Mei Wen Chai - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
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Papers by Mei Wen Chai
Malaysian Journal of Pharmacy, 2021
Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine how hospital pharmacists in a developin... more Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine how hospital pharmacists in a developing country interpret the term "patient-centred care (PCC)", how it was or can be operationalized in hospital pharmacy practice, and barriers faced in delivering such care. Method: A generic qualitative approach was utilized. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively sampled pharmacists from a Malaysian tertiary referral hospital until data saturation, using an interview guide informed by relevant literature. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, with resultant transcripts subsequently coded and analysed using thematic analysis technique. Result: Fifteen pharmacists were interviewed. Hospital pharmacists conceptualized the basic spirit of PCC as "putting patients first". On the operationalization of PCC in pharmacy services, one theme/viewpoint was that all processes of care that are patient-oriented, including efforts that facilitate patient convenience, improve ecosystem of care and access of care should be considered as PCC. A contrasting theme only regard pharmacy services demonstrating specific elements, such as provision of individualized therapy, holistic in nature and enable building of rapport and trust between patient and pharmacist, as being consistent with PCC principles. Improving pharmacists' communication skills, patients' health literacy and over-reliance on clinicians as well as resource limitations are deemed integral for successful implementation of PCC services. Conclusion: Beyond the concept of putting patients first, there was confusion on the exact concept of PCC and its subsequent operationalization in hospital pharmacy practice. Development of a pharmacy specific PCC framework to serve as a universal blueprint to guide operationalization is recommended.
Malaysian Journal of Pharmacy, 2021
Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine how hospital pharmacists in a developin... more Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine how hospital pharmacists in a developing country interpret the term "patient-centred care (PCC)", how it was or can be operationalized in hospital pharmacy practice, and barriers faced in delivering such care. Method: A generic qualitative approach was utilized. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively sampled pharmacists from a Malaysian tertiary referral hospital until data saturation, using an interview guide informed by relevant literature. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, with resultant transcripts subsequently coded and analysed using thematic analysis technique. Result: Fifteen pharmacists were interviewed. Hospital pharmacists conceptualized the basic spirit of PCC as "putting patients first". On the operationalization of PCC in pharmacy services, one theme/viewpoint was that all processes of care that are patient-oriented, including efforts that facilitate patient convenience, improve ecosystem of care and access of care should be considered as PCC. A contrasting theme only regard pharmacy services demonstrating specific elements, such as provision of individualized therapy, holistic in nature and enable building of rapport and trust between patient and pharmacist, as being consistent with PCC principles. Improving pharmacists' communication skills, patients' health literacy and over-reliance on clinicians as well as resource limitations are deemed integral for successful implementation of PCC services. Conclusion: Beyond the concept of putting patients first, there was confusion on the exact concept of PCC and its subsequent operationalization in hospital pharmacy practice. Development of a pharmacy specific PCC framework to serve as a universal blueprint to guide operationalization is recommended.