, role expectations, and sociocultural characteristics), (ii) pharmacist-related factors (personalities and communication), and (iii) healthcare institutional and system-related factors (resources, continuity of care, and interprofessional collaboration). Pharmacists and patients mentioned that factors such as patients’ knowledge and attitudes and pharmacists’ personality traits and communication styles can affect patients’ engagement in the consultation. Long waiting time and insufficient manpower were perceived as barriers to the practice of PCC. Continuity of care and interprofessional collaboration were viewed as crucial in providing supportive and tailored care to patients. Conclusion The study findings outlined the potential factors of PCC that may influence its implementation in pharmacist consultations. Strategic approaches can be undertaken by policymakers, healthcare institutions, and pharmacists themselves to address the identified barriers to more fully support the implementation of PCC in the pharmacy setting.