A Qualitative Study Exploring Community Pharmacists' Experiences and Views About Weight Management Interventions and Services in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Abstract

Objective: To qualitatively explore the perspectives of community pharmacists in Malaysia on their roles in weight management, and the barriers and facilitators in the expansion of these roles.Methods: A purposive sampling method was used to recruit community pharmacists in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with community pharmacists, with an interview guide, from May 2018 to January 2019. The interviews were conducted in person (face-to-face). All interviews were audio-recorded with consent and transcribed verbatim. The interview transcripts were analyzed thematically, whereby emerging themes were coded and grouped into categories.Results: Twenty-four community pharmacists were recruited, with years of experience in pharmacy practice ranging from 2 to 40 years. Participants described their perceptions on the different weight management interventions where they emphasized the importance of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention and viewed that it should be the first-line intervention. Participants regarded their weight management service as easily accessible or approachable since community pharmacies are often the first point of call for patients seeking advice for their conditions before consulting doctors. Barriers identified by community pharmacists were mainly organizational in nature, which included lack of private consultation rooms, lack of time, and lack of qualified staff. Participants also described the need for training in weight management.Conclusion: Community pharmacists in Malaysia believed that they can positively contribute to the area of weight management. They cited multiple roles that they could play in weight management interventions and services. The roles cited include provision of education and advice, including on lifestyle modifications, drug therapy, weight loss products and supplements, and monitoring and providing referrals to other healthcare professionals. However, barriers would need to be addressed, including through pharmacist training, to strengthen and improve community pharmacists' roles and contributions in weight management service.

Community Pharmacists’ Perceptions of Their Role in Provision of Anemia Management in Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia, and the Associated Barriers

“…Pharmacists perceived that their role in anemia management involved three major components: patient self-management, medication use, and anemia control. This is consistent with extant literature showing positive perceptions regarding the role of community pharmacists in the management of chronic diseases [ 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Furthermore, our results indicated that the guidelines for managing anemic patients did not stipulate the role of a typical community pharmacist in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.…”

Pharmacist's Perspectives on Administering a COVID-19 Vaccine in Community Pharmacies in Four Balkan Countries

“…Community pharmacists are already involved in verifying shelves medication stocks, ensuring an uninterrupted supply chain by keeping a constant connection with producers and deposits, and predicting sales through inventories ( 1 , 2 , 46 , 48 ), or different interventions and services ( 49 ). European pharmacists have already been involved in disease control and prevention of infection in the past year and directly ensured healthcare directed toward patients as a response to the pandemic crisis ( 39 , 42 , 43 , 46 ).…”

Emerging Roles of Community Pharmacist in Public Health: A Review on ASIA

“…Be it global, national, state, regional, and institutional, the pharmacists have a responsibility to promote public health [66]. In this article review, several interventions have highlighted the emerging roles of community pharmacists on public health especially on smoking cessation [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14], weight management [15][16][17][18]68], COVID-19 [58][59][60][61], chronic disease management [19][20][21][22][23][24][25]62], drug misuse prevention and management [26][27][28][29][30][31], and immunization and vaccination [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46].…”

“…On the aspect of weight management services delivered by community pharmacists, several studies had a positive response on the interventions that help patients in improving their eating habits and knowledge on their weight as well as obesity [16]. Community pharmacists are receptive to the idea that they can contribute to the weight management of the patients [17], not only that, respondents also supported the weight management programs delivered by community pharmacists in community pharmacies and agreed on their important roles in weight management of patients [18,19,68]. On the facet of services provided during COVID-19, community pharmacists' role emerged even so.…”