Articles

1-year impact of supervision, performance assessment, and recognition strategy (SPARS) on prescribing and dispensing quality in Ugandan health facilities

To strengthen appropriate medicine use (AMU) including the prescribing and dispensing quality at public sector health facilities in Uganda, the Ministry of Health introduced a multipronged approach known as th...

Authors: Birna Trap, Moses N. Sembatya, Monica Imi, Morries Seru, Anita K. Wagner and Dennis Ross-Degnan

The impact of sanction and healthcare system reform on the healthcare performance and pharmaceutical market in Iran; 2001-2016

Iranian government has introduced multiple healthcare system reforms during the last 30 years aiming at improving accessibility and affordability of care. Pharmaceutical products are one of the major sources o...

Authors: Saman Zartab, Nasrin Nassiri Koopaei, Hadi Abbasian, Mansur Nassiri Koopaei and Nasser Nassiri Koopaei

Lebanese pharmacists’ confidence and self-perceptions of computer literacy: scale validation and correlates

Most pharmacists agree that continuing education (CE) programs positively affect their practice and increase their knowledge, with computer-based courses being their preferred type of CE (60.6%). The route to ...

Authors: Souheil Hallit, Samah Tawil, Hala Sacre, Clara Rahme, Aline Hajj and Pascale Salameh

Impact of a global leader on pharmaceutical practice and policy around the world

This commentary describes the contributions of a Dutch pharmacist who contributed in a unique manner to the development of community pharmacy practice in Europe, to the evolution of practice-based research and...

Authors: F. Alves da Costa, M. Henman, C. Hughes, H. Leufkens, Z. Babar, J. McElnay and M. Schulz

Compliance with the north American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology guidelines on amiodarone monitoring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a retrospective charts review study

Amiodarone is known for its efficacy as an antiarrhythmic agent; however, its extensive side-effect profile requires careful selection of patients and frequent monitoring. The purpose of this study was to eval...

Authors: Bander Ahmed Albassam, Nouf Mohammed Almutairi, Sarah Fahad Aldosari and Hind Saleh Almodaimegh

Pharmacists’ perceived barriers towards delivering their emergency roles during the COVID-19 pandemic and perceived policymakers’ responsibilities

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus infectious disease as a pandemic referred to as COVID-19. As an essential service, community pharmacists have been enacting a key rol...

Authors: Iman A. Basheti, Razan Nassar, Muna Barakat, Rajaa Alqudah, Rana Abu Farha, Tareq Muqatash, Samar Thiab and Bandana Saini

Factors associated with empathy among community pharmacists in Lebanon

Empathy is the cornerstone of the relationship between the healthcare provider and the patient. In Lebanon, no studies have investigated the factors associated with empathy among community pharmacists. Hence, ...

Authors: Eva Hobeika, Souheil Hallit, Hala Sacre, Sahar Obeid, Aline Hajj and Pascale Salameh

Registration and local production of essential medicines in Uganda

Universal access to high quality essential medicines is critical to sustainable development (SDG 3.8). However low- and middle-income countries struggle to ensure access to all medicines on their national esse...

Authors: Petra Brhlikova, Karen Maigetter, Jude Murison, Amon G. Agaba, Jonans Tusiimire and Allyson M. Pollock

To evaluate the impact of opening up ownership of pharmacies in South Africa

Following the democratic elections in 1994 the South African private pharmaceutical services were mostly in metropolitan centred with a scattering of pharmacies in less densely populated areas. The Government ...

Authors: Rajatheran Moodley and Fatima Suleman

Sale of WHO AWaRe groups antibiotics without a prescription in Pakistan: a simulated client study

Resistant strains of bacteria are rapidly emerging with increasing inappropriate use of antibiotics rendering them less efficacious. Self-purchasing of antibiotics particularly for viral infections is a key dr...

Authors: Zikria Saleem, Mohamed Azmi Hassali, Brian Godman, Munazzah Fatima, Zeenia Ahmad, Areeba Sajid, Inaam Ur Rehman, Muhammad Umer Nadeem, Zaida Javaid, Madeeha Malik and Azhar Hussain

COVID-19 therapeutics: how to sow confusion and break public trust during international public health emergencies

Since SARS-CoV2 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, those tasked with the stewardship of public health at a global, regional, and local level—policymakers, politicians, scientists, dr...

Authors: Jerome Amir Singh and Rafaella Ravinetto

Treatment outcomes of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Bahawalpur, Pakistan; a record review

There is limited published data form Pakistan on treatment success rate among extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) patients. The aim of this study was to assess clinical form, treatment outcomes, and identify th...

Authors: Muhammad Atif, Razia Fatima, Nafees Ahmad and Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar

Mental health issues impacting pharmacists during COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impact on the mental health of healthcare workers is extremely detrimental. It is imperative that the psychological health of all healthcare workers be protected. Howeve...

Authors: Ali Elbeddini, Cindy Xin Wen, Yasamin Tayefehchamani and Anthony To

Unrealized potential of drug repositioning in Europe during COVID-19 and beyond: a physician's perspective

Drug repositioning is the scientific strategy of investigating existing drugs for additional clinical indications. The advantages of drug repositioning are that it benefits patients and that it adds new indica...

Authors: A. B. Bayoumy, N. K. H. de Boer, A. R. Ansari, F. Crouwel and C. J. J. Mulder

The impact of a multifaceted intervention to reduce potentially inappropriate prescribing among discharged older adults: a before-and-after study

Potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) is associated with the incidence of adverse drug reactions, drug-related hospitalization and other negative outcomes in older adults. After hospitalization, older ad...

Authors: Muhammad Eid Akkawi, Mohamad Haniki Nik Mohamed and Mohd Aznan Md Aris

Systematic reviews of ten pharmaceutical pricing policies – a research protocol

High prices of pharmaceutical products are an increasing challenge in high- and low-income countries. Governments in many countries have implemented pricing policies to ensure affordability of medicines to pat...

Authors: David Tordrup, Hendrika A. van den Ham, Julie Glanville and Aukje K. Mantel-Teeuwisse

Identification of the awareness level by the public of Arab countries toward COVID-19: cross-sectional study following an outbreak

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global challenge. Improving public awareness about preventive measures and disseminating appropriate information about COVID-19 has a critical role i...

Authors: Ruwidah Bonyan, Aseel Fuad Al-Karasneh, Faris El-Dahiyat and Ammar Abdulrahman Jairoun

Risks to the community pharmacists and pharmacy personnel during COVID-19 pandemic: perspectives from a low-income country

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that has become a global pandemic. COVID-19 is spreading in Africa, and Zimbabwe has not been spared. The cases in Zimbabwe are mainly from imported...

Authors: B. Dzingirai, C. M. J. Matyanga, T. Mudzviti, M. Siyawamwaya and D. Tagwireyi

Saudi Arabia, pharmacists and COVID-19 pandemic

The latest outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic has placed a significant effect on health care system around the world. This article discusses the role of pharmacists in Saudi Arabia during the current Covid-19 pande...

Authors: Ajaz Ahmad, Khalid M. Alkharfy, Ziyad Alrabiah and Abdulaziz Alhossan

Rationales and arguments behind the adoption of self-selection of nonprescription medicines in Denmark

Pharmacies in Europe have undergone considerable changes in their regulation over the last decades, also regarding nonprescription medicines (NPMs). In 2001, selected NPMs were released for sale outside pharma...

Authors: Solveig Nordahl Jacobsen, Simone Eggert Møller-Jensen and Sofia Kälvemark Sporrong

Integrating pharmaceutical systems strengthening in the current global health scenario: three ‘uncomfortable truths’

The response to emergency public health challenges such as HIV, TB, and malaria has been successful in mobilising resources and scaling up treatment for communicable diseases. However, many of the remaining ch...

Authors: Tamara Hafner, Marlon Banda, Jillian Kohler, Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar, Murray Lumpkin, Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, Emmanuel Nfor, Francis Aboagye-Nyame and Javier Guzman

Clinical preceptor competencies for a better pharmacy education: a suggested framework for Lebanon

Experiential education is a core element in developing the ability of pharmacy students to apply theory to practice, solve problems, and acquire standard pharmacist competencies. To achieve this goal, precepto...

Authors: Abeer Zeitoun, Hala Sacre, Souheil Hallit, Rony M. Zeenny, Georges Sili and Pascale Salameh

Pharmacists and COVID-19

In the fight against COVID-19, frontline health workers have been vital to keeping the pandemic at bay, but recognition of individual professions’ efforts have been inconsistent at all levels. Pharmacists arou...

Authors: Ali Elbeddini, Thulasika Prabaharan, Sarah Almasalkhi and Cindy Tran

Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 inhibitors use in type II diabetic patients in a tertiary hospital

In Malaysia, for more than a decade, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) are among the oral antidiabetic medications used as monotherapy or in combination to manage type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The...

Authors: Woh Yon Mak, Jivanraj R. Nagarajah, Hannah Abdul Halim, Anitha Ramadas, Zulsairi Mohd Pauzi, Lay Ting Pee and Nirmala Jagan

Pharmacists reinventing their roles to effectively respond to COVID-19: a global report from the international pharmacists for anticoagulation care taskforce (iPACT)

SARS-CoV2 is dramatically impacting the global population. Worldwide, pharmacists are changing their roles and being increasingly recognized for their role as essential service providers. This commentary provi...

Authors: Filipa Alves da Costa, Vivian Lee, Silvana Nair Leite, Maria Dolores Murillo, Tom Menge and Sotiris Antoniou

Predictors of prolonged length of hospital stay and in-hospital mortality among adult patients admitted at the surgical ward of Jimma University medical center, Ethiopia: prospective observational study

Data regarding prolonged length of hospital stay (PLOS) and in-hospital mortality are paramount to evaluate efficiency and quality of surgical care as well as for rational resource utilization, allocation, and...

Authors: Gosaye Mekonen Tefera, Beshadu Bedada Feyisa, Gurmu Tesfaye Umeta and Tsegaye Melaku Kebede

COVID-19 and community pharmacy services in Pakistan: challenges, barriers and solution for progress

In the wake of atrocious rise in COVID-19 cases, developed countries are leveraging a range of community pharmacy services with the goal of improving access to essential medication and healthcare services. Whi...

Authors: Muhammad Atif and Iram Malik

Correction to: Amid COVID-19: the importance of developing an positive adverse drug reaction (ADR) and medical device incident (MDI) reporting culture for Global Health and public safety

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Ali Elbeddini, Aniko Yeats and Stephanie Lee

Evaluation of drive-through pharmacy service in Queen Elizabeth Hospital Malaysia

In 2015, the drive-through pharmacy was first introduced in Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Malaysia as one of the pharmacy value-added services. Therefore, it is imperative to review the service for further a...

Authors: Jerry Ee Siung Liew, Aizan Adifarhan bin Abdul Gapar and Lik Ting Shim

The role of accountability in the performance of Jazia prime vendor system in Tanzania

Access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines for all is a central component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). However, the availability of quality medicines in peripheral healthcare ...

Authors: August Kuwawenaruwa, Fabrizio Tediosi, Brigit Obrist, Emmy Metta, Fiona Chiluda, Karin Wiedenmayer and Kaspar Wyss

What influences antibiotic sales in rural Bangladesh? A drug dispensers’ perspective

Antibiotic resistance poses a great threat to global health, especially in low- and middle-income countries with a high infectious disease burden and limited resources. In spite of regulations, antibiotics are...

Authors: Mohammad Abdul Matin, Wasif Ali Khan, Mohammad Mahbubul Karim, Sabeena Ahmed, Johannes John-Langba, Osman A. Sankoh, Margaret Gyapong, John Kinsman and Heiman Wertheim

Pharmacist intervention amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: from direct patient care to telemedicine

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has placed enormous pressures on the Canadian healthcare system. Patients are expected to stay home in order to contain the spread of the virus, but understandably h...

Authors: Ali Elbeddini and Aniko Yeats

The transition to universal health coverage in low and middle-income countries: new opportunities for community pharmacists

Authors: Vivian Naidoo, Fatima Suleman and Varsha Bangalee

Understanding the decision making process of selection of medicines in the private sector in South Africa – lessons for low-middle income countries

The affordability of essential medicines is a challenge in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). One of The Lancet Commission’s recommendations on financing of essential medicines is to ensure governments...

Authors: Velisha Ann Perumal-Pillay and Fatima Suleman

Sterilization plan of the used metered dose inhalers (MDI) to avoid wastage amid COVID-19 pandemic drug shortage

Background

Authors: Ali Elbeddini

Amid COVID-19: the importance of developing an positive adverse drug reaction (ADR) and medical device incident (MDI) reporting culture for Global Health and public safety

Amid COVID-19 Crisis, reporting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and medical device incidents (MDIs) to Health Canada or health authorities in every country is crucial for monitoring medication safety and improving ...

Authors: Ali Elbeddini, Aniko Yeats and Stephanie Lee

Current regulatory approaches for accessing potential COVID-19 therapies

This commentary aims to elaborate challenges in the regulatory approaches for accessing and investigating COVID-19 potential therapies either with off-label use, compassionate use, emergency use or for clinica...

Authors: Vesa Halimi, Armond Daci, Simona Stojanovska, Irina Panovska-Stavridis, Milena Stevanovic, Venko Filipce and Aleksandra Grozdanova

A step towards gender equity to strengthen the pharmaceutical workforce during COVID-19

There is plenty of evidence to support that women leaders are needed in the health and pharmaceutical sectors, although most of the leadership positions in global health are predominantly occupied by men. This...

Authors: Nadia Bukhari, Mehr Manzoor, Huma Rasheed, Bismah Nayyer, Madeeha Malik and Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar

Oxytocin quality: evidence to support updated global recommendations on oxytocin for postpartum hemorrhage

The use of quality injectable oxytocin effectively prevents and treats postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), characteristics of oxyt...

Authors: Peter Lambert, Michelle P McIntosh, Mariana Widmer, Lawrence Evans, Megan Rauscher, Rutendo Kuwana, Fiona Theunissen, Beth Yeager and Helen Petach

Together we unite: the role of the Commonwealth in achieving universal health coverage through pharmaceutical care amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

The world currently faces unprecedented health challenges as COVID-19 poses a huge threat to health systems, economies and societies as we know it. The events of the current COVID-19 pandemic have further emph...

Authors: Amy Hai Yan Chan, Victoria Rutter, Diane Ashiru-Oredope, Chloe Tuck and Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar

Tackling the blind spot of poor-quality medicines in Universal Health Coverage

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is challenged by the prevalence of poor-quality medicines, those that either do not meet required specifications (substandard) or are outrightly fraudulent (falsified), especial...

Authors: E. S. F. Orubu, C. Ching, M. H. Zaman and V. J. Wirtz

Job satisfaction among pharmacy professionals working in public hospitals and its associated factors, eastern Ethiopia

Poor job satisfaction has been associated with less productivity and high staff turnover. Various factors are thought to contribute for job dissatisfaction among pharmacy professionals and very limited studies...

Authors: Yohanes Ayele, Behailu Hawulte, Tilayie Feto, G. Vijai Basker and Yadeta Dessie Bacha

A simplified checklist for the visual inspection of finished pharmaceutical products: a way to empower frontline health workers in the fight against poor-quality medicines

Substandard and falsified medicines, mainly prevalent in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), cause avoidable morbidity and mortality, and put at stake the performance of health systems. They may be preven...

Authors: B. Schiavetti, E. Wynendaele, V. Melotte, J. Van der Elst, B. De Spiegeleer and R. Ravinetto

Knowledge and attitudes towards antibiotic use and resistance among undergraduate healthcare students at University of Rwanda

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an imminent threat to modern medicine. As the efficacy of treatment regimens is reduced, mortality and morbidity attributed to infectious diseases is expected to rise dramatic...

Authors: Lyduine Nisabwe, Hirwa Brice, Marie Christine Umuhire, Olivia Gwira, Jean De Dieu Harelimana, Zephanie Nzeyimana, Osee Rurambya Sebatunzi, Emmanuel Kamanzi Rusingiza, Innocent Hahirwa and Claude Mambo Muvunyi

Pharmacists at the frontline beating the COVID-19 pandemic

As the lockdowns are being observed all over the globe and the national level pharmacy professionals are performing frontline roles, this editorial highlights the role of pharmacists in the COVID − 19 pandemic...

Authors: Nadia Bukhari, Huma Rasheed, Bismah Nayyer and Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar

Price variation among different brands of anticancer medicines available in hospital pharmacies of Nepal

To assess the variation in price among different brands of anticancer medicines available in hospital pharmacies at Nepalese cancer hospitals.

Authors: Sunil Shrestha, Ramesh Sharma Poudel, Bhuvan KC, Bhupendra Kumar Poudel, Binaya Sapkota, Sabina Sharma and Anil Khadka

Public reporting on pharmaceutical industry-led access programs: alignment with the WHO medicine programs evaluation checklist

There has been increased demand for greater public accountability and transparency of private sector-led global health partnership programs. This study critically reviews and pilot tests the World Health Organ...

Authors: Chukwuemeka A. Umeh, Peter C. Rockers, Richard Laing, Ovi Wagh and Veronika J. Wirtz

Advertisement of antibiotics for upper respiratory infections and equity in access to treatment: a cross-sectional study in Nepal

Pharmaceutical companies actively advertise their branded antibiotics, which influence their sales at community pharmacies. The major proportion of out of pocket health spending is on medicine; and affordabili...

Authors: Pramesh Koju, Stéphane P. Rousseau, Marc Van der Putten, Archana Shrestha and Rajeev Shrestha

Abstracts from the 1st JoPPP Conference on Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice

Authors: Salman Mehmood, Syed Muhammad Farid Hasan, Chinara Maratovna Razzakova, Liliya Eugenevna Ziganshina, Azjargal Ganbat, Tsetsegmaa Sanjjav, Bruce Sunderland, Gantuya Dorj, Gereltuya Dorj, Satibi Satibi, M. Rifqi Rokhman, Hardika Aditama, Ika Kartini, Rini Ambarsari, Fajar Pramesti, Peng Yeow Loh…

Herbal medicines: a cross-sectional study to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of use among Jordanian adults

Understanding why adults resort to herbal medicine can help in planning interventions aimed at increasing awareness regarding herbal use. This study sought to investigate the prevalence and to determine factor...

Authors: Faris El-Dahiyat, Mohamed Rashrash, Sawsan Abuhamdah, Rana Abu Farha and Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar