Background

The prevalence of cigarette smoking continues to be a major public health problem In the United Arab Emirates (UAE); the government has recently implemented policies to reduce smoking prevalence. Innovative strategies to support cessation are needed. Community pharmacies are vital venues to extend the reach and effectiveness of smoking cessation support.

Objective

To evaluate the quality of community pharmacist smoking cessation counseling in the UAE.

Methods

A cross-sectional, simulated patient (SP) study was conducted among N = 111 urban community pharmacies selected at random in Sharjah city. Two scenarios were developed to cover different types of cessation needs of treatment-seeking smokers and where pharmacists could have a major role in assisting with smoking cessation pharmacotherapy. The quality of pharmacist counseling was defined in terms of comprehensiveness and communication skills. Two formal assessment tools were used; an analytical checklist to assess the comprehensiveness of pharmacists smoking cessation counseling, and a global assessment form to evaluate communication skills. A descriptive analysis of the data was undertaken.

Results

A total of 101 pharmacists participated in the study. Pharmacist assessment of smoking cessation-specific information and provision of counseling were minimal. Pharmacists most frequently assessed nicotine dependence and provided generic guidance on the use of nicotine replacement products (NRTs) to manage withdrawal, but they largely did not obtain relevant histories (e.g., medical/medication histories, previous quit attempts, smoking triggers), explain individualized management strategies (e.g., setting quit date, changing environment, reassurance and encouragement), or provide advice about ongoing support. Pharmacists attained low scores in verbal and nonverbal communication and were frequently unempathetic and judgmental towards female SPs.

Conclusions

Pharmacist-led smoking cessation programs can expand primary care-based cessation opportunities in the UAE and address the demand for cessation services. Pharmacists will benefit from additional training on the provision of smoking cessation interventions, with an emphasis on patient-centered communication skills.

中文翻译：

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探索社区药房戒烟质量：一项模拟患者研究

背景

在阿拉伯联合酋长国（UAE），吸烟的流行仍然是一个主要的公共卫生问题；政府最近实施了降低吸烟率的政策。需要支持戒烟的创新战略。社区药房是扩大戒烟支持范围和有效性的重要场所。

客观的

评估阿联酋社区药剂师戒烟咨询的质量。

方法

在沙迦市随机选择的 N = 111 家城市社区药房中进行了一项横断面模拟患者 (SP) 研究。开发了两种方案来涵盖寻求治疗的吸烟者的不同类型的戒烟需求，以及药剂师可以在协助戒烟药物治疗方面发挥重要作用。药剂师咨询的质量是根据全面性和沟通技巧来定义的。使用了两种正式的评估工具；评估药剂师戒烟咨询全面性的分析清单，以及评估沟通技巧的全球评估表。对数据进行了描述性分析。

结果

共有 101 名药剂师参与了研究。药剂师对特定戒烟信息的评估和提供的咨询很少。药剂师最常评估尼古丁依赖并提供关于使用尼古丁替代产品 (NRT) 来管理戒断的通用指南，但他们在很大程度上没有获得相关病史（例如，医疗/用药史、以前的戒烟尝试、吸烟诱因），解释个性化管理策略（例如，设定戒烟日期、改变环境、安慰和鼓励），或提供有关持续支持的建议。药剂师在语言和非语言交流方面得分较低，并且经常对女性 SP 缺乏同情心和判断力。

结论

药剂师主导的戒烟计划可以扩大阿联酋以初级保健为基础的戒烟机会，并满足对戒烟服务的需求。药剂师将受益于提供戒烟干预措施的额外培训，重点是以患者为中心的沟通技巧。