ABSTRACT
Objective: In the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the pharmacists was confirmed as central at the territorial level. The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pharmacists in Albania, critical changes in the Albanian pharmaceutical market during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate factors influencing the quality of the pharmaceutical service. Methods: A nationwide survey was conducted, using an online questionnaire targeting Albanian pharmacists during 2021. Results: Most of the respondents were females (86.2%), belonged to the 30-39 age group (51.7%) and worked in community pharmacies (73%). Although most of the respondents did participate in training courses (62.8%), only about 38% of them had good knowledge about COVID-19 (score 5/8). Moreover, the level of knowledge increases the possibility to apply the rules. 65% of the pharmacists who were very afraid of getting infected with COVID -19, stated that they followed the WHO rules compared to 37 % of those who were not afraid. Regarding the medicines offered, 64% of the respondents claimed that there have been difficulties in ensuring the adequate medicines during the pandemic. Furthermore, although 61% of the pharmacists declared that the price of medicines during the pandemic has not changed, 58% of them thought that the revenues of all pharmaceutical sectors have risen. Conclusion: From this study it is concluded that although the pharmacists in Albania have demonstrated strength, professionality, and commitment to offer pharmaceutical service to the highest level, they faced numerous challenges during this difficult time. In the future, the pharmacist's role can be extended in the community to provide successful medical service and their collaboration within and between pharmacists and physicians is essential.
ABSTRACT
Healthcare professionals are important models for their patients since their individual knowledge and attitudes toward vaccination can influence the patient's willingness to adhere to vaccination campaigns. After developing a structured questionnaire, it was administered to a sample of nursing staff working in public vaccination centers in Albania (December 2020-January 2021), in order to conduct a preliminary investigation aimed at describing knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and hesitancy toward childhood vaccinations. Among the sample of nurses involved in the administration of vaccines (n.64, 92% females), most of them were confident about vaccines and favorable to childhood vaccinations (90%). However, when specifically investigating beliefs, nearly a quarter of the sample showed to be hesitant; 22% were unsure or partially agreed that vaccines might cause conditions such as autism and multiple sclerosis. A high risk of hesitancy was identified in the youngest staff especially when their work experience was below 10 years or when they graduated less than 10 years before (OR: 5.3, CI: 1.4-19.5; and OR: 4.2 CI: 1.2-14.6). Similarly, a low acceptance rate (54%) was detected for future childhood SARS-CoV-2 vaccines among the nurses, which is a sign of high levels of vaccine hesitancy. With regard to knowledge about childhood vaccine contraindications, none of the nurses identified all the ten correct answers, while only 13% answered at least six questions correctly. These preliminary results highlight the need of investigating more Albanian nursing staff's knowledge and attitudes toward child vaccinations, therefore investing in tailored training. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the roll-out of mass vaccination, the role of healthcare workers remains crucial and needs more support to manage the changing public opinion as well as quickly evolving vaccine technologies.