Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to tuberculosis in pharmacy workers in a cross-sectional survey in El Agustino, Peru

IntroductionAlthough the worldwide incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is slowly decreasing, annual infection rates in Peru remain among the highest in the Americas. Pharmacies could play an important role in facilitating early detection of TB. However, the awareness, expertise and cooperation of pharmacy workers is fundamental. This study explored the TB-related knowledge, attitudes and practices of pharmacy workers in a district with one of the highest incidences of TB in Peru.MethodsThis cross-sectional study applied a questionnaire that was administered face to face using smartphones with one pharmacy worker at each of 45 randomly selected pharmacies in the El Agustino district of Lima, Peru.ResultsParticipants were primarily female (78%) and had an average age of 31.3 years old (range 18–57 years old). Only 11% of participants were pharmacists with complete university training. The pharmacy workers’ knowledge was adequate; however, workers had important knowledge gaps and myths regarding prevention of TB transmission. Most pharmacy workers (77%) reported they would send a client with a history of cough for more than two weeks to a healthcare center, while 23% reported they would offer them antitussive medication or antibiotics. Almost all workers reported talking with clients about diseases and reported respiratory symptoms as one of the most common causes for consultation (60%). Most participants expressed interest in learning more about TB and expanding their involvement in the fight against TB in their community.ConclusionPharmacy workers have adequate knowledge about TB. However, we identified gaps in knowledge with respect to prevention of TB transmission. Pharmacy workers commonly see patients with respiratory symptoms and some offer recommendations, including for treatment. Pharmacy workers are willing to learn more and contribute to TB control and could be a valuable asset in the control and prevention of TB in Peru. To achieve this integration of pharmacy workers into TB control and prevention, more research is needed.

引言
尽管全球肺结核（TB）发病率正缓慢下降，但秘鲁的年感染率仍位居美洲前列。药房可在推动肺结核早期筛查方面发挥重要作用，而药房工作人员的认知水平、专业能力与协作意愿是核心前提。本研究针对秘鲁肺结核发病率最高的区域之一，调研当地药房工作人员的肺结核相关知识、态度与实践行为。

研究方法
本项横断面研究采用面对面问卷调查的方式，依托智能手机完成调研，对象为秘鲁利马市奥古斯丁诺区45家随机抽取药房各一名药房工作人员。

研究结果
受访对象以女性为主（78%），平均年龄31.3岁（年龄区间18~57岁），仅11%的受访者为接受完整大学教育的执业药师。药房工作人员的整体肺结核知识储备较为充足，但在肺结核传播预防相关知识上仍存在显著缺口与认知误区。多数药房工作人员（77%）表示，会将咳嗽症状持续两周以上的患者转诊至医疗中心，另有23%表示会为其开具镇咳药物或抗生素。几乎所有受访人员均表示会与患者沟通疾病相关问题，且认为呼吸道症状是患者就诊的最常见原因之一（占比60%）。大部分受访者表示有意愿进一步学习肺结核相关知识，并加深参与所在社区的肺结核防控工作。

结论
药房工作人员对肺结核具备较为充足的基础知识，但在肺结核传播预防领域仍存在知识盲区。药房工作人员日常接诊大量呼吸道症状患者，部分人员会为患者提供包括治疗方案在内的健康建议。受访人员均表现出主动学习与参与肺结核防控的意愿，有望成为秘鲁肺结核防控工作中的重要力量。但若要将药房工作人员切实融入肺结核防控体系，仍需开展更多相关研究。