Practice nurses and pharmacists: a perspective on the expectation and experience of nurses for future collaboration.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the nurses' expectations and experience about pharmacists in private sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September 2012 in five private sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. A convenient sample of nurses (n=377) were enrolled in this study. Data was obtained through a previously validated questionnaire. Responses were statistically analyzed using SPSSv.17. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 63.6% of which 20 were unusable (n=240). Out of the remaining 220, 24.1% (n=53) responded that they never or rarely interacted with a pharmacist. Respondents who expect pharmacists to collaborate with nurses to solve drug related problems were 45% (n=99). Nurses' experience of pharmacists was not substantial as only 44.5% (n=98) respondents consider pharmacists as a reliable source of clinical drug information. CONCLUSION: The role of pharmacists is not well appreciated among nurses in Pakistan. Hence, pharmacists must bridge the observed gap and use a more strategic and consistent approach to build a more positive image in line with other healthcare professionals and in providing patient-centred pharmaceutical care. This research would impress upon the pharmacists the need to redefine their role in the healthcare settings.

Patients' opinion of pharmacists and their roles in health care system in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacist-patient association is a decisive component in improving health care system. To offer patient centred services, the pharmacists need to fully understand patients' perspectives and views to meet their needs and expectations. PURPOSE: To evaluate patients' perception of pharmacist and pharmacy practice in Pakistan. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted between July and September 2012 on patients attended out-patient clinic in a teaching hospital of Pakistan. By using raosoft sample size calculator, questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 376 patients. Questionnaire included different section which evaluated the demographic information, frequency and reason of interaction, perception and choice of pharmacy. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS (v.17). RESULTS: A total of 301, out of 376, surveys returned giving a response rate of 80%. 51.8% (n = 156) participants interacted with pharmacist on regular basis. The major reasons of interaction were drug alternative and drug availability queries (41.5%, n = 125 and 26.2%, n = 79). The finding also showed that 84.1% (n = 253) of participants agreed that pharmacists are important part of health care system. Interestingly, all the patients (n = 301) either agreed or strongly agreed that discount was the major influencing factor on their choice of pharmacy. CONCLUSION: The patients' perception of pharmacist in Pakistan was generally positive but their understanding is very primitive as majority of the patients are unaware of pharmaceutical care services. However, they are more devoted to witness such services being practiced in Pakistan. This transition in practice could be brought into certainty by proactive involvement of pharmacists in community setup.