Perception and Attitude of Healthcare Providers towards Clinical Pharmacists at Near East University Hospital in Northern Cyprus

Aims: The aim of study is to assess the perception and attitude of healthcare professionals towards clinical pharmacists in a university hospital North Cyprus.

Study Design: A cross-sectional survey study.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in the Near East University Hospital in Northern Cyprus setting from May 2017 to July 2017 for 3 months.

Methodology: A total of 256 healthcare providers (45 physicians, 80 nurses, and 131 intern medical students) from a tertiary hospital in North Cyprus participated in this study. A questionnaire was distributed to assess the perception and attitude of healthcare professionals towards clinical pharmacists. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 18. A p-value of less than 0.05 (p<0.05) was considered as statistically significant.

Results: Eighty-seven (66.4%) of intern medical students have recognized the role of clinical pharmacists in minimising adverse drug reaction and improving therapeutic outcome of the patients through pharmaceutical care. Twenty-five (55.6%) of physicians were comfortable with the clinical pharmacist participating in the ward rounds and providing consultation to physicians regarding individual patients. Fifty-seven (71.3%) of the nurses have confirmed the clinical pharmacist as playing a role in the identification of the drug interactions. A significant difference exists between responses of the healthcare providers (physicians and nurses) and the intern medical students regarding the perception towards improvement in the field of the clinical pharmacist (p<0.0001).

Conclusion: This study has been shown that physicians have a positive attitude towards clinical pharmacy services. Healthcare providers are aware of the role of clinical pharmacists in the healthcare system. A multidisciplinary workspace could be created between clinical pharmacists and healthcare providers to deliver better healthcare service to patients.