Experiential education in the pharmacy undergraduate curricula in Brazil

et al. 2022

BMC Health Serv Res

Background Drug dispensing aims to promote rational medicine use. However, in many countries, the work processes are still not well defined. In this sense, the perception of pharmacists about dispensing practices presents an overview of how the service is being performed in the country and its main challenges. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the self-reported work process of Brazilian community pharmacists in relation to drug dispensing, challenges, and strategies for carrying out the service. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted between May and July 2021, with community pharmacists from all regions of Brazil. Pharmacists were invited to answer a validated, self-administered questionnaire, implemented through Google Forms, containing 33 questions related to the steps of drug dispensing (questions and counseling) and the main challenges and strategies to perform the service. The data were exported to Microsoft Office Excel and SPSS®. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the association between responses and demographic information, with a significance level of less than 5% (p < 0.05). This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (number: 4.295.171). Results A total of 625 community pharmacists responded to the survey. Most pharmacists reported always or frequently performing 17 (54%) of the 31 steps described in the instrument. The steps that pharmacists reported performing more frequently were forming the medication name (n = 569, 91.04%), verifying the completeness and adequacy of the prescription according to current legislation (n = 567, 90.72%) and providing counseling on dosage (n = 549, 87.84%). Documentation was the main step in which pharmacists reported never or rarely performing (n = 424, 67.84%). The results showed that there was a significant influence of the variables of public education institution, age, and postgraduate education on the frequency of dispensing steps (F(3, 621) = 14.884, p < 0.001; R2ajdusted = 0,063). Conclusion This study showed that most pharmacists reported always or frequently asking most of the questions and performing counseling contained in the instrument during drug dispensing. These results can contribute to an understanding of current dispensing practices and generate insights for developing strategies to qualify the service.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of community pharmacists about the work process of drug dispensing: a cross-sectional survey study

Santos

et al. 2022

BMC Health Serv Res

“…Interestingly, the pharmacists reported deficiencies in their academic education in relation to drug dispensing. As in other low‐ and middle‐income countries, these shortcomings may be related to an overemphasis of basic sciences during undergraduate and lack of specialized disciplines and internships for the development of clinical skills 40–43 . In addition, although there are government initiatives intent on modifying undergraduate degree programmes related to health care, the excessive number of more than 600 pharmacy courses in Brazil can generate professional with different basic level needed to implement standard healthcare procedures 3,44,45 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Which factors may influence the implementation of drug dispensing in community pharmacies? A qualitative study

Cerqueira-Santos

Evaluation Clinical Practice

et al. 2022

Rationale, Aims and ObjectivesImplementation of clinical pharmacy services, such as drug dispensing, is a complex process. It is necessary to understand the challenges associated with this practice from the perspective of the actors involved to help ensure optimal service provision. Thus, this study aimed to understand the factors that may influence the implementation of drug dispensing in community pharmacies, according to the perceptions of pharmacists.MethodThis qualitative study was based on semistructured, face‐to‐face interviews. The participants were pharmacists who worked in a chain of community pharmacies in Brazil, selected based on their direct participation in the implementation process. The interview recordings were transcribed full verbatim and were independently analyzed using thematic analysis, followed by consensus meetings between researchers. The factors identified by the participants were classified according to the Apoteca framework. This study was approved by the Committee of Ethics in Research and all participants signed an informed consent form.ResultsWe conducted 18 interviews, with 47 factors that may influence the implementation of drug dispensing in community pharmacies being identified. These factors were allocated to seven categories: support from community pharmacy chain (4), pharmacy infrastructure (11), characteristics of the pharmacy, medicines and other health products (4), pharmacist (16), dispensing work process (2), pharmacy team (2) and patient (8). The classification of factors according to the Apoteca framework allocated most of them to administrative (14) and technical (15) domains, followed by attitudinal (13) and political (5) domains.Conclusion(s)This study identified several factors that can influence the implementation of drug dispensing and classified them according to the domains of the Apoteca framework, highlighting the multifactorial nature of the implementation process. The results of this study can guide the planning of strategies aimed at providing efficient drug dispensing in community pharmacies.

“…Interestingly, the pharmacists reported de ciencies in their academic education in relation to drug dispensing. As in other low-and middle-income countries, these shortcomings may be related to an overemphasis of basic sciences during undergraduate studies and lack of specialized disciplines and internships for the development of clinical skills [43,44,45,46]. In addition, although there are government initiatives intent on modifying undergraduate degree programs related to health care, the excessive number of more than 600 pharmacy courses in Brazil can generate professional with different basic level needed to implement standard healthcare procedures [3,47,48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Which factors may influence the implementation of drug dispensing in community pharmacies? A qualitative study

Cerqueira-Santos

et al. 2020

Preprint

Background: Implementation of clinical pharmacy services, such as drug dispensing, is a complex process. It is necessary to understand the challenges associated with this practice from the perspective of the actors involved to help ensure optimal service provision. Thus, this study aimed to understand the factors that may influence the implementation of drug dispensing in community pharmacies, according to the perceptions of pharmacists. Methods: This qualitative study was based on semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The participants were pharmacists who worked in a chain of community pharmacies in Brazil, selected based on their direct participation in the implementation process. The interview recordings were transcribed full verbatim and were independently analyzed using thematic analysis, followed by consensus meetings between researchers. The factors identified by the participants were classified according to the Apoteca framework. This study was approved by the Committee of Ethics in Research and all participants signed an informed consent form. Results: We conducted 18 interviews, with 47 factors that may influence the implementation of drug dispensing in community pharmacies being identified. These factors were allocated to seven categories: support from community pharmacy chain (4), pharmacy infrastructure (11), characteristics of the pharmacy, medicines and other health products (4), pharmacist (16), dispensing work process (2), pharmacy team (2), and patient (8). The classification of factors according to the Apoteca framework allocated most of them to administrative (14) and technical (14) domains, followed by attitudinal (13) and political (5) domains. Conclusions: This study identified several factors that can influence the implementation of drug dispensing and classified them according to the domains of the Apoteca framework, highlighting the multifactorial nature of the implementation process. The results of this study can guide the planning of strategies aimed at providing efficient drug dispensing in community pharmacies.