Experience and attitudes of pharmacists towards challenges and adaptive measures to new norm in ward pharmacy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

Table 4 Comparison of demographic characteristics with perceived challenges and attitudes score (n = 175)

Variable	Freq (n)	Perceived challenges		Attitudes
		Mean (SD)	p-value	Mean (SD)	p-value
Age
21–30	105	2.96 (0.67)	0.258	4.14 (0.39)	0.216
31–50	70	3.07 (0.61)		4.22 (0.44)
Gender
Male	31	3.27 (0.53)	0.012	4.16 (0.42)	0.180
Female	144	2.95 (0.66)		4.27 (0.39)
Ethnicity
Malay	72	2.85 (0.66)	0.010	4.17 (0.43)	0.991
Chinese	84	3.15 (0.56)		4.18 (0.40)
Indian	19	2.94 (0.83)		4.18 (0.45)
Education
Bachelor degree	156	2.97 (0.66)	0.047	4.16 (0.41)	0.089
Master degree	19	3.28 (0.55)		4.33 (0.43)
Employment type
Permanent-based FRP	93	3.13 (0.64)	0.009	4.25 (0.41)	0.044
Contract-based FRP	26	3.01 (0.62)		4.07 (0.40)
Trainee	56	2.79 (0.63)		4.10 (0.40)
Wards covered
COVID-19 & non COVID-19	23	2.88 (0.44)	0.322	4.20 (0.38)	0.727
Non COVID-19	152	3.02 (0.67)		4.17 (0.42)
PhIS type
Full based	66	2.92 (0.60)	0.168	4.07 (0.44)	0.007
Pharmacy based	109	3.06 (0.67)		4.24 (0.39)
Discipline of wards
Medical	124	2.99 (0.66)	0.800	4.16 (0.42)	0.468
Pediatrics	18	2.87 (0.68)		4.07 (0.46)
Surgical	9	3.22 (0.67)		4.41 (0.49)
Orthopedics	6	3.20 (0.48)		4.28 (0.21)
ICU	5	2.87 (0.70)		4.36 (0.14)
A&E	3	3.26 (0.31)		4.04 (0.17)
Multidisciplinary	6	2.88 (0.71)		4.31 (0.36)
Others	4	3.27 (0.41)		4.22 (0.33)
Duration of service
< 1 year	60	2.80 (0.68)	0.025	4.16 (0.39)	0.995
1–5 years	78	3.09 (0.64)		4.18 (0.44)
6–10 years	22	3.19 (0.54)		4.19 (0.37)
11–15 years	15	3.11 (0.53)		4.18 (0.46)
Overall		3.00 (0.65)		4.17 (0.41)

One-way ANOVA was performed. PhIS: Pharmacy Information System Full based: Medication prescribed by doctors was directly entered into the PhIS system. Pharmacy based: Pharmacists manually transcribed prescriptions written by doctors into the PhIS system

ISSN: 2052-3211