Attitudes of clients and health care professionals towards hospital pharmacists' roles according to the Standards of Hospital Pharmacy Practice issued by the Ministry of Public Health
ทัศนคติของผู้รับบริการและบุคลากรสาธารณสุขต่อบทบาทของเภสัชกรโรงพยาบาลตามเกณฑ์
มาตรฐานงานเภสัชกรรมโรงพยาบาลของกระทรวงสาธารณสุข
Payom Wongpoowarak, Asst. Prof., D. of Clinical Pharmacy, F. of Pharmaceutical Sci., PSU.
Juraporn Pongwecharak, D. of Clinical Pharmacy, F. of Pharmaceutical Sci., PSU.
Jintana Chatsiri, Department of Pharmacy, Hat Yai Hospital, Songkhla
Sujita Kultawaiporn, Department of Pharmacy, Songkhla Hospital, Songkhla
Naowanit Trisadikoon, Department of Pharmacy, Songklanagarind Hospital, PSU.
Kuladee Uimsiri, 5th Pharmacy student, PSU.
Kobsoe Hasamo, 5th Pharmacy student, PSU.
Malinee Mingsa, 5th Pharmacy student, PSU.
Corresponding e-mail : wpayom@ratree.psu.ac.th
Published : Songkla Med J 2000, 18(3) : 175-187
Key words : hospital pharmacist, standards of hospital pharmacy practice
The purpose of this research was to survey attitudes of clients and health care professionals towards hospital pharmacists' roles according to 1996 Standards of Hospital Pharmacy Practice
issued by the Thai Ministry of Public Health. The standards cover 4 areas of hospital pharmacy ser-
vices : 1) dispensing, 2) drug inventory and drug information, 3) drug production, and 4) community care. Questionnaires with four-pointed rating scale (0 to 3) representing degrees of agreement were used to collect data at Hat Yai Hospital, Songkhla Hospital and Songklanagarind Hospital during October 1998 and January 1999. The questionnaires were completed by 670 clients, 66 physicians,
149 nurses, and 37 pharmacists. Results showed that mean scores of clients' needs for pharmacist activities in all areas, except drug production, was higher than 2.5. Mean scores of agreement with activities of hospital pharmacist as specified in the Standards among physicians were higher than 2.5 for the activities of prescription screening, labeling of drug information, drug dispensing and addi-tional explanation, drug use evaluation, drug counseling in outpatients, drug information service and drug production. Mean score of agreement among nurses for all activities of hospital pharmacist was higher than 2.5, except the satellite pharmacy and the unit dose drug distribution system. The mean scores of agreement among physicians were lower than those of nurses in almost all activities. How-ever, the mean scores of physicians and nurses are similar in drug distribution system, prescription screening, labeling of drug information, drug inventory, drug production and intravenous admixture. Pharmacists' mean scores of agreement for most activities exceeded 2.5, except the satellite pharma-cy, unit dose drug distribution system, therapeutic drug monitoring, intravenous admixture, cytotoxic preparation and community care by home health service. Preparation of cytotoxic drugs by pharma-cists was the activity that physicians (57%) and nurses (84%) highly recommended (mean scores of
2.5 and 2.8, respectively). However, 60% of pharmacists did not agree with such activity. In conclu-sion, mean scores of clients' needs for pharmacist activities in all areas issued in the Standards, except drug production, was higher than 2.5. Mean scores of agreement among physicians and nurses with most activities were more than 2.5 except new activities recently introduced or not existing. They
were the satellite pharmacy, unit dose drug distribution system and home health service. Pharmacists' mean score of agreement with preparation of cytotoxic drugs was much lower (<1.5) both for patients in hospitals and for patients at home.
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