Pharmacists' viewpoint towards their professional role in healthcare system: a survey of hospital settings of Pakistan

Khan, Nabeel; McGarry, Kenneth; Naqvi, Atta Abbas; Iqbal, Muhammad Shahid; Haider, Zaki

doi:10.1186/s12913-020-05459-0

Cited by 27 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Data collection was conducted using a convenience sampling technique as there was no database present to identify the exact count of pharmacists practicing in various hospitals in Pakistan. 14 According to the Pharmaceutical profile of Pakistan, documented in the WHO 2010 report, there were approximately 10 000 pharmacists serving in all settings of Pakistan. 15 Therefore, the required sample size was estimated of 370 participants at 95% CI and 5% margin error.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of pharmacists towards drug shortages in the healthcare system of Pakistan and its impact on patient care: findings from a cross-sectional survey

et al. 2021

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ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore pharmacists’ perceptions on drug shortages and its impingement on the Pakistani healthcare system, in particular on patient care.DesignOnline questionnaire survey.Setting and participantsHospital pharmacists from five out of seven regions of Pakistan were approached; including the federal territory (Islamabad) and four provinces (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh).Primary and secondary outcome measuresPrevalence and type of shortages were identified along with strategies to reduce its effect on patient care.MethodA validated questionnaire was distributed through various online platforms to 800 registered hospital pharmacists. A convenience sampling technique was used to obtain information on drug shortages, the reporting system for shortages, the impact on patients and policy solutions for managing drug shortages.ResultsOut of 800 hospital pharmacists, 708 completed the questionnaire (response rate: 88.5%). Of these hospital pharmacists, 47% came from hospitals of Punjab, 26% from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13% from Sindh, 11% from Balochistan and 4% from Islamabad; 72% and 28% worked in tertiary and secondary hospitals, respectively. The majority (32%) interacted with shortages daily. The top three drug categories reported in shortage were oncology drugs (54%), cardiovascular drugs (53%) and antimicrobials (42%). 58% of the respondents have seen care delayed as a negative consequence of shortages. ‘Creating new communication system’ (65%) and ‘readjust budget plans’ (41%) were the two most frequently indicated recommendations for shortages management at hospital, while ‘circulars or alerts from the regulatory authority’ (60%) and ‘time to time directives from local health statuaries’ (48%) were two most widely suggested policy solutions.ConclusionDrug shortage is a serious concern in Pakistani hospitals, experienced on a daily basis endangering patients’ health. Enhanced communication is required, connecting the key stakeholders. Health policies should be reviewed; adequate funds should be allocated to the health sector preventing future shortages.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions of pharmacists towards drug shortages in the healthcare system of Pakistan and its impact on patient care: findings from a cross-sectional survey

et al. 2021

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“…Mastery of PK, pharmacodynamics and their application in optimizing pharmacotherapy are core competencies of pharmacists in modern healthcare delivery [ 32 ]. Through pharmaceutical care services, pharmacists are supposed to help patients achieve therapeutic drug levels within a lesser number of days, shorten the length of hospitalization, reduce mortality and morbidity, and improve patient outcomes [ 33 , 34 ]. In this study, the hospital pharmacists who had MSc/PhD in pharmacy were more likely to agree on the importance of PK courses compared to those who had basic pharmacy degrees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Views, knowledge, and practices of hospital pharmacists about using clinical pharmacokinetics to optimize pharmaceutical care services: a cross-sectional study

Shawahna

Shraim

Aqel

2022

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background Pharmacokinetics (PK) is often used to optimize individualized dosing regimens of some drugs. This study was conducted to determine views, knowledge, and practices of hospital pharmacists in Palestine about using clinical PK to optimize pharmaceutical care services. Method This study was conducted in a cross-sectional design using a questionnaire. The questionnaire collected information about the nature of PK courses taught to hospital pharmacists, importance, relevance, effectiveness, adequacy, and depth of these courses, adequacy of PK skills, implementing PK knowledge/skills in current practice, and barriers limiting the implementation of PK to optimize pharmaceutical care services for hospitalized patients. The hospital pharmacists were visited in their places of work and were asked to complete the questionnaire in privacy. Categorical data were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test or Mann-Whitney U tests. Results The questionnaire was completed by 145 hospital pharmacists. Of the pharmacists, 84 (57.9%) received basic PK courses, 79 (54.5%) were taught integrated PK courses, and 94 (64.8%) agreed that the PK courses were important to their current practice. Similarly, 85 (57.9%) of the pharmacists were not satisfied with the teaching methods and contents of the PK courses. Pharmacists who obtained their degrees from Palestine were less satisfied with the methods of teaching compared to those who obtained their degrees from foreign countries (p-value = 0.006). Only 25 (17.2%) pharmacists reported frequent use of PK knowledge in their current practice. Lack of practical knowledge and continuing education, poor understanding of PK by pharmacists and other healthcare professionals were identified as barriers limiting the implementation of PK in optimizing pharmaceutical care services to hospitalized patients. Conclusion The hospital pharmacists were generally not satisfied with the way PK courses were taught and expressed difficulty in implementing PK knowledge and skills to improve pharmaceutical care services to hospitalized patients. Integrating PK topics within other relevant courses and adopting more clinically oriented learning methods could improve understanding and implementing PK knowledge and skills in optimizing pharmaceutical services to hospitalized patients. Further studies are still needed to determine the optimal teaching/learning methods that can improve knowledge and skill acquisitions of pharmacists in the area of PK.

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“…In 2014, to strengthen pharmacists’ expertise in clinical roles, the higher education commission (HEC) introduces the Department of Pharmacy Practice in Pakistan’s private and public sector universities [ 21 ]. As a result, studies in Pakistan have begun to highlight potential clinical pharmacy progress, including further bedside activities, patient consultation, and therapy optimization in chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension [ 22 – 25 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of clinical pharmacist services on patient health outcomes in Pakistan: a systematic review

Ahmed

Saqlain

Tanveer

et al. 2021

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background The pharmacist’s role shifts from dispensing to bedside care, resulting in better patient health outcomes. Pharmacists in developed countries ensure rational drug use, improve clinical outcomes, and promote health status by working as part of a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals. However, clinical pharmacist services on healthcare utilization in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Pakistan are unclear. As a result, we aim to systematically review pharmacists’ clinical roles in improving Pakistani patients’ therapeutic, safety, humanistic, and economic outcomes. Methods We searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library for relevant articles published from inception to 28th February 2021. All authors were involved in the screening and selection of studies. Original studies investigating the therapeutic, humanistic, safety, and economic impact of clinical pharmacists in Pakistani patients (hospitalised or outpatients) were selected. Two reviewers independently assessed the risk of bias in studies, and discrepancies were resolved through mutual consensus. All of the included studies were descriptively synthesised, and PRISMA reporting guidelines were followed. Results The literature search found 751 articles from which nine studies were included; seven were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and two were observational studies. Three RCTs included were having a low risk of bias (ROB), two RCTs were having an unclear ROB, while two RCTs were having a high ROB. The nature of clinical pharmacist interventions included one or more components such as disease-related education, lifestyle changes, medication adherence counselling, medication therapy management, and discussions with physicians about prescription modification if necessary. Clinical pharmacist interventions reduce medication-related errors, improve therapeutic outcomes such as blood pressure, glycemic control, lipid control, CD4 T lymphocytes, and renal functions, and improve humanistic outcomes such as patient knowledge, adherence, and health-related quality of life. However, no study reported the economic outcomes of interventions. Conclusions The findings of the studies included in this systematic review suggest that clinical pharmacists play important roles in improving patients’ health outcomes in Pakistan; however, it should be noted that the majority of the studies have a high risk of bias, and more research with appropriate study designs is needed.

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Pharmacists' viewpoint towards their professional role in healthcare system: a survey of hospital settings of Pakistan

Cited by 27 publications

References 37 publications

Perceptions of pharmacists towards drug shortages in the healthcare system of Pakistan and its impact on patient care: findings from a cross-sectional survey

Perceptions of pharmacists towards drug shortages in the healthcare system of Pakistan and its impact on patient care: findings from a cross-sectional survey

Views, knowledge, and practices of hospital pharmacists about using clinical pharmacokinetics to optimize pharmaceutical care services: a cross-sectional study

The impact of clinical pharmacist services on patient health outcomes in Pakistan: a systematic review

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