DRY POWDER INHALERS TECHNIQUE OF COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY FROM LAHORE, PAKISTAN

Introduction: Inaccurate utilization of various inhaler devices may severely influence the drug therapeutic effectiveness. The aim of this study is to evaluate the community pharmacist knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding the use of dry powder inhalers (DPIs). Method: The present observational study was conducted for the evaluation of pharmacist’s knowledge and patient counseling attitude concerning the use of DPIs. A total of 114 community pharmacists from various community pharmacies of Lahore, Punjab were selected and a validated questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge of community pharmacists. The DPI technique presented by “National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute” was used as criteria for evaluation. The covert simulated patient approach was used to evaluate the DPI technique of pharmacists without any biasness. Results: Out of 114, only 27.2% pharmacists presented adequate knowledge about the correct use of inhaler device (DPIs). Pharmacists from chain pharmacies presented higher adequacy 66.7% as compared to individual pharmacies i.e., 33.3%. Pharmacists whose working experience was more than 5 years presented better DPIs technique knowledge. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that majority of the community pharmacist (72.8%) have inadequate dry powder inhaler technique at baseline. Setup type (Chain pharmacies) and work experience were the demographic variables that were positively associated with the adequate technique. Peer Review History: Received 15 July 2024; Reviewed 7 September 2024; Accepted 21 October; Available online 15 November 2024 Academic Editor: Dr. Asia Selman Abdullah, Pharmacy institute, University of Basrah, Iraq, [email protected] Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.5/10 Reviewers: Antonio José de Jesus Evangelista, Federal University of Ceará, UFC, Brazil, [email protected] Asmaa Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed Khalifa, Pharos University, Alexandria, Egypt, [email protected]