North Cyprus Pharmacist’s Cognition and Practice of Pharmaceutical Care

Abstract

The aim of this project is to assess community pharmacists’ attitudes towards their professional practice and to determine their perceived competence in various pharmaceutical activities. The philosophy of Pharmaceutical care focuses on the responsibility of pharmacist to meet all of the patient’s drug-related needs, and assist the patients in achieving their goal through collaboration with other health professionals. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted prospectively between January and March 2016. It involved community pharmacists working in pharmacies within North Cyprus. There are 190 pharmacies in North Cyprus, 110 questionnaires were administered out of which 80 completed giving a response rate of 78.0% from pharmacists working in community pharmacies. Results: The result of the current study showed that 97.5% of respondents had knowledge deficit of pharmaceutical care concepts but there is a positive attitude towards the practice of pharmaceutical care. In comparing pharmacist’s perceptions toward pharmaceutical care, no significant difference was noticed between females and males. While young and new pharmacists significantly (p=0.0001) believe more than older more experienced pharmacists that a pharmacist is only responsible to dispense or counsel the patients on the drug prescribed by him or the physicians. Conclusion: Pharmacists in North Cyprus had positive pharmaceutical care orientations. This should encourage pharmacist bodies’ educators and regulatory agencies to design initiatives to increase the frequency and quality of practicing pharmaceutical care in community pharmacy.