School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 47500Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Universiti Putra Malaysia, Persiaran Mardi - UPM, 43400Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2023 Mar 22;24:e21. doi: 10.1017/S1463423623000105.
This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of implementing community pharmacy-based tuberculosis-directly observed treatment (TB-DOT) in Malaysia.
Tuberculosis (TB) eradication is one of the top priorities in the public health agenda in Malaysia. While public-private mix (PPM) initiatives have been launched, community pharmacists remain undervalued assets in TB management.
A two-phase mixed-methods study targeting community pharmacists was conducted in Malaysia between March and October 2021. The first phase was an online self-administered survey developed according to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). The second phase was a semi-structured interview to allow deeper understanding on the quantitative results. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive analysis while qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis with a semi-inductive approach. The data were triangulated to enhance comprehensiveness and credibility of the findings.
The survey was completed by 388 community pharmacists, and 23 pharmacists participated in the interview. Most community pharmacists indicated their willingness to serve as TB-DOT supervisors (70.1%). Qualitative results supported the findings. Community pharmacy-based TB-DOT service was perceived as an avenue to improve TB management and outcomes and to enhance the professional role of pharmacists in TB service at primary care settings. This was also perceived as a feasible intervention with the potential to strengthen the National TB Control programme. This initiative needs be reinforced with adequate support from the public healthcare sector for a strong partnership in ensuring success.
本研究旨在评估在马来西亚实施基于社区药房的肺结核直接观察治疗（TB-DOT）的可行性。
在马来西亚，消灭肺结核（TB）是公共卫生议程的首要任务之一。虽然已经启动了公私混合（PPM）倡议，但社区药剂师仍然是结核病管理中被低估的资产。
2021 年 3 月至 10 月，在马来西亚针对社区药剂师进行了一项两阶段混合方法研究。第一阶段是根据实施研究综合框架（CFIR）开发的在线自我管理调查。第二阶段是半结构化访谈，以深入了解定量结果。使用描述性分析对定量数据进行分析，使用半归纳方法对定性数据进行主题分析。对数据进行三角剖分，以提高研究结果的全面性和可信度。
共有 388 名社区药剂师完成了调查，23 名药剂师参加了访谈。大多数社区药剂师表示愿意担任 TB-DOT 监督员（70.1%）。定性结果支持了这些发现。基于社区药房的 TB-DOT 服务被认为是改善结核病管理和结果的一种途径，并能增强药剂师在初级保健环境中提供结核病服务的专业角色。这也被认为是一种可行的干预措施，有可能加强国家结核病控制计划。需要得到公共卫生部门的充分支持，以加强合作伙伴关系，确保这一倡议取得成功。
