Academic literature on the topic 'Pharmacists – South Africa'
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Journal articles on the topic "Pharmacists – South Africa"
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Baker, Lee. "The Role of Pharmacists in Travel Medicine in South Africa." Pharmacy 6, no. 3 (July 19, 2018): 68. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy6030068.
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Worldwide, pharmacists, who are the most accessible health-care providers, are playing an ever increasing role in travel medicine, assisting travelers in taking the necessary precautions to ensure safe and healthy travel. This article looks at the situation in South Africa, and how pharmacists are performing these functions within the legal constraints of the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965, which prevents pharmacists from prescribing many of the travel vaccines and medications. The scope of practice in community pharmacies increased since the successful down-scheduling of some of the antimalarials, allowing pharmacists to supply the many travelers who frequently travel to neighboring countries. As in many other countries, travel medicine in South Africa is currently thwart with products that are out of stock, and a number of temporary guidelines were put in place to deal with these. Ways to facilitate expanding the role of pharmacists in travel medicine in South Africa need to be further explored.
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Baksh, Mohammed A., Velisha A. Perumal-Pillay, and Frasia Oosthuizen. "An Investigation Into the Knowledge of South African Pharmacists on the Identification and Management of Drug-Drug Interactions." Global Journal of Health Science 11, no. 12 (October 15, 2019): 146. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v11n12p146.
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BACKGROUND: Detecting and reporting drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is an important role of pharmacists. Standard operating procedures (SOPs), that can be used to manage DDIs is not a requirement at pharmacies in South Africa. SOPs create standardized methods of identifying and reporting DDIs.
AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge of South African pharmacists on the identification and management of DDIs as well as the availability and use of SOPs in the detection and management of DDIs.
METHODS: A quantitative approach was used targeting registered pharmacists from two provinces in South Africa, namely Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. 153 responses were received after mailing the questionnaire to 200 pharmacists (76.5% response rate). Data was analysed by using Microsoft Excel® and SPSS® (version 23.0).
RESULTS: The majority (93.5%) of respondents were able to correctly define. Forty-four percent of respondents were aware of the existence of SOPs in their respective pharmacies. The majority of the respondents (80.4%) were of the opinion that having SOPs in place for the management of DDIs benefit the identification of these in the pharmacy environment. The findings indicated that availability and access of SOPs are the same across all sectors of pharmacy.
CONCLUSION: The results show that the majority of participants have a sound knowledge regarding DDIs as well as the importance of reporting them should such events occur. While most pharmacists were not aware of SOPs in their pharmacies, they regarded this as beneficial.
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Naidoo, Vivian, Fatima Suleman, and Varsha Bangalee. "Roles and reimbursement of pharmacists as South Africa transitions towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC): An online survey-based study." PLOS ONE 16, no. 9 (September 23, 2021): e0257348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257348.
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Background The implementation of Universal Health Coverage in SA has sought to focus on promoting affordable health care services that are accessible to all citizens. In this regard, pharmacists are expected to play a pivotal function in the revitalization of primary health care (PHC) during this transition by the expansion of their practice roles. Objectives To assess the readiness and perceptions of pharmacists to expand their roles in an integrated health care system. To determine the availability and pricing of primary health care services currently provided within a community pharmacy environment and to evaluate suitable reimbursement for the provision of such services by a community pharmacist. Methods Community pharmacists’ across SA were invited to participate in an online survey-based study. The survey consisted of both open- and closed-ended questions. Descriptive statistics for closed-ended questions were generated and analysed using Microsoft Excel® and Survey Monkey®. Responses for the open-ended questions were transcribed, analysed, and reported as emerging themes. Results Six hundred and sixty-four pharmacists’ responded to the online survey. Seventy-five percent of pharmacists’ reported that with appropriate training, a transition into a more patient-centered role might be beneficial in the re-engineering of the PHC system. However, in order to adopt these new roles, appropriate reimbursement structures are required. The current fee levied by pharmacists in community pharmacies that offered these PHC services was found to be lower to that recommended by the South African Pharmacy Council; this disparity is primarily due to a lack of information and policy standardisation. Therefore, in order to ensure that fees levied are fair, comprehensive service package guidelines are required. Conclusions This study provides baseline data for policy makers on pharmacists’ readiness to transition into expanded roles. Furthermore, it can be used as a foundation to establish appropriate reimbursement frameworks for pharmacists providing PHC services.
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Rothmann, Sebastiaan, and Madelaine Malan. "Occupational stress of hospital pharmacists in South Africa." International Journal of Pharmacy Practice 15, no. 3 (September 2007): 235–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1211/ijpp.15.3.0011.
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Truter, Ilse, and Brent C. Knoesen. "Perceptions towards the prescribing of antibiotics by pharmacists and the use of antibiotics in primary care in South Africa." Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 12, no. 02 (February 28, 2018): 115–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.3855/jidc.9630.
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Introduction: Antibiotics deserve their place a powerful pillar in modern medical care, but the development of antibiotic resistance is emerging faster than the availability of new antibiotics. This poses a major threat to public health. The primary aim was to determine the perceptions towards the prescribing of antibiotics by pharmacists and the use of antibiotics in primary care in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa.
Methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted under community pharmacists during 2014. Purposive sampling was used.
Results: Eighty percent of pharmacists were of the opinion that antibiotics are overprescribed. Amoxicillin, or the combination of amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, was indicated by 87.5% of respondents as the most often dispensed in their pharmacies, with ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin and azithromycin also commonly dispensed. One specific trade name product was mentioned by 43.8% of respondents as the antibiotic product they most often dispense. The most common diagnoses for which antibiotics were dispensed were upper respiratory tract infections and sinusitis. On average, more females (60.0%) were dispensed antibiotics. Most antibiotics were dispensed to adults (44.4%) and children (23.1%). On the question whether respondents were of the opinion that pharmacists should prescribe antibiotics, 50.0% indicated that they do not agree and 31.3% agreed. The main reason was because pharmacists are not qualified to diagnose. However, with further training they should be able to diagnose minor ailments and counsel patients.
Conclusions: Pharmacists had mixed opinions on whether they should be able to prescribe antibiotics. Most pharmacists were of the opinion that antibiotics are overprescribed.
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van Huyssteen, Mea, Angeni Bheekie, Sunitha C. Srinivas, and Azeezah Essack. "Continuous Professional Development for Public Sector Pharmacists in South Africa: A Case Study of Mapping Competencies in a Pharmacists’ Preceptor Programme." Pharmacy 8, no. 2 (June 3, 2020): 96. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy8020096.
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Lifelong learning among healthcare practitioners is crucial to keep abreast of advances in therapeutic and service delivery approaches. In South Africa, continuous professional development (CPD) was mandated (2019) for re-registration of pharmacists to illustrate their learning according to the South African Pharmacy Council’s (SAPC) competency standards. This paper uses a preceptor programme linked to the University of the Western Cape School of Pharmacy’s service learning programme to map the competencies employed by pharmacist preceptors in primary care public healthcare facilities in Cape Town in an attempt to encourage completion of their annual CPDs and strengthening the academic-service partnership. Competencies identified were divided into input competencies related to the preceptor’s role in designing and implementing the educational programme in their facilities and assisting students to complete their prescribed learning activities, and output/outcome competencies that emerged from preceptors identifying the facility needs and employing their input competencies. Input competencies pertained to education, leadership, patient counselling, collaborative practice and human resources management. Output competencies related to pharmaceutical infrastructure, quality assurance, professional and health advocacy, primary healthcare, self-management and patient-centred care. The preceptor programme enabled pharmacist preceptors to employ several competencies that are aligned with the SAPC’s competency framework.
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Tandlich, Roman, Nosiphiwe P. Ngqwala, Aileen Boshoff, Phindile Madikizela, C. Sunitha Srinivas, Desmond M. Pyle, and Rene Oosthuizen. "Challenges and Curriculum Transformation in the Higher Education Sector in South Africa: A Case Study in WASH to Improve the Training of Pharmacists." Acta Educationis Generalis 8, no. 1 (April 1, 2018): 3–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/atd-2018-0001.
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AbstractIntroduction: South Africa is a member state of the “BRICS” bloc (BRICS2017.org, 2017) and the G20 group of the 20 nations/economic blocs, which between them account for the majority of the world’s trade and economic activity. It faces many developmental challenges which are mirrored in its higher education sector. In this article, the authors seek to provide an overview of the challenges that South African higher education faces in the achievement of the developmental goals of the country. The focus of this paper is a case study in WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) to improve context-specific responses that trains pharmacists on knowledge and skills.Methods: The study was performed as a combination of calculations and a literature review to obtain the background or current status of the higher education sector and developmental planning in South Africa. For this, data were extracted from the Statistics South Africa reports, relevant professional articles on South African higher education sector and results of postgraduate research. Workshop results which were obtained as a collaboration between a public and a private higher education institution and results of postgraduate research were used as the paradigm for transformation and decolonisation of the curriculum for a professional degree in South Africa.Results and discussion: Challenges exist in the South African tertiary education sector and the graduation rate currently stands at 65.1% of the target set by the National Development Plan. Around 58.1% of all students do not complete their university/post-secondary education, which could provide a partial explanation for the skills shortage in South Africa. Decolonisation and transformation of the tertiary education curriculum are major topics in the discourse on higher education in South Africa. The authors propose that one way to achieve this would be inclusion of research results and group activities in the area of water, sanitation and hygiene as a topic for possible and partial transformation of the Bachelor of Pharmacy curriculum.Conclusions: The current article summarises some of topics and challenges that drive the current discourse, developmental and curriculum debate in higher education in South Africa. Student access and through put at tertiary institutions need to be improved and the curriculum needs to be transformed.
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Kiyange, F., V. Walusansa, G. Mandosela, H. Nzereka Kambale, E. Luyirika, and J. Orem. "The Role of South-to-South Partnerships in Developing Cancer Services in Africa." Journal of Global Oncology 4, Supplement 2 (October 1, 2018): 163s. http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/jgo.18.21200.
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Background and context: Despite being a growing public health concern in Africa, access to effective cancer treatment and pain relief is still limited in sub-Saharan Africa. The African Palliative Care Association (APCA) in collaboration with the American Cancer Society and the Ministry of Health of Swaziland have successfully implemented a South-to-South partnership which has facilitated the development and operation of a cancer unit in Mbabane National Hospital. Although the cancer burden continues to rise in Africa, many countries do not have established oncology services. They rely on cancer treatment, care and support through referral to neighboring countries or overseas, which is costly for governments and poses multiple challenges for patients and their families. Until recently, Swaziland has relied on cancer treatment and care in South Africa. This paper presents a model where the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) in Uganda has been facilitated to support the establishment of a cancer unit in Swaziland. Aim: The intervention aimed at providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Health of Swaziland to initiate and operate a cancer unit in Mbabane Government Hospital through a formal arrangement with the UCI. Strategy/Tactics: The planning and execution of activities was done by a tripartite of APCA, Uganda Cancer Institute a government entity and the Swazi Ministry of Health. Program/Policy process: Over a period of one year (Decemeber 2016 to December 2017) APCA, through a grant from the ACS formerly engaged the UCI to support the initiation and operation of a cancer unit in Swaziland. This was through expert exchange visits through which on-job training and mentorship was provided to a team of staff at Mbabane Government Hospital, with coordination by the Swaziland Ministry of Health. Experiential visits to Uganda were also organized for the lead pharmacist in Swaziland and a doctor to enable them set up and run a cancer unit in their country. The exchange visits provided a forum for both observation and application of knowledge and skills. Outcomes: A cancer unit was successfully established at Mbabane Government Hospital in Swaziland, which now provides services for patients, with breast cancer and expanding to include other cancers. The Swaziland Ministry of Health has been key to the success of this development and continues to identify human, financial and other resources to sustain the cancer unit. To date 69 patients have successfully undergone chemotherapy: 43 breast cancer, 22 Kaposi sarcoma, 2 colorectal cancer, 1 bladder cancer, 1 multiple myeloma. 21 health care workers were trained on cancer management; 9 doctors, 7 nurses and 5 pharmacists. What was learned: There are many opportunities for South-to-South partnership to support the establishment or improvement of cancer care. This model implemented in Swaziland can be replicated in other African countries. Documenting the model for replication in other countries is recommended.
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Joubert, M. C., and Panjasaram Naidoo. "Knowledge, perceptions and practices of pharmacovigilance amongst community and hospital pharmacists in a selected district of North West Province, South Africa." Health SA Gesondheid 21 (October 11, 2016): 238–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/hsag.v21i0.960.
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Background: Pharmacovigilance (PV) as a means of ensuring drug safety is an essential component of the process ensuring that the risk of drug use does not outweigh the benefit. Pharmacists are valuable in collecting PV information, but not many studies explored the knowledge, perceptions and practices of both community and hospital pharmacists towards the practice of PV.Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore the knowledge, perceptions and practise of PV amongst the pharmacists in a selected district of North West Province, South Africa.Method: A cross sectional study was conducted amongst pharmacists in a selected district of the North West province, using a pre-tested questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the results including ANOVA testing.Results: One hundred and two pharmacists (68.9%) completed the questionnaire. Although familiar with the concept of PV, pharmacists knowledge scores were low. Pharmacists agreed that PV is a useful tool, but perceived the PV authorities to be distant and remote. Although more than 90% indicated that all adverse drug reactions should be reported, only 44.1% indicated that they have reported adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Only 6.7% of pharmacists were satisfied with feedback received from authorities after reporting an ADR. Barriers were cited that prevented them from reporting ADRs. Over 80% indicated they would participate in further PV training.Conclusion: The majority of pharmacists are familiar with the concept of PV, but less than half reported any ADR. They are willing to participate in PV processes but are unsure what their exact role playing should be. More than half indicated that they would like to see improvements to the current PV system in South Africa. The majority are prepared to undergo further education to improve their PV knowledge.
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Reekie, W. D. "A view on the treatment of collusive and restrictive practices in competition policy." South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences 1, no. 1 (March 31, 1998): 8–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v1i1.1824.
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South African competition policy is in a state of flux. While professing to serve so-called national interest, legislation has tended to overlook the principles of economic efficiency and consumer welfare. The South African National Drug policy is a case in point. The best defence against collusion and restrictive practices in business is competition, but the Department of Health favours blanket rules like uniform pricing and a fixed fee-for-service. Thus supermarkets may not employ dispensing pharmacists, and uniform price legislation would make it illegal to negotiate discounts on prescription medicines with retailers. As a rule consumers are the losers. Many fallacies are contained in the debate on the "right" competition policy for South Africa. For example, a firm may appear big simply because the domestic market is small.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Pharmacists – South Africa"
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Ramkhalawon, Shabeerah. "Antibiotic stewardship: the role of clinical pharmacist." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/10858.
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South Africa has a high prevalence of infectious diseases; the major ones being the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome epidemic, and tuberculosis. South Africa’s burden of resistant bacteria is also increasing. Antibiotic resistance in hospitalised patients leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality, resulting in longer hospital stays, and an increase in hospital costs. In order to counteract the problem of antibiotic resistance in hospitals and other healthcare facilities and preserve the efficacy of currently available antibiotics, there is a need for serious antibiotic management. Antibiotic stewardship initiatives have thus been put in place to guide healthcare professionals on the correct use of antibiotics. Clinical pharmacists can intervene and contribute to antibiotic stewardship owing to comprehensive knowledge of antibiotics, including the properties, uses, safety and efficacy of individual agents. There is a paucity of research to support the role of the clinical pharmacist in antibiotic stewardship in public sector hospitals. The current pharmacist staffing system within public sector hospitals does not adequately support pharmacists, in particular clinical pharmacists, to participate actively in antibiotic stewardship. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the role of the clinical pharmacist in antibiotic stewardship in a public hospital setting. A secondary aim was to contribute towards more rational inpatient use of antibiotics in the general medical ward. The hypothesis for the study was that clinical pharmacists can make a positive contribution to the correct use of antibiotics in a public hospital setting. The study showed that the introduction of a pharmacist-driven antibiotic stewardship in the ward, using a prospective audit and feedback strategy, had a positive effect on overall appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing (Chi2=7.89; df=3; p=0.04815, Cramer’s V=0.13). However, this finding did not show any reduction in the volume of antibiotic use. Positive patient outcomes were achieved and shown through a reduction in the length of hospital stay (p=0.00487; one-way ANOVA). Although patients were not followed up on discharge to assess re-admission rates, the results are relevant in order to inform the hospital staff about the implementation of antibiotic stewardship at the public hospital setting with the aims of reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and improving patient outcomes. From the results of the study, it can be concluded that the hypothesis was achieved and that the clinical pharmacist did play an integral role in antibiotic prescribing at the public hospital setting. Thus, it can be concluded that the study, though limited in its scope, achieved its aims and objectives, and showed that the clinical pharmacist does play an integral role in the rational use of antibiotics in a public hospital setting.
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Rivombo, Samson. "An investigation into the high turnover rate of pharmacists in the South African pharmaceutical industry." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1019786.
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The main objective of this study was to investigate factors contributing to employee turnover in the South African pharmaceutical industry and to suggest strategies to minimize it. Employee turnover is a persistent problem facing both public and private organizations in South Africa. In addition to the costs incurred when an employee resigns, losing employees results in a loss of knowledge, skills and experience. Numerous studies have been undertaken globally on this topic. However, this problem continues to adversely affect organizations in several ways. Schwab (1991) suggests that this is because there are no clear resolutions yet to this challenge. Based on literature review conducted, there is no study undertaken in South Africa attempting to address this problem. The purpose of this study was to identify factors contributing to high turnover rate of pharmacists in South Africa (the pharmaceutical industry in particular) and to recommend strategies to address this problem. A quantitative research approach was followed when addressing this problem. Literature review was conducted on employee turnover and a questionnaire was developed. The questionnaire was used as a measuring instrument. Following a non-probability, convenience sampling method, two pharmaceutical companies in Gauteng and one in the Eastern Cape were surveyed. The results were analysed by a statistician using Epi-info and stata software as tools for statistical analysis. The following factors were found to be key factors contributing to employee turnover in the pharmaceutical industry: (i) lack of career advancement opportunities, (ii) uncompetitive salary packages, (iii) perceived inequity reflecting leadership challenges, (iv) insufficient recognition for good performance, (v) stress, and (vi) insufficient retention strategies. An effective retention strategy should address all factors that may contribute to employee turnover. A retention strategy that combines competitive salary packages, opportunities for learning and career advancement, recognition, equity and support structures (to deal with stress), should be used in the pharmaceutical industry. This will assist in creating a motivating climate, which is a pre-requisite for job satisfaction and, in turn, employee retention.
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Smith, Robert Mark Houston. "South African community pharmacists’ self-perception of their professional identity and job satisfaction." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20637.
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The role of the community pharmacist has changed over the past two decades. The traditional specialist roles of pharmacists, such as compounding and preparation of medications, are now infrequent activities and the profession has moved to a more patient-centred focus. Furthermore, pharmaceutical care has been developed and adopted as a practice philosophy to add value and bring care for patients back into the profession. However, there is still much debate in academic and policy literature concerning the reluctance of community pharmacists to adopt and implement pharmaceutical care in practice environments. Empirical evidence has suggested that the professional identity of pharmacists is both ambiguous and multifaceted. However, the practice of pharmaceutical care has been demonstrated to increase organisational identity of pharmacists, as well as their job satisfaction. In addition, pharmacists in a clinical role have been shown to have higher levels of job satisfaction than their counterparts in nonclinical roles. This study has identified, described and analysed the self-perceived professional identities of community pharmacists within a South African context. Furthermore, it sought to determine their current levels of job satisfaction. The relationships between professional identity, job satisfaction and role were analysed in an attempt to understand the influence of professional identity on job satisfaction and behaviour of pharmacists. This study made use of a mixed method of inquiry, online questionnaire, administered to a large sample, which allowed the researcher to take a broad view of the research foci at a specific moment in time. This study found the existence of six professional identities amongst South African Community Pharmacists; namely the practitioner, the jaded pharmacist, the social carer, the professional, the medicine supplier and the entrepreneur. South African community pharmacists were, generally, satisfied with their jobs, professed to practice pharmaceutical care and adopted it as a practice philosophy. South African Community pharmacists were, in general, committed to their profession. Correlation between a pharmacist’s professional identity and their job title, job satisfaction and their commitment were found to be statistically significant. A pharmacist’s level of job satisfaction was statistically correlated to their practice of pharmaceutical care. No statistically significant relationship was found to exist between a pharmacist’s identity and their work load or tasks performed. Characterising South African community pharmacists’ identities is of great significance in an effort to better understand the forces that drive our profession of pharmacy. In doing so, have found that identity affects many elements of work life such as job satisfaction, professional commitment and the practice of patient care.
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Mupfumira, Rudo. "An assessment of African traditional medicines in pregnancy and on birth outcomes: pharmacists' perceptions of complementary medicines in pregnancy." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003256.
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Increasing numbers of medicines are being used by pregnant South African women in the public sector during pregnancy, for the treatment of different biomedical and supernatural disease states and conditions. The motivation for the research is to support the development of more local pregnancy registries in order to strengthen evidence for the safety and efficacy of medicines used in pregnancy. A mixed methods approach was used. Women in their ninth month of pregnancy in a public sector setting, and four community pharmacists were identified. The women who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. One in-depth semi-structured interview was conducted with each woman before giving birth and data on their pregnancy outcomes were collected after labour. Coincidentally, the mother of one of the participants was found to be a traditional healer. She was also interviewed on the topic. A structured questionnaire was administered to the pharmacists. Ten pregnant women between the ages of 19 to 39 who had used or were using a traditional medicine during the pregnancy were recruited. All the participants had had at least one antenatal check up during their pregnancy with one having attended five times. No abnormal results were reported from any of the check ups or tests done during the visits. All of them had been to school and had at least Standard 8/Grade 10 education. Ten babies were seen between one and four days postpartum and no birth defects were obvious or were reported for any of them. The traditional healer did not provide additional information to what the women had said and confirmed that some of the practices the women reported were known to her as traditional medicine practices. All four pharmacists indicated that they considered complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) to be “somewhat effective” and sold them at their pharmacies although none of them were aware of whether or not they were registered with the MCC. None of the pharmacists appeared to have an in-depth knowledge of traditional, complementary and alternative medicines (TCAMs). All four pharmacists said that it is important to have a basic understanding of TCAMs before using them, although they did not agree on the reasons for this. All of them felt that pharmacists have a professional responsibility to provide information on TCAMs (especially herbal preparations) and two felt that providing this information is part of a medical doctors’ responsibility. No harm from taking TCAMs could be shown. However herbal medicines have numerous ingredients some of which are unknown and taking these medicines is risky. The pharmacists in this sample were unsure whether they were accessing unreliable CAM information. Reliable sources of information and reference materials on CAMs to assist pharmacists and other healthcare professionals are needed. The apparent widespread use of TCAM in pregnancy indicates a need for documentation about its efficacy and safety. The establishing of TCAM pregnancy registries should seriously be considered. Due to the increase in CAM use, CAM education during pharmacists’ training as well as continuing professional development (CPD) in CAM for pharmacists in practice should be encouraged.
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Stone, Leanne Nicole, and S. F. Burton. "The impact of a ward pharmacist in a surgical ward of a private hospital in the Eastern Cape." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5916.
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Medication errors are becoming problematic in both hospital and outpatient settings worldwide. Inappropriate use of medication can cause harm to the patient and maintaining high levels of quality patient care is essential to protect all patients. Clinical pharmacy practice contributes to improved patient care by optimising medication therapy; and promoting health, wellness and disease prevention. The involvement of a pharmacist at a ward level has been shown to improve patient care; reduce mortality and morbidity rates; decrease healthcare costs; minimise medication errors; and improve outcomes of drug therapy. However, clinical pharmacy is a fairly new practice in South Africa and there are limited studies available. This study aimed to evaluate the perceived benefits of a ward-based pharmacist on the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients in a hospital setting and to consequently implement a ward-based pharmacy service. The objectives of the study were: (1) to assess, via a questionnaire, the perceptions and attitudes of medical practitioners and nurses to ward-based pharmacy prior to and after implementation of a ward-based pharmacy service, (2) to implement a ward-based pharmacy service in a selected hospital ward; (3) to document and analyse the nature of the work and activities that a ward pharmacist undertakes, and (4) to document and analyse the frequency and nature of ward pharmacist interventions. The study was conducted in a surgical ward of a private hospital in the Eastern Cape. The study design was an intervention study, using a mixed-methods design, with a convergent approach. A convenience sample of 106 patients was obtained over the eight week study period. Participation was voluntary and confidentiality was maintained at all times. Four data collection tools were used during the study and a pilot study was conducted to ensure their validity and reliability. The quantitative data was analysed statistically while the qualitative questions were analysed through coding the various responses. The results of the study showed that medical practitioners and nurses of a surgical ward had a positive attitude towards ward pharmacy both prior to and after the implementation of a ward pharmacy service. There were ward pharmacist interventions made in 50% (n=106) of the patients who participated in the study. A large percentage (57%; 50; n=87) of the ward pharmacist interventions were pharmacist-initiated interventions to optimise patient care while prescribing errors (51%; 19; n=37) were the most commonly occurring medication error. The majority of the medication items involved in the interventions (34%; 34; n=101) were related to the anti-microbial medication class. Overall, there was a 73% (36; n=49) acceptance rate of the ward pharmacist interventions that were made to both the medical practitioners and nurses. There were a number of factors that had a significant relationship with a ward pharmacist intervention being required which included: (1) number of medication items (p=0.001; Chi² test; p<0.0005 Student’s t-test), (2) length of hospital stay (p<0.0005; Chi² test), (3) presence of one or more chronic disease states (p=0.003; Chi² test) and (4) presence of one or more allergies (p=0.028; Chi² test). The ward pharmacist interventions were shown to be of clinical significance and to have a positive impact on the patients concerned. It can be concluded that the ward pharmacy service was beneficial to the patients, medical practitioners and nursing staff.
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Kubashe, Nomachina Theopatra. "The influence of corporatization on the professional identity of community pharmacists." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18189.
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As a potential main player in the primary health care sector and the impending National Health Insurance (NHI), community pharmacists could make a significant contribution to easing the health care burden in South Africa. Recent legislative and organizational changes related to the corporatization of pharmacy in South Africa have impacted significantly on the profession and stand to weaken the already ‘tenuous’ professional identity of pharmacists in the country. Since community pharmacists are viewed as potential main players in the primary health care sector, the influence of corporatization on pharmacists’ identities and their concomitant ability to contribute to easing the health care burden in South Africa need to be considered. In this regard, this study examined the influence that corporatization has had on the professional identity of community pharmacists practicing in the Nelson Mandela Bay area of South Africa. That is, in an effort to understand the influence that corporatization has had on changing professional identities and practices the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours of community pharmacists regarding the philosophy and practice of pharmacy were explored. This included ascertaining community pharmacists’ self-perception of their professional identity and the perception of users of these community pharmacies. The study was conducted from an interpretative epistemological paradigm, based on a philosophy of pragmatism. Data collection was conducted in two phases and a qualitative approach, which included in-depth and semi-structured interviews, was adopted as a design. Phase one investigated the self-perceptions of sixteen community pharmacists, equally distributed between independent and corporate pharmacies in the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB). Phase two examined the perceptions of thirty-two end-users of the pharmacies included in the study. Data from both phases were then analysed and interpreted. Following the identification of seven core professional identities, namely pharmacists as custodian or keeper of medicines; primary health care givers; confidante and carer; jaded; astute and credible; corporate; and independent, it was determined that corporatization has, to various degrees, had an effect on the undermining of Nelson Mandela Bay community pharmacists’ view of themselves as skilled professionals in the health care sector. In short, it was found that corporatization is believed to have blurred the boundaries related to what it means to be a pharmacist and what role pharmacists should play in the provision of public health care. Corporatization does not appear to have influenced the patients’ or pharmacy end-users’ perceptions of the pharmacist, and furthermore does not play a major role in their choice of pharmacy. It is the perception of pharmacists in this study that with the introduction of legislative changes, more so corporatization, they experienced an undermining of their professional skill and disregard for costs involved in becoming a pharmacist. The perceived undermining of the professional skill of pharmacists threatens the valuable contribution that community pharmacists can make to balancing the country’s socio-economic status by appropriately and efficiently assisting in preventing, managing and/or reducing the disease burden in South Africa. Corporatization of the community pharmacy sector seems to have realized the government’s intention of making medication affordable to its citizens, however, the certainty of whether corporatization benefits patients that are in need of access remains to be seen. Community pharmacists could in fact, capitalize on the identification and enactment of their clinical skill (pharmaceutical and social caregiving) as this skill appears to be a tool that will allow pharmacists meaningful transition to being real contributors of primary health care in the imminent introduction of the NHI. At the same time, recognition of the role a pharmacist plays in primary health care will be supporting the government in its endeavours to making medicine accessible and affordable to all South African citizens without compromising their health needs. Ultimately, pharmacists can assist in the balancing and/or improvement of the socio-economic status of our society and the country.
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Pillay, Yogindren. "An investigation into pharmacists perceptions of the South African medical scheme industry." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/96201.
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Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.The South African healthcare industry has undergone numerous changes over the last two decades in both the public and private sectors. These changes have influenced the regulatory landscape of both sectors with the aim of improving accessibility to healthcare services and providers, and making healthcare more affordable for the South African public. The South African government introduced the Medical Schemes Act No. 131 of 1998, in response to issues faced in the medical scheme industry. The act allowed for a board of trustees to regulate medical schemes in their governance (McIntyre, Thiede, Nkosi, Mutyambizi, Castilo-Riquelme, Gilson, Erasmus & Goudge, 2007). The main aim was to ensure medical schemes were able to maintain solvency levels and maintain benefits offered to beneficiaries. The pharmaceutical industry saw legislative changes governing the pricing of medicines, generic substitution of medicines and open ownership of pharmacies. The researcher aimed to provide the medical scheme industry with valuable insight into the challenges experienced by pharmacists, when processing and submitting claims for medical scheme members and their beneficiaries. The intention was to enable the medical scheme industry to improve service quality and efficiency in provider relationships, and customer relationships. The research consisted of qualitative and quantitative research methods. A focus group interview consisted of the initial phase, producing qualitative data. The researcher utilised the qualitative data to construct an online questionnaire, which he then sent out through email, to a larger group of retail pharmacists in KwaZulu-Natal. The majority of retail pharmacists who participated in the research had a limited knowledge of all medical schemes and the different options available in South Africa. The majority of pharmacists in both groups were of the opinion that the redesigning and simplification of computer programmes, utilised for submitting prescriptions, would improve efficiency in service delivery. The research further found that the dissemination of information, on a variety of topics, from medical schemes to their members and service providers, should improve to increase efficiency in service delivery and foster better relationships.
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Melamed, Graham Morrison. "Determining the essential traits for successful retail pharmacists in the Port Elizabeth-Uitenhage metropole." Thesis, Port Elizabeth Technikon, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22.
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The research problem addressed in this study was to determine whether successful retail pharmacists exhibited specific traits. To achieve this objective a theoretical schedule of traits was developed, using relevant literature in which traits of entrepreneurs are described. The theoretical list consisted of the possession of the following traits: The need to achieve; Confidence in their abilities; The successful management of risk; Creativity and the possession of vision; The tendency/ability to view changes as opportunities; Internal locus of control; Leadership; High level of motivation; Tenacity; Communication skills. Each trait of the schedule was analysed using the literature identified during the literature study. The theoretical list was then used to develop a questionnaire to test the degree to which retail pharmacists in the Greater Port Elizabeth/Uitenhage Metropole concur. The empirical results obtained indicate a strong concurrence with the theoretical list of traits of successful retail pharmacists that was developed in the study. This resulted in the theoretical schedule being confirmed and accepted as a list of traits possessed by successful retail pharmacists.
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Hill, Peter William. "The South African community pharmacist and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus a pharmaceutical care intervention." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003238.
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Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease of pandemic magnitude, increasingly contributing to the disease burden of countries in the developing world, largely because of the effects of unhealthy lifestyles fuelled by unbridled urbanisation. In certain settings, patients with diabetes are more likely to have a healthcare encounter with a pharmacist than with any other healthcare provider. The overall aim of the study was to investigate the potential of South African community pharmacists to positively influence patient adherence and metabolic control in Type 2 diabetes. The designated primary endpoint was glycated haemoglobin, with the intermediate health outcomes of blood lipids, serum creatinine, blood pressure and body mass index serving as secondary endpoints. Community pharmacists and their associated Type 2 diabetes patients were recruited from areas throughout South Africa using the communication media of various nonstatutory pharmacy organisations. Although 156 pharmacists initially indicated interest in participating in the study, only 28 pharmacists and 153 patients were enrolled prior to baseline data collection. Of these, 16 pharmacists and 57 patients participated in the study for the full twelve months. Baseline clinical and psychosocial data were collected, after which pharmacists and their patients were randomised, nine pharmacists and 34 patients to the intervention group and 8 pharmacists and 27 patients to the control group. The sample size calculation revealed that each group required the participation of a minimum of 35 patients. Control pharmacists were requested to offer standard pharmaceutical care, while the intervention pharmacists were provided with a scope of practice diabetes care plan to guide the diabetes care they were to provide. Data were again collected 12-months postbaseline. At baseline, proportionally more intervention patients (82.4%) than control patients (59.3%) were using only oral anti-diabetes agents (i.e. not in combination with insulin), while insulin usage, either alone or in combination with oral agents was conversely greater in the control group (40.7%) than in the intervention group (17.6%) (Chi-squared test, p=0.013). Approximately half of the patients (53.8% control and 47.1% intervention) reported having their HbA1c levels measured in terms of accepted guidelines. There was no significant difference in HbA1c between the groups at the end of the study (Independent t-test, p=0.514). In the control group, the mean HbA1c increased from 7.3±1.2% to 7.6±1.5%, while for the intervention patients the variable remained almost constant (8.2±2.0% at baseline and 8.2±1.8% at post-baseline). Similarly, there were no significant differences between the groups with regard to any of the designated secondary clinical endpoints. Adherence to medication and self-management recommendations was similarly good for both groups. There were no significant differences between the two groups for any of the other psychosocial variables measured. In conclusion, intervention pharmacists were not able to significantly influence glycaemic control or therapeutic adherence compared to the control pharmacists.
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Mayne, Rensche. "Community pharmacists’ knowledge, attitude and practices on adverse drug reaction reporting in South Africa." University of the Western Cape, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6697.
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>Magister Scientiae - MScPharmacovigilance involves the management of sub-standard drugs, medication errors, ―off-licence‖ drugs, abuse and misuse, lack of efficacy, poisoning, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), drug interactions, expired stock destruction and drug-related mortality. Regulators and the pharmaceutical industry rely on healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, to report ADRs. The majority of pharmacists work in retail community pharmacies and they are often the first point of contact when ADRs are experienced, since self-medication, misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins and traditional medicines, increase the probability of ADRs. In South Africa (SA) ADRs have been known to cause adult deaths and hospital admissions. In first-world communities, pharmacovigilance is more common among pharmacists, however in South Africa, ADR reporting compares poorly. Studies in the public sector have found that pharmacists lack pharmacovigilance knowledge and underreport ADRs. In comparison the pharmacovigilance knowledge and practice patterns among retail community pharmacists is poorly documented.
Books on the topic "Pharmacists – South Africa"
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Crush, Jonathan, and Abel Chikanda. Staunching the Flow. Oxford University Press, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198815273.003.0016.
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South Africa has experienced a major outflow of health professionals since the end of apartheid in 1994 and this brain drain has led to a significant decline in the quality of healthcare across the country’s health institutions. This chapter provides a critical assessment of South Africa’s health professional retention strategies and asks if these have led to any significant shifts in the emigration intentions of highly skilled health professionals (medical doctors and specialists, dentists and pharmacists). The chapter provides an overview of the scale of the brain drain from the country and the emigration intentions of those still there and in training. It then examines the various strategies that the government has adopted to staunch the flow. Finally, using data from 2007 and 2013 surveys of health professionals by the Southern African Migration Program, the chapter assesses whether these strategies have had any discernible impact.
Book chapters on the topic "Pharmacists – South Africa"
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Vhiriri, Eunice P., Asante Msimang, Richard K. Laubscher, Yoland Irwin, Farisai Chiwanza, and Roman Tandlich. "Natural Disasters and the Role of Pharmacists: A Focus on Policy and Protocols in South Africa." In Sustainable Development Goals Series, 153–67. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74262-1_10.
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Polaine, Andy. "Creative Waves." In Social Computing, 1083–95. IGI Global, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60566-984-7.ch069.
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The past few years have seen the promise of online collaboration vastly augmented by developments in online technologies and emerging creative practices. Through our work with the Omnium Research Group, the authors argue that design should never be a solitary activity and benefits from many levels of collaboration - never more so than when dealing with complex issues facing today’s world. The highly connected global society in which many of us now live frequently uses web-technologies to enhance nearly every facet of day-to-day life. The authors strongly believe that design education should not isolate itself from such communal and collaborative potential. This chapter explores what happens when online creative collaboration is applied to a realworld design project tackling critical health issues affecting local communities in Africa. It offers an account of the most recent, fully-online Creative Waves project - Visualising Issues in Pharmacy (VIP) that saw over 100 graphic designers join forces with a similar number of pharmacists from over 40 countries worldwide to produce graphic proposals for public awareness campaigns about six health issues seriously affecting the people of a village community in Kenya. The three-month VIP project is explained in relation to its aims, objectives and graphic outcomes, as well as the online environment in which it took place. Creative Waves is a concept created in 2005 by the Omnium Research Group, based at The University of New South Wales in Australia, to form online communities of design students from many institutions around the globe. Consisting an array of enthusiastic students, teaching staff, professional practitioners and luminaries invited as special guests, these online creative communities have proved that amazing results can be produced through careful facilitation between distanced individuals who will most likely never meet. The Creative Waves concept has to date been offered twice in collaboration with Icograda and the Icograda Education Network.