DRY POWDER INHALERS TECHNIQUE OF COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY FROM LAHORE, PAKISTAN

Sara Shahid; Sheza Batool; Syeda Dua-E-Zahra; Uswa Rafique; Muhannid Shuja; Muhammad Subhan Nadeem; Muhammad Hamza; Umair Amjad; Muhammad Zahid Iqbal

doi:10.22270/ujpr.v9i5.1191

Sara Shahid Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Sheza Batool Research Student, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Syeda Dua-E-Zahra Research Student, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Uswa Rafique Research Student, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Muhannid Shuja Research Student, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Muhammad Subhan Nadeem Research Student, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Muhammad Hamza Research Student, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Umair Amjad Research Student, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Muhammad Zahid Iqbal Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.

10.22270/ujpr.v9i5.1191

Keywords:

Chain pharmacies, community pharmacists, covert simulation technique, dry powder inhaler, national heart, lung and blood institute

Abstract

Introduction: Inaccurate utilization of various inhaler devices may severely influence the drug therapeutic effectiveness. The aim of this study is to evaluate the community pharmacist knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding the use of dry powder inhalers (DPIs).

Method: The present observational study was conducted for the evaluation of pharmacist’s knowledge and patient counseling attitude concerning the use of DPIs. A total of 114 community pharmacists from various community pharmacies of Lahore, Punjab were selected and a validated questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge of community pharmacists. The DPI technique presented by “National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute” was used as criteria for evaluation. The covert simulated patient approach was used to evaluate the DPI technique of pharmacists without any biasness.

Results: Out of 114, only 27.2% pharmacists presented adequate knowledge about the correct use of inhaler device (DPIs). Pharmacists from chain pharmacies presented higher adequacy 66.7% as compared to individual pharmacies i.e., 33.3%. Pharmacists whose working experience was more than 5 years presented better DPIs technique knowledge.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated that majority of the community pharmacist (72.8%) have inadequate dry powder inhaler technique at baseline. Setup type (Chain pharmacies) and work experience were the demographic variables that were positively associated with the adequate technique.