Abstract:
Introduction
With the first case reported in December 2019, COVID-19 rapidly evolved into a global pandemic and affecting all levels of healthcare workers. Without exception, pharmacists all around the world were also affected as they are often part of the first medical contact in the community. They had to adopt to different innovative strategies for controlling infection, ensuring drug supply, maintaining patient care, and supporting other healthcare professionals. This study aimed to explore the experiences and challenges faced by community pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia.
Methods
This was a qualitative study with an inductive approach using semi-structured phone interviews. Participants were community pharmacists practicing and recruited through convenience, purposive and snowball method. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify the themes.
Results
A total of 15 community pharmacists were interviewed between March 2021 to August 2021. In total, nine themes were identified and categorised into three main themes: impact on operation, impact on business and impact on professional practice. The four themes related to operation are operating requirements, safety measures, inventory management and manpower. The two themes related to the business are changes in sales and coping strategies. Impact on professional practice include customer interaction, technology integration and the role of pharmacists.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic had impacted pharmacy operation, business, and professional practice. This study highlighted the participants’ resilience in times of uncertainty and the need for better coordination to enhance the preparedness of community pharmacists in navigating the pandemic. This study also provided insights for possible changes to community pharmacy practice through integration of technology. In conclusion, this study captured the experiences of community pharmacists in navigating the challenges posed by COVID-19 in Malaysia. These insights are useful to inform discussions on the professionalism and sustainability of community pharmacy practice in the country.
(296 words)
Keywords: COVID-19; community pharmacy; impact; experience; qualitative
