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Sierra Leonean doctors' perceptions and expectations of the role of pharmacists in hospitals: a national cross-sectional survey

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Abstract

Background The effective implementation of pharmaceutical care requires pharmacists' collaboration with other healthcare providers, especially doctors. However, doctor's perceptions and expectations may not be in line with the tasks and responsibilities of pharmacists. Objectives We aim to explore doctors' expectations and perceptions of pharmacists while working together in a multi-disciplinary team in Sierra Leone. Setting Twelve public hospitals in Sierra Leone. Method A national cross-sectional survey was conducted between July and September 2018. Anonymous self-administered questionnaires were distributed to all doctors at randomly selected public hospitals. Data were analyzed in Excel and SPSS using descriptive and inferential statistics, and a p > 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Main outcome measure Doctors' perceptions and expectations towards pharmacists role in patient care. Results A total of 119 out of 150 questionnaires were returned. Doctors hold a mixed perception of pharmacists. The majority of medical doctors believed that pharmacists are vital (n = 98; 82.4%) as they provide services that foster better patients outcomes (n = 78; 65.6%). However, about half (n = 58; 48.8%) expressed uncertainty or perceived pharmacists as incompetent in providing clinical pharmacy services. Our findings also showed a large proportion of doctors expect pharmacists to review medication order (n = 110; 92.4%) for appropriateness and monitoring patients' response to therapy and possible adverse drug effects (n = 112; 92.2%). M ore than three quarters (n = 104, 87.4%) were in favour of collaborating with pharmacists in the process of developing patients' treatment plans. Doctors (n = 116; 97.5%) were of the view that doctor-pharmacist collaborations can be improved by developing trust relationships through dialogue. No demographic characteristics were independently associated with doubt in pharmacist clinical competence. Conclusion Reservations regarding pharmacists' clinical competency still prevail amongst medical doctors. Conversely, they view pharmacists as crucial players in the healthcare delivery system in Sierra Leone. Doctors also have high expectations of pharmacists in terms of contributing to better patient outcomes and therefore wish to collaborate. Possible interventions to settle doctors' discontent regarding pharmacists may include fostering interprofessional training, practice, and constructive dialogue.

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Availability of data and material

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge Dr Reginal Cole, Saidu Bah, Alpha Kabba, Hadi Mohamed Jaber, and Richard Moore Conteh without their assistance, data collection across Sierra Leone would not have been possible. We also thank Dr Severin Ritter and Dr Issac Assan-Mensah of the Pharmacy Department Well Star Atlanta Medical Centre South, East Point, Georgia, the United States of America, for proofreading this research work.

Funding

This work was funded by the "Young Talent Support Plan,” "High Achiever Plan" of Health Science Center, Xi′an Jiaotong University, and the Central University Basic Research Fund (2015qngz05).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi′an Jiaotong University, #76 Yanta West Road, Xi′an, 710061, China

    Johna Alimamy Kabba, Jie Chang, Chenai Kitchen, Minghuan Jiang, Caijun Yang & Yu Fang

  2. Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi′an Jiaotong University, Xi′an, China

    Johna Alimamy Kabba, Jie Chang, Chenai Kitchen, Minghuan Jiang, Caijun Yang & Yu Fang

  3. Shaanxi Center for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi′an, China

    Johna Alimamy Kabba, Jie Chang, Chenai Kitchen, Minghuan Jiang, Caijun Yang & Yu Fang

  4. Research Institute for Drug Safety and Monitoring, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, China′s Western Technological Innovation Harbor, Xi′an, 710061, China

    Johna Alimamy Kabba, Jie Chang, Chenai Kitchen, Minghuan Jiang, Caijun Yang & Yu Fang

  5. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone

    Peter Bai James & Christian Hanson

  6. Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia

    Peter Bai James

  7. Pharmacy Board, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, New England, Freetown, Sierra Leone

    Peter Bai James & Christian Hanson

  8. Pharmacy Department, Well Star Atlanta Medical Centre South, East Point, GA, USA

    Christian Hanson

  9. Pharmacy Department, Emory Johns Creek Hospital, 6325 Hospital Pkwy, Johns Creek, GA, 30097, USA

    Christian Hanson

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  1. Johna Alimamy Kabba
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  2. Peter Bai James
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  3. Christian Hanson
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  6. Minghuan Jiang
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  7. Caijun Yang
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  8. Yu Fang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yu Fang.

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They authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

The study was approved by the Health Science Center of Xi′an Jiaotong University, Xi′an, China (Ref: 2018–486) and the Sierra Leone Ethics and Scientific Review Committee Ministry of Health and Sanitation. All participants consented to the study and were assured of their anonymity

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All participant consented to the research and were assured of their anonymity.

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Kabba, J.A., James, P.B., Hanson, C. et al. Sierra Leonean doctors' perceptions and expectations of the role of pharmacists in hospitals: a national cross-sectional survey. Int J Clin Pharm 42, 1335–1343 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-020-01096-z

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