Attitudes and approaches towards COVID-19 management among the public and pharmacists in Northern Cyprus

Abstract

Purpose: To study the attitudes and approaches towards COVID-19 management among the public and pharmacists in Northern Cyprus. Method: Questionnaire were administered face-to-face and online to volunteer pharmacists and other members of the public, after receiving approval from the Near East University Ethics Boards. Responses to the questionnaire were evaluated statistically. Results: The pharmacists who quickly learned and adopted the necessary protection measures against COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic were young professionals under the age of 30 years who had less than 5 years of professional experience (p < 0.05). Most pharmacists who prepared magistral disinfectants/antiseptic solutions and lotions for irritation caused by excessive hand washing were aged above 60 years, with more than 30 years of professional experience (p < 0.05). The people who responded in the questionnaires asked for products derived from Echinacea, Sambucus nigra, propolis, ginger and Pelargonium sidoides to boost their immune system. Approximately 22.6 % of the respondents received COVID-19-related information from doctors, while 33.4 % got theirs from pharmacists. However, 6.7 % of the respondents got information from social media groups which they created (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Cooperation between pharmacists and health care organizations is increasingly crucial for public health, since there are still gaps in the successful control of COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it would be beneficial and even necessary to add a course on "management and solidarity in pandemics and other disasters" to the undergraduate education programs in pharmacy and all other healthcare disciplines.