IngentaConnect Pharmacy and pharmacists' perceptions of pharmaceutical care in K...

Authors: Cordina, Maria¹; Nurmanbetova, Farida Nusupzhanovna²; Kulmagambetov, Iliyas Raikhanovich²; Sautenkova, Nina³

Source: International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, Volume 16, Number 1, February 2008 , pp. 41-46(6)

Publisher: Pharmaceutical Press

Abstract:

Objectives To investigate the perceived importance that pharmacists in Kazakhstan place on the various activities involved in the delivery of pharmaceutical care, using the modified Behavioural Pharmaceutical Care Scale (BPCS) questionnaire.

Method The questionnaire consisting of 3 dimensions and 14 domains was translated into Russian and back-translated into English for verification. The Russian version was mailed to a sample of 510 randomly selected pharmacists throughout all the regions of Kazakhstan. Pharmacists were asked to score the importance of each pharmaceutical care activity contained in the modified BPCS Scale on a six-point Likert scale ranging from 0 to 5.

Key findings The overall score for the questionnaire, which illustrated the importance pharmacists attributed to the various aspects of pharmaceutical care, ranged from 46 to 170, with a mean score of 119.2. The highest scored dimension was that of instrumental activities, obtaining 76.7% of the maximum achievable score, while the direct patient care activities dimension obtained the lowest score. The competency improvement domain obtained the highest score and hence was perceived to be the most important pharmaceutical care activity. Younger pharmacists, however, obtained significantly lower scores (P<0.05 Kruskal-Wallis) in the domains of prescription validation, evaluation of patient satisfaction, and competency improvement, perceiving these instrumental activities to be of lesser importance.

Conclusion Pharmacists in Kazakhstan need to become better acquainted with pharmaceutical care and the current international extended practice of pharmacy. This needs to be addressed at both a basic and continuing education stage as well as at national pharmaceutical policy level.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1211/ijpp.16.1.0008

Affiliations: 1: Department of Pharmacy, University of Malta, Msida, Malta 2: Karaganda State Medical Academy, Karaganda, Kazakhstan 3: Health Technology and Pharmaceuticals, World Health Organization, Regional office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark

Pharmacy and pharmacists' perceptions of pharmaceutical care in Kazakhstan