Attitude and Perceptions of Healthcare Professionals towards Clinical Pharmacy Services in Lahad Datu Hospital (APHP-CPS)

Abstract

Introduction:

Clinical pharmacy is a health science discipline whereby pharmacists provide patient care that optimises medication therapy and promotes health, wellness, and prevention of diseases. The perceptions of healthcare professionals (HCPs) towards the clinical pharmacy services (CPS) in Lahad Datu Hospital (LDH) remained unclear despite the establishment of CPS in 2009.

Objectives:

To assess HCPs’ attitudes and perceptions towards CPS provided in LDH and to identify the obstacles that hinder the integration of clinical pharmacists into the primary healthcare team (PHT).

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted via a validated structured questionnaire in LDH. A total of 210 questionnaires were distributed to all HCPs in LDH by using a universal sampling method over three months. The data collected were analysed using SPSS and presented using descriptive statistics.

Results:

A total of 206 HCPs (49 doctors and 157 nurses) completed the questionnaires; giving a response rate of 98.1%. The majority of HCPs perceived that clinical pharmacist is an important integral part of the clinical ward team (n=178, 86.4%) and believed that clinical pharmacists can improve the quality of patient care (n=181, 87.9%) in LDH. A majority of them (n=184, 89.3%) agreed that clinical pharmacists can minimise medication errors and improve patient therapy outcomes. Although most of the HCPs (n=182, 88.3%) stated their willingness to cooperate with clinical pharmacists, only about two-thirds of the respondents (n=144, 69.9%) agreed that there was an increasing interest in CPS provided in LDH. Poor communication skills were perceived by the HCPs (n=58, 28.2%) as the main problem that obstructed the integration of clinical pharmacists into the PHT.

Conclusion:

Overall, HCPs in LDH have positive attitudes and perceptions towards clinical pharmacy practices. However, there is a need to improve communication skills among clinical pharmacists for better integration into the PHT.