Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
2 Medical Education Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Background: The pharmacists’ roles and responsibilities toward the pharmaceutical care practice
have developed considerably during the recent years. Objectives: The aim of this program is to
explore the opinions and performances of community pharmacists with regard to their professional
tasks and responsibilities in Isfahan city. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional
questionnaire survey of community pharmacists was conducted on a sample of 150 pharmacists
using the Delphi process. Data were collected on the opinions and performances of the
pharmacists’ task, professional responsibility and expertise, organizational and managing skills,
and sociodemographic information. Results: The response rate was 93.3%. High expressions
of agreement were found with most of the task and professional responsibilities and managerial
skills and the mean rates of the self-reporting performance of most key tasks were ‘always’. The
important differences were found in two opinions about the pharmacists’ responsibilities, (a)
declining to dispense the prescribed drug that was not appropriate for the patient’s illness and (b)
keeping the patient’s medical records for future needs. The pharmacists’ opinions on various forms
of professional expertise were diverse, especially on recognizing that the required medications
were not prescribed for the patient, being informed on the pharmacotherapy subsequence
and predicting the therapeutic outcomes, interpreting the laboratory tests results, and assisting
persons in need of emergency first aid. Conclusion: Pharmacists largely agreed with most
of the professional tasks and responsibilities, however, new educational programs should be
developed to promote the pharmacists’ knowledge and skills concerning pharmacotherapy. Also
an extended role for pharmacists needs to be addressed in the pharmacy regulations and laws.
Keywords
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