Table 3 Extent of counseling and dispensing of FRIDs and ODs among the pharmacists
Variables | Response category | Frequency (%) |
|---|---|---|
Average number of patients attended to daily (n = 54) | 0 | 3 (5.6) |
1–50 | 18 (33.3) | |
51–100 | 21 (38.9) | |
101–150 | 6 (11.1) | |
151–200 | 1 (1.9) | |
> 200 | 5 (9.3) | |
Patients above 60 years counselled daily (n = 55) | 0 | 15 (27.3) |
1–50 | 38 (67.9) | |
51–100 | 2 (3.6) | |
Frequency of dispensing FRIDs and ODs (n = 49) | Daily | 32 (65.3) |
Once in a while | 14 (28.6) | |
Not at all | 2 (4.1) | |
Frequently | 1 (2.0) | |
Counseling focus of pharmacists (n = 52) | Appropriate medication use, adverse effects and medication storage | 42 (80.8) |
Drug interactions | 8 (15.4) | |
Lifestyle modifications | 1 (1.9) | |
Discharge counseling | 1 (1.9) | |
Common drug-specific adverse effects encountered by the elderly (n = 28) | Common adverse effects of medications | 9 (32.1) |
Gastro-intestinal discomfort | 6 (21.4) | |
Sedation and dizziness | 5 (17.9) | |
Hypoglycemia and fall | 4 (14.3) | |
Benzodiazepine dependence | 2 (7.1) | |
Medication spacing | 1 (3.6) | |
Constipation | 1 (3.6) | |
Pharmacists counselling patients (n = 56) | Yes | 48 (85.7) |
No | 8 (14.3) | |
Average duration of counseling (n = 48) (minutes) | 1–5 | 34 (70.8) |
6–10 | 12 (25.0) | |
11–15 | 1 (2.1) | |
16–20 | 1 (2.1) | |
Time sufficiency during counseling (n = 52) | Yes | 29 (55.8) |
No | 23 (44.2) | |
Counseling limitations (n = 24) | Communication barrier and Impatient patients | 12 (50.0) |
Lack of time and workload | 7 (29.2) | |
Inconvenient work environment | 5 (20.8) |