Effectiveness of educational intervention on the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of community pharmacists regarding colorectal cancer screening in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Pharmacy Practice

  • Lee Siow Yen1PG (Master in Pharmacy Practice) Student, School of Pharmacy, IMU University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Palanisamy Sivanandy2Senior Lecturer, Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, IMU University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Pravinkumar Vishwanath Ingle2Senior Lecturer, Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, IMU University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Volume 24 Issue 1 Pages 1-15

DOI: 10.18549/PharmPract.2026.1.3406

Abstract

Background: In Malaysia, a lack of awareness and negative perceptions of cancer screening have contributed to a delay in detecting colorectal cancer. Community pharmacists may play important roles in promoting colorectal cancer screening among the public. Previous research has shown that community pharmacists’ participation in cancer screening is hindered by inadequate knowledge, highlighting the need for educational interventions. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) of community pharmacists regarding colorectal cancer screening. Additionally, it sought to evaluate the impact of an online educational intervention designed to improve their KAP. Methods: Fully registered community pharmacists working within the Klang Valley were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling methods. A 3-day online educational intervention was conducted in small intervention groups using a social media application. Post-intervention KAP levels were compared to baseline. Results: The study recruited 303 respondents. The baseline assessment revealed a “satisfactory” level of knowledge (medianpre=72.22%), “good” attitudes (medianpre=80.00%), and “satisfactory” perceptions (medianpre=60.00%). Following the intervention, all three variables showed statistically significant improvements to “good” knowledge (94.44%), “good” attitudes (80.00%), and “good” perceptions (80.00%). Male pharmacists were associated with a higher level of perception towards colorectal cancer screening. Conclusion: The online educational intervention significantly improved community pharmacists’ KAP on colorectal cancer screening. The findings from this study underscore the potential of social media applications as a medium for educating community pharmacists to enhance their practice.

Pharmacy Practice

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