Immonen H, Raekallio M R, Holmström A-R
Faculty of Pharmacy, Division of pharmacology and pharmacotherapy, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5 E, 00014, Finland.
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, University of Helsinki, Koetilantie 2, 00014, Finland.
Vet Anim Sci. 2023 Aug 19;21:100310. doi: 10.1016/j.vas.2023.100310. eCollection 2023 Sep.
The science of veterinary medicine is currently lacking studies on medication safety, although its importance in protecting animals from medication errors is central. Pharmacy professionals have an important role in ensuring medication safety of both prescription and over-the-counter medications of animals. However, this requires adequate competencies of pharmacy professionals in veterinary pharmacotherapy. The present study aimed to explore the competencies of pharmaceutical staff in community pharmacies in veterinary pharmacotherapy, which factors influence these competencies and what kind of information sources they typically use on veterinary pharmacotherapy. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional online survey targeted to pharmacy professionals in the Finnish community pharmacies, providing 596 responses. Less than half of the respondents (41%, = 246) are considered to possess good competencies in veterinary pharmacotherapy. A third of the respondents (35%, = 211) would dispense an anti-inflammatory drug for an animal off-label, whereas 24% ( = 145) would not interview the pet owner to discover the need for internal parasite medication before dispensing the drug. A small proportion (<1%, = 5) would have dispensed a broad-spectrum internal parasite medication. Approximately a quarter of the respondents (27%, = 159) stated that they acquired information on pharmacotherapy only from the material produced by the manufacturers of veterinary drugs. The competencies of pharmacy professionals in veterinary pharmacotherapy need to be strengthened in many areas to better promote veterinary medication safety. It should also be ensured that pharmacy professionals can access and use independent, high-quality information on veterinary pharmacotherapy.
兽医学目前缺乏关于用药安全的研究，尽管其在保护动物免受用药错误影响方面的重要性至关重要。药剂师在确保动物处方药和非处方药的用药安全方面发挥着重要作用。然而，这需要药剂师在兽医药物治疗方面具备足够的能力。本研究旨在探讨社区药房药剂人员在兽医药物治疗方面的能力，哪些因素影响这些能力，以及他们在兽医药物治疗方面通常使用何种信息来源。该研究以芬兰社区药房的药剂师为对象进行了横断面在线调查，共收到596份回复。不到一半的受访者（41%，n = 246）被认为在兽医药物治疗方面具备良好的能力。三分之一的受访者（35%，n = 211）会超适应症给动物使用抗炎药，而24%（n = 145）在配发药物前不会询问宠物主人是否需要使用体内驱虫药。只有一小部分（<1%，n = 5）会配发广谱体内驱虫药。约四分之一的受访者（27%，n = 159）表示，他们仅从兽药制造商提供的资料中获取药物治疗方面的信息。在许多方面，药剂师在兽医药物治疗方面的能力需要得到加强，以更好地促进兽药用药安全。还应确保药剂师能够获取并使用关于兽医药物治疗的独立、高质量信息。
