Role of community pharmacists in cardiovascular diseases-related health promotion and dyslipidemia management in Malaysia: A nationwide cross-sectional study

• Published in: PLoS ONE
• Main Author: Ismail F.F.; Redzuan A.M.; Chong W.W.; Nizaruddin M.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85172825317&doi=10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0290883&partnerID=40&md5=7798513fa78bb7098aeaf6fc1dae3a53

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, imposing a significant burden on patients and healthcare systems. The role of pharmacists in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) is pivotal as they play an essential part in the healthcare team, particularly in medication management and patient education. Pharmacists are well-positioned to contribute to the prevention and control of CVD through various roles, including medication management and patient education. This study aims to investigate the current involvement of community pharmacists in Malaysia, specifically in cardiovascular diseases-related health promotion activities and dyslipidemia management, including their perceived barriers. Method This cross-sectional survey was conducted among community pharmacists in all 14 states of Malaysia between November 2021 and July 2022. The self-administered survey was shared to relevant groups through various social media platforms. Results A total of 312 community pharmacists were involved in the survey. Majority of the respondents were females (66%), with a mean age (SD) of 32.9 (8.4) years. Most of the respondents showed satisfactory practice for patient counselling, but improvements are needed particularly in risk assessment and collaborative care aspect. Most of them expressed their interest for dyslipidemia management training (89.4%). Lack of access to medical records (71.2%) and lack of CVD-related educational materials (70.8%) were the two main perceived barriers identified. Conclusion Community pharmacists in Malaysia provide a satisfactory role in the provision of cardiovascular disease-related health promotion activities, especially in providing patient counselling. Strengthening collaborative care is essential for providing comprehensive and patient-centered intervention in dyslipidemia management. This requires ongoing efforts to address and overcome existing barriers for effective teamwork and coordination among healthcare professionals. Copyright: © 2023 Ismail 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.