Over-the-counter counseling in community pharmacies and job satisfaction among pharmacy professionals: A reflection of current scenario and possible solutions

Pharmacy Practice

  • Ammar Abdulrahman Jairoun1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Gelugor 11800, Malaysia., 2Health and Safety Department, Dubai Municipality, Dubai, UAE.
  • Sabaa Saleh Al-Hemyari1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Gelugor 11800, Malaysia., 3Pharmacy Department, Emirates Health Services, Dubai, UAE.
  • Ammar Ali Saleh Jaber4Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacotherapeutics, Dubai Pharmacy College for Girls, AlMuhaisanah 1, Al mizhar Dubai, UAE.
  • Moyad Shahwan5College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Center of Medical and Bio-allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, 346, UAE.
  • Faris El-Dahiyat6Clinical Pharmacy Program, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates., 7AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
  • Hidayah Karuniawati8Discipline of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia., 9Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Surakarta 57102, Indonesia.
  • Maimona Jairoun10College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Ajman University, Ajman, UAE.
  • Nasser M Alorfi11Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Volume 20 Issue 1 Pages 1-10

DOI: 10.18549/PharmPract.2022.1.2633

Abstract

Objectives: This study assessed community pharmacist counseling and dispensing practices to determine their relationship with job satisfaction among pharmacists. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2021 and September 2021 on a random sample of community pharmacists. The inclusion criteria were licensed community pharmacists with at least 3 months of professional experience. The researchers conducted face-to-face interviews using a developed structured questionnaire. The research instrument was comprised of two sections: demographic information and dispensing practices. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 24. Results: a total of 543 pharmacists participated in this study. The average age of respondents was 31 ± 7 SD. The average dispensing practice score was 75% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of [73.3%, 76.7%]. Better dispensing practices were common among older participants (odds ratio (OR) 1.010; 95% CI 1.001–1.020), postgraduates (OR 1.191; 95% CI 1.055–1.344), pharmacists from pharmacy chains (OR 1.452; 95% CI 1.285–1.640), participants with more than 10 years of experience (OR 1.286; 95% CI 1.089–1.520), pharmacists who graduated from regional universities (OR 1.200; 95% CI 1.129–1.497), and pharmacists who graduated from international universities (OR 1.413; 95% CI 1.212–1.648). However, poor dispensing practices were common among participants who were not satisfied with their current community pharmacist job (OR 0.487; 95% CI 0.410–0.577). Conclusion: Patient-centered management strategies oriented toward creating a counseling-friendly environment would open more space to achieve professional self-realization through cognitive services. This could benefit patients via consistent counseling services and increase pharmacists’ satisfaction with their job and profession.

Keywords

  • Community pharmacist
  • Dispensing practices
  • OTC
  • Job satisfaction
  • Counselling
Pharmacy Practice

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