Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Infectious Diseases Related to Travel of Community Pharmacists in Italy

Giorgia Della Polla, Concetta Paola Pelullo, Francesco Napolitano, Chiara Lambiase, Caterina De Simone and Italo Francesco Angelillo
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Giorgia Della Polla: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via L. Armanni, 5 80138 Naples, Italy
Concetta Paola Pelullo: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via L. Armanni, 5 80138 Naples, Italy
Francesco Napolitano: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via L. Armanni, 5 80138 Naples, Italy
Chiara Lambiase: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via L. Armanni, 5 80138 Naples, Italy
Caterina De Simone: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via L. Armanni, 5 80138 Naples, Italy
Italo Francesco Angelillo: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via L. Armanni, 5 80138 Naples, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-10

Abstract: Pharmacists should be educated about travel medicine, since they could influence their own choices and those of the individuals they encounter. This study aims to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards infectious diseases related to travel among community pharmacists in Italy. The data was collected from September 2018 to September 2019 using semi-structured telephone interviews. Only 1.8% answered correctly to all seven questions regarding the infectious diseases related to travel. Community pharmacists who had heard about travel medicine and those who had received information were more likely to have good knowledge. More than two-thirds of the respondents believed that it is important to provide information to the public about travel medicine. Pharmacists who worked a higher number of hours per week, were more knowledgeable about the more frequent infectious diseases related to travel, believed that travel medicine was a pharmacist competency, believed that they could give advice to the public, and had received information from scientific journals and educational activities were more likely to have this positive attitude. More than two-thirds often/always informed the public about the importance of having travel health center counseling. Pharmacists who had heard about travel medicine and those who believed that they could give advice to the public were more likely to inform. Interventions are needed to improve knowledge in order that community pharmacists can play an active role in counseling the public.

Keywords: infectious diseases; Italy; pharmacists; practices; travel medicine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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