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. 2023 Aug 16:14:1215475.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1215475. eCollection 2023.

Defining and supporting a professional role for pharmacists associated with traditional and complementary medicines: a cross-country survey of pharmacists

Joanna E Harnett  1 , Shane P Desselle  2 , Marcília Baticy Fernandes  3 , Dongning Yao  4 , Darko Modun  5 , Souheil Hallit  6   7   8 , Mariam Dabbous  9 , Mohd Shahezwan Abd Wahab  10   11 , Afonso Miguel Cavaco  12 , Maria Magalhães  12 , Erwin Martinez Faller  13 , Jennifer M Flores  14 , Jacklyn Risia D San Gabriel  15 , Noordin Othman  16   17 , Puree Anantachoti  18 , Tatta Sriboonruang  18 , Wanna Sriviriyanupap  18 , Faris Alnezary  16 , Yaser Alahmadi  16 , Saad Bakur Fallatah  16 , Haifa Abdulrahman Fadil  16 , Carolina Oi Lam Ung  19
Affiliations

Defining and supporting a professional role for pharmacists associated with traditional and complementary medicines: a cross-country survey of pharmacists

Joanna E Harnett et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Introduction: An estimated 80% of the world's population use traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) products as part of their healthcare, with many accessed through pharmacy. This cross-cultural study posed a set of professional practice responsibilities and actions to pharmacists related to T&CM products, with a view toward developing consensus, safeguarding, and promoting the health of the public. Methods: Data were collected from 2,810 pharmacists across nine countries during 2022 via a cross-sectional online survey reported in accordance with the guidelines of STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) and the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). Results: Of the 2,810 participants from nine countries, 2,341 completed all sections of the survey. Of these, most agreed (69%) that T&CM product use was common in the community they served, but most did not have adequate training to support consumer needs. Over 75% acknowledged that there were known and unknown safety risks associated with T&CM use. Of 18 professional responsibilities posed, 92% agreed that pharmacists should be able to inform consumers about potential risks, including T&CM side effects and drug-herb interactions. The provision of accurate scientific information on the effectiveness of T&CM products, skills to guide consumers in making informed decisions, and communication with other healthcare professionals to support appropriate and safe T&CM product use were all ranked with high levels of agreement. In order to effectively fulfill these responsibilities, pharmacists agreed that regulatory reforms, development of T&CM education and training, and access to quality products supported by high-quality evidence were needed. Conclusion: General agreement from across nine countries on eighteen professional responsibilities and several stakeholder actions serve as a foundation for the discussion and development of international T&CM guidelines for pharmacists.

Keywords: health policy; pharmacist; pharmacy practice; public health; traditional and complementary medicines.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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