Research question:
How do infection control practices and understanding by Brisbane retail pharmacists affect infection control messages delivered to their patients?
Developing quantitative survey tool:
Sampling from Brisbane pharmacists with infection control messages (a sample of 150 would be better) then generalize the results. Then we can obtain estimates- what the real values would be in the whole population of interest. Probability sampling: Single random sampling – pharmacists chosen at random: assign a number and pick out who is recruited.
Non responses from pharmacists- have not completed the survey: 10-20% who won’t complete it in the end, need to have enough to take non responders out.
Balance between male and females, Cultural background, Ages (Non bias). The only thing they all have in common is that they MUST BE PHARMACISTS.
3 literature reviews that show the following sample numbers (6, 137 and 264 of pharmacists participating in the study, we can base our sample number from this.
Links to the literature reviews:
1.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1551741120307324
2.chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-33322/v1/4bce72f8-c1a4-47c7-881f-a04fb4df5dc4.pdf
3.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11096-020-01078-1
Survey design for use
Online questionnaire for pharmacists (survey tool) was preferred due to contactless efforts, done easily within their home or workplace. Similar to the study done for: Provision of community pharmacy services during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross sectional study of community pharmacists’ experiences with preventative measures and sources of information.
Pharmacist survey interview guide
| Question 1 | What are the PPE requirements that pharmacies should follow during SARS-CoV-2? |
| First of all, it is important to set some criteria then ask the intern pharmacists, pharmacists and pharmacy assistants if they can satisfy the criteria. This should be specified as the minimum requirement to “have skills” in PPE use training. A follow up question on whether pharmacy patients/customers feel more confident about using their own PPE correctly after their visit to a pharmacy and if they actually interacted with the pharmacy staff and engaged on infection control communication exchange with them. Clarify the requirements whether they be for workplaces, general public or something else. | |
| Question 2 | How would pharmacists and interns rate how well they know about COVID-19 and providing training and education to staff/customers/ patients |
| Question 3 | How often are you able to maintain the government required social distance of 1.5M? |
| Question 4 | What hand hygiene techniques should be used during SARS-CoV-2 as per the FIP AND WHO guidelines? |
| Question 5 | What are the transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2? Rank the transmission routes in terms of most common/recognized/important? |
| Question 6 | Which chemicals are most effective at inactivating SARS-CoV-2? |
| Question 7 | Which surface types does SARS-CoV-2 remain activated on for the longest? |
| Question 8 | Which face masks are most appropriate to use during SARS-CoV-2? |
| Question 9 | How many typical signs or symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 (ranked and listed)? |
| Question 10 | What is the most effective cleaning protocol to inactivate SARS-CoV-2? |
Patient survey- observations/information received from the pharmacist
| Question 1 | How do you feel about infection control after simply being in the pharmacy environment and casually observing? |
| Question 2 | How do you feel about infection control after simply being in the pharmacy environment and engaging in a casual conversation with a pharmacist? |
| Question 3 | Do you feel confused about the government messages saying one thing, a pharmacist telling them the same thing, but then observing another pharmacist doing something different?Yes or no? |
| Question 4 | After visiting our pharmacy, do you feel better equipped to control infection?Yes or No? |
| Question 5 | From the infection control practices you’ve seen pharmacists practicing, do you think you will use this in other places and your home? Yes or no? |
| Question 6 | Do you understand the term “infection control” and are you able to relate it to what professionals regard as infection control practices?Yes or no? |
| Question 7 | Was it easy to maintain a 1.5M distance between yourself and the pharmacists and other staff?Yes or no? |
| Question 8 | Did you observe pharmacists and other staff putting a mask, increasing the frequency of environmental cleaning, particularly high touch surfaces like benchtops and handles, practicing good hand hygiene.Did all of these practices occur— Yes or no? |
| Question 9 | When visiting the pharmacy did they provide any hand sanitizer upon entry? Yes or no? |
| Question 10 | Do you believe pharmacists are a good role model for infection control? Yes or no? |
Generating of responses
This will be done by SPSS. Under Transform>Compute variable>> RV,UNIFORM(1,2). It is (1,2) since the minimum value for these variables is 1(Yes) and the lowest value is 2(No).
A series of conclusions can be deduced after this simulation. First of all, the variables are nominal in nature taking two levels of response Yes or No. Following computations and decoding of values, it can be concluded that;
- Patients feel better equipped to control infections after visiting the pharmacy
- Patients are in a position to carry out the infection control practices they have seen the pharmacists do.
- It was easy to maintain the 1.5M distance between the patient and the pharmacist.
- Pharmacists carried out infection prevention practices such as putting on of masks, environmental cleaning among others.
- The pharmacy provided hand sanitizer upon entry.
