Purpose: The present study aimed at evaluating the knowledge and level of involvement of
communit... more Purpose: The present study aimed at evaluating the knowledge and level of involvement of community pharmacists in the provision of patient counseling and health education services for patients with DM and perceived barriers that limit the delivery of such services. Materials and methods:A self-administered questionnaire based-survey was undertaken from January to March, 2017 with 412 pharmacists working in community pharmacies in six cities of Amhara regional state of Ethiopia: Debre Markos, Gondar, Dessie, Bahir Dar, Woldya, and Debre Birhan. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Student’s t-test were employed to examine different variables. Results: Community pharmacists were found to have poor knowledge and low level of involvement, with an overall mean score of 11.54 and 2.06, respectively. A signifcant number of community pharmacists never practiced promoting smoking cessation (45.2%), counseling on good foot care techniques (33.7%), and counseling on the potential impact of over–the-counter and herbal drugs on DM management (34%). On the other hand, describing the right time to administer antidiabetic medications (46%) and counseling on suitable administration, handling, and storage of insulin (33.7%) were done more frequently. The main reported barriers to the delivery of these services were lack of knowledge or clinical skills, lack of access to additional training programs, and lack of personnel or resources. Conclusion: The present study revealed a poor knowledge and low level of involvement in counseling and health education services for patients with DM. Lack of knowledge or clinical skills was the most commonly reported barrier for providing such services. In order to better integrate community pharmacies into future public health programs and optimize the contribution of pharmacists, interventions should focus on overcoming the identifed barriers. Keywords: community pharmacy, patient counseling, diabetes mellitus, Ethiopia
This study aimed to compare the perceptions of pharmacy clerkship students and clinical preceptor... more This study aimed to compare the perceptions of pharmacy clerkship students and clinical preceptors of preceptors' teaching behaviors at Gondar University. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacy clerkship students and preceptors during June 2014 and December 2015. A 52-item structured questionnaire was self-administered to 126 students and 23 preceptors. The responses are presented using descriptive statistics. The Mann-Whitney U test was applied to test the significance of differences between students and preceptors. The response rate was 89.4% for students and 95.6% for preceptors. Statistically significant differences were observed in the responses regarding two of the five communication skills that were examined, six of the 26 clinical skills, and five of the 21 parameters involving feedback. The mean scores of preceptors (2.6/3) and students (1.9/3) regarding instructors' ability to answer questions were found to be significantly different (P= 0.01). Students and preceptors gave mean scores of 1.9 and 2.8, respectively, to a question regarding preceptors' application of appropriate up-to-date knowledge to individual patients (P= 0.00). Significant differences were also noted between students and instructors regarding the degree to which preceptors encouraged students to evaluate their own performance (P= 0.01). Discrepancies were noted between students and preceptors regarding preceptors' teaching behaviors. Preceptors rated their teaching behaviors more highly than students did. Short-term training is warranted for preceptors to improve some aspects of their teaching skills.
Background: Acute diarrhea is the major cause of child morbidity and mortality in low-income nati... more Background: Acute diarrhea is the major cause of child morbidity and mortality in low-income nations. It is the second most common cause of death among children 5 years of age globally. The indispensable role of community pharmacists is clearly observed in the prevention and treatment of diarrhea. However, there is a paucity of data on how community pharmacies manage acute childhood diarrhea cases in Ethiopia. This study aimed to evaluate the experience of community pharmacies in the management of acute diarrhea in northern Ethiopia. Methods: A simulated case-based cross-sectional study was conducted in community pharmacies from five towns of northern Ethiopia between April 2015 and September 2015. Convenience sampling technique was used to select sample towns. A structured questionnaire was organized to collect the information. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, one-way analysis of variance, and binary logistic regression were performed to describe, infer, and test for association between the variables. SPSS for Windows Version 21 was used to enter and analyze the data. A 95% confidence interval and P-value of 0.05 were set to test the level of significance. Results: Approximately 113 community pharmacies were visited to collect the required data from five towns. Majority (78, 69%) of them were located away from hospitals and health care areas. Nine components of history taking were presented for dispensers. Regarding the patient history, “age” was frequently taken, (90.3%), whereas “chief complaint” was the least to be taken (23%), for patients presenting with diarrhea. Approximately 96 (85.0%) cases were provided with one or more medications. The remaining 17 (15%) cases did not receive any medication. A total of six pharmacologic groups of medications were given to alleviate acute diarrheal symptoms. Majority (66, 29.6%) of the medications were oral rehydration salts with zinc. The mean number of medications was 1.99 per visit. Components of advice, such as dose, frequency, duration, drug action, and adverse drug reactions, were found to vary among the five towns at a statistically significant level. Conclusion: Community pharmacies provided inadequate treatment for acute childhood diarrhea. Inappropriate history taking and incorrect drug and food instructions have been frequently encountered during acute diarrhea management. Practitioners working in northern Ethiopia should receive proper training on the management of acute childhood diarrhea. Keywords: acute diarrhea, children, community pharmacies, simulated case, northern Ethiopia
Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess clients’ level of expectation from and satisfaction ... more Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess clients’ level of expectation from and satisfaction with medicine retail outlets (MROs) in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia. Patients and methods: An institutions-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 20 to May 5, 2014, by sampling five pharmacies and eight drug stores through simple random sampling. Clients, 424, who came to the MROs during the study period were included in the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires measuring expectations and satisfaction of clients using a Likert scale of 1–5 through face-to-face interviews. Results: Out of the total 424 interview encounters, 422 (99.5% response rate) questionnaires were included in the analysis, of which 61.1% were of males. The overall mean expectation of respondents toward MRO setting and services was 3.82 and that of satisfaction of the respondents was 3.02. More than three-quarters (76.8%) of the respondents expected medicines in affordable prices from MROs, but nearly half (44.8%) were not satisfied with it. Much more than half (58.5%) of the respondents were dissatisfied with the comfort and convenience of private counseling area. Also, nearly half (47.6%) of the respondents claimed that pharmacy professionals did not provide information regarding the storage condition of medications. There was statistically significant difference in overall expectation (t=2.707, P=0.007) and satisfaction (t=2.260, P=0.024) with the setting and services of MROs between respondents who claimed to know the difference between a pharmacy and a drug store and those who claimed they did not. Conclusion: Clients’ expectation from MRO services was high, with average satisfaction. The overall expectation and satisfaction of the respondents toward MROs were lower in those who reported they did not know the difference between a pharmacy and a drug store than in those who claimed to know the difference. Supportive supervision by the town’s health bureau on the MROs is recommended to help improve clients’ satisfaction.
Purpose: The present study aimed at evaluating the knowledge and level of involvement of
communit... more Purpose: The present study aimed at evaluating the knowledge and level of involvement of community pharmacists in the provision of patient counseling and health education services for patients with DM and perceived barriers that limit the delivery of such services. Materials and methods:A self-administered questionnaire based-survey was undertaken from January to March, 2017 with 412 pharmacists working in community pharmacies in six cities of Amhara regional state of Ethiopia: Debre Markos, Gondar, Dessie, Bahir Dar, Woldya, and Debre Birhan. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Student’s t-test were employed to examine different variables. Results: Community pharmacists were found to have poor knowledge and low level of involvement, with an overall mean score of 11.54 and 2.06, respectively. A signifcant number of community pharmacists never practiced promoting smoking cessation (45.2%), counseling on good foot care techniques (33.7%), and counseling on the potential impact of over–the-counter and herbal drugs on DM management (34%). On the other hand, describing the right time to administer antidiabetic medications (46%) and counseling on suitable administration, handling, and storage of insulin (33.7%) were done more frequently. The main reported barriers to the delivery of these services were lack of knowledge or clinical skills, lack of access to additional training programs, and lack of personnel or resources. Conclusion: The present study revealed a poor knowledge and low level of involvement in counseling and health education services for patients with DM. Lack of knowledge or clinical skills was the most commonly reported barrier for providing such services. In order to better integrate community pharmacies into future public health programs and optimize the contribution of pharmacists, interventions should focus on overcoming the identifed barriers. Keywords: community pharmacy, patient counseling, diabetes mellitus, Ethiopia
This study aimed to compare the perceptions of pharmacy clerkship students and clinical preceptor... more This study aimed to compare the perceptions of pharmacy clerkship students and clinical preceptors of preceptors' teaching behaviors at Gondar University. A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacy clerkship students and preceptors during June 2014 and December 2015. A 52-item structured questionnaire was self-administered to 126 students and 23 preceptors. The responses are presented using descriptive statistics. The Mann-Whitney U test was applied to test the significance of differences between students and preceptors. The response rate was 89.4% for students and 95.6% for preceptors. Statistically significant differences were observed in the responses regarding two of the five communication skills that were examined, six of the 26 clinical skills, and five of the 21 parameters involving feedback. The mean scores of preceptors (2.6/3) and students (1.9/3) regarding instructors' ability to answer questions were found to be significantly different (P= 0.01). Students and preceptors gave mean scores of 1.9 and 2.8, respectively, to a question regarding preceptors' application of appropriate up-to-date knowledge to individual patients (P= 0.00). Significant differences were also noted between students and instructors regarding the degree to which preceptors encouraged students to evaluate their own performance (P= 0.01). Discrepancies were noted between students and preceptors regarding preceptors' teaching behaviors. Preceptors rated their teaching behaviors more highly than students did. Short-term training is warranted for preceptors to improve some aspects of their teaching skills.
Background: Acute diarrhea is the major cause of child morbidity and mortality in low-income nati... more Background: Acute diarrhea is the major cause of child morbidity and mortality in low-income nations. It is the second most common cause of death among children 5 years of age globally. The indispensable role of community pharmacists is clearly observed in the prevention and treatment of diarrhea. However, there is a paucity of data on how community pharmacies manage acute childhood diarrhea cases in Ethiopia. This study aimed to evaluate the experience of community pharmacies in the management of acute diarrhea in northern Ethiopia. Methods: A simulated case-based cross-sectional study was conducted in community pharmacies from five towns of northern Ethiopia between April 2015 and September 2015. Convenience sampling technique was used to select sample towns. A structured questionnaire was organized to collect the information. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, one-way analysis of variance, and binary logistic regression were performed to describe, infer, and test for association between the variables. SPSS for Windows Version 21 was used to enter and analyze the data. A 95% confidence interval and P-value of 0.05 were set to test the level of significance. Results: Approximately 113 community pharmacies were visited to collect the required data from five towns. Majority (78, 69%) of them were located away from hospitals and health care areas. Nine components of history taking were presented for dispensers. Regarding the patient history, “age” was frequently taken, (90.3%), whereas “chief complaint” was the least to be taken (23%), for patients presenting with diarrhea. Approximately 96 (85.0%) cases were provided with one or more medications. The remaining 17 (15%) cases did not receive any medication. A total of six pharmacologic groups of medications were given to alleviate acute diarrheal symptoms. Majority (66, 29.6%) of the medications were oral rehydration salts with zinc. The mean number of medications was 1.99 per visit. Components of advice, such as dose, frequency, duration, drug action, and adverse drug reactions, were found to vary among the five towns at a statistically significant level. Conclusion: Community pharmacies provided inadequate treatment for acute childhood diarrhea. Inappropriate history taking and incorrect drug and food instructions have been frequently encountered during acute diarrhea management. Practitioners working in northern Ethiopia should receive proper training on the management of acute childhood diarrhea. Keywords: acute diarrhea, children, community pharmacies, simulated case, northern Ethiopia
Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess clients’ level of expectation from and satisfaction ... more Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess clients’ level of expectation from and satisfaction with medicine retail outlets (MROs) in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia. Patients and methods: An institutions-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 20 to May 5, 2014, by sampling five pharmacies and eight drug stores through simple random sampling. Clients, 424, who came to the MROs during the study period were included in the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires measuring expectations and satisfaction of clients using a Likert scale of 1–5 through face-to-face interviews. Results: Out of the total 424 interview encounters, 422 (99.5% response rate) questionnaires were included in the analysis, of which 61.1% were of males. The overall mean expectation of respondents toward MRO setting and services was 3.82 and that of satisfaction of the respondents was 3.02. More than three-quarters (76.8%) of the respondents expected medicines in affordable prices from MROs, but nearly half (44.8%) were not satisfied with it. Much more than half (58.5%) of the respondents were dissatisfied with the comfort and convenience of private counseling area. Also, nearly half (47.6%) of the respondents claimed that pharmacy professionals did not provide information regarding the storage condition of medications. There was statistically significant difference in overall expectation (t=2.707, P=0.007) and satisfaction (t=2.260, P=0.024) with the setting and services of MROs between respondents who claimed to know the difference between a pharmacy and a drug store and those who claimed they did not. Conclusion: Clients’ expectation from MRO services was high, with average satisfaction. The overall expectation and satisfaction of the respondents toward MROs were lower in those who reported they did not know the difference between a pharmacy and a drug store than in those who claimed to know the difference. Supportive supervision by the town’s health bureau on the MROs is recommended to help improve clients’ satisfaction.
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community pharmacists in the provision of patient counseling and health education services for
patients with DM and perceived barriers that limit the delivery of such services.
Materials and methods:A self-administered questionnaire based-survey was undertaken from
January to March, 2017 with 412 pharmacists working in community pharmacies in six cities
of Amhara regional state of Ethiopia: Debre Markos, Gondar, Dessie, Bahir Dar, Woldya, and
Debre Birhan. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Student’s t-test were employed to examine
different variables.
Results: Community pharmacists were found to have poor knowledge and low level of involvement, with an overall mean score of 11.54 and 2.06, respectively. A signifcant number of
community pharmacists never practiced promoting smoking cessation (45.2%), counseling on
good foot care techniques (33.7%), and counseling on the potential impact of over–the-counter
and herbal drugs on DM management (34%). On the other hand, describing the right time to
administer antidiabetic medications (46%) and counseling on suitable administration, handling,
and storage of insulin (33.7%) were done more frequently. The main reported barriers to the
delivery of these services were lack of knowledge or clinical skills, lack of access to additional
training programs, and lack of personnel or resources.
Conclusion: The present study revealed a poor knowledge and low level of involvement in
counseling and health education services for patients with DM. Lack of knowledge or clinical
skills was the most commonly reported barrier for providing such services. In order to better
integrate community pharmacies into future public health programs and optimize the contribution of pharmacists, interventions should focus on overcoming the identifed barriers.
Keywords: community pharmacy, patient counseling, diabetes mellitus, Ethiopia
Methods: A simulated case-based cross-sectional study was conducted in community pharmacies from five towns of northern Ethiopia between April 2015 and September 2015. Convenience sampling technique was used to select sample towns. A structured questionnaire was organized to collect the information. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, one-way analysis of variance, and binary logistic regression were performed to describe, infer, and test for association between the variables. SPSS for Windows Version 21 was used to enter and analyze the data. A 95% confidence interval and P-value of 0.05 were set to test the level of significance.
Results: Approximately 113 community pharmacies were visited to collect the required data from five towns. Majority (78, 69%) of them were located away from hospitals and health care areas. Nine components of history taking were presented for dispensers. Regarding the patient history, “age” was frequently taken, (90.3%), whereas “chief complaint” was the least to be taken (23%), for patients presenting with diarrhea. Approximately 96 (85.0%) cases were provided with one or more medications. The remaining 17 (15%) cases did not receive any medication. A total of six pharmacologic groups of medications were given to alleviate acute diarrheal symptoms. Majority (66, 29.6%) of the medications were oral rehydration salts with zinc. The mean number of medications was 1.99 per visit. Components of advice, such as dose, frequency, duration, drug action, and adverse drug reactions, were found to vary among the five towns at a statistically significant level.
Conclusion: Community pharmacies provided inadequate treatment for acute childhood diarrhea. Inappropriate history taking and incorrect drug and food instructions have been frequently encountered during acute diarrhea management. Practitioners working in northern Ethiopia should receive proper training on the management of acute childhood diarrhea.
Keywords: acute diarrhea, children, community pharmacies, simulated case, northern Ethiopia
Patients and methods: An institutions-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 20 to May 5, 2014, by sampling five pharmacies and eight drug stores through simple random sampling. Clients, 424, who came to the MROs during the study period were included in the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires measuring expectations and satisfaction of clients using a Likert scale of 1–5 through face-to-face interviews.
Results: Out of the total 424 interview encounters, 422 (99.5% response rate) questionnaires were included in the analysis, of which 61.1% were of males. The overall mean expectation of respondents toward MRO setting and services was 3.82 and that of satisfaction of the respondents was 3.02. More than three-quarters (76.8%) of the respondents expected medicines in affordable prices from MROs, but nearly half (44.8%) were not satisfied with it. Much more than half (58.5%) of the respondents were dissatisfied with the comfort and convenience of private counseling area. Also, nearly half (47.6%) of the respondents claimed that pharmacy professionals did not provide information regarding the storage condition of medications. There was statistically significant difference in overall expectation (t=2.707, P=0.007) and satisfaction (t=2.260, P=0.024) with the setting and services of MROs between respondents who claimed to know the difference between a pharmacy and a drug store and those who claimed they did not.
Conclusion: Clients’ expectation from MRO services was high, with average satisfaction. The overall expectation and satisfaction of the respondents toward MROs were lower in those who reported they did not know the difference between a pharmacy and a drug store than in those who claimed to know the difference. Supportive supervision by the town’s health bureau on the MROs is recommended to help improve clients’ satisfaction.
community pharmacists in the provision of patient counseling and health education services for
patients with DM and perceived barriers that limit the delivery of such services.
Materials and methods:A self-administered questionnaire based-survey was undertaken from
January to March, 2017 with 412 pharmacists working in community pharmacies in six cities
of Amhara regional state of Ethiopia: Debre Markos, Gondar, Dessie, Bahir Dar, Woldya, and
Debre Birhan. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Student’s t-test were employed to examine
different variables.
Results: Community pharmacists were found to have poor knowledge and low level of involvement, with an overall mean score of 11.54 and 2.06, respectively. A signifcant number of
community pharmacists never practiced promoting smoking cessation (45.2%), counseling on
good foot care techniques (33.7%), and counseling on the potential impact of over–the-counter
and herbal drugs on DM management (34%). On the other hand, describing the right time to
administer antidiabetic medications (46%) and counseling on suitable administration, handling,
and storage of insulin (33.7%) were done more frequently. The main reported barriers to the
delivery of these services were lack of knowledge or clinical skills, lack of access to additional
training programs, and lack of personnel or resources.
Conclusion: The present study revealed a poor knowledge and low level of involvement in
counseling and health education services for patients with DM. Lack of knowledge or clinical
skills was the most commonly reported barrier for providing such services. In order to better
integrate community pharmacies into future public health programs and optimize the contribution of pharmacists, interventions should focus on overcoming the identifed barriers.
Keywords: community pharmacy, patient counseling, diabetes mellitus, Ethiopia
Methods: A simulated case-based cross-sectional study was conducted in community pharmacies from five towns of northern Ethiopia between April 2015 and September 2015. Convenience sampling technique was used to select sample towns. A structured questionnaire was organized to collect the information. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, one-way analysis of variance, and binary logistic regression were performed to describe, infer, and test for association between the variables. SPSS for Windows Version 21 was used to enter and analyze the data. A 95% confidence interval and P-value of 0.05 were set to test the level of significance.
Results: Approximately 113 community pharmacies were visited to collect the required data from five towns. Majority (78, 69%) of them were located away from hospitals and health care areas. Nine components of history taking were presented for dispensers. Regarding the patient history, “age” was frequently taken, (90.3%), whereas “chief complaint” was the least to be taken (23%), for patients presenting with diarrhea. Approximately 96 (85.0%) cases were provided with one or more medications. The remaining 17 (15%) cases did not receive any medication. A total of six pharmacologic groups of medications were given to alleviate acute diarrheal symptoms. Majority (66, 29.6%) of the medications were oral rehydration salts with zinc. The mean number of medications was 1.99 per visit. Components of advice, such as dose, frequency, duration, drug action, and adverse drug reactions, were found to vary among the five towns at a statistically significant level.
Conclusion: Community pharmacies provided inadequate treatment for acute childhood diarrhea. Inappropriate history taking and incorrect drug and food instructions have been frequently encountered during acute diarrhea management. Practitioners working in northern Ethiopia should receive proper training on the management of acute childhood diarrhea.
Keywords: acute diarrhea, children, community pharmacies, simulated case, northern Ethiopia
Patients and methods: An institutions-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 20 to May 5, 2014, by sampling five pharmacies and eight drug stores through simple random sampling. Clients, 424, who came to the MROs during the study period were included in the study. Data were collected using structured questionnaires measuring expectations and satisfaction of clients using a Likert scale of 1–5 through face-to-face interviews.
Results: Out of the total 424 interview encounters, 422 (99.5% response rate) questionnaires were included in the analysis, of which 61.1% were of males. The overall mean expectation of respondents toward MRO setting and services was 3.82 and that of satisfaction of the respondents was 3.02. More than three-quarters (76.8%) of the respondents expected medicines in affordable prices from MROs, but nearly half (44.8%) were not satisfied with it. Much more than half (58.5%) of the respondents were dissatisfied with the comfort and convenience of private counseling area. Also, nearly half (47.6%) of the respondents claimed that pharmacy professionals did not provide information regarding the storage condition of medications. There was statistically significant difference in overall expectation (t=2.707, P=0.007) and satisfaction (t=2.260, P=0.024) with the setting and services of MROs between respondents who claimed to know the difference between a pharmacy and a drug store and those who claimed they did not.
Conclusion: Clients’ expectation from MRO services was high, with average satisfaction. The overall expectation and satisfaction of the respondents toward MROs were lower in those who reported they did not know the difference between a pharmacy and a drug store than in those who claimed to know the difference. Supportive supervision by the town’s health bureau on the MROs is recommended to help improve clients’ satisfaction.