Community pharmacist knowledge of asthma and asthma patient management

Introduction: Asthma is a disease that affects almost 3 million people in Spain. To date we have worrying data regarding asthmatic pathology, with an under-diagnostics of 50% and a poor control of 60 to 70% of asthmatic patients. Moreover, several studies also show that the asthmatic patient himself does not have a real perception of his disease and treatment, a problem that also affects healthcare professionals.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of community pharmacist regarding asthmatic pathology and to look for options for improvement through an adequate and updated training as well as coordinated actions with the primary healthcare system.

Results: A total of 566 responses were obtained. Of these, the percentages of correct answers according to the theme were: prevalence 51.59%, diagnosis 59.01%, evolution 80.57%, mortality 20.67%, etiology 40.46%, control 30.45% and treatment 48.35%. Moreover, their readiness to carry out joint actions with primary care practitioners or to implement any useful task at pharmacies, was also observed.

Conclusions: The study reflects the lack of training of community pharmacists in the areas of prevalence, diagnosis, mortality, etiology, control and treatment of asthma; making a rigorous study of the lack of knowledge essential before undertaking educational and training interventions. The most valued improvement proposals have been direct communication with the doctor, hygienic-dietary measures and the integration of the community pharmacy in the health system.