DOHA: A study conducted recently by Qatar University (QU) revealed majority of pharmacists here lack knowledge about breast cancer.
QU College of Pharmacy (CPH) faculty Assistant Professor Dr Maguy El Hajj did the study aimed at highlighting the role of Qatar community pharmacists in breast cancer health promotion in the country.
One hundred and ninety-five pharmacists were surveyed in the study which revealed that over 75 percent of them received relatively low scores on breast cancer knowledge related to breast cancer risks and screening recommendations. However, the pharmacists expressed a strong interest in receiving continuing education to further their health promotion skills on the issue.
The study also showed that the respondents were fully aware that community pharmacists were the most accessible health care professionals in society and that pharmacies represented an ideal portal for health care promotion. The pharmacists also identified a number of significant barriers to providing much-needed public health information. Seventy-nine percent cited a lack of locally-available informational materials, 61 percent noted a lack of recognition of the role of pharmacists as sources of health information in the country; and other logistical issues.
Dr El-Hajj noted that despite these barriers, the pharmacists were optimistic that their overall role in public health promotion will improve over time. “Community pharmacists are becoming recognised by the public as important sources of health and lifestyle management”, she said, adding, “this recognition is commonplace in other developed countries”.
Dr El-Hajj was speaking during a presentation organised recently as part of CPH’s Faculty Research Seminar Series.
Dr El-Hajj further noted that the study was another confirmation that pharmacists are under-utilised in Qatar. “In the case of breast cancer, this could mean the difference between early screening and detection versus delayed diagnosis of a potentially-fatal disease,” she said.
Third-year pharmacy student Yousra Hamid was also involved in the study project, the results of which were recently presented at the 44th American Society of Health System Pharmacists Conference held in Las Vegas, USA. The study project was funded by a QU Student Grant and a research grant from Qatar Foundation through the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP).