Public perceptions about pharmacists’ role in prescribing, providing education and delivering medications during COVID‐19 pandemic era

Alhamad, Hamza; Abu‐Farha, Rana; Albahar, Fares; Jaber, Deema

COVID‐19 is a pandemic disease with a significant threat to public health. Public knowledge and perception significance in tackling pandemics have been evidenced in the previous research. This study aimed to explore public perceptions about pharmacists’ educational and prescribing role, and the medication delivery service provided during COVID‐19 outbreak. A cross‐sectional study was conducted among the general population of Jordan using a convenient sampling technique for 10 days (15‐25 May 2020). Data were collected from 578 participants who agreed to fill the questionnaire, which was distributed online. The questionnaire items were piloted using face validity and reliability. Participants showed a positive perception about the impact of pharmacists and pharmacy services provided during COVID‐19 outbreak. More than half of the participants (61.1%) believed that pharmacists could prescribe over‐the‐counter medications, and only 15.7% believed that pharmacists could prescribe both over‐the‐counter and prescribed medications. Linear regression was performed to assess the factors that affect the participants’ perception of pharmacists’ prescribing and educational role and delivering medication during COVID‐19. Females have lower perception scores towards medication delivery services compared with males (P value = .008). However, male participants, those aged less than 50 years, those with postgraduate degrees and those from non‐medical profession showed a significantly higher perception score towards the impact of pharmacists and pharmacy services provided during COVID‐19 outbreak compared with others (P value < .05 for all). This study indicates that the public positively endorsed the impact of the educational role of the pharmacist, medication delivery services and extending pharmacists’ prescribing authority during COVID‐19 pandemic. Also, findings from this study provide a platform to examine the perception of the public towards pandemic diseases and inform policy decision‐makers to react by updating their regulation to allow extending pharmacy services and prescribing role during COVID‐19 pandemic.