A Pilot Study on Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices towards Medication Dysphagia via Asynchronous Online Focus Group Discussion

Poh Leng Tan, Terence JunHeng Loh and Sui Yung Chan ()
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Poh Leng Tan: Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, 18 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117559, Singapore
Terence JunHeng Loh: Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, 18 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117559, Singapore
Sui Yung Chan: Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, 18 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117559, Singapore

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: Medication dysphagia (MD) refers to difficulty swallowing oral medications. To cope, patients may inappropriately modify or skip medications, leading to poorer outcomes. Little is known about healthcare professionals’ (HCPs’) perspectives in managing MD. This study investigated pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in caring for patients with MD. An asynchronous online focus group was pilot tested in seven pharmacists, with up to two questions posted daily on an online platform over 15 days. Thematic analysis of the transcripts revealed five interrelated themes: (1) knowledge about MD; (2) management of MD; (3) expectations of patient proactivity; (4) desire for objectivity; (5) professional roles. The findings provided insight into pharmacists’ KAP and may be incorporated into a full-scale study involving various HCPs.

Keywords: medication; dysphagia; knowledge; attitude; practices; focus group discussion; medication safety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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