Community pharmacists’ roles during the closure stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a qualitative case study
Objectives To explore the experiences and perspectives of community pharmacists regarding their roles during the closure stage (ie, March to May 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada. Design This qualitative case study included a document analysis and semistructure...
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crjcrbmj:10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085338 2024-09-15T18:20:04+00:00 Community pharmacists’ roles during the closure stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a qualitative case study Farooq, Sylvia Donnan, Jennifer R Lukewich, Julia Mathews, Maria Lee, Tiffany A Memorial University of Newfoundland 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085338 https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085338 en eng BMJ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ BMJ Open volume 14, issue 8, page e085338 ISSN 2044-6055 2044-6055 journal-article 2024 crjcrbmj https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085338 2024-08-08T04:21:27Z Objectives To explore the experiences and perspectives of community pharmacists regarding their roles during the closure stage (ie, March to May 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada. Design This qualitative case study included a document analysis and semistructured interviews with community pharmacists who provided direct patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The document analysis was used to develop a chronology that informed the interviews. Themes from qualitative interviews were developed through iterative cycles of data review and analysis using applied thematic analysis. Findings are presented specifically for the time period between March and May 2020, defined as the ‘Closure Stage’. Setting Community pharmacies in NL, Canada. Results 12 community pharmacists participated in the interviews. Four themes were developed including (1) pharmacists’ leadership in continuity of care, (2) pharmacists as medication stewards, (3) pharmacists as a source of COVID-19 health information and (4) the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacists’ mental health and well-being. The first three themes described the key roles played by community pharmacists during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including coordinating care, prescribing for common ailments, delivering medications and supplies, providing information on COVID-19 symptoms and their management, renewing chronic medications and protecting the medication supply. Unclear guidance on scope of practice, limited scope of practice, inadequate staffing and limited support from government bodies were identified as barriers to these roles. Facilitators included access to a delivery service, swift regulatory changes, reimbursement and support from colleagues and other healthcare professionals. The fourth theme is presented independently, emphasising the impact of working within the primary healthcare (PHC) system during the COVID-19 pandemic on pharmacists’ mental health and well-being. Conclusion Pharmacists played a critical role in ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Newfoundland The BMJ BMJ Open 14 8 e085338 |
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English |
description |
Objectives To explore the experiences and perspectives of community pharmacists regarding their roles during the closure stage (ie, March to May 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada. Design This qualitative case study included a document analysis and semistructured interviews with community pharmacists who provided direct patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The document analysis was used to develop a chronology that informed the interviews. Themes from qualitative interviews were developed through iterative cycles of data review and analysis using applied thematic analysis. Findings are presented specifically for the time period between March and May 2020, defined as the ‘Closure Stage’. Setting Community pharmacies in NL, Canada. Results 12 community pharmacists participated in the interviews. Four themes were developed including (1) pharmacists’ leadership in continuity of care, (2) pharmacists as medication stewards, (3) pharmacists as a source of COVID-19 health information and (4) the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacists’ mental health and well-being. The first three themes described the key roles played by community pharmacists during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including coordinating care, prescribing for common ailments, delivering medications and supplies, providing information on COVID-19 symptoms and their management, renewing chronic medications and protecting the medication supply. Unclear guidance on scope of practice, limited scope of practice, inadequate staffing and limited support from government bodies were identified as barriers to these roles. Facilitators included access to a delivery service, swift regulatory changes, reimbursement and support from colleagues and other healthcare professionals. The fourth theme is presented independently, emphasising the impact of working within the primary healthcare (PHC) system during the COVID-19 pandemic on pharmacists’ mental health and well-being. Conclusion Pharmacists played a critical role in ... |
author2 |
Memorial University of Newfoundland |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Farooq, Sylvia Donnan, Jennifer R Lukewich, Julia Mathews, Maria Lee, Tiffany A |
spellingShingle |
Farooq, Sylvia Donnan, Jennifer R Lukewich, Julia Mathews, Maria Lee, Tiffany A Community pharmacists’ roles during the closure stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a qualitative case study |
author_facet |
Farooq, Sylvia Donnan, Jennifer R Lukewich, Julia Mathews, Maria Lee, Tiffany A |
author_sort |
Farooq, Sylvia |
title |
Community pharmacists’ roles during the closure stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a qualitative case study |
title_short |
Community pharmacists’ roles during the closure stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a qualitative case study |
title_full |
Community pharmacists’ roles during the closure stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a qualitative case study |
title_fullStr |
Community pharmacists’ roles during the closure stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a qualitative case study |
title_full_unstemmed |
Community pharmacists’ roles during the closure stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a qualitative case study |
title_sort |
community pharmacists’ roles during the closure stage of the covid-19 pandemic in newfoundland and labrador, canada: a qualitative case study |
publisher |
BMJ |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085338 https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085338 |
genre |
Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland |
op_source |
BMJ Open volume 14, issue 8, page e085338 ISSN 2044-6055 2044-6055 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085338 |
container_title |
BMJ Open |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
e085338 |
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1810458439268171776 |