COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS' SELF-PERCEIVED COMPETENCY, AND ENABLERS, AND BARRIERS TOWARDS THE MANAGEMENT OF COMMON MINOR AILMENTS IN QATAR

Abstract

The study aimed to assess community pharmacists' self-perceived competency, and enablers and barriers towards managing common minor ailments in Qatar, and its predictors. A cross-sectional study, with pretested questionnaires, was conducted among a purposive sample of 307 community pharmacists working in independent and chain community pharmacies in Qatar. Self-perceived competency was assessed with nine condition-specific and three non-condition specific elements on a scale of 1-10. Data analysis was done with Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and binary logistic regression tests. In conclusion, self-perceived competency was highest for constipation and cold / catarrh, while the competency elements with the highest scores were the ability to recommend OTC medications and counsel on usage. Female gender, working in chain pharmacies, and counselling practice were the significant predictors of self perceived competency. Some of the self-perceived enablers identified were the availability of tailored training programs and access to drug information resources, while lack of private counselling space; and opportunity to participate in pharmacy practice research were some of the self-perceived barriers identified. Female gender, age ? 40 years, and counseling practice were the predictors of self-perceived enablers.