Challenges and opportunities in community pharmacists' identification and management of dry eye disease: a qualitative study.
Objective To explore Malaysian community pharmacists' (CP) challenges in identifying and managing dry eye disease (DED) and opportunities to optimize DED care, as previous studies reported inconsistencies in DED identification by community pharmacy staff, and few publications describe Malaysian CP v...
| Published in: | International Journal of Pharmacy Practice Vol. 33; no. 3; pp. 292 - 300 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
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Oxford University Press / USA
Jun2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=185870768&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 185870768 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 09617671 1311 jtl: International Journal of Pharmacy Practice issn: 09617671 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2025 vid: 33 iid: 3 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 185870768 185870768 185870768 10.1093/ijpp/riaf027 185870768 ppf: 292 ppct: 8 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Challenges and opportunities in community pharmacists' identification and management of dry eye disease: a qualitative study. aug: au: Ng, Shong Li Tey, Adrian Sellappans, Renukha Aftab, Raja Ahsan Leong, Yat Yin Yau, Mei Qian Tan, Bee Kim affil: School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, 47500, Selangor, Malaysia sug: subj: Community Health Services Malaysia Dry Eye Syndromes Diagnosis Dry Eye Syndromes Therapy Pharmacists Professional Role Pharmacist Attitudes Evaluation Human Funding Source Malaysia Male Female Adult Middle Age Qualitative Studies Sociological Theory Purposive Sample Snowball Sample Interviews Audiorecording Thematic Analysis Patient Assessment Referral and Consultation Professional Knowledge Health Resource Allocation Personnel Shortage Patient Attitudes Health Literacy Self-Efficacy Quality Improvement Health Education Mobile Applications Decision Support Systems, Clinical Interprofessional Relations Collaboration Health Personnel Education Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Male Female ab: Objective To explore Malaysian community pharmacists' (CP) challenges in identifying and managing dry eye disease (DED) and opportunities to optimize DED care, as previous studies reported inconsistencies in DED identification by community pharmacy staff, and few publications describe Malaysian CP views on DED management in community pharmacy settings. Method Using the Social Ecological Theory for Community Health Promotion, individual in-depth interviews were conducted (May–June 2023) with 20 CP in Malaysia's Klang Valley. Participants with diverse DED management experiences were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling until data saturation. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, independently coded by two researchers, and thematically analysed. Key findings CP faced 12 challenges in identifying and managing DED: patient-related (brand rigidity, 'quick fix' attitude, inadequate health literacy, and self-efficacy skills), provider-related (imprecise assessment, referral difficulties, knowledge gaps), therapeutics-related (short shelf life, affordability), and pharmacy-related (limited manpower, inadequate private consultation space, low eye health visibility). The 12 opportunities for optimizing DED care were community-related (eye health education, holistic approaches, public awareness), profession-related (decision-support mobile health applications integrated with evidence-based DED management protocols to streamline consultation processes, interdisciplinary collaborations), industry-related (pharmaceutical and medical device advancements, comparative data on medication value, promotion of proactive management), and organization-related (management-mandated resource allocation, ancillary staff education, and expanded products and services). Conclusion Malaysian CP encountered challenges in identifying and managing DED. Knowledge sharing and collaborations with ophthalmologists improve DED management by CP, while clinicians can stay updated on medication-related recommendations and treatment adherence. The role of digital health in these processes requires further study. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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