Community Pharmacists’ Views and Practices Regarding Natural Health Products Sold in Community Pharmacies

Abstract

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.

<p>Community Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Professional Practice Behaviors Towards Dietary Supplements: Results from Multi-Center Survey in Ethiopia</p>

“…26 On the contrary, other studies reported that recommending DS is widespread among pharmacists. 25,27,34 One of the factors affecting pharmacy practice on recommending DS might be due to a lack of evidence on the safe use of DS. 34,35 Evidence using Web pages and scientific references was searched among a few participants (39%) about DS while the majority (61%) could not refer to any of the references in the current study.…”

“…16 Some of the speculated reasons that contribute to the inadequacy of information were inadequate training and non-corporation of counseling program about DS in a curriculum of pharmacy as well as unavailability of approved resources. 21,22 Numerous published articles investigated the level of attitudes and knowledge of community pharmacist regarding CAM, [23][24][25][26][27] but little has been explored to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of community pharmacists towards DS alone. 18,28 As to the best of the authors′ knowledge, there is no study considering pharmacists KAP towards DS in Ethiopia context.…”

Community Pharmacist’s Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices towards Vitamin Supplements in Al-Khobar Region, Saudi Arabia: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

“…[11] In accordance with this result, a similar pattern of practice toward VS counseling was also reported by another researcher in Jordan. [27] Similarly, many studies confirmed that pharmacists reported recommending DS to patients. [12527] In contrast, other studies have indicated insufficient counseling by the pharmacists on the proper use of DS because of unavailability of scientific evidence for their efficacy and safety and inadequate knowledge to recommend patients appropriately.…”

“…[12527] In contrast, other studies have indicated insufficient counseling by the pharmacists on the proper use of DS because of unavailability of scientific evidence for their efficacy and safety and inadequate knowledge to recommend patients appropriately. [1928]…”

Investigation of the synergistic effects of haloperidol combined with <i>Calculus Bovis Sativus</i> in treating MK-801-induced schizophrenia in rats

“…Hitherto, traditional medicine (TM) has played an important role in the treatment of neurological diseases. Moreover, a combination of TM and western medicine can greatly improve clinical efficacy and is accepted by various countries, such as China, Japan, India, and South Korea [ 5 , 27 ]. Previous pharmacological studies have shown that CBS was beneficial in treating neurological diseases, including hyperlipemia vascular dementia [ 43 ].…”