COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND ROLE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF COMMON DERMATOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN PALESTINE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
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Date
2024-09-10
Authors
Salah, Zohdeya
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Publisher
An-Najah National University
Abstract
Background: Skin diseases are common health issues that affect 30% to 70% of the global population. This study aims to explore the perceptions and role of community pharmacists in the management of common dermatological problems in Palestine.
Methods: This study was implemented in a cross-sectional design. The study was conducted in different community pharmacies that were distributed all over the different governorates of the West Bank of Palestine. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire that was developed after a search of the literature.
Results: In this study, a total of 385 community pharmacists returned complete questionnaires. Of the community pharmacists, 367 (95.3%) stated that they refer patients to consult a dermatologist. The common reasons for referrals to dermatologists included being unsure of diagnosis, when a dermatologist supervision was needed, and when a prescription product was needed. The community pharmacists who were female (p = 0.043), were in practice for 10 or more years (p = 0.035), received a dedicated course on dermatology during pharmacy training (p = 0.045), and have seen 10 or more dermatological cases seen per week (p = 0.017) practiced significantly more referrals compared to the community pharmacists who were male, practice for less than 10 years, did not receive a course on dermatology, and have seen less than 10 dermatological cases per week. When the community pharmacists were asked to rate their confidence in providing education/counseling to patients with dermatological issues on a scale of 1-5, the median score was 3.0 [IQR = 2.0, 4.0]. Acne, dry skin, nail problems, fungal infections, skin rash, skin blisters, scalp problems, lip problems, sunburn, eczema/dermatitis, candidiasis, insect bites, head lice, psoriasis, and alopecia were the commonly encountered dermatological problems. Combination products containing antibiotics/antifungals/steroids, topical antibiotics, topical steroids, topical retinoids, vitamins/vitamin derivatives/pantothenic acid, topical antihistamines/anticholinergics were the most commonly dispensed dermatological products. The majority of the community pharmacists agreed or strongly agreed that they should be consulted by patients with dermatological conditions, they have a valuable role in assisting patients with dermatological conditions, they are an important source of advice/counseling/education on medications use for dermatological conditions, and the pharmacy-based dermatology services are helpful for patients with dermatological conditions.
Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that community pharmacists in Palestine provided care services to patients with dermatological health issues. The findings of this study also showed that community pharmacists often referred patients with complex dermatological health issues to consult dermatologists, notably, when prescription dermatological products were required. This might suggest that community pharmacists need to be integrated with the multidisciplinary team to care for patients with dermatological health issues.