Perspectives of primary care physicians and pharmacists on interprofessional collaboration in Kuwait: A quantitative study

Abstract

Collaborative practice between physicians and pharmacists has a positive effect on healthcare outcomes. Understanding the local data related to this collaboration is vital in establishing efficient collaboration. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the collaborative relationships between physicians and pharmacists working in the primary healthcare centres regarding their attitudes and experiences, preferred methods of communication, perceptions related to the role of pharmacists, areas of potential further collaboration, and perceived barriers. A cross-sectional study was conducted using two parallel pretested self-administered questionnaires on a sample of 518 randomly selected physicians and pharmacists. Descriptive and comparative analyses were used in data analysis. The overall response rate was 86.3%. Although over 98% of respondents agreed that physician-pharmacist collaboration improves patient outcomes, more than half of the physicians (52.1%) and pharmacists (55.7%) had never practised collaboratively. Both groups preferred to communicate face-to-face (76.7%) or via telephone (76.5%). Both professions showed good agreement on pharmacists' roles related to managing side effects, improving adherence, assisting in dosage adjustment, providing advice regarding drug interactions, and providing drug information to physicians. They indicated disagreements on the importance of dispensing of prescriptions and providing advice to physicians regarding modification of drug therapy. Both groups expressed overall positive perceptions of the potential for further collaboration in areas related to the clinical roles of pharmacists, which were significantly higher among those with practice experience of < 10 years and those aged < 40 years (p<0.05). The top four perceived barriers to collaborative practice were lack of time (84.1%), lack of financial compensation (76.3%), lack of face-to-face communication (68.9%), and the possible fragmentation of patient care by the involvement of multiple healthcare professionals (68.9%). The present findings provide valuable input that could be a catalyst to enhance or establish physician-pharmacist collaboration in primary healthcare settings in Kuwait.

Perceptions, Experiences, and Expectations of Hospital Physicians Regarding Pharmacists’ Professional Duties in Yemen

“…The respondents were most comfortable for pharmacists to provide activities that are considered established pharmacy roles, such as providing patient education, suggesting the use of non-prescription medications, and detecting and preventing prescription errors. These results support prior reports in the MENA region [17,[21][22][23][24] and worldwide [25][26][27]. On the contrary, the majority of physicians appeared uncomfortable with pharmacists making independent decisions about drug therapy, such as suggesting the use of certain prescription medications to patients.…”

“…Physicians and pharmacists are being progressively encouraged to implement a collaborative method to delivery of health services and the patient care. Strong collaboration between pharmacists and physicians optimizes patient outcomes [13][14][15][16][17].…”

Cooperation Between Pharmacists and Physicians – Whether It Was Before and is It Still Ongoing During the Pandemic?

“…38,42,63 Both professions believe that the most important barriers in doctor-pharmacist cooperation are: lack of time, no fixed salary, no direct communication and agreement, and no clear division and definition of responsibilities. 64 It is worth noting that doctors who have previously cooperated with a pharmacist are more supportive of further collaboration. This is an undeniably positive signal that there is a chance to expand these relationships in the near future.…”

Pharmacists’ Perspectives on Interprofessional Collaboration with Physicians in Poland: A Quantitative Study

“…Meanwhile, pharmacists pay attention to the possibility of contacting a physician, emphasizing the use of information and communication technology. The results of previous studies also show that it should be developed and promoted in collaboration between the doctor and pharmacist [ 56 , 57 , 58 ].…”