Exploring pharmacists’ perspectives about substandard and falsified medical products through interviews
(2024) In Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy 13.- Abstract
- Background
The problem with substandard and falsified (SF) medical products may grow in high-income countries when e-commerce of medicines increases. Unauthorized websites offer medicines of insufficient quality. This underscores the importance of evaluating how the problem with SF medical products can be prevented from escalating. However, little is known about what knowledge and experience professionals working primarily with medicines have about the phenomenon.
Objective
This study was conducted to explore purposively selected pharmacists' experience and knowledge about SF medical products.
Methods
Twelve individual interviews were conducted with purposively selected pharmacists between May 2021 and September... (More) - Background
The problem with substandard and falsified (SF) medical products may grow in high-income countries when e-commerce of medicines increases. Unauthorized websites offer medicines of insufficient quality. This underscores the importance of evaluating how the problem with SF medical products can be prevented from escalating. However, little is known about what knowledge and experience professionals working primarily with medicines have about the phenomenon.
Objective
This study was conducted to explore purposively selected pharmacists' experience and knowledge about SF medical products.
Methods
Twelve individual interviews were conducted with purposively selected pharmacists between May 2021 and September 2021. An interview guide was used with specific questions about e-commerce, which focused on exploring pharmacists' experience and knowledge about SF medical products. The interviews lasted, on average, 49 min and were analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis.
Results
A main theme ‘Pharmacists as guardians of safe medicines’ emerged. This theme consisted of three categories pinpointing ‘risk factors’, ‘protective factors’, and ‘opportunities for improvement’ regarding SF medical products. Findings suggest that pharmacists can play a role in preventing the problem with SF medical products from escalating. Participants emphasized they were in this line of work to help patients and increase patient safety.
Conclusions
Pharmacists have the opportunity to empower the public with knowledge about SF medical products since they discuss medicines with many people every day. Awareness of risk factors for SF medical products enables pharmacists to guide patients to avoid risky purchases from unauthorized websites. To do this, better communication, and cooperation with patients and other healthcare professionals are needed. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3fab66a8-74b0-4eb4-a3a6-679e1a86a4a4
- author
- Persson, Amelie
LU
; Troein, Margareta
LU
; Lundin, Susanne LU
; Midlöv, Patrik LU
and Lenander, Cecilia LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy
- volume
- 13
- article number
- 100421
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85185572515
- pmid:38405083
- ISSN
- 2667-2766
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100421
- project
- Substandard and falsified medical products, a threat to public health. A study of counselling in the first line of care.
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 3fab66a8-74b0-4eb4-a3a6-679e1a86a4a4
- date added to LUP
- 2024-02-20 08:05:51
- date last changed
- 2024-05-22 03:00:02
@article{3fab66a8-74b0-4eb4-a3a6-679e1a86a4a4, abstract = {{Background<br/>The problem with substandard and falsified (SF) medical products may grow in high-income countries when e-commerce of medicines increases. Unauthorized websites offer medicines of insufficient quality. This underscores the importance of evaluating how the problem with SF medical products can be prevented from escalating. However, little is known about what knowledge and experience professionals working primarily with medicines have about the phenomenon.<br/>Objective<br/><br/>This study was conducted to explore purposively selected pharmacists' experience and knowledge about SF medical products.<br/>Methods<br/>Twelve individual interviews were conducted with purposively selected pharmacists between May 2021 and September 2021. An interview guide was used with specific questions about e-commerce, which focused on exploring pharmacists' experience and knowledge about SF medical products. The interviews lasted, on average, 49 min and were analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis.<br/>Results<br/>A main theme ‘Pharmacists as guardians of safe medicines’ emerged. This theme consisted of three categories pinpointing ‘risk factors’, ‘protective factors’, and ‘opportunities for improvement’ regarding SF medical products. Findings suggest that pharmacists can play a role in preventing the problem with SF medical products from escalating. Participants emphasized they were in this line of work to help patients and increase patient safety.<br/>Conclusions<br/>Pharmacists have the opportunity to empower the public with knowledge about SF medical products since they discuss medicines with many people every day. Awareness of risk factors for SF medical products enables pharmacists to guide patients to avoid risky purchases from unauthorized websites. To do this, better communication, and cooperation with patients and other healthcare professionals are needed.}}, author = {{Persson, Amelie and Troein, Margareta and Lundin, Susanne and Midlöv, Patrik and Lenander, Cecilia}}, issn = {{2667-2766}}, language = {{eng}}, publisher = {{Elsevier}}, series = {{Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy}}, title = {{Exploring pharmacists’ perspectives about substandard and falsified medical products through interviews}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100421}}, doi = {{10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100421}}, volume = {{13}}, year = {{2024}}, }