Wulandari, Luh Putu Lila;
Khan, Mishal;
Probandari, Ari;
Batura, Neha;
Ferdiana, Astri;
Mashuri, Yusuf Ari;
Wibawa, Tri;
... Liverani, Marco; + view all
(2022)
“We face the same risk as the other health workers”: Perceptions and experiences of community pharmacists in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PLOS Global Public Health
, 2
(7)
, Article e0000606. 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000606.
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Abstract
In many countries, community pharmacies have played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing essential medicines and personal protective equipment (PPE), disseminating information on disease prevention and management, and referring clients to health facilities. In recognition of this, there are increasing calls for an improved understanding of the challenges and experiences faced by these providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a view to providing them with better support and guidance now and during future emergencies. Between January and February 2021 we conducted 21 qualitative interviews to explore the experiences, safety concerns, and attitudes of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians during the COVID-19 crisis in Indonesia, a country that has recorded more than four million cases since the start of the pandemic. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic content analysis. Findings indicate that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on pharmacy practices in Indonesia. Most participants implemented preventive measures and adapted their business models to the changing circumstances. The shift to remote sales and home delivery allowed many pharmacies to maintain, and even increase their profit margins due to greater demand for medicines and PPE. However, many participants were concerned about the increased risk of infection due to limited social distancing and prolonged interactions with clients, many of whom displayed COVID-19 symptoms. Importantly, there was a general perception that the government did not sufficiently recognize these risks. In conclusion, the government should consider developing additional operational guidelines and regulatory frameworks to improve the safety, operation, and involvement of community pharmacies in the current pandemic response efforts and any future public health emergencies.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | “We face the same risk as the other health workers”: Perceptions and experiences of community pharmacists in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000606 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000606 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2022 Wulandari et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10152261 |
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