Submitted by Biblioteca da Faculdade de Farmácia (bff@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-03-21T18:20:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Chiarello, Sabrina Pereira [Dissertação, 2015].pdf: 1866598 bytes, checksum: 0b85478a3862187e155dac8013610e14 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-21T18:20:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Chiarello, Sabrina Pereira [Dissertação, 2015].pdf: 1866598 bytes, checksum: 0b85478a3862187e155dac8013610e14 (MD5) / O Sistema Único de Saúde desde a sua criação tem avançado de forma significativa. Dentro desse processo ressalta-se a importância da Atenção Primária à Saúde, que é considerada a principal porta de entrada do sistema de saúde no Brasil. Independente do nível de atenção, a maioria das ações em saúde resulta em intervenção medicamentosa. O medicamento é considerado um insumo importante na prestação dos serviços de saúde. Diante da necessidade de disponibilizar medicamentos e da utilização destes de forma racional, é fundamental a organização dos serviços farmacêuticos, bem como a capacitação dos recursos humanos. O trabalho aborda as competências para a prática dos serviços farmacêuticos na Atenção Primária. Objetivos: Analisar as competências para o desempenho dos serviços farmacêuticos ao nível de Atenção Primária, identificando o perfil dos profissionais e realizando uma avaliação dos seus conhecimentos. Metodologia: Estudo descritivo e transversal, baseado em entrevistas com profissionais que realizam dispensação de medicamentos na Atenção Primária. O estudo foi realizado nos municípios de Campos dos Goytacazes e Itaperuna do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Foi empregado um questionário do tipo estruturado com perguntas fechadas. No questionário aplicado foram solicitadas informações sobre os dados pessoais do entrevistado, como formação profissional, vínculo empregatício, carga horária, informações sobre as unidades de trabalho, faixa salarial, gênero e grau de satisfação em relação aos funcionários da farmácia e da unidade de saúde. Na segunda parte foram solicitadas para cada atividade citada o grau de importância na opinião do entrevistado, a frequência de realização das atividades e o grau de conhecimento. Resultados: Foram entrevistados 19 profissionais que fazem a dispensação de medicamentos na atenção primária. Dentre os entrevistados 12 eram farmacêuticos. Treze entrevistados possuíam mais de um vínculo empregatício. Sobre a renda mensal, 4 tinham faixa salarial de até 3 salários. Onze fizeram estágio em atenção primária. Dez entrevistados fizeram curso de atualização. Sobre as farmácias das unidades de saúde, Campos tem 8 farmácias com sistema informatizado. A média de funcionários nas farmácias foi de 2. Seis entrevistados trabalham 40 horas por semana. Doze relataram que a infra-estrutura da unidade de saúde é o seu maior desafio no trabalho. Sobre a análise das competências dos serviços farmacêuticos, o escore para a opinião do grau de importância para as atividades citadas foi alto. O escore de frequência de realização das atividades foi baixo, o farmacêutico foi o profissional que mais praticou as atividades citadas no questionário. O grau de conhecimento foi elevado entre os farmacêuticos. Conclusão: O resultado sugere a discrepância entre a opinião do grau de importância e a frequência da realização das atividades (indicadores de competência) referentes aos serviços farmacêuticos. A maioria dos participantes do estudo relatou que consideram as atividades referentes aos serviços farmacêuticos citadas no questionário importantes, porém na prática algumas atividades não são praticadas. O farmacêutico foi o profissional que obteve maiores escores para a frequência de realizações de atividades e do grau de conhecimento em relação aos demais profissionais, demonstrando assim a importância da sua participação no contexto da atenção primária / The Health System since its inception has advanced significantly. Within this process highlights the importance of primary health care, which is considered the main health system gateway in Brazil. Regardless of the level of attention, most health actions results in drug intervention. The drug is considered an important input in the provision of health services. According to the need to provide medicines and the use of these rationally, the services organization is important, as well as the training of human resources. It considers the competence for the practice of pharmaceutical services in primary care. Objectives: To analyze the competences for the performance of pharmaceutical services at the level of primary care, identifying the profile of professionals and conducting a self-assessment of their knowledge. Methodology: Descriptive, cross-sectional study, based on interviews with professionals involved in dispensing drugs in primary care. The study was conducted in Campos dos Goytacazes and Itaperuna cities of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It was used a semi-structured questionnaire type with open and closed questions. In the questionnaire were asked about the respondent's personal data, such as vocational training, employment, working hours, information on units of work, salary range, gender and degree of satisfaction with pharmacy staff and health unit. In the second part were required for each activity mentioned how important the opinion of the respondent is, the frequency of the activities and the degree of knowledge. Results: We interviewed 19 professionals who are drugs dispensers in primary care. Among the respondents were 12 pharmacists. Thirteen respondents had more than one job. About the monthly income, 4 had salary range of up to 3. Eleven had training in primary care. Ten respondents did refresher course. About pharmacies of health facilities, Campos has 8 pharmacies with computerized system. The average number of employees in pharmacies was 2. Six respondents work 40 hours a week. Twelve reported that the health facility infrastructure is your biggest challenge at work. On the analysis of the competences of pharmaceutical services, the score for the opinion of the degree of importance for the mentioned activities was high. The frequency score of carrying out activities was low, the pharmacist was the professional who carried out most of the activities mentioned in the questionnaire. The degree of knowledge was high among pharmacists. Conclusion: The results suggest the discrepancy between the opinion of the degree of importance and frequency of performing activities (competence indicators) relating to pharmaceutical services. Most of the study participants reported that think the importance of the activities related to pharmaceutical services mentioned in the questionnaire, but in practice some activities are not practiced. The pharmacist was the professional who obtained higher scores for the frequency of activities and achievements of the degree of knowledge in relation to other professionals, thus demonstrating the importance of their participation in the context of primary care

Master of Public Health - MPH / This study aimed to identify barriers to the availability of essential drugs at health facilities, to identify implementable solutions to those barriers, to develop a monitoring system for tracking implementation of solutions and for tracking drug supply. / South Africa

Medication errors are becoming problematic in both hospital and outpatient settings worldwide. Inappropriate use of medication can cause harm to the patient and maintaining high levels of quality patient care is essential to protect all patients. Clinical pharmacy practice contributes to improved patient care by optimising medication therapy; and promoting health, wellness and disease prevention. The involvement of a pharmacist at a ward level has been shown to improve patient care; reduce mortality and morbidity rates; decrease healthcare costs; minimise medication errors; and improve outcomes of drug therapy. However, clinical pharmacy is a fairly new practice in South Africa and there are limited studies available. This study aimed to evaluate the perceived benefits of a ward-based pharmacist on the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients in a hospital setting and to consequently implement a ward-based pharmacy service. The objectives of the study were: (1) to assess, via a questionnaire, the perceptions and attitudes of medical practitioners and nurses to ward-based pharmacy prior to and after implementation of a ward-based pharmacy service, (2) to implement a ward-based pharmacy service in a selected hospital ward; (3) to document and analyse the nature of the work and activities that a ward pharmacist undertakes, and (4) to document and analyse the frequency and nature of ward pharmacist interventions. The study was conducted in a surgical ward of a private hospital in the Eastern Cape. The study design was an intervention study, using a mixed-methods design, with a convergent approach. A convenience sample of 106 patients was obtained over the eight week study period. Participation was voluntary and confidentiality was maintained at all times. Four data collection tools were used during the study and a pilot study was conducted to ensure their validity and reliability. The quantitative data was analysed statistically while the qualitative questions were analysed through coding the various responses. The results of the study showed that medical practitioners and nurses of a surgical ward had a positive attitude towards ward pharmacy both prior to and after the implementation of a ward pharmacy service. There were ward pharmacist interventions made in 50% (n=106) of the patients who participated in the study. A large percentage (57%; 50; n=87) of the ward pharmacist interventions were pharmacist-initiated interventions to optimise patient care while prescribing errors (51%; 19; n=37) were the most commonly occurring medication error. The majority of the medication items involved in the interventions (34%; 34; n=101) were related to the anti-microbial medication class. Overall, there was a 73% (36; n=49) acceptance rate of the ward pharmacist interventions that were made to both the medical practitioners and nurses. There were a number of factors that had a significant relationship with a ward pharmacist intervention being required which included: (1) number of medication items (p=0.001; Chi² test; p<0.0005 Student’s t-test), (2) length of hospital stay (p<0.0005; Chi² test), (3) presence of one or more chronic disease states (p=0.003; Chi² test) and (4) presence of one or more allergies (p=0.028; Chi² test). The ward pharmacist interventions were shown to be of clinical significance and to have a positive impact on the patients concerned. It can be concluded that the ward pharmacy service was beneficial to the patients, medical practitioners and nursing staff.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-14T09:17:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_fernando_tozze_alves_neves.pdf: 646104 bytes, checksum: b05da332870de1b183e38a7010a928d0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-12-17 / Pharmaceutical Services realizes a group of activities that must be done in a systemic, coordinated and synchronized way, which should benefit the patient. The formulation and deployment of the Pharmaceutical Services in a decentralized model of the Single Health System (SUS) in Brazil, depends on a management process for ensure the rationality, efficiency and effectiveness of drugs related services provided. Pharmaceutical Services management can be evaluation and monitoring through quality indicators. The Pharmaceutical Services provided in the Basic Health Units (BHU) in Bauru was evaluated through a crosssectional, quantitative, descriptive and analytical study using questionnaires. After collecting data from 18 BHU, these information´s were used for quality indicators construction. By these indicators were possible to verify a correlation between political, administrative and procedural aspects and defined quality standards. However, physical, material and human resources shows failures which reflected straight to health care services quality at BHU. The indicators related to logistic parameters fully complied with quality standards specified. In case of stability indicators drugs, wasn´t possible to verify the achievement of standard control procedures, which resulted in non-compliance with established standards. Regarding the results indicator relative to available essential drugs average percentage for dispensing in BHU, wasn´t possible to verify the quality standards adequacy. Thus, the quality of BHU Pharmaceutical Services in Bauru is tied to political, administrative and procedural aspects, since the physical and human resources available doesn t represent the real effective necessity. / A Assistência Farmacêutica compreende um conjunto de atividades que devem ser realizadas de forma sistêmica, articuladas e sincronizadas, que devem beneficiar o paciente. No modelo descentralizado do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) no Brasil, a formulação e a implantação do sistema de Assistência Farmacêutica dependem de um processo de gestão para assegurar a racionalidade, eficácia e eficiência dos serviços prestados relacionados aos medicamentos. A avaliação e acompanhamento da gestão da Assistência Farmacêutica podem ser realizados a partir da utilização de indicadores de qualidade. Neste trabalho foi realizado um estudo transversal, quantitativo, descritivo e analítico para avaliar a qualidade da Assistência Farmacêutica prestada nas Unidades Básicas de Saúde do município de Bauru por meio de questionários. Após a coleta de dados obtidos em 18 Unidades Básicas de Saúde (UBS), estes foram utilizados para a construção dos indicadores de qualidade. Por meio destes indicadores foi possível verificar que, os aspectos políticos, administrativos e procedimentais apresentam concordância com os padrões de qualidade definidos. Já os aspectos referentes aos recursos físicos, materiais e humanos apresentaram falhas que refletem diretamente na qualidade da atenção a saúde nas UBS. Os indicadores relacionados com os parâmetros de logística atenderam plenamente aos padrões de qualidade especificados. No caso dos indicadores de estabilidade dos medicamentos, não foi possível verificar uma padronização na realização dos procedimentos de controle, o que determinou o não cumprimento dos padrões estabelecidos. Em relação ao indicador de resultado referente à porcentagem média de medicamentos essenciais disponíveis para a dispensação nas UBS, foi possível verificar a não adequação aos padrões de qualidade. Desta forma, a qualidade da Assistência Farmacêutica nas UBS no município de Bauru encontra-se atrelada aos aspectos políticos, administrativos e procedimentais, visto que, os recursos físicos e humanos disponíveis não representam a necessidade real efetiva.

Background: The use of telepharmacy has increased worldwide during the last decades, and facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it will likely accelerate further. Sweden has several pre-conditions needed for telepharmacy, yet, telepharmacy development is slow. Aim: The present study's objective was to examine Swedish pharmacy students' views and opinions on telepharmacy in Sweden today and their education. A particular interest in communication education and whether it has prepared the students for patient communication at a distance. Additionally, the study explores e-pharmacy professionals views on the needed skills and experiences when working in the Swedish telepharmacy field. Methods: Two focus groups of fourth-year pharmacy students were performed in April 2021 via the web-based videoconference program Zoom. An open-ended questionnaire was sent via e-mail to practising e-pharmacy professionals. Five students and three e-pharmacy professionals participated in the study. Thematic inductive analysis was used to analyse the collected data. Results: The study's result implicates that the Swedish pharmacy education curriculum does not include telepharmacy. The students desire further education regarding communication at a distance but believe that part of the current education could be applied in an e-pharmacy setting.  The students' skepticism to e-pharmacies ability to perform safe and satisfactory pharmaceutical services is largely based on preconceptions and assumptions, partly confirmed by e-pharmacy professionals.  Conclusions: To not inhibit future developments in the pharmacy market, future pharmacists must be educated on telepharmacy methods. This study's insights may be useful for future educational initiatives and developments of the pharmacy education curriculum.

The purpose of this research project was to evaluate the role of the community pharmacist in screening, identifying, and referring ambulatory patients with high total blood cholesterol (TBC) in a community pharmacy. Fifty seven patients, out of 241 initially screened individuals, met the study inclusion criteria and were accepted into this study. Of these 57 patients, 51 patients completed the six month study period. The normal population group consisted of 164 participants with TBC < 200 mgjdL at the initial cholesterol testing (visit 1). The drop out group represented six patients who failed to continue attending the two follow up tests (visit 2 and 3). For screening purposes, a non-fasting whole blood sample was used to measure TBC using the Boehringer Mannheim Reflotron analyzer. The project was evaluated based on mean TBC levels obtained during the initial screening and the two follow up tests, pre-test and post-test scores, behavior and lifestyle changes, and the number of patients who received a physician's order for lipid analysis as a result of initial screening results. In addition, influence of age and educational background on lowering TBC in visits 2 and 3, patient acceptance of blood screening in a community pharmacy and willingness to pay for this service in the future were also determined. To assess the level of significance among the means of the tested parameters, both parametric (one-way analysis of variance, Scheffe's post hoc test and two sample t-test) and non-parametric statistics (Mann-Whitney and chi-square test) were used at a probability level of less than 0.05. There was a significant difference in mean TBC levels between visit 1 and 2, and between visit 1 and 3 (P< 0.01). However, no statistically significant difference was found between visit 2 and 3 (P= 0.48). In addition, there was no significant difference in the incidence of high blood cholesterol in terms of gender or age difference at the initial screening. Further, mean TBC levels between males and females remained statistically insignificant during the two follow up tests. However, younger patients were able to lower their mean TBC level in visit 2 and 3 compared with older patients (P=< 0.031). The one-way analysis of variance results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in TBC changes during the three visits by subjects categorized by educational background levels. Patient's attitude toward the idea of blood test measurement in community pharmacies was positive. Ninety eight percent of the study group stated that they strongly liked such an idea, 92.16% expressed a willingness to pay an average of $4.55 (range $3 or less to $10), and all agreed that it was a convenient service for them. It was concluded that cholesterol screening in this community pharmacy was effective and acceptable, and may prove to be financially feasible when effectively planned and marketed. This service provides the community pharmacist with an opportunity to offer a unique patient-oriented public service.

Introduction: In recent year, the role of the pharmacist has evolved from product-focused to patient-focused activities. Following this evolution, new professional pharmacy services were simultaneously developed by researchers and started to be legally implemented and remunerated for community pharmacists around the world. Implementation, essential to ensure a good programme delivery and therefore its effectiveness, was seen as a passive process for which diffusion and dissemination were sufficient to translate research into practice. However, the transition from theory to practice is often difficult as different factors hinder or facilitate the implementation of such services. In consequence of that, implementation research started to be developed in the community pharmacy field to understand and fil the gap between theory and practice.Objectives of the thesis: Three projects were conducted in Belgium and Switzerland; (1) to understand the implementation of an existing programme in Belgium; the isotretinoin pregnancy prevention programme (PPP) (Chapter IV, point 4.1), and (2) to study the implementation of two new developed pharmaceutical services, which include an interview between the pharmacist and the patient and require interprofessional collaboration; the medication adherence program in Switzerland and the medication review in Belgium (Chapter IV, point 4.2). Methods: To understand the implementation of the isotretinoin PPP, two studies were conducted. The first study was a survey sent to health care professionals (pharmacists, general practitioners and dermatologists) and patients. The outcomes of the survey were the PPP awareness and compliance to safety recommendations related to the teratogenic risk of isotretinoin. The second study was cross-sectional and analysed the reimbursed prescription data of the Belgian population taking isotretinoin between January 2012 and August 2015. The outcomes were medication adherence to isotretinoin and to contraception, and the concomitant use of contraception and isotretinoin. Medication adherence was measured using the medication possession ratio (MPR), dividing the total days of medication supplied within the refill interval by the number of days in the refill interval. The concomitant use of isotretinoin and contraception was realised in combining prescription database of both isotretinoin and contraception of women between 12 and 21 years old, who received at least one prescription of isotretinoin during the study period.To study the implementation of the medication adherence program in Switzerland and the medication review service in Belgium, two prospective and observational studies were conducted with a mixed method approach (quantitative and qualitative outcomes). The defined outcomes, based on the RE-AIM model, were; reach of the target patients, adoption of the service by health care professionals providing the service, implementation (facilitators, barriers and fidelity or the extent to which the intervention is delivered as intended), and maintenance (the extent to which the intervention become institutionalized or part of the routine activity). Outcomes were collected through web platforms for quantitative data, and interviews and focus groups for qualitative data.Results and discussion: The study of the isotretinoin PPP implementation showed that two safety recommendations related to the teratogenic risk were particularly poorly applied by interviewed health care professionals. These two recommendations were the use of a second contraceptive method (like condoms) and the monthly pregnancy test. They considered these two recommendations as unnecessary for women taking an effective contraceptive method. Through the prescription refill data analysis, we observed that 46.1% of patients were adherent to isotretinoin (MPR ≥ 0.8) and 74.0% of women taking isotretinoin to their prescribed contraception (oral contraceptive, rings and patches). Lastly, 83.4% of women between 12 and 21 years taking isotretinoin did not receive an effective contraceptive method one month before, during and one month after isotretinoin treatment. However, the proportion of women receiving at least one prescription of contraception during (74.1%) and after (72.1%) isotretinoin treatment was higher than one month before isotretinoin treatment (35.7%). Regarding these results, less adopted recommendations should be reviewed by an expert committee and interventions focused on the improvement of the use of contraception during isotretinoin treatment could be developed.The two studies related to two new developed pharmaceutical services showed that their implementation was feasible in community pharmacy practice. Most of pharmacists participating in both projects had positive attitude regarding the implementation of these services in their daily practice. They considered it as professionally satisfying and important for patients and perceived the benefits of the programs. However, similar barriers were observed; difficulties to include patients and lack of interprofessional collaboration, and lack of time (related to lack of staff, administrative burden and lack of team adoption). According to participating health care professionals, the development of new strategies to overcome these barriers is necessary to anticipate the future implementation and the maintenance of these services at the national level. Following these results, the proposed strategies are for example the development of broad based media campaigns (for health care professionals and patients), or the development of specific trainings focusing on interprofessional collaboration, service-process, practice change management and leadership. Conclusion: The legal evolution of the pharmacists’ role is a positive progress but insufficient to ensure a full implementation in practice. Implementation strategies should be considered at different implementation stages (exploration, preparation, testing, operation and maintenance) and levels (individual, pharmacy, local setting, and system). The use of implementation science would allow a quicker and more effective implementation of these new professional pharmacy services. The anticipation of change and the selection of appropriate strategies would allow a higher fidelity level to the different components of the service by health care professionals and therefore a higher effectiveness, e.g. clinical and economic outcomes. Health care professionals, professional associations, academics and policy makers should be aware of implementation science and integrate it in the development of the new pharmacists’ role. As shown in our results, it should also be considered for existing programmes such as the isotretinoin PPP. / Doctorat en Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques (Pharmacie) / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Saudi Arabia, one of the developing countries, has a number of problems with the health care and medical treatment of the Saudi people. This study was undertaken to identify and to examine some of these problems and the role of the pharmacist in health education. A questionnaire was developed and sent to 200 Saudi students in the United States; 111 completed questionnaires were returned. The questionnaire was also sent to Saudi Arabia where 51 persons were interviewed. Results of the questionnaire indicated that some of the problems identified were due to the attitudes of the person interviewed and others resulted from the quality of pharmaceutical services which were provided. Some patients in Saudi Arabia want a "cure" from the first contact with the physician; some do not want to use the medications for a long period of time, for example, those who are undergoing treatment for chronic diseases. Some go to more than one physician and may receive prescriptions for two or more drugs. Others may discontinue the drug and not return to the physician. Some may obtain their medications without a prescription and others may use the medication(s) prescribed for other persons. Generally, it was determined that the services provided by the pharmacist were not what the patient expected and wanted. Also poor communication between the patient and the pharmacist was identified. Language problems were the usual cause cited. These problems may lead to treatment failure and/or an increase in the incidence of adverse drug reactions or drug-drug interactions. Recommendations were developed in an attempt to alleviate some of these problems. These recommendations include the requirement that each hospital keep a medical record for each patient, and also that a medication record for each patient be kept in the pharmacy to avoid the duplication of medications (prescriptions). The law or regulations which restricts the availability of medicines without a prescription from any pharmacy inside the hospitals or from market pharmacies should be adhered to and enforced by the pharmacists. Appointments for outpatients should be made to reduce the crowds of people at the doctor's office or at the pharmacy windows. This will encourage good communication and allow more time for the physician, pharmacist and the patient to discuss the disease and treatment. To overcome poor communications due to the language barrier, it is important that only those physicians and pharmacists who can speak the Arabic language work in the outpatient departments. Encouragement of patient participation in his treatment can be provided by enhancing health education in the media such as in newspapers and on radio and television programs. The pharmacist should play a role in solving these problems by monitoring drug therapy. The appendix contains a proposal which specifies the types of information which should be provided to Saudi patients regarding their prescribed medications. The diseases included in the appendix were selected as examples because they are rather common in Saudi Arabia.

Thesis (M.Pharm.) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Pharmacy Dispensing Units (PDUs) are automated medicine dispensing systems, which are the first of its kind in South Africa and are operational in the public healthcare sector. At present, the application of automated dispensing technology is still evolving, and it is uncertain how it will impact on pharmacy services and be integrated into different healthcare systems. Aim To determine the attitude and experiences of patients collecting their chronic care medications at various Pharmacy Dispensing Units. Methods A cross-sectional quantitative design using a structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants at three PDU sites; Alexandra Plaza, Ndofaya Mall and Bara Mall. The study encompassed chronic stable patients. Participants were selected based on a simple random sampling method and included 624 participants. The study period was over two months. The researcher recorded the information that was present in the study population, and no variables were manipulated. Data was analysed using the SPSS version 27.0.0. Chi Square Tests, One-way Anova Tests and Microsoft Excel were used to analyze the data. Results Since p<0.05, the results showed that there was an association between responses and demographic information. The difference in distribution of responses seen across the participants at the different PDUs was significant. Most participants (85,4%) found the ATM easy to use as it was a simple system. Majority of the participants (99,6%) were content with the overall service received at the PDU, and 99,3% were pleased with the experience they had speaking through the PDU telephonic system. In comparison to the clinic, 99% of the participants felt they preferred to use the PDU and 99,7% found the PDU system easier to collect their medication from and follow their treatment plan. A few participants (2,7%) did have some negative experiences such as the system being down, network issues, technical challenges, delivery problems and the PDU being too busy. However, all of the respondents stated that they would recommend the PDU to other patients, as well as continue to collect their medicines at the PDU. Conclusion Overall patients had a positive attitude and experience towards the PDU. This research will assist in ensuring pharmacies continue to shift their focus to providing a more holistic approach to healthcare. It will allow for engagement with National and Provincial Departments of Health and NGOs to expand the number of PDUs. Furthermore, it might also help to develop new services and allow for changes to be made within the current models. This study will contribute to the overall improvement in the health sector and prepare for implementation of NHI. / VLIR Foundation

Thesis (M.Pharm. (Pharmacy Practice)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Developing countries face huge challenges in provision of pharmaceutical care whereas some developed countries have developed and implemented measure to improve pharmaceutical care through collaborative practices. Collaborative patient care is referred to as the cooperative work or practice by healthcare professionals assuming complementary roles and sharing responsibilities for decision making and problem solving to formulate and furnish quality patient care. Pharmaceutical care is governed by the principles and philosophy of patient centred pharmacy practice, where the main responsibilities, roles or action of a pharmacist are based on patient care. Collaborative pharmaceutical care practice for outpatient requires collaborative action of a pharmacist with other healthcare practitioners. Pharmacist-medical practitioner collaborative care practice is one of the recently emerging aspects in developing countries’ hospitals such as in South Africa which can enhance patient care. Method A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with a purposeful sample of 8 pharmacists and 9 medical practitioners at Mankweng Hospital in Limpopo province, South Africa. In the study we used audiotaped interviews that were transcribed exactly as said and analysed using thematic content analysis. Results Three main themes emerged from the study’s interview analysis, description of the current relationship and collaborative practices; the perspective of the pharmacists and medical practitioners on collaboration; the barriers affecting pharmacist-medical practitioner collaboration; and recommendations on the ways, strategy and model to improve pharmacists-medical practitioner collaboration. This highlighted that the relationship among pharmacists and medical practitioners is moderate and there a need for improvement in the relationship. The recommendations range from established xv educational and interactional platforms, improved resource supply, clarity in terms of roles and responsibilities and enhanced managerial structures and functions. Conclusion The current relationship among pharmacists and medical practitioners is moderate. There is still a need for improvement in the relationship to achieve quality collaborative practice for pharmaceutical care in outpatient.