Objective: To explore opinions and practices of pharmacists in Australia and Thailand in relation to dietary supplements and complementary medicines (DS/CM) Method: Data were collected from individual in-depth interviews of 10 pharmacists from the Sydney metropolitan area, Australia, and 10 pharmacists from the north-eastern region of Thailand, using semi-structured interview protocol to guide the interview. Key findings: Australian respondents evaluated the necessity and safety of use of DS/CM in the same way as for conventional medicines. Thai respondents performed a quick assessment to ensure that customers were in a normal-health condition before selling them DS/CM products. The provision of information about DS/CM products and their efficacy, and advice on the maintenance of healthy lifestyles were still inadequate in both studied groups. When assisting customers in selecting products. Australian respondents would select a product about which they had knowledge, while Thai respondents would suggest brands that were relatively cheap but yielded a higher profit margin. Criteria used by Australian respondents to select DS/CM products to sell in pharmacies were clinical evidence and the credibility of companies and distributors, while Thai respondents appeared to be influenced by companies' credibility, customers' income, products' appearance and companies' policies about unsold products. Conclusion: It was found that neither Australian nor Thai respondents were proactive in providing professional services to support the appropriate use of DS/CM. Among Australian respondents, the decision to sell or recommend DS/CM was often motivated by customers' desire and customers' health conditions. Among Thai respondents the action taken was often motivated by customers' request and the profit to be made from the sale. (copyright) 2006 The Authors.
CITATION STYLE
Kanjanarach, T., Krass, I., & Cumming, R. G. (2010). Exploratory study of factors influencing practice of pharmacists in Australia and Thailand with respect to dietary supplements and complementary medicines. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 14(2), 123–128. https://doi.org/10.1211/ijpp.14.2.0006
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