Adherence to the Pharmacist’s Protocol of sore throat symptomatic treatment in Ukraine and problems of harmonization with international guidelines

Overview

Background: Good pharmaceutical counselling in the sore throat symptomatic treatment is an important component of the health care first line, timely detection of infectious diseases, provision of qualified assistance, prevention of complications, and correct use of medications.

Methods: The study included a self-assessment of adherence of Ukrainian pharmacists to the Pharmacist Protocol through a survey, evaluation of the level of awareness of Ukrainian pharmacists with international standards for the symptomatic treatment of sore throat, assessing prospects and finding ways to harmonize the Ukrainian standard with international ones. 

Results: A high level of commitment of pharmacists to the proper detection of the patient’s problem, high fluctuations in adherence to the detection of specific “alarm” symptoms, an average level of proper information about the medications, a low level of awareness of international approaches to the sore throat symptomatic treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were established. Based on the results of the assessment of prospects, it was determined that there are basement and opportunities for Ukrainian Pharmacist’s Protocol harmonization with international guidelines.

Conclusions: Based on the conducted research, proposals for changes to the Pharmacist’s Protocol were developed.

Keywords:

standards – sore throat – Ukrainian pharmacists – self-medication – harmonization.