Pediatric Antibiotic Pack Size Compliance With the Dosage Regimen: A Descriptive Study

How medicines sales staff is responding to presumptive COVID-19 patients attending drug retail outlets: An exploratory qualitative study

The objective of this qualitative study was to explore how the medicine sales staff responded to presumptive COVID‐19 patients in Pakistan. The data were obtained from the medicine sales staff working at drug retail outlets of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan, through in‐depth face‐to‐face interviews using a semi‐structured interview guide. A two‐step sampling strategy was used, including purposive and convenient sampling techniques. Sample size was determined by applying the saturation point criteria. A total of 17 interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using the thematic analysis. Analysis of data yielded six themes and seven sub‐themes. The themes included (1) knowledge about various aspects of COVID‐19, (2) practices of sales staff in response to COVID‐19 pandemic, (3) attitude of sales staff towards COVID‐19 pandemic, (4) services offered to presumptive COVID‐19 patients, (5) challenges encountered during pandemic and (6) suggestions to improve delivery of pharmacy services by sales staff. In Pakistan, non‐pharmacist sales staff had superficial knowledge about COVID‐19. Presumptive COVID‐19 patients were provided with only basic pharmacy services. Professional training is advised among pharmacy sales staff as a short‐term solution to improve their knowledge. As a long‐term goal, the availability of pharmacists at drug retail outlets is warranted.

Why is Pakistan vulnerable to COVID-19 associated morbidity and mortality? A scoping review

The scoping review was undertaken to outline the vulnerabilities of Pakistan's public health and healthcare system, which put the population at increased risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) associated morbidity and mortality. The major electronic databases were searched using both “text words” and “thesaurus terms,” focusing on viral infections, COVID‐19 and healthcare systems in Pakistan. The content of the selected articles was analyzed by using thematic approach. Out of the total 171 potentially relevant citations, 24 articles were included in the data synthesis. We found that the recent COVID‐19 outbreak is a major threat to Pakistan's public health and healthcare system, and the country is not in a position to control spread of disease and provide required standards of care deemed necessary by the World Health Organization. A number of intertwined reasons that expose the Pakistani population at increased risk of COVID‐19 associated morbidity and mortality, include public related demurrals, healthcare workforce related demurrals, organizational and regulatory voids, and travel patterns. To cope with the upsurge of COVID‐19 in Pakistan, the regulators need to re‐examine and recognize deficiencies in the healthcare system, and thereafter reinforce core capacities in workforce and monetary resources, surveillance, laboratory services, and hospital preparedness for isolation and ventilation of patients.

COVID-19 and community pharmacy services in Pakistan: challenges, barriers and solution for progress

In the wake of atrocious rise in COVID-19 cases, developed countries are leveraging a range of community pharmacy services with the goal of improving access to essential medication and healthcare services. While in the developing nations, including Pakistan, pharmacists are unable to perform COVID-19 containment roles in community, since presence of pharmacists at community pharmacy settings and delivery of pharmacy services have historically been plagued by shortcomings at various levels. In this document, we identified these shortcomings which need to be resolved on many fronts. Broadly, a number of intertwined government related, public related, academic curricula and pharmacist related, and drug retailers' related factors refrain community pharmacists from performing and facilitating Pakistan's fragile public and healthcare system in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic. Government led multifaceted approaches are urgently needed to strengthen this unrecognized domain and thereby effectively combat COVID-19 by utilizing community pharmacy services, as evidenced in the developed world. [Note: Part of this article is published in Pakistan Observer Newspaper; dated 17 May 2020).

Pharmacy Services beyond the Basics: A Qualitative Study to Explore Perspectives of Pharmacists towards Basic and Enhanced Pharmacy Services in Pakistan

Enhanced pharmacy services have been identified as a mechanism to address medicines and drug-related problems. The aim of the study was to explore the perspectives of practicing pharmacists on the scope of pharmacy service provision in Pakistan. This qualitative study was conducted at the Department of Pharmacy, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB). Face-to-face, in-depth interviews were conducted with practicing pharmacists at the university who were undertaking postgraduate studies. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. A total of 13 pharmacists were interviewed. The analysis of data yielded four themes and 12 subthemes. The themes included the current scenario of pharmacy services, the benefits of pharmacy services, barriers to implementation of pharmacy services, and strategies to improve their delivery. Pharmacist participants reported that patient-oriented pharmacy services have not been properly implemented in Pakistan. Pharmacists appear to be undertaking only conventional roles at various levels within the healthcare system. The participants indicated multiple benefits of patient-oriented pharmacy services, including safe and effective use of medicines, minimization of drug-related problems, and financial benefits to the healthcare system. Based on the findings, policy-makers are required to take the necessary steps to overcome pharmacist-related and policy-related barriers associated with the implementation of patient-oriented pharmacy services in Pakistan.