Pharmaceutical Frontliners: Community Pharmacists’ Contribution to Managing Medication Needs During a Health Crisis— The COVID-19 Era as an Example
Noor R. Al-Hasani1,2★, Fadya Y. Al-Hamadani3, Dhulfiqar N. Alhilali3, Ali Azeez Al-Jumaili3,4,5, Faaiz Y. Alhamdani6★ Corresponding author
- 1Department of Basic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad, Baghdad Governorate, IRAQ.
- 2Department of Pharmacy, King’s College London, UK.
- 3Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Baghdad, Baghdad Governorate, IRAQ.
- 4Department of Public Health University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA.
- 5University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Iowa City, IA, USA.
- 6Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Dentistry, Ibn Sina University of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Baghdad, Baghdad Governorate, IRAQ.
CORRESPONDENCE
Noor R. Al-Hasani
Department of Basic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad, Baghdad Governorate, IRAQ.
Received: 22-04-2025; Accepted: 17-06-2025.
Volume 16, Issue 4 · pp. 402–411 · PUBLISHED 2025 · DOI: 10.1177/0976500X251356772
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ABSTRACT
Background: Community pharmacists faced more complex challenges in meeting patients’ medication needs during the pandemic than previously reported in the literature. Objectives: To explore the perception and abilities of community pharmacists in managing patients’ needs in terms of medication dispensing during the pandemic, and to examine its effect on improving the patients’ situations. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study design, validated by 30 experts, was conducted using an electronic survey (Google Form) to assess the effect of the dispensing practice of Iraqi community pharmacists on the patient’s clinical outcomes during the pandemic. The survey was distributed on professional pharmacist’s social media platforms from December 2021 to June 2022. Results: It was found that more than 75% of participants agreed that their role in managing mild cases of COVID-19 decreased the strain on other healthcare professionals. The pharmacists perceived that more than 80% of the patients were satisfied with the pharmacist’s advice regarding the COVID-19 treatment plan and recorded significant improvement (p ˂ 0.05) in the signs and symptoms of those patients. This was achieved by dispensing antibiotics, analgesics, and supplements according to the community pharmacists’ opinion. The main reason behind dispensing antibiotics and analgesics in Iraqi pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic was to provide the official prescription for patients. In contrast, 90% of the dispensed drugs without a prescription were nutritional supplements and analgesics, with vitamin C and paracetamol accounting for 90.8% and 88.9%, respectively. On the other hand, the antibiotics represented 70.5% of the dispensed drugs without a prescription, with azithromycin accounting for 76.1% of them. Conclusion: Most of the participants succeeded in dealing with COVID-19 patients and were confident in dispensing analgesics, antibiotics, and supplements to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 patients. Patients who trusted the pharmacist’s advice got significant improvement in their COVID-19 symptoms.
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Al-Hasani, N. R., Al-Hamadani, F. Y., Alhilali, D. N., Al-Jumaili, A. A., & Alhamdani, F. Y. (2025). Pharmaceutical Frontliners: Community Pharmacists’ Contribution to Managing Medication Needs During a Health Crisis— The COVID-19 Era as an Example. Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, 16(4), 402–411. https://doi.org/10.1177/0976500X251356772