Attitude of Hospital Pharmacists Under the Office of Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public health, in Procurement Concerning Drug Quality

Abstract

Introduction: This  survey  research  aimed  to  measure  the  hospital pharmacistst  attitudes towards  drug  quality  in  procurement. Methods: Data  were  collected  using  a  self-administered questionnaire that  consisted  of  25  items  with  a  5-point  Likert  rating  scale.  The  content  validity  was assessed by three  experts. The reliability  was assessed  using Cronbachts alpha  coefficient of  0.70. The study sample was hospital pharmacists who were mainly responsible for drug procurement (one pharmacist  within  each  hospital).  Mail  questionnaires  were  sent  to  total  of  831  hospitals  that  were under  the  Office  of  Permanent  Secretary,  Ministry  of  Public  Health.  The  study  time  period  was January  2016  to  April  2016.  Data  were  analyzed  using  descriptive  statistics,  and  exploratory  factor analysis. Results: A  total  of  309  completed  questionnaires  were  analyzed,  and  this  indicated  a response  rate  of  37.18%.  Five  factors  indicating  attitude  were  extracted.  Hospital  pharmacists  who agreed  with  the  statements  concerning  {attitude  to medicine|,  {attitude  to  procurement  problems|, {attitude to manufacturer|, {attitude to policy| and {attitude of the procurement officer| were 77-95%, 46-84%,  55-74%,  60-67%  and 84-95%,  respectively. Conclusion: Most  of  the  participating  hospital pharmacists agreed with all factors toward drug quality in procurement. Attitude was related to quality- drug  procurement  should  be  concerned.  Nevertheless, further  study  of  explaining  factors  that associated  with  drug  quality  concerning  attitude  should  be  conducted,  to  accomplish  the  deep understanding in the future.