ASSESSMENT OF ASTHMA KNOWLEDGE AMONG URBAN COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS IN SELANGOR, MALAYSIA

Asthma Knowledge

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of asthma among urban community pharmacists in Selangor, Malaysia.
Study Design: Cross sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted at state of Selangor, Malaysia from Jan 2016 to Jul 2016.
Material and Methods: One hundred fifty (150) community pharmacists in Selangor, Malaysia, were randomly selected and recruited for this baseline study. Self-administered questionnaires were directly distributed and collected by the investigators themselves. The extracted data from the completed questionnaires was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 19 (based on parametric/ non-parametric data).
Results: The mean average score of the pharmacists was 12.93 ± 3.46 over a maximum possible score of 23 corresponding 56% of which was thought to be moderate performance. Respondents performed best in issues relating to features of asthma while areas of knowledge deficiency included recognizing the main symptoms of asthma, factors that can cause asthmatic attacks and proper mode of delivering asthma medications. The knowledge of asthma was related to age while gender and location of their premises had no influence on their knowledge.
Conclusion: The key findings of this study indicated that the knowledge of asthma among community pharmacists surveyed was of average level. These results bring into focus the need for community pharmacists to undergo continuing professional education in order to update their knowledge and skills.