Insights into participation in ward rounds in hospitals: A survey of clinical pharmacists' perceptions

Abstract

Introduction Clinical pharmacists’ participation in ward rounds (WRs) has been a great chance to contribute to team-based care in the hospital setting and significantly improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Hence, the objective of this investigation was to explore the perceptions of clinical pharmacists in Yemen regarding their participation in WRs and the factors influencing their involvement. Methods An online survey of Yemeni clinical pharmacists was conducted and lasted for two months. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the survey responses. Results a total of 120 participants were involved. About 3 out of 10 pharmacists had not previously participated in WRs, with only 30% having always or most of the time participated in word rounds alongside physicians. The results showed a positive perception of WR participation, with a median and IQR of 5(4–5). However, a lack of awareness of WR roles and the time-consuming nature of participation were the reasons for non-involvement. Conclusion The study highlights the positive perceptions of Yemeni clinical pharmacists towards ward rounds, but emphasises the need to address awareness and time constraints. Emphasising patient-centered care and longer internship durations can improve clinical pharmacist involvement. Future research should focus on optimising clinical pharmacist participation for better patient outcomes and care quality.

Exploring knowledge, attitudes and practice toward medication therapy management services among pharmacists in Yemen

“…This observation can be attributed to the broader clinical competencies, duties, and exposure to case studies that hospital pharmacists typically possess. In addition, hospital pharmacists provide more support to physicians and have access to comprehensive patient medical profiles, which further reinforces the value they see in MTM [29]. In addition medical information in Yemen is primarily accessible in hospitals, community pharmacies lack easy access to patient medical profiles.…”

“…Furthermore, pharmacists with (1-5) years of experience well-recognized the two statements describing the primary goals of delivering MTM services. One possible explanation for these findings is Yemeni pharmacy education's current shift to a more patient-oriented curriculum, with many universities in recent years beginning to provide more courses that state the new patient-oriented roles, as well as adopting clinical pharmacy education [29,30].…”

“…There are two possible explanations for the current lack of pharmacists providing Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services. First, the dominance of traditional tasks, such as dispensing medication, may be prioritized over providing MTM services [29]. This suggests that pharmacists might not have sufficient knowledge or training to offer comprehensive MTM [29].…”

“…First, the dominance of traditional tasks, such as dispensing medication, may be prioritized over providing MTM services [29]. This suggests that pharmacists might not have sufficient knowledge or training to offer comprehensive MTM [29]. Secondly, the increase in the number of prescriptions and the significant number of patients visiting pharmacists may contribute to the shortage of pharmacists providing MTM services.…”

Yemeni Physicians’ Attitudes and Perceived Barriers Toward Ward-Based Clinical Pharmacist in Hospital Settings

“…In 2011, Hodeidah University became the first university to offer a clinical pharmacy program, and in 2013, it established the first independent college of clinical pharmacy. 9,10 Previous research has indicated that there are some variations in how doctors see various types of CPSs [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] and that doctors seem to have an improved perception of CPSs if they interact with pharmacists more often. 11,[15][16][17][18][19] Doctors in Sweden are skeptical of the expertise and understanding of clinical pharmacists.…”