Perceptions, Expectations, and Experience of Physicians About Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Care Services in Pakistan: Findings and Implications

oleh: Khezar Hayat, Khezar Hayat, Khezar Hayat, Khezar Hayat, Zia Ul Mustafa, Brain Godman, Brain Godman, Brain Godman, Muhammad Arshed, Muhammad Arshed, Jiaxing Zhang, Faiz Ullah Khan, Faiz Ullah Khan, Faiz Ullah Khan, Fahad Saleem, Krizzia Lambojon, Krizzia Lambojon, Krizzia Lambojon, Pengchao Li, Pengchao Li, Pengchao Li, Zhitong Feng, Zhitong Feng, Zhitong Feng, Yu Fang, Yu Fang, Yu Fang

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-05-01

Deskripsi

Background: Optimal collaboration between pharmacists and other healthcare professionals such as physicians is integral in implementing pharmaceutical care. However, there are concerns regarding the role of pharmacists, especially among low- and middle-income countries. This study explored the perceptions, expectations, and experience of physicians working in various hospital settings of Punjab, Pakistan, about pharmacists and their roles.Methods: A self-administered questionnaire consisting of four sections was administered from October to December 2020. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used for data analysis using SPSS.Results: Six hundred and seventy-eight physicians participated in this study with a response rate of 77.9%. Most of the physicians reported minimal to no interaction with pharmacists (n = 521, 76.8%). However, more than three-quarters of physicians (n = 660, 97.3%) accepted pharmacists as evidence-based sources of drug information. In addition, many physicians (n = 574, 84.7%) strongly agreed that pharmacists should attend patient care rounds to respond promptly to questions related to patient medication. A limited number of physicians (n = 124, 18.3%) assumed that pharmacists were advising their patients regarding the judicial use of their drugs. Median expectation and experience score had a significant association with age, experience, and education of physicians (P < 0.05).Conclusions: The perception of physicians was positive toward certain roles of pharmacists, coupled with high expectations. However, their experience was low, with most of the activities of pharmacists due to inadequate interprofessional coordination.