Pharmacy Practice is a free full-text journal with a scope on the practice of pharmacy. Pharmacy Practice covers pharmaceutical care, social pharmacy, pharmacy education, process and outcome research, health promotion and education, health informatics, pharmacoepidemiology

Background: Research has shown that there is an increase in the global prevalence of asthma. Pharmacists are well positioned to screen and refer patients for better management of asthma. This study aimed to evaluate community pharmacists’ ability to assess the 3 C’s (Control, Compliance, Complications) and offer Management and Advice for patients with asthma in the UAE. Methods: Three fifth year pharmacy students role played a mystery shopper visiting community pharmacies and requesting symptom relief from uncontrolled asthma. Incidence of cough syrup and reliever inhaler supply, physician referral rate, correction of inhaler technique, and counseling on the medications, adherence to the medications and adverse drug reactions were calculated. Results: One hundred, ninety five pharmacies were visited, 27% of pharmacists asked about the need for cough syrup and 60% asked about the need for albuterol inhaler. Only 26% asked about other medications. Less than 20% assessed inhaler technique, only one pharmacist asked about regular use of preventer medications and if the patient was adhering to them and only 16% asked about side effects from medications. Most pharmacists (67%) supplied at least one of the medications, while 65% referred the patient to a physician. Only 21% gave information about correct inhaler technique, the majority (> 60%) being incomplete, only 16 pharmacists gave information about asthma and its triggers; the majority (63%) being incomplete. One third of the pharmacists counselled the patient on the medications with one giving complete information. Conclusions: The study highlighted suboptimal assessment of control, compliance to preventer medications and complications of asthma and the medications that treat it. It also highlighted suboptimal Management and Advice giving and counseling on medication use by pharmacists. Training pharmacists in all aspects of asthma handling is clearly indicated. Despite the high rate of correct patient referral to a physician noted in this study, there is risk to it, as patients might not actually go to see their physician and continue to depend on symptom relief for the management of their asthma. This study highlighted the importance of improving patient education and information seeking attitude.

Objective. To describe implementation of a patient counseling roleplay assessment via teleconferencing platform in a newly-developed pharmacy communications course, assess student performance on the roleplay and compare it with other assessments, and measure student perceptions of and satisfaction with the experience. Methods. Eighteen cases were developed, each belonging to one of three interactions in community pharmacy: new prescription, refill, or over-the-counter (OTC) medication request. A rubric was designed to evaluate each type of interaction. Student scores in various course assessments were tested using Spearman’s rank-order. Student scores in the three cases were compared using Kruskal-Wallis H. Students evaluated their experience and satisfaction of the assessment and effectiveness of the course. Results. Seventy-nine students completed the assessment with a mean score of 17.4/20 (87.0%). Student scores in counseling roleplay were similar among case types and positively correlated with other traditional assessments in the course. Despite internet connectivity issues, and heightened student anxiety, 71.0% agreed that the assessment did not affect the quality of their counseling, and 74.0% agreed that the experience was comparable to traditional assessments. The telehealth activity led to enhanced perceived student knowledge and confidence in interviewing and counseling patients. Conclusion. Students attained high scores that were consistent with other assessments in the course. Students reported the assessment did not affect the quality of their counseling, and felt the setting and context were still authentic. The experience required dedicated preparation and organization, but was successful in demonstrating overall student satisfaction and positive perceptions.