Integrated Pharmacy Research and Practice最新文献

Introduction: The rational use of medicines is essential for preventing adverse medicine reactions, achieving therapeutic outcomes, and optimizing treatment costs. While the irrational use of medicines is frequently reported in sub-Saharan Africa, to the best of our knowledge no formal studies have taken place in Mauritania thus far. The main objective of this study was therefore to analyze the rational use of medicines in public and private not-for-profit health facilities, in five health districts in Mauritania.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the rational use of medicines. We used the standard indicators derived from the methodologies of the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD). Data were prospectively collected from 1050 prescriptions/patients, in thirty-one public and private not-for-profit health posts/centers in 5 health districts. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. P value less than 0.05 at 95% confidence interval considered for significance of relationships for associations in statistical test.

Results: The average number of medicines per prescription was 2.21; 83.1% (1931/2325) of medicines were prescribed by generic name, but only 54% (1253/2325) were on the National Essential Medicine List (NEML). Antibiotics were prescribed in 62.4% (655/1050) of the consultations, and injectable medicines were prescribed in 15.6% (164/1050) of the consultations. The average consultation time was 16.32 minutes, and the average dispensing time was 97 seconds. Dispensed medicines were correctly labeled, and 83% (871/1050) of patients met the correct administration schedule. The NEML, and the "restricted NEML" for 76 commonly-used medicines, were available in all surveyed health facilities, but the National Therapeutic Guidelines were available in only 60.26% of them.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate a possible excess of antibiotics prescriptions, and a likely lack of knowledge of the National Therapeutic Guidelines. There is a need to investigate in more detail the prescription patterns versus disease-specific therapeutic guidelines, and to qualitatively investigate the factors that contribute to the observed irrational prescribing. Moreover, training local staff in the rational use of medicines seems important.

Background: From the beginning of the year 2024, gradually implemented amendment to the Medicines Act will enable interchange of biological medicines in pharmacies in Finland. The legislative change aims to reduce health care costs.

Methods: Opinions of the biological medicine users regarding substitution in pharmacies and knowledge about biological medicines were determined by a patient survey in community pharmacies and via patient organizations in Finland.

Results: In total, 199 users of biological medicines responded to the survey. The respondents did not always know which product they were using, an originator or a biosimilar. This was more prominent among patients with biosimilars determined according to brand names. The more recently the biological medicine had been prescribed, the more likely a biosimilar was in use. Only about 40% of the respondents would enable pharmacies to substitute their biological medicine to a lower cost product. The most common obstacle to the idea of interchange in pharmacies was that the respondents wanted to keep the product the doctor had prescribed for them. In general, biosimilar users were more accepting towards possible interchange than originator users.

Conclusion: Although the most recent treatments appear to be initiated with biosimilars, interchange in pharmacies could enable an efficient way to lower health care costs. However, guidance and awareness regarding biosimilars and biological medicines in general would improve patients' willingness towards the change, but also help pharmacists and prescribing doctors in their meaningful role.

Introduction: Entrepreneurship has recently become a focus in community development, innovation, and economic growth, including within pharmaceutical organizations. However, it remains a relatively new aspect of pharmacy education. For the effective incorporation of entrepreneurship in this field, a robust educational foundation is critical, one that emphasizes risk-taking, strategic planning, competitive spirit, and a sense of social responsibility. This study aims to evaluate Saudi pharmacists' attitudes towards entrepreneurship in their practice.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey design to assess the attitudes of pharmacists and pharmacy students in Saudi Arabia towards entrepreneurship. The study sample consisted of 302 individuals, selected through convenience sampling, all of whom were either licensed pharmacists or pharmacy students in Saudi Arabia. The survey was conducted electronically and disseminated online throughout the duration of January 2023, spanning a one-month period. The research sought to provide a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurship is perceived within the pharmacy field.

Results: The study involved 302 pharmacists in Saudi Arabia, with the majority being pharmacy students and Doctor of Pharmacy holders. Over 60% of the participants worked for the government sector. Results showed a strong interest in entrepreneurship, with nearly 80% expressing interest and believing in the entrepreneurial potential of pharmacists. However, there was a knowledge gap, as only 52% were familiar with entrepreneurship concepts, and most had not taken entrepreneurship courses. More than half of the participants reported insufficient institutional support for entrepreneurship. Remarkably, only 1% had started a pharmaceutical business.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study emphasizes the interest in entrepreneurship among pharmacists, highlighting the need for raising familiarity and formal education in the field. Factors such as working in the government sector were associated with higher willingness to become entrepreneurs, while the lack of awareness and institutional support hindered the entrepreneurial mindset.

Various early pharmacy practice experiences, such as introductory, advanced, and postgraduate internship programs, are part of the journey of future pharmacists during their educational experience in pharmacy schools. Pharmacy schools have the potential to enhance the quality of their internship programs by establishing strategies to provide comprehensive instruction and practical experience for students. Hence, this commentary shade light on the critical tactics employed by pharmacy schools to guarantee the growth and success of pharmacy students during their different internship programs.

Background: Antibiotics play an important role in decreasing morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, inappropriate use of them by patients or healthcare professionals contributes to their resistance rendering them less efficacious. Community pharmacists (CPs) have a significant part in reducing antibiotic resistance. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the dispensing of antibiotics without prescription in community pharmacies with an emphasis on cefixime dispensing.

Methods: A cross-sectional, simulated patient (SP) study was conducted in the Khartoum locality. A total of 238 community pharmacies were randomly chosen using simple random sampling. One scenario of uncomplicated urinary tract infection was designed, and six female pharmacy students who were trained to act as SPs presented the scenario. Descriptive statistics were applied to report the study outcomes.

Results: In the 238 pharmacy visits, at least one antibiotic was dispensed without a prescription in 69.3% of the simulated visits. Among the dispensed antibiotics, ciprofloxacin was the most dispensed antibiotic followed by cefixime representing 51.5% and 41.8%, respectively, of total dispensed antibiotics. Cefixime was dispensed as a first choice by CPs in 29% of the visits, and in the rest of the visits, only 37.3% of CPs refused to dispense cefixime after SP demand.

Conclusion: The findings revealed a high rate of antibiotics dispensing without prescription by CPs in Khartoum state, and cefixime was obtained with ease before and after the patient's demand. Urgent corrective actions such as imposing strict regulations, monitoring pharmacists' practice, and endorsing educational programs for pharmacists are needed to prevent inappropriate antibiotic dispensing practices.

Background: Telepharmacy, a digital technology-driven approach, has emerged as a potential solution to address the challenges posed by this pandemic. Telepharmacy is a method used in pharmaceutical practice where a pharmacist utilizes telecommunications technology to supervise aspects of pharmacy operations or provide patient care services. This study aimed to assess pharmacists' level of knowledge, perception, and readiness toward telepharmacy in Indonesia.

Methods: A cross-sectional approach was used in this study, and non-probabilistic purposive sampling technique was used to select respondents who were Indonesian pharmacists. The Telepharmacy Knowledge, Perception, and Readiness questionnaire, translated into Indonesian and administered online, was used to measure the pharmacist's knowledge, perception, and readiness level. Descriptive and inferential data analyses were performed using SPSS version 26, with a p-value of ≤0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: A total of 378 responses were obtained, with 96.83% exhibiting high knowledge and 63.23% showing high readiness for telepharmacy services. Furthermore, 58.20% of respondents had a positive perception of telepharmacy services. The results indicate a significant influence of pharmacist's knowledge and perception on their readiness to implement telepharmacy services in the future practice.

Conclusion: Most study participants had sufficient knowledge, positive perceptions, and readiness to implement telepharmacy services in their future pharmaceutical practice. However, they expressed concerns about the potential for an increased workload and the potential lack of incentives associated with the widespread adoption of telepharmacy practice models. Telepharmacy practice models must be included in the training programs that train future's pharmacists in order to ensure that they have the abilities required to offer telepharmacy services.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the request and dispensing of antimalarial medicines without a prescription in community pharmacies in Rwanda, as well as factors associated.

Methods: We employed an embedded mixed-methods design that involved a convenience sample of 235 licensed community pharmacists between February and April 2022. To simultaneously collect qualitative and quantitative data, we used a self-administered questionnaire containing a combination of close and open-ended questions. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between dispensing antimalarial medicines without a prescription and the selected independent variables. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05, and a 95% confidence interval was applied. The factors influencing the dispensing of antimalarial medicines without a prescription were analyzed using thematic content analysis as a qualitative analysis approach.

Results: Most respondents (88.5%) were asked to dispense antimalarial medicines by clients without a prescription. More than half of them (54%) agreed, but 34.5% refused; instead, they referred clients to malaria diagnostic testing facilities. Those who had rapid diagnostic tests for malaria in stock (OR=2.08, 95% CI:1.1-3.94), and thought that antimalarials were over-the-counter medicines (OR=7.03, 95% CI:2.01-24.5) were more likely to dispense antimalarial medicines without prescriptions. The primary reasons reported by community pharmacists for dispensing antimalarial medicines without prescriptions included their prior knowledge of malaria diagnosis, client pressure, and fear of losing clients. However, non-adherence to negative results obtained from formal health facilities and long queues at these institutions have also been cited as additional factors driving clients to seek antimalarial medicines without prescriptions.

Conclusion: Dispensing antimalarial medicines without prescriptions is a common practice in community pharmacies in Rwanda. The main factors contributing to this practice include lack of awareness regarding the classification of antimalarials as prescription medicines, the availability of malaria diagnostic tests, client pressure, and fear of losing clients.

Background: Ecopharmacology, as a form of drug management for the environment, focuses on the impact of drugs on the environment. Pharmacists, and by extension pharmacy students, are expected to play an important role in ecopharmacology. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the knowledge and attitude towards ecopharmacology and the practice of disposal of leftover or expired medicines among pharmacy students.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among pharmacy students in Northwestern Ethiopia. The study took place from May 1 to June 15, 2023. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection.

Results: Four hundred and forty-five students were included in the study. Only 91 (20%) of the students were aware of the term ecopharmacology, 27% knew that excretion from the human or animal body is the major route by which pharmaceutical agents enter the environment, and 42% were aware of the risk of increased antimicrobial resistance due to antibiotic residues in the environment. In addition, only 27% of respondents reported receiving information about the disposal of pharmaceuticals. The most common method of disposing of medications was throwing them away in household trash (61.8%).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that while most pharmacy students in Ethiopia have a positive attitude toward ecopharmacology, they do not know enough about ecopharmacology and dispose of their medicines poorly. More uniform education in ecopharmacology and pharmaceutical pollution might be warranted in the pharmacy curriculum.

Introduction: This scoping review includes studies on pharmaceutical access, shortages, generics, availability, pharmacoeconomics, and pricing restrictions. The study's findings may aid in developing excellent pharmaceutical and access policies in the country.

Objective: To conduct a scoping review documenting access to medicines and Pharmaceutical Policy in Saudi Arabia.

Methodology: The PRISMA-ScR guidelines were used to perform a scoping review. The articles were screened using databases from Google Scholar, EBSCO, Science Direct, and the University of Huddersfield Library. The selection, aims, results, and conclusion of each original research publication published between 2010 and 2022 were evaluated. To categorize the articles, a theme analysis was done.

Results: This study includes nineteen publications. The chosen articles revealed four themes. Among these topics were: Access to medications 36.84% Pharmacoeconomic 36.84%), which were the predominant theme followed by Generic Medicines 15.80%, and Cancer drug financing 10.54%. There are myriad challenges related to high-cost medicines. Access restrictions to medications have significant effects on patient morbidity and mortality; as a result, policy decision-makers frequently consider this issue. Access to medicines suffers budgetary limitations and the increasing cost of innovative medicines. Access to medicines for all patients could be significantly impacted by delays in patient access to new therapies.

Conclusion: The available evidence revealed that Saudi Arabia's healthcare system has numerous issues ranging from cancer drug financing, medicine shortages, and access issue. In order to achieve the highest health standards possible, it is crucial that each individual has access to medicines and has the financial, physical, and social means to do so. However, the price of some medications can be prohibitive for people who need to obtain them. The study's outcomes could help the country develop pharmaceutical and access policies related to medicines.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common manifestation of systemic sclerosis (SSc), which becomes fibrosing and progressive in some patients. Regular monitoring of patients with SSc-ILD is important to assess progression and inform treatment decisions. Therapy for SSc-ILD may include immunomodulatory and antifibrotic therapies. Therapeutic decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, ideally following multidisciplinary discussion. Most patients with SSc-ILD have several organ manifestations of SSc or comorbidities and are taking a complex medication regimen. Patients with SSc are particularly susceptible to gastrointestinal side-effects of medications due to the gastrointestinal manifestations of the disease. Pharmacists play an important role in the management of patients with SSc-ILD by assisting patients with access to medications, optimizing medication regimens, and advising on alternative dosage forms. Pharmacists can also contribute to patient education to help patients better understand their treatment and how to prevent and manage potential side effects.