A Pilot Study on Pharmacists' Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices towards Medication Dysphagia via Asynchronous Online Focus Group Discussion.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023;
20:2858. [PMID:
36833554 PMCID:
PMC9956395 DOI:
10.3390/ijerph20042858]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Medication dysphagia (MD) refers to difficulty swallowing oral medications. To cope, patients may inappropriately modify or skip medications, leading to poorer outcomes. Little is known about healthcare professionals' (HCPs') perspectives in managing MD. This study investigated pharmacists' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in caring for patients with MD. An asynchronous online focus group was pilot tested in seven pharmacists, with up to two questions posted daily on an online platform over 15 days. Thematic analysis of the transcripts revealed five interrelated themes: (1) knowledge about MD; (2) management of MD; (3) expectations of patient proactivity; (4) desire for objectivity; (5) professional roles. The findings provided insight into pharmacists' KAP and may be incorporated into a full-scale study involving various HCPs.
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